Patents by Inventor Toshihisa Yamanaka

Toshihisa Yamanaka 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: 8406639
    Abstract: A printing system, comprises a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to a network and including sheet trays and a detecting section provided to each sheet tray and to detect a capacity of empty space of each sheet tray; and a sheet managing section to obtain a capacity of empty space of each sheet tray of each image forming apparatus and to compare the capacity of empty space of each sheet tray with a capacity of one bundle of sheets as a unit of supply. In the case that the capacity of empty space of a sheet tray among the plural sheet trays of the plurality of image forming apparatuses is equal to or larger than the capacity of one plural bundle of sheets, the sheet managing section notifies that sheet supply can be conducted by one bundle of sheets as a unit of supply to the sheet tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Toshihisa Yamanaka, Kazuhisa Kishimoto, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 8002259
    Abstract: Described is an image forming apparatus, which makes it possible to create a vacant tray. The apparatus includes a paper sheet managing section to conduct consecutive operations including: acquiring the residual amount of the paper sheets accommodated in each of plurality paper sheet trays; calculating a total sum of residual amounts of paper sheets having the same attributes; comparing the above-calculated total sum with the maximum accommodating capacity of each of the paper sheet trays currently accommodating the paper sheets concerned; and notifying the operator of the fact that a vacant tray can be made by collecting the paper sheets concerned into a specific paper sheet tray, if there exists such paper sheets and a combination of paper sheet trays that make the total sum of the residual amounts of the paper sheets equal to or smaller than the maximum accommodating capacity of the specific paper sheet tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Kishimoto, Toshihisa Yamanaka, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20100052243
    Abstract: Described is an image forming apparatus, which makes it possible to create a vacant tray. The apparatus includes a paper sheet managing section to conduct consecutive operations including: acquiring the residual amount of the paper sheets accommodated in each of plurality paper sheet trays; calculating a total sum of residual amounts of paper sheets having the same attributes; comparing the above-calculated total sum with the maximum accommodating capacity of each of the paper sheet trays currently accommodating the paper sheets concerned; and notifying the operator of the fact that a vacant tray can be made by collecting the paper sheets concerned into a specific paper sheet tray, if there exists such paper sheets and a combination of paper sheet trays that make the total sum of the residual amounts of the paper sheets equal to or smaller than the maximum accommodating capacity of the specific paper sheet tray.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Inventors: Kazuhisa KISHIMOTO, Toshihisa Yamanaka, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20090315249
    Abstract: A printing system, comprises a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to a network and including sheet trays and a detecting section provided to each sheet tray and to detect a capacity of empty space of each sheet tray; and a sheet managing section to obtain a capacity of empty space of each sheet tray of each image forming apparatus and to compare the capacity of empty space of each sheet tray with a capacity of one bundle of sheets as a unit of supply. In the case that the capacity of empty space of a sheet tray among the plural sheet trays of the plurality of image forming apparatuses is equal to or larger than the capacity of one plural bundle of sheets, the sheet managing section notifies that sheet supply can be conducted by one bundle of sheets as a unit of supply to the sheet tray.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Toshihisa Yamanaka, Kazuhisa Kishimoto, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 6031562
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention outputs a laser beam used for image formation in accordance with image data, and reflects said beam by a rotatably driven polygonal mirror having polygonal prism-like lateral surfaces as the reflective surfaces so as to scan a charged surface of a photoconductive member in a main scanning direction and form an electrostatic latent image on said photoconductive member, said image forming apparatus comprising a photoemitter which emits a forced laser beam unrelated to image data before outputting a laser beam for image formation so as to adjust the output timing of said beam used for image formation, photoreceptor which detects the forced laser beam at a predetermined position directly before starting a main scanning of said photoconductive member, calculator which calculates the period of one rotation of said polygonal mirror based on the detection by said photoreceptor, and a controller which controls the rotational speed of said polygonal mirror based on th
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 29, 2000
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihisa Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 5576536
    Abstract: A polygonal mirror is rotated by a brush motor, and a laser beam deflected by the polygonal mirror is detected by a sensor for generating a signal which determines a printing start position of each scanning line. The rotating speed of the motor is proportional to the frequency of the signal, and when the frequency of the signal becomes equal to a reference value, the motor can be judged to come to a steady rotation state. In a control circuit, the rotating speed of the motor is detected from the frequency of the signal, and the difference between the detected speed and a reference value is calculated and is sent to a comparator. Based on the speed difference and the back electromotive force which occurs in the motor, the comparator controls the driving voltage of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 19, 1996
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Hiramatsu, Toshihisa Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 5548320
    Abstract: In the printing apparatus wherein the laser diode is used as light source for writing images on an image carrier, a control transistor is serially connected to the laser diode. The magnitude of the drive current for driving the laser diode is adjusted in accordance with the magnitude of the base current of the control transistor. The base current of the control transistor is turned on when the main power supply is implemented. That is, the control transistor is pre-heated up to print command. Consequently, the drive current is stable from the initial image formation after the main power supply is turned on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1996
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihisa Yamanaka, Eiji Okabayashi
  • Patent number: 5250961
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a quantum-well semiconductor laser as a light source, a photosensitive member and an optical system for transmitting a laser beam emitted from said quantum-well semiconductor laser to the photosensitive member. The optical system has a reduced transmittance to suppress variations in the laser beam intensity within an allowable range. The transmittance of the optical system is adjusted by providing a reflecting coating on the beam emitting surface of the quantum-well semiconductor laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1993
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihisa Yamanaka, Tatsuya Eguchi
  • Patent number: 5233368
    Abstract: A recording apparatus having an alterable recording density includes two laser diodes, the first laser diode having its beam intensity altered in accordance with a recording density, the second laser diode having its beam intensity constant independently of the recording density. An SOS sensor is provided to detect laser beams for obtaining a horizontal synchronizing signal to be a reference of timing to start image writing. The SOS sensor is always irradiated by the second laser diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1993
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihisa Yamanaka, Tatsuya Eguchi