Patents by Inventor Tetsu Sekine

Tetsu Sekine 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: 8099037
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section which forms an image on a sheet; a conveyance section which conveys the sheet to the image forming section, having a registration roller, a plurality of loop forming rollers which cause the sheet to form a loop, provided upstream of the registration roller in a sheet conveyance direction and arranged in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction, a skew detection sensor which detects a skew of the sheet, and a conveyance roller provided upstream of the loop forming roller; and a control section which controls a driving of the conveyance section. The control section controls independently each of the plurality of loop forming rollers based on the detected result of the skew detection sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tetsu Sekine, Satoshi Ogata, Yujiro Ishida
  • Patent number: 8036588
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus including an image forming section which forms an image on a sheet and a conveyance section which conveys the sheet to the image forming section, the conveyance section includes: a registration roller, a plurality of loop forming rollers which cause the sheet to form a loop, provided upstream of the registration roller in a sheet conveyance direction and arranged in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction, a skew detection sensor which detects a skew of the sheet, and a conveyance roller provided upstream of the loop forming roller; and a control section which controls independently each of the plurality of loop forming rollers based on the detected result of the skew detection sensor. The conveyance roller is swung in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yujiro Ishida, Tetsu Sekine
  • Patent number: 7726644
    Abstract: There is described a paper sheet conveyance apparatus and an image forming apparatus, which makes it possible not only to achieve the minimization and the cost reduction of the apparatus; but also to achieve the high-speed conveyance operation of the paper sheet without generating any step out of the stepping motor. The paper sheet conveyance apparatus, includes: a pair of conveyance rollers to convey a paper sheet; and a stepping motor to drive one of the pair of conveyance rollers. At least one of the conveyance rollers is a roller made of aluminum alloy metal. Further, the roller made of the aluminum alloy metal is shaped in a hallow cylinder. Still further, a surface hardening treatment is applied to a circumferential surface of the roller made of the aluminum alloy metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Hideo Isohara, Tetsu Sekine, Yoshiki Katayama
  • Patent number: 7600187
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus for communicating with a management apparatus for storing a plurality of electronic prepaid information and authentication information related to the plurality of electronic prepaid information, and replaying to inquiry request for electronic prepaid information based on authentication information through a portable communication terminal storing authentication information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Hasebe, Takashi Tamura, Saburo Shimizu, Tetsu Sekine, Shuta Hamada, Utami Soma
  • Patent number: 7516957
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus provided with a bent sheet feeding guide member in the transportation path for transporting the recording material with the inclination along the width direction of the guide surface configured by the bent sheet feeding guide member being variable, or provided with a pair of transporting rollers that transports a recording material in the transportation path for transporting a recording material with the inclination of the pair of transporting rollers along the axial direction being variable with respect to the transportation surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoshi Hamaya, Tetsu Sekine, Hideo Isohara, Yujiro Ishida
  • Patent number: 7496848
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus providing services for general users, capable of getting rid of trouble to collect use charges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Hasebe, Takashi Tamura, Saburo Shimizu, Tetsu Sekine, Shuta Hamada, Utami Soma
  • Patent number: 7490931
    Abstract: In an image recording apparatus equipped with plural printing heads each for jetting ink drops having a photo-setting property towards a recording medium, a conveyance unit for conveying the recording medium to the printing heads, and each of plural light radiation devices for radiating light to the ink drops landed on the recording medium to harden, is arranged at the downstream side of each of the plural printing heads, one having largest light energy, which is located at the most downstream position among the plural light radiation devices is determined at least to satisfy the light energy necessary for hardening of the ink drops jetted by any one of the printing heads positioned upstream thereof, and the light energy becomes smaller gradually for every light radiation device in the order from the light radiation device at the most downstream position to those at more upstream positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Takashi Hasebe, Saburo Shimizu, Atsushi Nakajima, Satoshi Masumi, Tetsu Sekine, Shuta Hamada
  • Publication number: 20080232877
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus including an image forming section which forms an image on a sheet and a conveyance section which conveys the sheet to the image forming section, the conveyance section includes: a registration roller, a plurality of loop forming rollers which cause the sheet to form a loop, provided upstream of the registration roller in a sheet conveyance direction and arranged in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction, a skew detection sensor which detects a skew of the sheet, and a conveyance roller provided upstream of the loop forming roller; and a control section which controls independently each of the plurality of loop forming rollers based on the detected result of the skew detection sensor. The conveyance roller is swung in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Publication date: September 25, 2008
    Inventors: Yujiro ISHIDA, Tetsu Sekine
  • Publication number: 20080232878
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section which forms an image on a sheet; a conveyance section which conveys the sheet to the image forming section, having a registration roller, a plurality of loop forming rollers which cause the sheet to form a loop, provided upstream of the registration roller in a sheet conveyance direction and arranged in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction, a skew detection sensor which detects a skew of the sheet, and a conveyance roller provided upstream of the loop forming roller; and a control section which controls a driving of the conveyance section. The control section controls independently each of the plurality of loop forming rollers based on the detected result of the skew detection sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Publication date: September 25, 2008
    Inventors: Tetsu SEKINE, Satoshi Ogata, Yujiro Ishida
  • Patent number: 7396122
    Abstract: An image recording device, comprises: a recording head which discharges an ultraviolet-ray curable ink, which is cured as irradiated with ultraviolet rays; an ultraviolet light source which generates ultraviolet rays to cure the ultraviolet-ray curable ink; a first heating section which heats the ultraviolet-ray curable ink on a recording medium after an irradiation of the ultraviolet rays; a pressure section which pressurizes the recording medium after an irradiation of the ultraviolet rays; and a controller which controls the first heating section to start heating the ultraviolet-ray curable ink on the recording medium after the last discharge of the ink to an arbitrary area on the recording medium, a first predetermined time between the last discharge and the starting heat is predetermined, and controls the first heating section to heat the ultraviolet-ray curable ink within a second predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoshi Masumi, Tetsu Sekine
  • Publication number: 20080095426
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus providing services for general users, capable of getting rid of trouble to collect use charges.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2007
    Publication date: April 24, 2008
    Applicant: KONICA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Hasebe, Takashi Tamura, Saburo Shimizu, Tetsu Sekine, Shuta Hamada, Utami Soma
  • Patent number: 7338154
    Abstract: An image printing apparatus including a conveyance-printing section for printing on a recording medium sheet; a first printing device including a plurality of black printing heads for jetting image-setting black ink drops onto the recording medium sheet; a second printing device including a plurality of color printing heads for jetting image-setting color ink drops onto the recording medium sheet; first light radiating devices which radiate ultraviolet rays to harden the image-setting black ink drops; and second light radiating devices which radiate the ultraviolet rays to harden the image-setting color ink drops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Takashi Hasebe, Saburo Shimizu, Takeo Arai, Satoshi Masumi, Tetsu Sekine, Shuta Hamada
  • Publication number: 20080018046
    Abstract: There is described a paper sheet conveyance apparatus and an image forming apparatus, which makes it possible not only to achieve the minimization and the cost reduction of the apparatus; but also to achieve the high-speed conveyance operation of the paper sheet without generating any step out of the stepping motor. The paper sheet conveyance apparatus, includes: a pair of conveyance rollers to convey a paper sheet; and a stepping motor to drive one of the pair of conveyance rollers. At least one of the conveyance rollers is a roller made of aluminum alloy metal. Further, the roller made of the aluminum alloy metal is shaped in a hallow cylinder. Still further, a surface hardening treatment is applied to a circumferential surface of the roller made of the aluminum alloy metal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Hideo Isohara, Tetsu Sekine, Yoshiki Katayama
  • Patent number: 7267418
    Abstract: An ink jet printer for recording an image on a recording medium by jetting ink from nozzles having: an ink jet section which is provided with the nozzles; and an ink droplet detection section for detecting an impact force generated when an ink droplet jetted from the nozzles lands with a piezoelectric element, which is provided ahead in an ink droplet jetting direction from the nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Takashi Hasebe, Saburo Shimizu, Tetsu Sekine, Shuta Hamada
  • Patent number: 7229147
    Abstract: An ink jet printer has an ink jet section for jetting ink from nozzles, a vibration detection section for detecting a jet failure of the nozzles, which is provided ahead in an ink droplet jetting direction from the nozzles, an ink droplet receiving section for receiving an ink droplet jetted from the nozzles, which is interposed between the nozzles and the vibration detection section, and a control section for controlling a maximum diameter of an ink droplet jetted from the nozzles when detecting a jet failure of the nozzles to be larger than that when recording an image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Takashi Hasebe, Saburo Shimizu, Tetsu Sekine, Shuta Hamada
  • Patent number: 7216949
    Abstract: An ink jet printer has: a vibration detection section to receive ink jetted from the nozzles and output a detection signal having an amplitude corresponding to a vibration generated when the ink lands; a sampling section to sample an amplitude value of the detection signal by a predetermined sampling clock signal; a storing section to store an amplitude value data of the detection signal sampled by the sampling section; a judging section to judge a jet failure of the nozzles based on the amplitude value data of the detection signal in the storing section; and a control section to control to jet the ink continuously a plurality of times with a jet drive cycle which is set by multiplying a standard drive waveform time of an ink jet signal from the nozzles by an odd number not less than five when detecting a jet failure of the nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Takashi Hasebe, Saburo Shimizu, Tetsu Sekine, Shuta Hamada
  • Publication number: 20070085890
    Abstract: In an image recording apparatus equipped with plural printing heads each for jetting ink drops having a photo-setting property towards a recording medium, a conveyance unit for conveying the recording medium to the printing heads, and each of plural light radiation devices for radiating light to the ink drops landed on the recording medium to harden, is arranged at the downstream side of each of the plural printing heads, one having largest light energy, which is located at the most downstream position among the plural light radiation devices is determined at least to satisfy the light energy necessary for hardening of the ink drops jetted by any one of the printing heads positioned upstream thereof, and the light energy becomes smaller gradually for every light radiation device in the order from the light radiation device at the most downstream position to those at more upstream positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2006
    Publication date: April 19, 2007
    Inventors: Takashi Hasebe, Saburo Shimizu, Atsushi Nakajima, Satoshi Masumi, Tetsu Sekine, Shuta Hamada
  • Publication number: 20070001387
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus provided with a bent sheet feeding guide member in the transportation path for transporting the recording material with the inclination along the width direction of the guide surface configured by the bent sheet feeding guide member being variable, or provided with a pair of transporting rollers that transports a recording material in the transportation path for transporting a recording material with the inclination of the pair of transporting rollers along the axial direction being variable with respect to the transportation surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2006
    Publication date: January 4, 2007
    Inventors: Satoshi Hamaya, Tetsu Sekine, Hideo Isohara, Yujiro Ishida
  • Patent number: 7152970
    Abstract: In an image recording apparatus equipped with plural printing heads each for jetting ink drops having a photo-setting property towards a recording medium, a conveyance unit for conveying the recording medium to the printing heads, and each of plural light radiation devices for radiating light to the ink drops landed on the recording medium to harden, is arranged at the downstream side of each of the plural printing heads, one having largest light energy, which is located at the most downstream position among the plural light radiation devices is determined at least to satisfy the light energy necessary for hardening of the ink drops jetted by any one of the printing heads positioned upstream thereof, and the light energy becomes smaller gradually for every light radiation device in the order from the light radiation device at the most downstream position to those at more upstream positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Takashi Hasebe, Saburo Shimizu, Atsushi Nakajima, Satoshi Masumi, Tetsu Sekine, Shuta Hamada
  • Patent number: 7134750
    Abstract: An ink jet printer having: an ink heating device for heating an ink whose viscosity decreases as temperature increases; a printing head for jetting an ink heated by the heating device onto a recording medium; a carrying device for carrying the recording medium while supporting the recording medium to face a nozzle-plate of the printing head; and a cooling device for cooling the recording medium in an upstream side with respect to a position where an ink placed on the recording medium is cured, in a carrying direction of the recording medium by the carrying device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2006
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Takashi Hasebe, Saburo Shimizu, Tetsu Sekine, Shuta Hamada