Patents by Inventor Wataru Hamakawa

Wataru Hamakawa 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: 5347352
    Abstract: Copying apparatus capable of high speed document exchange and high speed copying. Sets an original at the exposure position and prefeeds at least two originals to their respective standby positions. Pre-fed originals are detected by various sensors. Prefeeds copy paper for the respective originals based on the aforesaid detection results. Copying efficiency is improved by prefeeding originals and prefeeding copy paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1994
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuusuk Morigami, Akira Ohhata, Wataru Hamakawa, Hirokazu Matsuo, Hiroyasu Nagato, Takuma Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 5345302
    Abstract: An automatic document feeder and a copying apparatus, for copying the respective images of two successive documents on one copying sheet.The automatic document feeder detects whether a document fed for copying is an odd-numbered document or an even-numbered document, conveys an odd-numbered document to a first position on the contact glass, conveys an even-numbered document to a second position on the contact glass.The copying apparatus copies the image of the odd-numbered document placed at the first position on the contact glass in one half of a copying sheet, and then stores the copying sheet carrying the image in one half thereof for the next copying operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1994
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Hamakawa
  • Patent number: 5196896
    Abstract: An automatic document feeder and copying apparatus is capable of copying the images of two successive documents on one surface of a copying sheet. When the automatic document feeder detects that an odd number of documents have been supplied to the document feeder, the image forming apparatus is controlled so as to form only an image of the first document on a single surface of the first copy paper and then to copy the remaining originals by forming images of two originals on each surface of a copy sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1993
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Hamakawa
  • Patent number: 5129645
    Abstract: In a document feeding apparatus, a document transport member which acts on the lowermost original of a bunch of originals performs a preparatory transport operation prior to its action of feeding the bunch of originals to a separating mechanism to forward the bunch of originals to a stopper which is entered in a document transport path to arrange the originals thereto, and after the stopper is moved away, a regular transport operation is conducted to forward the originals to the separating mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1992
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Wataru Hamakawa, Hirokazu Matsuo, Yuusuke Morigami
  • Patent number: 5124758
    Abstract: An automatic document feeder and a copying apparatus, for copying the respective images of two successive documents on one copying sheet.The automatic document feeder detects whether a document fed for copying is an odd-numbered document or an even-numbered document, conveys an odd-numbered document to a first position on the contact glass, conveys an even-numbered document to a second position on the contact glass.The copying apparatus copies the image of the odd-numbered document placed at the first position on the contact glass in one half of a copying sheet, and then stores the copying sheet carrying the image in one half thereof for the next copying operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1992
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Hamakawa
  • Patent number: 5117266
    Abstract: An automatic original feeding handler adapted for transporting an original to a reading portion in an image forming apparatus. The automatic original feeding handler is provided with an accommodating portion upwardly provided with respect to the reading portion for accommodating originals stacked therein, a supplying member for supplying a lowermost original of the stacked originals one by one to the reading portion, a transporting member for transporting on the reading portion the original supplied by the supplying member and returning that original to the accommodating portion, a counting member for counting the number of the originals and a control member for controlling the supplying member so as to change the timing for start of supplying the original according to a count value counted by the counting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1992
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazutaka Takemura, Hirokazu Matsuo, Yusuke Morigami, Wataru Hamakawa, Takuma Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 5084741
    Abstract: An automatic document handler adapted for transporting an original document to a reading portion in an image forming apparatus. The automatic document handler is provided with an accommodating portion the reading portion for accommodating stacked original documents therein, a supplying member for supplying a lowermost original document of the stacked original documents one by one to the reading portion, a transporting member for transporting on the reading portion the original supplied by the supplying member and returning the original to the accommodating portion, a counting member for counting the number of the original documents and a control member for controlling the supplying member so as to change the timing for the start of the supplying of the original document according to a count value counted by the counting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 28, 1992
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazutaka Takemura, Hirokazu Matsuo, Yusuke Morigami, Wataru Hamakawa, Takuma Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 5077577
    Abstract: An automatic document feeder and a copying apparatus for copying respective images of two successive documents on one copying sheet and a control means for controlling the copying operation is provided. The copying apparatus copies the image of a first document placed at a first position on the platen of the copier in one half of a copying sheet and stores the copying sheet carrying the image for the next copying operation. When a seond document is placed in position on the platen by an automatic document feeder, the copying apparatus will copy the image of the second document in the other half of the copying sheet. Control arrangements permit the control of the image forming and sheet feeding operations so that an image of the first document and the image of the second document are provided on the respective halves of the copying sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1991
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Hamakawa
  • Patent number: 5060925
    Abstract: In a document feeding apparatus, a first motor which drives a transporting mechanism provided at downstream side in the document transporting direction of a pair of timing rollers and a clutch connected with the pair of rollers are firstly energized, and the energized first motor drives the transport mechanism and the pair of timing rollers in the document transporting direction. A second motor which drives a paper feeding mechanism and is provided at upstream side in the document transporting direction of the pair of timing rollers drives the paper feeding mechanism after it is energized for a predetermined period of time to transport two sheets of originals placed and in contact with the pair of timing rollers from its downstream and upstream sides onto a platen glass. A sensor which detects the rear edge of an original being discharged from the platen glass is prohibited from detecting the rear edge of an original firstly discharged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 29, 1991
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Wataru Hamakawa, Hirokazu Matsuo, Yuusuke Morigami
  • Patent number: 4996568
    Abstract: An automatic document feeder comprising a document deck table for loading a plurality of documents in a stack, a first feeder for subsequently feeding two documents loaded on the document deck table, a second feeder for transporting a fed document onto the platen, a stopper, provided with the one end of the platen, for stopping a transported document by interfering with the end of the document, a detector for detecting a fed document, a measuring device for measuring a distance between two documents subsequently fed, based on the signal output from the detector, and a controller for putting the second feeder out of action, based on the value measured by the measuring device. In a dual feeding mode, two documents are subsequently fed one by one, the second feeder continues its action after the leading edge of the first document has interfered and stopped with the stopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 26, 1991
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Hamakawa
  • Patent number: 4958198
    Abstract: An automatic document feeder and a copying apparatus, for copying the respective images of two successive documents on one copying sheet.The automatic document feeder detects whether a document fed for copying is an odd-numbered document or an even-numbered document, conveys an odd-numbered document to a first position on the contact glass, conveys an even-numbered document to a second position on the contact glass.The copying apparatus copies the image of the odd-numbered document placed at the first position on the contact glass in one half of a copying sheet, and then stores the copying sheet carrying the image in one half thereof for the next copying operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 18, 1990
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Hamakawa
  • Patent number: 4914744
    Abstract: An apparatus for automatically feeding document sheets one by one to an exposure position through a specified transport path and automatically photographing each sheet in response to an operation signal given when the sheet has reached the exposure position. The apparatus comprises sensors for detecting the size or kind of the sheet transported through the path, and a mode change mechanism operable in accordance with the detection data obtained by the sensor for changing the photographing mode as to the magnification of its phohtographic optical system or the aperture size of the aperture assembly thereof. The photographing mechanism of the apparatus is held out of operation while the mode change mechanism is in operation even if the operation signal is given. Consequently, each sheet can be photographed on the film in suitable mode, and the failure due to the mode changing procedure is avoidable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1987
    Date of Patent: April 3, 1990
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Hamakawa
  • Patent number: 4914472
    Abstract: An automatic document feeder and a copying apparatus, for copying the respective images of two successive documents on one copying sheet.The automatic document feeder detects whether a document fed for copying is an odd-numbered document or an even-numbered document, conveys an odd-numbered document to a first position on the contact glass, conveys an even-numbered document to a second position on the contact glass.The copying apparatus copies the image of the odd-numbered document placed at the first position on the contact glass in one half of a copying sheet, and then stores the copying sheet carrying the image in one half thereof for the next copying operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 3, 1990
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Hamakawa
  • Patent number: 4901108
    Abstract: A microfilming apparatus comprising a document feeder for sending out document sheets one by one, a feed transport path for feeding the sent-out sheet to an exposure position, a microfilming camera for photographing the sheet fed to the exposure position, and a discharge transport path for discharging the photographed sheet from the exposure position. The document feeder and the feed transport path are selectively controllable to a successive mode wherein a multiplicity of document sheets placed in the feeder are all automatically successively fed and photographed in response to one operation start signal, or to a non-successive mode wherein one document sheet is automatically fed and photographed in response to one operation start signal. Thus all the sheets can be automatically photographed in succession in response to a single start signal, or sheets can be automatically photographed each in response to one start signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 13, 1990
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Hamakawa
  • Patent number: 4831417
    Abstract: An apparatus including separate mechanisms for photographing documents under automatic exposure control and recording image data, such as blip marks and frame numbers, at the same time. Even when the document has been completely photographed, the photographing mechanism is prohibited from transporting the film until the image data is completely recorded. The photographing mechanism photographs the document with automatically controlled proper exposure time in accordance with the density of the document. The data recording mechansim is independent of the photographing mechanism to record the image data properly under a constant condition, irrespective of variations in the exposure time in conformity with the document density. When the image data has not been recorded despite the completion of photographing operation, transport of the film is prevented to avoid failure in image data recording.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 16, 1989
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Hamakawa
  • Patent number: 4831413
    Abstract: An automatic document feeder and a copying apparatus, for copying the respective images of two successive documents on one copying sheet.The automatic document feeder detects whether a document fed for copying is an odd-numbered document or an even-numbered document, conveys an odd-numbered document to a first position on the contact glass, conveys an even-numbered document to a second position on the contact glass.The copying apparatus copies the image of the odd-numbered document placed at the first position on the contact glass in one half of a copying sheet, and then stores the copying sheet carrying the image in one half thereof for the next copying operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 16, 1989
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Hamakawa
  • Patent number: 4771319
    Abstract: An automatic document feeder and a copying apparatus, for copying the respective images of two successive documents on one copying sheet.The automatic document feeder detects whether a document fed for copying is an odd-numbered document or an even-numbered document, conveys an odd-numbered document to a first position on the contact glass, conveys an even-numbered document to a second position on the contact glass.The copying apparatus copies the image of the odd-numbered document placed at the first position on the contact glass in one half of a copying sheet, and then stores the copying sheet carrying the image in one half thereof for the next copying operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1987
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1988
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Hamakawa
  • Patent number: 4723148
    Abstract: A copying apparatus equipped with an automatic duplexed original document feeding device, which is so arranged that, in the course of operation for an original document in an original document feeding path, after suspension of the operation, any remaining operation with respect to said original document can be rapidly and correctly resumed. The status of the copying operation is monitored and stored, and upon restoration of the copying cycle the document can be correctly positioned to continue the copying cycle as if the copying operation had never been interrupted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1986
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1988
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Hamakawa