Patents by Inventor Takehiko Kodama

Takehiko Kodama 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: 7871066
    Abstract: A sheet post-processing unit which includes a sheet stacking portion, a sheet conveying portion, an intersectional moving device, a vertical moving device, an intersectional regulating member, and a controller. The sheet stacking portion stacks sequentially discharged sheets. The sheet conveying portion conveys each sheet stacked on the sheet stacking portion. The intersectional moving device moves the sheet conveying portion in a direction intersecting with a sheet discharging direction. The vertical moving device moves up and down the sheet conveying portion in a vertical direction. The intersectional regulating member aligns each sheet by contacting an edge of each sheet. The controller controls the intersectional moving device and the vertical moving device to move the sheeting conveying portion, and to press-contact the sheet conveying portion to an upper surface of a sheet and separate it from the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Finetech Inc.
    Inventors: Takehiko Kodama, Naoto Saeki, Akihiko Sugiyama, Naoyasu Funada, Masato Nonaka
  • Publication number: 20090256302
    Abstract: There is provided a sheet post-processing unit having a simple structure, capable of stably conveying sheets on a tray and causing less ruggedness in conveying and aligning the sheets discharged one after another to the tray to form a bundle of sheets and to staple it. The sheet post-processing unit is provided with sheet conveying means for conveying the sheet stacked on the post-processing tray in the same and reverse directions with/from the sheet conveying direction and intersectional moving means for conveying the sheet in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction by moving the sheet conveying means in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. It conveys the sheet while keeping rollers of the sheet conveying means in contact with the sheet and aligns the sheet by hitting the trailing edge thereof against a trailing edge stopper and by hitting the side edge of thereof against a wall by moving the rollers in the intersecting direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2009
    Publication date: October 15, 2009
    Applicant: CANON FINETECH INC.
    Inventors: Takehiko KODAMA, Naoto SAEKI, Akihiko SUGIYAMA, Naoyasu FUNADA, Masato NONAKA
  • Patent number: 7566051
    Abstract: A sheet post-processing unit usable in an image forming apparatus includes a sheet stacking device; a sheet conveying device including at least one roller rotatably supported by an arm movably and vertically rockingly supported, an actuator for moving the arm capable of selectively conveying each sheet to be discharged and of separating from the sheet by moving in a vertical direction; a control section for setting a moving distance of the intersectional moving device corresponding to a size of each sheet to be discharged; and a sheet clamping device. The roller abuts an uppermost sheet among sheets stacked on the sheet stacking device and an intersectional moving device moves the roller in the intersecting direction by a moving distance corresponding to the sheet size set by the control section to hit against and align the uppermost sheet with an upstream side regulating member and an intersectional regulating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Finetech Inc.
    Inventors: Takehiko Kodama, Naoto Saeki, Akihiko Sugiyama, Naoyasu Funada, Masato Nonaka
  • Patent number: 7392983
    Abstract: There is provided a sheet post-processing unit and image forming unit, which is capable of stably conveying sheets discharged one after another to a tray to form a bundle of sheets and to staple the bundle. A sheet conveying means is provided for selectively conveying the sheet to be discharged in the downstream and upstream directions of the sheet discharging direction, as well as moving the sheet in a direction intersecting the sheet conveying direction, and which is capable of moving up and down to be contactable with, and detachable from, the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Finetech Inc.
    Inventors: Takehiko Kodama, Naoto Saeki, Akihiko Sugiyama, Naoyasu Funada, Masato Nonaka
  • Publication number: 20080150213
    Abstract: There is provided a sheet post-processing unit having a simple structure, capable of stably conveying sheets on a tray and causing less ruggedness in conveying and aligning the sheets discharged one after another to the tray to form a bundle of sheets and to staple it. The sheet post-processing unit is provided with sheet conveying means for conveying the sheet stacked on the post-processing tray in the same and reverse directions with/from the sheet conveying direction and intersectional moving means for conveying the sheet in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction by moving the sheet conveying means in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. It conveys the sheet while keeping rollers of the sheet conveying means in contact with the sheet and aligns the sheet by hitting the trailing edge thereof against a trailing edge stopper and by hitting the side edge of thereof against a wall by moving the rollers in the intersecting direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Applicant: Canon Finetech Inc.
    Inventors: Takehiko Kodama, Naoto Saeki, Akihiko Sugiyama, Naoyasu Funada, Masato Nonaka
  • Patent number: 7300046
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus including a first sheet stacking portion for stacking sheets thereon, a second sheet stacking portion provided downstream of the first sheet stacking portion with respect to a sheet conveying direction, a sheet holding device for holding the sheets stacked on the first sheet stacking portion, and a holding device moving device for moving the sheet holding device between a holding position for holding the sheets and a discharging position provided downstream of the holding position in the sheet conveying direction, wherein the discharging position has a predetermined distance upstream from a stop position in which the sheet holding device moved to a downstream side with respect to the sheet conveying direction by the holding device moving device is stopped to an upstream side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Finetech Inc.
    Inventors: Akihiko Sugiyama, Naoto Saeki, Takehiko Kodama, Naoyasu Funada, Hiroshi Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20050230898
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus including a first sheet stacking portion for stacking sheets thereon, a second sheet stacking portion provided downstream of the first sheet stacking portion with respect to a sheet conveying direction, a sheet holding device for holding the sheets stacked on the first sheet stacking portion, and a holding device moving device for moving the sheet holding device between a holding position for holding the sheets and a discharging position provided downstream of the holding position in the sheet conveying direction, wherein the discharging position has a predetermined distance upstream from a stop position in which the sheet holding device moved to a downstream side with respect to the sheet conveying direction by the holding device moving device is stopped to an upstream side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2005
    Publication date: October 20, 2005
    Inventors: Akihiro Suqiyama, Naoto Saeki, Takehiko Kodama, Naoyasu Funada, Hiroshi Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20050121848
    Abstract: There is provided a sheet post-processing unit having a simple structure, capable of stably conveying sheets on a tray and causing less ruggedness in conveying and aligning the sheets discharged one after another to the tray to form a bundle of sheets and to staple it. The sheet post-processing unit is provided with sheet conveying means for conveying the sheet stacked on the post-processing tray in the same and reverse directions with/from the sheet conveying direction and intersectional moving means for conveying the sheet in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction by moving the sheet conveying means in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. It conveys the sheet while keeping rollers of the sheet conveying means in contact with the sheet and aligns the sheet by hitting the trailing edge thereof against a trailing edge stopper and by hitting the side edge of thereof against a wall by moving the rollers in the intersecting direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2004
    Publication date: June 9, 2005
    Applicant: Canon Finetech Inc.
    Inventors: Takehiko Kodama, Naoto Saeki, Akihiko Sugiyama, Naoyasu Funada, Masato Nonaka