Patents by Inventor Toshihiro Sone

Toshihiro Sone 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).

  • Publication number: 20120308278
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a fuser includes a fixing belt including a conductive layer, an induction-current generating section to electromagnetically induction-heat the conductive layer, an opposed section to form a nip in cooperation with the fixing belt, an auxiliary heat generating section electromagnetically induction-heated by the induction-current generating section, and a moving section to move the auxiliary heat generating section with respect to the fixing belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicants: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazuhiko KIKUCHI, Masahiro Doi, Toshihiro Sone, Shuji Yokoyama, Tadashi Noguchi, Satoshi Kinouchi, Ryota Saeki, Shigeru Fujiwara, Shoko Shimmura, Kazutoshi Takahashi, Takafumi Amano
  • Publication number: 20120263510
    Abstract: A fuser includes: a heat generating section including a heat generating layer and configured to rotationally travel; an induction-current generating section provided around the exterior of the heat generating section and including an exciting coil and an external ferrite core that covers the outer circumference of the exciting coil; an opposing section set in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the heat generating section; and an internal ferrite core arranged inside of the heat generating section in a position opposed to the exciting coil, a first center angle connecting both edges of the internal ferrite core and a rotation center of the heat generating section being larger than a second center angle connecting both edges of the external ferrite core and the rotation center of the heat generating section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicants: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Katsutoshi Mita, Kazuhiko Kikuchi, Masahiro Doi, Shuji Yokoyama, Toshihiro Sone
  • Publication number: 20120187755
    Abstract: A power unit for an electric vehicle includes: a first power source connected between a first node and a second node; a first switch connected between the second node and a third node; a second power source connected between the third node and a fourth node; a second switch connected between the first node and the third node; and a DC-DC converter, wherein the DC-DC converter adjusts an electric potential of the first node by changing an electric potential of the second node by making the first node connectable to the third node, or, by making the second node connectable to the third node; an output electric power obtained from between the first node and the fourth node is supplied to an electric motor; and the first power source or the second power source is a fuel cell stack and an another is a secondary battery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2012
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Toshihiro SONE
  • Publication number: 20120187887
    Abstract: A power unit for an electric vehicle includes: a first power source connected between a first node and a second node; a first switch connected between the second node and a third node; a second power source connected between the third node and a fourth node; a second switch connected between the first node and the third node; and a DC-DC converter connected to the second node, wherein the DC-DC converter changes an electric potential of the second node by making the second node connectable to the fourth node or the third node, and an output electric power obtained from between the first node and the fourth node is supplied to an electric motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2012
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Toshihiro SONE
  • Publication number: 20120183337
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a fuser includes a heating roller, an endless belt, and a pressing roller. The heating roller rotates and comes into contact with a toner surface side of a sheet to heat the sheet. The endless belt has hardness lower than the hardness of the heating roller. The pressing roller is an only rotating body provided in a space formed by the endless belt and having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the endless belt. The pressing roller has hardness lower than the hardness of the heating roller and presses the heating roller via a part of the endless belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2012
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicants: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazutoshi Takahashi, Satoshi Kinouchi, Shigeru Fujiwara, Ryota Saeki, Shoko Shimmura, Toshihiro Sone, Takafumi Amano
  • Patent number: 8218991
    Abstract: A fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention heats a metal conductive layer of a heat roller using an induction current generating coil. In order to supplement a heat capacity of the heat roller, a press roller having a large heat capacity is heated by a halogen lamp. During a start of activation of an image forming apparatus, when a printer control circuit is started, the supply of electric power to the halogen lamp is started before warming-up is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Nakayama, Yohei Doi, Tetsuo Kitamura, Osamu Takagi, Satoshi Kinouchi, Yoshinori Tsueda, Kazuhiko Kikuchi, Masanori Takai, Toyoyasu Kusaka, Toshihiro Sone
  • Publication number: 20120141175
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment includes: an image erasing section including a first member which has an elastic layer and heats a recording medium having a thermally decolorizable toner image on the toner image side and a second member which erases the toner image by allowing the recording medium in cooperation with the first member; an image forming section which transfers a thermally decolorizable toner image onto the recording medium on which the toner image is erased to form an unfixed toner image; and an image fixing section including a third member which does not have an elastic layer and heats the recording medium on the unfixed toner image side and a fourth member which fixes the unfixed toner image by allowing the recording medium in cooperation with the third member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Publication date: June 7, 2012
    Applicants: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Shigeru Fujiwara, Satoshi Kinouchi, Ryota Saeki, Shoko Shimmura, Kazutoshi Takahashi, Toshihiro Sone, Takafumi Amano
  • Patent number: 8159230
    Abstract: An insulation measurement method in an insulation measurement apparatus of a flying capacitor type, includes a first power supply charge voltage measurement process of applying a voltage of a power supply to a flying capacitor for a first charge time period a first grounding resistor measuring voltage measurement process of applying the voltage of the power supply to the flying capacitor via an insulation resistor on one electrode side of the power supply, a second power supply charge voltage measurement process of applying the voltage of the power supply to the flying capacitor for a second charge time period, a second grounding resistor measuring voltage measurement process of applying the voltage of the power supply to the flying capacitor via an insulation resistor on the other electrode side of the power supply, and an insulation resistor conversion process of obtaining a value of the insulation resistor based on measurement results of the first and second charge voltage measurement processes and the fir
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignees: Yazaki Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Kawamura, Mitsuteru Yano, Toshihiro Sone, Toshiaki Takeshita
  • Patent number: 8155573
    Abstract: According to an embodiment of the invention, a heat uniforming member, which has an outer diameter smaller than an inner diameter of a hollow member and in which thermal deformation generated by thermal expansion remains, is set in the inside of the hollow member having a center axis, support members are set to both ends of the hollow member to enable supporting of ends of the heat uniforming member, and an endless body having a uniform thermal distribution is formed by heating the hollow member, the heat uniforming member and the support member at a specified temperature for a specific time and causing the heat uniforming member to adhere closely to an inner wall of the hollow member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiro Sone, Kazuhiko Kikuchi, Satoshi Kinouchi
  • Publication number: 20120082484
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, there are provided a developing section storing a color erasable developing agent that includes capsule colorant particles with a core in which a color developable compound, a color developing agent, and a color erasing agent are contained, and a developing section storing a binder resin-containing transparent developing agent. A transparent developing agent image is transferred to a region capable of covering a color erasable developing agent image and the resulting image is fixed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2011
    Publication date: April 5, 2012
    Applicants: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Shoko Shimmura, Satoshi Kinouchi, Shigeru Fujiwara, Ryota Saeki, Kazutoshi Takahashi, Toshihiro Sone, Takafumi Amano
  • Patent number: 8099007
    Abstract: In a heat roller of a fixing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, a sleeve is slidable with respect to a supporting roller. Flanges that regulate the sleeve have smooth surfaces, are arranged at gaps apart from a foamed rubber layer of the supporting roller, and freely rotate with respect to the supporting roller. Edges at both ends of the foamed rubber layer of the supporting roller are formed in an R shape and set shorter than the length of a body of the press roller. The sleeve has markings for detecting a state of the heat roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Tsueda, Osamu Takagi, Satoshi Kinouchi, Tetsuo Kitamura, Hiroshi Nakayama, Yohei Doi, Kazuhiko Kikuchi, Masanori Takai, Toyoyasu Kusaka, Toshihiro Sone
  • Patent number: 8078073
    Abstract: In a fixing apparatus of an embodiment of the invention, a heat roller forwardly and reversely rotated by a drive motor capable of forwardly and reversely rotating is heated by an induction heating coil also when it is reversely rotated. Further, the roller control temperature of the heat roller by a control system is adjusted according to a time of forward rotation of the heat roller and a time of reverse rotation, or a time when the heat roller and a press roller are separated from each other and a time when they are in contact with each other. Besides, after a specified time has passed since an instruction of reverse rotation or forward rotation by a drive signal, output of the induction heating coil is tuned on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Kinouchi, Osamu Takagi, Yoshinori Tsueda, Tetsuo Kitamura, Hiroshi Nakayama, Yohei Doi, Kazuhiko Kikuchi, Masanori Takai, Toyoyasu Kusaka, Toshihiro Sone
  • Publication number: 20110286028
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a printer, a wireless device, an authentication information reader, an authentication device, and a processor. The printer forms an image on an image forming medium. The wireless device receives signals sent from an external device. The authentication information reader reads authentication information from a user operating the image forming apparatus. The authentication device authenticates the user by the authentication information read by the authentication information reader. If the wireless device receives signals sent from the external device, the processor starts warming up of the image forming unit, also, if the authentication device succeeds in user authentication, the processor causes the printer to form an image on the image forming medium in response to the user's request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2011
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Applicants: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Satoshi Kinouchi, Toshihiro Sone, Ryota Saeki
  • Publication number: 20110287358
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing belt including a metal layer, a pressing member to form a nip between the pressing member and the fixing belt, an induction current generating coil that faces an outer periphery of the fixing belt, and heats the fixing belt located at a nip position through a hollow inside of the fixing belt, and a coil controller supplies a high frequency to the induction current generating coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2011
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Applicants: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Satoshi Kinouchi, Toshihiro Sone, Ryota Saeki
  • Patent number: 8050610
    Abstract: A heat roller of a fixing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention has a slidable metal belt on an outer side of an elastic roller. At the room temperature, the outer diameter of the elastic roller is smaller than the inner diameter of the metal belt. On the other hand, when the elastic roller is thermally expanded, the metal belt and the elastic roller fit onto each other in a state in which the metal belt fastens the elastic roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Takagi, Satoshi Kinouchi, Yoshinori Tsueda, Tetsuo Kitamura, Hiroshi Nakayama, Yohei Doi, Kazuhiko Kikuchi, Masanori Takai, Toyoyasu Kusaka, Toshihiro Sone
  • Patent number: 8050612
    Abstract: A technique of reducing temperature unevenness in a heating member which heats a heating target member while reducing heat capacity of the heating member in a fixing device for an image forming apparatus is provided. The fixing device has a heating member having diamond fine particles dispersed and contained at least in its surface layer, a pressurizing member which is pressed in contact with the heating member and nips and carries a sheet in collaboration with the heating member, and a heating unit which heats the heating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba TEC Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Kinouchi, Osamu Takagi, Mitsuaki Kouyama, Kazuhiko Kikuchi, Toshihiro Sone
  • Publication number: 20110262194
    Abstract: According to an embodiment of the invention, a heat uniforming member, which has an outer diameter smaller than an inner diameter of a hollow member and in which thermal deformation generated by thermal expansion remains, is set in the inside of the hollow member having a center axis, support members are set to both ends of the hollow member to enable supporting of ends of the heat uniforming member, and an endless body having a uniform thermal distribution is formed by heating the hollow member, the heat uniforming member and the support member at a specified temperature for a specific time and causing the heat uniforming member to adhere closely to an inner wall of the hollow member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2011
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicants: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Toshihiro Sone, Kazuhiko Kikuchi, Satoshi Kinouchi
  • Patent number: 8045876
    Abstract: A fixing device of this invention enables variable control of power to be supplied to a heat roller side or a press roller side in accordance with the temperature of the heat roller and the press roller while each mode is carried out. In a copy mode, the temperature of the heat roller and the press roller is finely controlled. In a copy standby mode, only the power required for maintaining a set temperature is supplied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Takagi, Satoshi Kinouchi, Yoshinori Tsueda, Toshihiro Sone
  • Patent number: 8036557
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a heat roller having a degaussing alloy material, an induction heating member for exciting the heat roller, an inverter circuit for giving power at a predetermined frequency to the induction heating member, and a control unit, and when driving at a first drive frequency and fixing small size sheets by continuous passing, a local temperature rise occurs at an end part of the heat roller, and the end part approaches the Curie temperature, and when impedance of the inverter circuit reduces and an excessive current flows in the circuit, the fixing device drives at a higher second drive frequency, thereby increases a resistance of the heat roller by an epidermal effect of magnetic flux, increases an apparent resistance of the inverter circuit, makes it possible to use a flowing current within a normal range, heating a central part of the heat roller, and continues the fixing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Kinouchi, Osamu Takagi, Yoshinori Tsueda, Toshihiro Sone, Koichiro Saito
  • Patent number: 8036556
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention controls, using a CPU and a temperature comparator, an inverter circuit that supplies electric power to an induction heating coil and performs temperature control for a heat roller. The CPU adjusts and controls a power value supplied by the inverter circuit. When the adjustment and control of the power value by the CPU is late, the inverter circuit is ON-OFF controlled by the temperature comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Kinouchi, Osamu Takagi, Yoshinori Tsueda, Tetsuo Kitamura, Hiroshi Nakayama, Yohei Doi, Kazuhiko Kikuchi, Masanori Takai, Toyoyasu Kusaka, Toshihiro Sone