Patents by Inventor Tokifumi Tanaka

Tokifumi Tanaka 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: 10488797
    Abstract: There is provided a fuser including: a cylindrical member; an endless belt; a pressing member; a pressing roller; and a lateral guide contacting a lateral end of the endless belt. A part of an outer circumferential surface of the pressing roller is located on a downstream of the second nip area in a first direction. A guide surface of the lateral guide has: a first guide surface located on an opposite side to the pressing roller with respect to a virtual plane including the center of a first nip area and the center of rotation of the cylindrical member, and a second guide surface located on a side of the pressing roller with respect to the virtual plane, located on the downstream side of the rotation axis of the pressing roller in the first direction, and arranged on a same plane as the first guide surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasumasa Fujii, Tokifumi Tanaka, Hirofumi Kuriki, Masahito Kajita, Kenji Takeuchi, Hiroshi Handa
  • Patent number: 10459384
    Abstract: A fuser may include a rotatable member, a belt, a pressure member, and a sliding member. The belt and rotatable member may form a nip portion. The sliding member may be sandwiched between an inner peripheral surface of the belt and the pressure member. The sliding member may include a front surface, which faces the inner peripheral surface of the belt. The front surface may include a plurality of dimples designed to catch lubricant that moves along ridges between the dimples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tokifumi Tanaka, Hideki Kanada
  • Publication number: 20190243293
    Abstract: A fuser includes a rotatable member, a belt, a pressure member, and a sliding member. The pressure member sandwiches the belt together with the rotatable member to form a nip portion. The sliding member is sandwiched between an inner peripheral surface of the belt and the pressure member. The sliding member includes a front surface, which faces the inner peripheral surface of the belt. The front surface includes a plurality of first dimples and a plurality of second dimples. The first dimples are arranged in a zone corresponding to a first part of the nip portion. The second dimples are arranged in a zone corresponding to a second part of the nip portion, to which a pressure smaller than a pressure appled in the first part is applied. Each of the first dimples is of a shape that can release lubricant more easily than each of the second dimples.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2018
    Publication date: August 8, 2019
    Inventors: Tokifumi Tanaka, Hideki Kanada
  • Publication number: 20190243294
    Abstract: A fuser includes a rotatable member, a belt, a pressure member, and a sliding member. The pressure member sandwiches the belt together with the rotatable member to form a nip portion. The sliding member is sandwiched between an inner peripheral surface of the belt and the pressure member. The sliding member includes a front surface, which faces the inner peripheral surface of the belt. The front surface includes a plurality of first dimples and a plurality of second dimples. The first dimples are arranged in a first zone, which corresponds to the nip portion. The second dimples are arranged in a second zone, which corresponds to a portion of the sliding member outside the nip portion. Each of the first dimples is of a shape that can release lubricant more easily than each of the second dimples.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2018
    Publication date: August 8, 2019
    Inventors: Tokifumi Tanaka, Hideki Kanada
  • Publication number: 20190235426
    Abstract: A fuser may include a rotatable member, a belt, a pressure member, and a sliding member. The belt and rotatable member may form a nip portion. The sliding member may be sandwiched between an inner peripheral surface of the belt and the pressure member. The sliding member may include a front surface, which faces the inner peripheral surface of the belt. The front surface may include a plurality of dimples designed to catch lubricant that moves along ridges between the dimples.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2018
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Inventors: Tokifumi Tanaka, Hideki Kanada
  • Patent number: 10365596
    Abstract: A fuser includes a rotatable member, a belt, a pressure member, and a sliding member. The pressure member sandwiches the belt together with the rotatable member to form a nip portion. The sliding member is sandwiched between an inner peripheral surface of the belt and the pressure member. The sliding member includes a front surface, which faces the inner peripheral surface of the belt. The front surface includes a plurality of first dimples and a plurality of second dimples. The first dimples are arranged in a zone corresponding to a first part of the nip portion. The second dimples are arranged in a zone corresponding to a second part of the nip portion, to which a pressure smaller than a pressure applied in the first part is applied. Each of the first dimples is of a shape that can release lubricant more easily than each of the second dimples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tokifumi Tanaka, Hideki Kanada
  • Publication number: 20180284666
    Abstract: There is provided a fuser including: a cylindrical member; an endless belt; a pressing member; a pressing roller; and a lateral guide contacting a lateral end of the endless belt. A part of an outer circumferential surface of the pressing roller is located on a downstream of the second nip area in a first direction. A guide surface of the lateral guide has: a first guide surface located on an opposite side to the pressing roller with respect to a virtual plane including the center of a first nip area and the center of rotation of the cylindrical member, and a second guide surface located on a side of the pressing roller with respect to the virtual plane, located on the downstream side of the rotation axis of the pressing roller in the first direction, and arranged on a same plane as the first guide surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Yasumasa Fujii, Tokifumi Tanaka, Hirofumi Kuriki, Masahito Kajita, Kenji Takeuchi, Hiroshi Handa
  • Publication number: 20180244072
    Abstract: There is provided a fuser including: an endless belt; a contacting member contacting an outer peripheral surface of the endless belt; a pressure roller contacting an inner peripheral surface of the endless belt and sandwiching the endless belt together with the contacting member; and a sliding contact member making sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the endless belt. The pressure roller includes a first porous layer impregnated with a lubricating agent, in a place contacting the inner peripheral surface of the endless belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Inventors: Tokifumi Tanaka, Hiroshi Handa
  • Patent number: 9645545
    Abstract: A process cartridge comprises: a developing cartridge; and a photosensitive member cartridge receiving the developing cartridge. The photosensitive member cartridge comprises a photosensitive member, and a pressing member configured to press the developing cartridge. The developing cartridge is configured to be located at a first position at which it is pressed by the pressing member and at a second position at which it is separable from the photosensitive member cartridge. The developing cartridge comprises: a driving mechanism including a detected member, and a covering member configured to cover the driving mechanism. The covering member comprises: a receiving part protruding configured to receive at least a part of the detected member; and an abutting part continuing to the receiving part, the abutting part being configured to abut on a member in the image forming apparatus main body and to move the developing cartridge to the first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryuji Noda, Satoru Ishikawa, Tokifumi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9423769
    Abstract: A process cartridge includes an image carrying member cartridge and a developing cartridge. The image carrying member cartridge includes a first handle. The developing cartridge includes a second handle. In a state where the developing cartridge is attached to the image carrying member cartridge, a one edge of the first handle is located at substantially the same position as a one edge of the second handle in a direction, and the second handle is spaced apart from the first handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tokifumi Tanaka, Satoru Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20150192894
    Abstract: A process cartridge comprises: a developing cartridge; and a photosensitive member cartridge receiving the developing cartridge. The photosensitive member cartridge comprises a photosensitive member, and a pressing member configured to press the developing cartridge. The developing cartridge is configured to be located at a first position at which it is pressed by the pressing member and at a second position at which it is separable from the photosensitive member cartridge. The developing cartridge comprises: a driving mechanism including a detected member, and a covering member configured to cover the driving mechanism. The covering member comprises: a receiving part protruding configured to receive at least a part of the detected member; and an abutting part continuing to the receiving part, the abutting part being configured to abut on a member in the image forming apparatus main body and to move the developing cartridge to the first position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2015
    Publication date: July 9, 2015
    Inventors: Ryuji Noda, Satoru Ishikawa, Tokifumi Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20150023692
    Abstract: A process cartridge includes an image carrying member cartridge and a developing cartridge. The image carrying member cartridge includes a first handle. The developing cartridge includes a second handle. In a state where the developing cartridge is attached to the image carrying member cartridge, a one edge of the first handle is located at substantially the same position as a one edge of the second handle in a direction, and the second handle is spaced apart from the first handle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tokifumi Tanaka, Satoru Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20100246023
    Abstract: A monocular type image display device includes: a frame body having a front portion and a pair of temple portions connected to both side edges of the front portion; and an image display unit having an image forming part for forming an image based on an image signal and an eyepiece optical part for guiding the image formed by the image forming part to one of the eyes of a user. At least one of the pair of temple portions includes a mounting portion arranged adjacent to the front portion and a wearing portion positioned behind the mounting portion and supported on an ear of the user. A step in the height direction approximately orthogonal to a plane which includes the pair of temple portions is formed between the mounting portion and the wearing portion. The image display unit is mounted on the mounting portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tokifumi Tanaka
  • Patent number: D723614
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Shimizu, Tokifumi Tanaka, Satoru Ishikawa, Keita Shimizu
  • Patent number: D724139
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Shimizu, Tokifumi Tanaka, Satoru Ishikawa, Keita Shimizu