Patents by Inventor Yasuhito Fujinuma

Yasuhito Fujinuma 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: 10486927
    Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet presence/absence detection sensor configured to detect presence or absence of a sheet on a stacking device, a sheet surface detection sensor configured to detect that a stacking tray is raised to enable a sheet to be fed, a separation cam, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to determine that the mounting state of a feeding holder to a holder support unit is defective when the sheet surface detection sensor detects that the sheet can be fed when the sheet presence/absence detection sensor detects absence of a sheet before sheet feeding processing by a pickup roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhito Fujinuma, Shunsuke Okazaki
  • Patent number: 10394178
    Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a stacking unit for stacking a sheet; a feeding member for feeding the sheet stack on the stacking unit; a holding member holding the feeding member; a holder supporting portion, provided above the stacking unit, for detachably supporting the holding member; a raising and lowering unit for raising and lowering the holding member; a detection unit for detecting a topmost surface of the sheet stacked on the stacking unit, by detecting the holding member; a control unit for effecting raising and lowering operation of the holding member using the raising and lowering unit before a feeding operation of the feeding member and detect presence or absence of the holding member on the basis of a signal from the detection unit produced with the raising and lowering operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasuhito Fujinuma
  • Publication number: 20180239295
    Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a stacking unit for stacking a sheet; a feeding member for feeding the sheet stack on the stacking unit; a holding member holding the feeding member; a holder supporting portion, provided above the stacking unit, for detachably supporting the holding member; a raising and lowering unit for raising and lowering the holding member; a detection unit for detecting a topmost surface of the sheet stacked on the stacking unit, by detecting the holding member; a control unit for effecting raising and lowering operation of the holding member using the raising and lowering unit before a feeding operation of the feeding member and detect presence or absence of the holding member on the basis of a signal from the detection unit produced with the raising and lowering operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Publication date: August 23, 2018
    Inventor: Yasuhito Fujinuma
  • Publication number: 20180229954
    Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet presence/absence detection sensor configured to detect presence or absence of a sheet on a stacking device, a sheet surface detection sensor configured to detect that a stacking tray is raised to enable a sheet to be fed, a separation cam, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to determine that the mounting state of a feeding holder to a holder support unit is defective when the sheet surface detection sensor detects that the sheet can be fed when the sheet presence/absence detection sensor detects absence of a sheet before sheet feeding processing by a pickup roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2018
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Inventors: Yasuhito Fujinuma, Shunsuke Okazaki
  • Patent number: 9975717
    Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet presence/absence detection sensor configured to detect presence or absence of a sheet on a stacking device, a sheet surface detection sensor configured to detect that a stacking tray is raised to enable a sheet to be fed, a separation cam, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to determine that the mounting state of a feeding holder to a holder support unit is defective when the sheet surface detection sensor detects that the sheet can be fed when the sheet presence/absence detection sensor detects absence of a sheet before sheet feeding processing by a pickup roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhito Fujinuma, Shunsuke Okazaki
  • Publication number: 20170217707
    Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet presence/absence detection sensor configured to detect presence or absence of a sheet on a stacking device, a sheet surface detection sensor configured to detect that a stacking tray is raised to enable a sheet to be fed, a separation cam, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to determine that the mounting state of a feeding holder to a holder support unit is defective when the sheet surface detection sensor detects that the sheet can be fed when the sheet presence/absence detection sensor detects absence of a sheet before sheet feeding processing by a pickup roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Inventors: Yasuhito Fujinuma, Shunsuke Okazaki
  • Patent number: 9371204
    Abstract: The sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet tray on which sheets are stacked, a feeding roller which contacts a top sheet on the sheet tray and feeds the sheet in a sheet feeding direction, and a pair of intermediate conveying rollers which receives the fed sheet and conveys the sheet in a sheet conveying direction. The sheet feeding apparatus further includes a fixed slope portion, a sheet separation member, and an opposite member. The fixed slope portion includes a separation slope which is inclined in downstream of the sheet feeding direction as it is closer to the pair of intermediate conveying rollers, so as to abut against the sheet fed by the feeding roller and separate the sheet one by one. The sheet separation member and the opposite member have a separation nip portion which separates the sheet having passed through the separation slope one by one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomonari Inoue, Yasuhito Fujinuma, Motohiro Furusawa
  • Publication number: 20140197591
    Abstract: The sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet tray on which sheets are stacked, a feeding roller which contacts a top sheet on the sheet tray and feeds the sheet in a sheet feeding direction, and a pair of intermediate conveying rollers which receives the fed sheet and conveys the sheet in a sheet conveying direction. The sheet feeding apparatus further includes a fixed slope portion, a sheet separation member, and an opposite member. The fixed slope portion includes a separation slope which is inclined in downstream of the sheet feeding direction as it is closer to the pair of intermediate conveying rollers, so as to abut against the sheet fed by the feeding roller and separate the sheet one by one. The sheet separation member and the opposite member have a separation nip portion which separates the sheet having passed through the separation slope one by one.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 2, 2014
    Publication date: July 17, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomonari Inoue, Yasuhito Fujinuma, Motohiro Furusawa
  • Publication number: 20140151954
    Abstract: One aspect of the present invention provides a sheet feeding device and an image forming apparatus, in which a sheet can stably be separated and fed irrespective of stiffness of the sheet. A movable wall includes a sheet abutting surface that separates the sheet one by one by abutting on the sheet, which is stacked on a tray and fed by a feeding roller. The movable wall is movable in a sheet feeding direction, and a force applying spring applies a force to the movable wall in a direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction. A support portion supports the movable wall such that the movable wall is movable, and such that the movable wall is sloped when abutting on the sheet, which is fed by a feeding roller, and moving on a downstream side in the sheet feeding direction against an applying force of a force applying spring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Motohiro Furusawa, Yasuhito Fujinuma