Patents by Inventor Takashi Yokoya

Takashi Yokoya has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11934121
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image forming unit, a fixing unit, a reading unit, a reference member, and a controller is described. The image forming unit forms an image and a detection image on a sheet. The detection image is used for detecting geometric characteristics of an image to be formed on a sheet by the image forming unit. The fixing unit fixes the image and the detection image formed by the image forming unit on the sheet. The reading unit reads the detection image on the sheet. The controller adjusts geometric characteristics of the image to be formed on a sheet based on a reading result of the detection image by the reading unit, and controls the reading unit to read the reference member and executes shading correction based on a reading result of the reference member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Yumoto, Takashi Yokoya, Toshifumi Oikawa, Yutaka Ando, Akinobu Nishikata, Riki Fukuhara, Yuichiro Oda
  • Publication number: 20230229368
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image former configured to form an image on a sheet, an inspector configured to inspect the sheet on which the image has been formed by the image former and determine whether or not the image of the sheet has an abnormality, and a controller configured to, in a case where the inspector determines that the image of the sheet has the abnormality of positional deviation, perform an adjustment operation in which an image formation position by the image former is adjusted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2023
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Inventors: Kiyoharu Kakomura, Noriaki Matsui, Takashi Yokoya, Takuya Machida, Shun Motohashi, Toshifumi Oikawa, Tadao Sugiura
  • Patent number: 11640272
    Abstract: An image forming system includes a controller to discharge to a first discharger a sheet determined not to have a product defect and discharge to a second discharger a sheet determined to have a product defect. The controller is configured to, in a case where it is determined that a first sheet on which an image has been formed has the product defect, execute an adjustment operation of adjusting image forming conditions for an image former, and execute a recovery process in which the image formed on the first sheet is formed on a second sheet by the image former with the product defect removed based on completion of the adjustment operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kiyoharu Kakomura, Noriaki Matsui, Takashi Yokoya, Takuya Machida, Shun Motohashi, Toshifumi Oikawa, Tadao Sugiura
  • Patent number: 11470213
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure includes an image forming unit configured to form an image based on an image forming condition; a reading unit configured to read a test image on a sheet; a controller configured to: control the image forming unit to form the test image; obtain read data related to the test image output from the reading unit is formed; and update the image forming condition based on the read data. The controller operates in a first mode and a second mode, the first mode is a mode in which, the controller controls the image forming unit to form the image for the second sheet after the image forming condition is updated based on the reading data related to the test image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Riki Fukuhara, Takashi Yokoya, Toshifumi Oikawa, Yutaka Ando, Akinobu Nishikata, Koji Yumoto, Yuichiro Oda
  • Patent number: 11460796
    Abstract: An image forming system includes a first feeding portion configured to feed a recording sheet, an image forming portion, a sheet conveyance path, a second feeding portion configured to feed an inserting sheet from any of a plurality of supporting portions including a first supporting portion and a second supporting portion, a detection portion, and a controller. The controller is configured to execute, during execution of a process of feeding a first inserting sheet from the first supporting portion to the sheet conveyance path, a movement processing of moving a second inserting sheet supported on the second supporting portion to a position where a trailing edge of the second inserting sheet is placed downstream in a sheet conveyance direction of a detection position of the detection portion and thereafter stopping the second inserting sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akinobu Nishikata, Takashi Yokoya, Koji Yumoto, Akihiro Kawakita
  • Patent number: 11435687
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is configured to execute a print job for printing on a sheet supplied from a sheet supplying mechanism formed of a first sheet feeding apparatus configured to temporarily stop conveyance of the sheet within a conveyance path thereof or a second sheet feeding apparatus configured not to temporarily stop conveyance of the sheet within a conveyance path thereof. The image forming apparatus includes an image former configured to form an image on the sheet; an obtaining device configured to obtain apparatus information representing a type of an apparatus forming the sheet supplying mechanism; and a controller configured to determine, based on the apparatus information and the sheet supplying mechanism instructed to feed the sheet by the print job, timings to send, to the sheet supplying mechanism, a feed request for starting to feed the sheet and a delivery request for instructing to deliver the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiro Kawakita, Satoru Yamamoto, Koji Yumoto, Akinobu Nishikata, Takashi Yokoya
  • Patent number: 11435685
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to perform a first image forming process and a second image forming process to form an image and a test image on a sheet; a reader, arranged in a conveyance path along which the sheet is conveyed, configured to read the test image on the sheet, the test image being formed by the image forming unit; a member; a controller configured to obtain, from the reader, reading data related to the test image on the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akinobu Nishikata, Takashi Yokoya, Toshifumi Oikawa, Yutaka Ando, Koji Yumoto, Riki Fukuhara, Yuichiro Oda
  • Publication number: 20220179600
    Abstract: An image forming system includes: an inspection unit configured to inspect a sheet and determine whether or not the sheet has a product defect; and a control unit configured to discharge to a first discharge unit the sheet not having the product defect and discharge to a second discharge unit the sheet having the product defect, wherein the control unit is configured to, in a case where the inspection unit determines that a first sheet has the product defect, execute a recovery process in which the image formed on the first sheet is formed on a second sheet, and the control unit is configured to, in a case where the inspection unit determines that the first sheet has the product defect, execute an operation of adjusting an image forming condition for the image forming unit prior to executing the recovery process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2021
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Inventors: Kiyoharu Kakomura, Noriaki Matsui, Takashi Yokoya, Takuya Machida, Shun Motohashi, Toshifumi Oikawa, Tadao Sugiura
  • Patent number: 11305955
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet being conveyed on a horizontal path and a double feed sensor configured to execute double feed detection processing of detecting a state in which a plurality of sheets being conveyed on the horizontal path are conveyed in a duplicate manner. The image forming apparatus includes a double feed detection function table, in which whether to enable or disable the double feed detection processing is set according to a type of a sheet. The image forming apparatus determines whether to execute the double feed detection processing at a time of image formation in accordance with sheet setting information including information on a characteristic of a sheet to be used for the image formation and setting information on whether to execute the double feed detection processing, and the double feed detection function table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Yokoya, Koji Yumoto, Riki Fukuhara, Akihiro Kawakita, Yutaka Ando
  • Publication number: 20210382421
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image and a detection image on a sheet, wherein the detection image is used for detecting a geometric characteristics of an image to be formed on a sheet by the image forming unit; a fixing unit configured to fix the image and the detection image formed by the image forming unit on the sheet; a reading unit configured to read the detection image on the sheet; a reference member; and a controller configured to: adjust geometric characteristics of an image to be formed on a sheet based on a reading result of the detection image by the reading unit; and control the reading unit to read the reference member to execute shading correction based on a reading result thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2021
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Inventors: Koji Yumoto, Takashi Yokoya, Toshifumi Oikawa, Yutaka Ando, Akinobu Nishikata, Riki Fukuhara, Yuichiro Oda
  • Patent number: 11186104
    Abstract: An image forming system includes a first feeding portion to feed a recording sheet, a second feeding portion to feed an inserting sheet from one of a plurality of supporting portions, and a controller capable of executing a job. In a case of performing a feeding process on a current recording sheet subsequent to a preceding inserting sheet, the controller starts the feeding process of the current recording sheet at a predetermined timing in a state in which sheets of a first amount are supported on the first supporting portion, and starts the feeding process of the current recording sheet at a timing later than the predetermined timing in a state in which sheets of a second amount smaller than the first amount are supported on the first supporting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Yumoto, Toshiyuki Miyake, Takashi Yokoya, Yutaka Ando, Riki Fukuhara, Akihiro Kawakita
  • Publication number: 20210368055
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure includes an image forming unit configured to form an image based on an image forming condition; a reading unit configured to read a test image on a sheet; a controller configured to: control the image forming unit to form the test image; obtain read data related to the test image output from the reading unit is formed; and update the image forming condition based on the read data. The controller operates in a first mode and a second mode, the first mode is a mode in which, the controller controls the image forming unit to form the image for the second sheet after the image forming condition is updated based on the reading data related to the test image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2021
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Riki Fukuhara, Takashi Yokoya, Toshifumi Oikawa, Yutaka Ando, Akinobu Nishikata, Koji Yumoto, Yuichiro Oda
  • Publication number: 20210356894
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to perform a first image forming process and a second image forming process to form an image and a test image on a sheet; a reader, arranged in a conveyance path along which the sheet is conveyed, configured to read the test image on the sheet, the test image being formed by the image forming unit; a member; a controller configured to obtain, from the reader, reading data related to the test image on the sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Inventors: Akinobu Nishikata, Takashi Yokoya, Toshifumi Oikawa, Yutaka Ando, Koji Yumoto, Riki Fukuhara, Yuichiro Oda
  • Patent number: 11150586
    Abstract: An image forming system includes a first feeding portion configured to feed a recording sheet, a second feeding portion configured to feed an inserting sheet from one of a plurality of supporting portions, and a controller configured to execute a determination process of determining whether or not there is a supporting portion usable as a new feeding source other than a supporting portion serving as a current feeding source of an inserting sheet. The controller is capable of switching between first control and second control in which a feeding process of a recording sheet is executed respectively in a first mode and a second mode in a case where it has been determined in the determination process that there is no supporting portion usable as the new feeding source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Riki Fukuhara, Toshiyuki Miyake, Takashi Yokoya, Yutaka Ando, Koji Yumoto, Akihiro Kawakita
  • Patent number: 10924619
    Abstract: An image forming system includes a first feeding portion configured to feed a recording sheet, a second feeding portion configured to feed an inserting sheet from one of a plurality of supporting portions, and a controller capable of executing a feed-before-detection mode in which a feeding process of a current recording sheet is started before a detection portion detects whether or not a last preceding inserting sheet is present on a supporting portion selected as a feeding source of an inserting sheet from among the plurality of supporting portions. The controller is configured to start the feeding process of the current recording sheet in the feed-before-detection mode and cause the second supporting portion to feed the last preceding inserting sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yutaka Ando, Toshiyuki Miyake, Takashi Yokoya, Koji Yumoto, Riki Fukuhara, Akihiro Kawakita
  • Patent number: 10871739
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium; a feeding unit on which the recording medium is placed and configured to convey the recording medium toward the image forming unit on a conveyance path; an insert unit on which an insert sheet is placed and configured to convey the insert sheet so as to insert the insert sheet between a plurality of recording mediums conveyed from the image forming unit; a storage unit configured to store information concerning feeding of the recording medium; and a control unit configured to control a feeding timing of the insert sheet by the insert unit based on the information stored in the storage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Yokoya, Akinobu Nishikata, Yutaka Ando, Akihiro Arai
  • Publication number: 20200356038
    Abstract: An image forming system includes a first feeding portion configured to feed a recording sheet, an image forming portion, a sheet conveyance path, a second feeding portion configured to feed an inserting sheet from any of a plurality of supporting portions including a first supporting portion and a second supporting portion, a detection portion, and a controller. The controller is configured to execute, during execution of a process of feeding a first inserting sheet from the first supporting portion to the sheet conveyance path, a movement processing of moving a second inserting sheet supported on the second supporting portion to a position where a trailing edge of the second inserting sheet is placed downstream in a sheet conveyance direction of a detection position of the detection portion and thereafter stopping the second inserting sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Inventors: Akinobu Nishikata, Takashi Yokoya, Koji Yumoto, Akihiro Kawakita
  • Publication number: 20200310319
    Abstract: An image forming system includes a first feeding portion configured to feed a recording sheet, a second feeding portion configured to feed an inserting sheet from one of a plurality of supporting portions, and a controller configured to execute a determination process of determining whether or not there is a supporting portion usable as a new feeding source other than a supporting portion serving as a current feeding source of an inserting sheet. The controller is capable of switching between first control and second control in which a feeding process of a recording sheet is executed respectively in a first mode and a second mode in a case where it has been determined in the determination process that there is no supporting portion usable as the new feeding source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Riki Fukuhara, Toshiyuki Miyake, Takashi Yokoya, Yutaka Ando, Koji Yumoto, Akihiro Kawakita
  • Publication number: 20200314253
    Abstract: An image forming system includes a first feeding portion configured to feed a recording sheet, a second feeding portion configured to feed an inserting sheet from one of a plurality of supporting portions, and a controller capable of executing a feed-before-detection mode in which a feeding process of a current recording sheet is started before a detection portion detects whether or not a last preceding inserting sheet is present on a supporting portion selected as a feeding source of an inserting sheet from among the plurality of supporting portions. The controller is configured to start the feeding process of the current recording sheet in the feed-before-detection mode and cause the second supporting portion to feed the last preceding inserting sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Yutaka Ando, Toshiyuki Miyake, Takashi Yokoya, Koji Yumoto, Riki Fukuhara, Akihiro Kawakita
  • Publication number: 20200307274
    Abstract: An image forming system includes a first feeding portion configured to feed a recording sheet, a second feeding portion configured to feed an inserting sheet from one of a plurality of supporting portions, and a controller capable of executing a job. In a case of performing a feeding process on a current recording sheet subsequent to a preceding inserting sheet, the controller is configured to start the feeding process of the current recording sheet at a predetermined timing in a state in which sheets of a first amount are supported on the first supporting portion, and start the feeding process of the current recording sheet at a timing later than the predetermined timing in a state in which sheets of a second amount smaller than the first amount are supported on the first supporting portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Koji Yumoto, Toshiyuki Miyake, Takashi Yokoya, Yutaka Ando, Riki Fukuhara, Akihiro Kawakita