Patents by Inventor Toshihiko Kudo

Toshihiko Kudo 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: 9377754
    Abstract: A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a rotatable photosensitive drum; a charging roller for contacting and electrically charging the drum; a spacer for supporting a rotation shaft of the charging roller to space the drum from the charging roller; and an urging member for contacting the spacer to urge the charging roller toward the drum; wherein the spacer is movable between a first position for spacing the charging roller from the drum and a second position for contacting the charging roller to the drum, and an urging force of the urging member applied to the spacer is smaller when the spacer is in the second position than when the spacer is in the first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazushi Kitajima, Toshihiko Kudo
  • Publication number: 20140086630
    Abstract: A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a rotatable photosensitive drum; a charging roller for contacting and electrically charging the drum; a spacer for supporting a rotation shaft of the charging roller to space the drum from the charging roller; and an urging member for contacting the spacer to urge the charging roller toward the drum; wherein the spacer is movable between a first position for spacing the charging roller from the drum and a second position for contacting the charging roller to the drum, and an urging force of the urging member applied to the spacer is smaller when the spacer is in the second position than when the spacer is in the first position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2012
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazushi Kitajima, Toshihiko Kudo
  • Patent number: 8150307
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a high toner containing efficiency of a waste toner-collecting container is provided. Piled toner is broken by an vibrating imparting operation and at the same time, a toner feeding member such as a feeding screw disposed inside the toner-collecting container is rotated by changing a reciprocating operation by the vibrating impartment to a rotational operation in a direction. As a result, the piled toner which cannot be completely broken by the vibrating imparting operation is broken and fed, so that driving noise is reduced and the toner containing efficiency is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshihiko Kudo
  • Publication number: 20100074666
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a high toner containing efficiency of a waste toner-collecting container is provided. Piled toner is broken by an vibrating imparting operation and at the same time, a toner feeding member such as a feeding screw disposed inside the toner-collecting container is rotated by changing a reciprocating operation by the vibrating impartment to a rotational operation in a direction. As a result, the piled toner which cannot be completely broken by the vibrating imparting operation is broken and fed, so that driving noise is reduced and the toner containing efficiency is improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2009
    Publication date: March 25, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshihiko KUDO
  • Patent number: 7634221
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a high toner containing efficiency of a waste toner-collecting container is provided. Piled toner is broken by an vibrating imparting operation and at the same time, a toner feeding member such as a feeding screw disposed inside the toner-collecting container is rotated by changing a reciprocating operation by the vibrating impartment to a rotational operation in a direction. As a result, the piled toner which cannot be completely broken by the vibrating imparting operation is broken and fed, so that driving noise is reduced and the toner containing efficiency is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshihiko Kudo
  • Patent number: 7391996
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising: an exposing means and a developing means. The developing means comprises a plurality of developing devices, a rotating member rotatable while supporting the plurality of the developing devices, and a driving means for the rotation drive of the rotating member for selectively moving the plurality of the developing devices to the developing position such that the driving means transmits driving force to the rotating member via a gear at a drive transmitting position. An angle ?e(°) formed by a straight line linking the rotation center of the rotating member and the drive transmitting position and the tangent of the image bearing member at an exposing position in the image bearing member moving direction satisfies the following relationship with the premise that an pressure angle of the gear is ?(°) and the image bearing member rotating direction is positive:????e??.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiko Yokota, Tetsuya Nagase, Hiroshi Nakahata, Toshihiko Kudo, Yukihiro Fujiwara
  • Publication number: 20070292179
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a high toner containing efficiency of a waste toner-collecting container is provided. Piled toner is broken by an vibrating imparting operation and at the same time, a toner feeding member such as a feeding screw disposed inside the toner-collecting container is rotated by changing a reciprocating operation by the vibrating impartment to a rotational operation in a direction. As a result, the piled toner which cannot be completely broken by the vibrating imparting operation is broken and fed, so that driving noise is reduced and the toner containing efficiency is improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshihiko KUDO
  • Publication number: 20070231012
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising: an exposing means and a developing means. The developing means comprises a plurality of developing devices, a rotating member rotatable while supporting the plurality of the developing devices, and a driving means for the rotation drive of the rotating member for selectively moving the plurality of the developing devices to the developing position such that the driving means transmits driving force to the rotating member via a gear at a drive transmitting position. An angle ?e(°) formed by a straight line linking the rotation center of the rotating member and the drive transmitting position and the tangent of the image bearing member at an exposing position in the image bearing member moving direction satisfies the following relationship with the premise that an pressure angle of the gear is ?(°) and the image bearing member rotating direction is positive:????e??.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2007
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiko Yokota, Tetsuya Nagase, Hiroshi Nakahata, Toshihiko Kudo, Yukihiro Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 7248822
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising: an exposing means and a developing means. The developing means comprises a plurality of developing devices, a rotating member rotatable while supporting the plurality of the developing devices, and a driving means for the rotation drive of the rotating member for selectively moving the plurality of the developing devices to the developing position such that the driving means transmits driving force to the rotating member via a gear at a drive transmitting position. An angle ?e(°) formed by a straight line linking the rotation center of the rotating member and the drive transmitting position and the tangent of the image bearing member at an exposing position in the image bearing member moving direction satisfies the following relationship with the premise that an pressure angle of the gear is ?(°) and the image bearing member rotating direction is positive: ????e??.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiko Yokota, Tetsuya Nagase, Hiroshi Nakahata, Toshihiko Kudo, Yukihiro Fujiwara
  • Publication number: 20060120780
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image forming section for forming images on sheets; a sheet supply section for holding the sheets and supplying them to the image forming section; and a reverse section, disposed between the sheet supply section and the image forming section, for selectively reversing the sheets from the sheet supply section. An inserter set holds and supplies sheets for insertion between sheets having images formed thereon by the image forming section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2006
    Publication date: June 8, 2006
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiko Kudo, Wataru Kawata
  • Patent number: 7020430
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image forming section for forming images on sheets; a sheet supply section for holding the sheets and supplying them to the image forming section; and a reverse section, disposed between the sheet supply section and the image forming section, for selectively reversing the sheets from the sheet supply section. An inserter set holds and supplies sheets for insertion between sheets having images formed thereon by the image forming section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiko Kudo, Wataru Kawata
  • Publication number: 20050175375
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising: an exposing means and a developing means. The developing means comprises a plurality of developing devices, a rotating member rotatable while supporting the plurality of the developing devices, and a driving means for the rotation drive of the rotating member for selectively moving the plurality of the developing devices to the developing position such that the driving means transmits driving force to the rotating member via a gear at a drive transmitting position. An angle ?e(°) formed by a straight line linking the rotation center of the rotating member and the drive transmitting position and the tangent of the image bearing member at an exposing position in the image bearing member moving direction satisfies the following relationship with the premise that an pressure angle of the gear is ?(°) and the image bearing member rotating direction is positive: ????e??.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2005
    Publication date: August 11, 2005
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiko Yokota, Tetsuya Nagase, Hiroshi Nakahata, Toshihiko Kudo, Yukihiro Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 6795662
    Abstract: An image-forming device includes a control panel having a display function. The control panel is supported by a support member which is provided either on an original-sheet discharge-tray or on a main body and the original-sheet discharge-tray of the image-forming device. The control panel is separate from the main body and positioned toward a front side of the original-sheet discharge-tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshihiko Kudo
  • Publication number: 20030235446
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image forming section for forming images on sheets; a sheet supply section for holding the sheets and supplying them to the image forming section; and a reverse section, disposed between the sheet supply section and the image forming section, for selectively reversing the sheets from the sheet supply section. An inserter set holds and supplies sheets for insertion between sheets having images formed thereon by the image forming section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2003
    Publication date: December 25, 2003
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiko Kudo, Wataru Kawata
  • Publication number: 20020191980
    Abstract: An image-forming device includes a control panel having a display function. The control panel is supported by a support member which is provided either on an original-sheet discharge-tray or on a main body and the original-sheet discharge-tray of the image-forming device. The control panel is separate from the main body and positioned toward a front side of the original-sheet discharge-tray.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2002
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshihiko Kudo
  • Patent number: 5517243
    Abstract: An image sensing apparatus is provided with a solid-state image sensor which is capable of sweeping out electric charges therefrom, a mechanical shutter and a control circuit for controlling the time period from the time point at which the electric charges of the solid-state image sensor are swept out when the mechanical shutter is in its open state to the time point at which the mechanical shutter is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 14, 1996
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiko Kudo, Takao Kinoshita, Yuji Sakaegi, Makoto Kondo
  • Patent number: 5331154
    Abstract: In an image sensing apparatus having a solid-state image sensor provided with an antiblooming gate and an electronic flash device, a clock signal generating circuit is arranged to apply to the gate a clock signal at a given frequency during the flashing period of the flash device and at a lower frequency than the given frequency during a period immediately before the flashing period and a period after completion of flashing by the flash device. The device includes a rotary encloder with light transmitting, blocking and semi-transmitting sections. The position of the encoder is used in an exposure means for controlling an exposure condition of a photoconverting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 19, 1994
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenichi Kondo, Shigeo Yamagata, Yuji Sakaegi, Toshihiko Kudo, Kazuhiro Matsunaga, Tsutomu Takayama
  • Patent number: 5168364
    Abstract: An image sensing apparatus for picking up images having a solid-state image sensor provided with an antiblooming gate. The antiblooming gate removes unnecessary electric charge at a given frequency rate during a period of time at which an exposure shutter reaches a desired aperture diameter. The antiblooming gate removes unnecessary charge at a lower frequency rate before and/or after the exposure shutter reaches the desired aperture diameter. Thus it is possible to provide a highly efficient antiblooming system that minimizes the duration in which the antiblooming gate operates at the higher frequency rate, thereby minimizing undesirable conditions associated with operating the gate at the higher frequency rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1992
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenichi Kondo, Shigeo Yamagata, Yuji Sakaegi, Toshihiko Kudo, Kazuhiro Matsunaga, Tsutomu Takayama