Patents by Inventor Toshihiko Kitahara
Toshihiko Kitahara 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).
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Patent number: 8422050Abstract: An apparatus is provided that can perform distributed control for a plurality of operation units, without concentrating control in a single device. The apparatus includes a plurality of modules that respectively correspond to a plurality of operation units, each module including a communication device, a functional block setting device and a functional block connected with a corresponding operation unit. The functional block has a register that holds, in an updateable condition, control values relating to various controls of the corresponding operation unit. Each module is triggered by an operation start signal input to a start terminal of the communication device to start an operation for controlling a corresponding operation unit in accordance with each control value held in the register device.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2006Date of Patent: April 16, 2013Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Toshihiko Kitahara, Junichi Into, Eiichi Motoyama, Masao Watanabe, Tsunao Hombo, Akihiko Sakai, Masatoshi Yaginuma
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Patent number: 8417138Abstract: A fixing device which makes it possible to reduce power consumption during a non-fixing operation while reducing the time before fixing is started. A belt has a conductive layer provided thereon. A pressure roller is rotated in a state engaged with the belt to thereby cause the belt to be rotated in a driven manner. Exciting circuits each formed by a magnetic core and an exciting coil generate an eddy current in the conductive layer provided on the belt to thereby cause heat to be generated in the conductive layer. A plurality of the exciting circuits are arranged at different locations along a rotational direction of the belt, and a controller drivingly controls the exciting circuits in respective timings in a state where the belt and the pressure roller are disengaged from each other.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2010Date of Patent: April 9, 2013Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Toshihiko Kitahara
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Patent number: 8355145Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes, even when an abnormality of operation occurs in any of a plurality of modules to which an assigned operation in a plurality of operations for an image formation is assigned and which autonomously executes the assigned operation, each of the modules can autonomously perform a particular operation for eliminating an abnormality of operation at a module in which an abnormality occurs. When detecting the module in which the abnormality of operation occurs based on operation abnormality generation condition information in each of the modules stored in the shared data module, the plurality of modules provided in the image forming apparatus each perform an operation (a particular operation) for eliminating the abnormality of operation in accordance with the module in which the abnormality of operation occurs and the contents of the abnormality of operation.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2006Date of Patent: January 15, 2013Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Eiichi Motoyama, Junichi Into, Toshihiko Kitahara, Masao Watanabe, Tsunao Hombo, Akihiko Sakai, Masatoshi Yaginuma
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Patent number: 8199375Abstract: An image forming system including: an image reading portion which reads an image of an original; an image forming portion which forms the image on a sheet based on image information read by the image reading portion; and a storing device which stores the original before the image is read, the original after the image is read, and the sheet on which the image has been formed based on the image information, wherein the storing device is detachable from the image forming system.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 2009Date of Patent: June 12, 2012Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yasuhiro Saito, Toshiro Tomono, Toshihiko Kitahara, Akihiro Sato, Rie Aizawa
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Publication number: 20110052238Abstract: A fixing device which makes it possible to reduce power consumption during a non-fixing operation while reducing the time before fixing is started. A belt has a conductive layer provided thereon. A pressure roller is rotated in a state engaged with the belt to thereby cause the belt to be rotated in a driven manner. Exciting circuits each formed by a magnetic core and an exciting coil generate an eddy current in the conductive layer provided on the belt to thereby cause heat to be generated in the conductive layer. A plurality of the exciting circuits are arranged at different locations along a rotational direction of the belt, and a controller drivingly controls the exciting circuits in respective timings in a state where the belt and the pressure roller are disengaged from each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 31, 2010Publication date: March 3, 2011Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Toshihiko KITAHARA
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Publication number: 20090303552Abstract: An image forming system including: an image reading portion which reads an image of an original; an image forming portion which forms the image on a sheet based on image information read by the image reading portion; and a storing device which stores the original before the image is read, the original after the image is read, and the sheet on which the image has been formed based on the image information, wherein the storing device is detachable from the image forming system.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 2, 2009Publication date: December 10, 2009Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yasuhiro Saito, Toshiro Tomono, Toshihiko Kitahara, Akihiro Sato, Rie Aizawa
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Publication number: 20070086037Abstract: An apparatus is provided that can perform. distributed control for a plurality of operation units, without concentrating control in a single device. The apparatus includes a plurality of modules that respectively correspond to a plurality of operation units, each module including a communication device, a functional block setting device and a functional block connected with a corresponding operation unit. The functional block has a register that holds, in an updateable condition, control values relating to various controls of the corresponding operation unit. Each module is triggered by an operation start signal input to a start terminal of the communication device to start an operation for controlling a corresponding operation unit in accordance with each control value held in the register device.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 16, 2006Publication date: April 19, 2007Applicant: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Toshihiko Kitahara, Junichi Into, Eiichi Motoyama, Masao Watanabe, Tsunao Hombo, Akihiko Sakai, Masatoshi Yaginuma
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Publication number: 20060209341Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes, even when an abnormality of operation occurs in any of a plurality of modules to which an assigned operation in a plurality of operations for an image formation is assigned and which autonomously executes the assigned operation, each of the modules can autonomously perform a particular operation for eliminating an abnormality of operation at a module in which an abnormality occurs. When detecting the module in which the abnormality of operation occurs based on operation abnormality generation condition information in each of the modules stored in the shared data module, the plurality of modules provided in the image forming apparatus each perform an operation (a particular operation) for eliminating the abnormality of operation in accordance with the module in which the abnormality of operation occurs and the contents of the abnormality of operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 16, 2006Publication date: September 21, 2006Applicant: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Eiichi Motoyama, Junichi Into, Toshihiko Kitahara, Masao Watanabe, Tsunao Hombo, Akihiko Sakai, Masatoshi Yaginuma
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Publication number: 20060005038Abstract: An image forming apparatus communicated across a network to a server for effecting personal authentication, including: a personal authentication data inputting device for inputting personal authentication data; a personal authentication data transmitting device for transmitting to the server the personal authentication data inputted by the authentication data inputting device; an authentication result receiving device for receiving a result of authentication from the server; a utilization mode data obtaining device for obtaining from the server utilization mode data corresponding to a user authenticated by the server; an operation mode setting device for setting the operation mode of the image forming apparatus to an operation mode corresponding to the utilization mode data obtained by the utilization mode data obtaining device; and a utilization mode data renewing device for renewing the utilization mode data of the server on the basis of the utilization mode data corresponding to the operation mode utilizedType: ApplicationFiled: June 24, 2005Publication date: January 5, 2006Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Toshihiko Kitahara, Ikuo Takeuchi, Takahiro Ushiro, Norifumi Miyake
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Publication number: 20050206950Abstract: A printing system for processing a print job transmitted from a terminal to a printer by the printer, includes a display which can display information associated with the print job, and a controller which switches in accordance with a demanding party of the information associated with the print job whether all pieces of information associated with the print job are displayed on the display or some pieces of information associated with the print job are limited upon display on the display.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 16, 2005Publication date: September 22, 2005Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takahiro Ushiro, Norifumi Miyake, Ikuo Takeuchi, Toshihiko Kitahara
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Patent number: 6243547Abstract: An image heating apparatus is provided where an electrical power supply to a second heater is started during the electrical power supply to a first heater, a power supply control that controls the electrical power supply to the first heater in accordance with a condition of the second heater.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 1999Date of Patent: June 5, 2001Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yoshio Mizuno, Toshihiko Kitahara
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Patent number: 5684685Abstract: The invention is to provide an improved high voltage transfer power supply and an image forming apparatus, regardless of resistance connected in series to the transfer roller and impedance change of the transfer roller. The high voltage transfer power supply, if the voltage produced from the output winding NS1 of the transfer transformer T1 is controlled based on the set value of register 8 merely by the process of ATVC, can provide neither an appropriate transfer voltage nor an excellent transfer image. Accordingly, a correction value resulting from the resistance R2 and the impedance change of the transfer roller by means of CPU12, and a set value in a register 8 is corrected by the correction value to obtain an optimal transfer image of the original.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 1995Date of Patent: November 4, 1997Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Shun-ichi Komatsu, Toshihiko Kitahara