Patents by Inventor Yasuo Shirodai

Yasuo Shirodai 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: 10663901
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixer including fixing rotation body and pressing rotation body with a fixing nip therebetween, and heats and presses a fed sheet through the fixing nip to fix a toner image on the sheet to the sheet; and a hardware processor making a velocity difference between respective surface velocities of the fixing rotation body and the sheet passing through the fixing nip during a high-gloss mode operation to adjust a gloss of the toner image on the sheet. The hardware processor performs a control so that an absolute value of a velocity difference between respective surface velocities of the fixing rotation body and the pressing rotation body in press-contact when the sheet does not pass through the fixing nip is less than one between respective surface velocities of the fixing rotation body and the sheet when the sheet passes through the fixing nip during the high-gloss mode operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Yasuo Shirodai, Makoto Fujii, Masahiro Onodera
  • Publication number: 20200050137
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixer including fixing rotation body and pressing rotation body with a fixing nip therebetween, and heats and presses a fed sheet through the fixing nip to fix a toner image on the sheet to the sheet; and a hardware processor making a velocity difference between respective surface velocities of the fixing rotation body and the sheet passing through the fixing nip during a high-gloss mode operation to adjust a gloss of the toner image on the sheet. The hardware processor performs a control so that an absolute value of a velocity difference between respective surface velocities of the fixing rotation body and the pressing rotation body in press-contact when the sheet does not pass through the fixing nip is less than one between respective surface velocities of the fixing rotation body and the sheet when the sheet passes through the fixing nip during the high-gloss mode operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Inventors: Yasuo SHIRODAI, Makoto FUJII, Masahiro ONODERA
  • Publication number: 20190377292
    Abstract: A fixing device fixes a toner image formed on paper, wherein a fixing member of which surface hardness of a surface opposed to an image surface of the paper is not higher than a predetermined Value is used, and a gloss level of the loner image is controlled by adjusting a speed of the paper or the fixing member to change a speed difference between the image surface of the paper and a surface of the fixing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Inventors: Makoto FUJII, Masahiro ONODERA, Yasuo SHIRODAI
  • Publication number: 20190171141
    Abstract: A fixing device fixes a toner image formed on a paper sheet, and the fixing device includes: an endless fixing belt; a pressure roller that is rotatable; and a pressing member that is arranged to face the pressure roller with the fixing belt interposed there between and forms a fixing nip for conveying a paper sheet between the pressing member and the pressure roller, wherein a toner layer of the toner image includes crystalline polyester resin, and a pressure distribution of the fixing nip in a sheet passing direction is set so that pressure at an inlet side in the sheet passing direction is the largest, and gloss of an image fixed on the paper sheet is enhanced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Inventors: Makoto FUJII, Yasuo SHIRODAI
  • Patent number: 9594340
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing body; a developing unit which develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing body as a toner image; a transfer unit which transfers the toner image to a receiver medium; a cleaning member which collects residual toner on the image bearing body; a lubricant supply unit which supplies lubricant onto the image bearing body; a measurement unit which measures a static frictional force generated between the image bearing body and the cleaning member; and a control unit which corrects the amount of lubricant on the image bearing body, wherein the control unit estimates a state of the lubricant on the image bearing body based on a change between a first and a second static frictional force, and based on the estimated state, the control unit selectively executes one of processing of supplying lubricant and processing of removing lubricant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Kazuko Fukumoto, Yuji Kamoda, Yasuo Shirodai, Yuya Sato, Kunitomo Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20160209800
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing body; a developing unit which develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing body as a toner image; a transfer unit which transfers the toner image to a receiver medium; a cleaning member which collects residual toner on the image bearing body; a lubricant supply unit which supplies lubricant onto the image bearing body; a measurement unit which measures a static frictional force generated between the image bearing body and the cleaning member; and a control unit which corrects the amount of lubricant on the image bearing body, wherein the control unit estimates a state of the lubricant on the image bearing body based on a change between a first and a second static frictional force, and based on the estimated state, the control unit selectively executes one of processing of supplying lubricant and processing of removing lubricant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2016
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuko FUKUMOTO, Yuji KAMODA, Yasuo SHIRODAI, Yuya SATO, Kunitomo SASAKI
  • Patent number: 9395677
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus determines the amount of lubricant to be applied to an image bearing member on the basis of a history of toner image formation by image forming section, and in accordance with a result thus determined, adjusts the charging amount of a toner patch image formed by a toner patch image formation section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Yasuo Shirodai
  • Patent number: 9389562
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; a development unit configured to develop, as a toner image, an electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier; a transfer unit configured to transfer the toner image to a medium to which a toner image is to be transferred; a cleaning unit configured to recover toner remaining on the image carrier after transferring the toner image; a lubricant supply unit configured to supply lubricant on the image carrier; a charge unit disposed between the development unit and the cleaning unit, along a surface of the image carrier; and a control unit configured to perform a first mode and a second mode, the first mode configured to form the toner image, the second mode configured to allow the charge unit to increase the amount of charge on toner reaching the cleaning unit relative to that in the first mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Kunitomo Sasaki, Kazuko Fukumoto, Yuji Kamoda, Yasuo Shirodai, Yuya Sato
  • Publication number: 20160179046
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; a development unit configured to develop, as a toner image, an electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier; a transfer unit configured to transfer the toner image to a medium to which a toner image is to be transferred; a cleaning unit configured to recover toner remaining on the image carrier after transferring the toner image; a lubricant supply unit configured to supply lubricant on the image carrier; a charge unit disposed between the development unit and the cleaning unit, along a surface of the image carrier; and a control unit configured to perform a first mode and a second mode, the first mode configured to form the toner image, the second mode configured to allow the charge unit to increase the amount of charge on toner reaching the cleaning unit relative to that in the first mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Kunitomo SASAKI, Kazuko FUKUMOTO, Yuji KAMODA, Yasuo SHIRODAI, Yuya SATO
  • Patent number: 9031432
    Abstract: In a wet-type image forming apparatus, a plurality of patch images are successively transferred to a recording medium corresponding to a plurality of transfer biases obtained as bias value of the transfer bias is changed; density detecting unit measures image density of each of the plurality of patch images on the recording medium and detects a range of bias values of transfer bias in which the image density of patch image is substantially saturated; and the bias value of transfer bias when a normal image is formed on the recording medium is set to be within the range of bias values of transfer bias in which the image density of patch image is substantially saturated and to be not larger than absolute value of the bias value at which the image density of patch image is substantially saturated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yasuo Shirodai, Masahiko Matsuura, Takeshi Maeyama
  • Patent number: 8818243
    Abstract: A wet-type development device includes a draw-up roller and a conveyance roller rotating in contact with each other's surface, and a developer regulating member arranged facing to and keeping a distance from a nip section formed between the draw-up roller and the conveyance roller at the contact surface. The developer regulating member forms a storage space for storing developer to be supplied toward the nip section, on the upstream side of the nip section. The fluid level of developer in the vertical direction in the storage space is higher than the nip section when the developer is being supplied to the nip section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventor: Yasuo Shirodai
  • Patent number: 8630568
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid development apparatus having a constitution in which liquid developer containing carrier liquid with toner dispersed therein is supplied from a liquid developer/cleaning liquid supply member on a pool forming member arranged facing to a supply roller so as to form a pool of the liquid developer, from which pool the liquid developer is supplied to the supply roller, wherein a liquid developer/cleaning liquid supply member supplies cleaning liquid on a pool forming member to form a suitable pooling portion of the cleaning liquid and the liquid developer remaining on the surface of the supply roller is removed and cleaned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Naoki Yoshie, Yuji Kamoda, Keiko Momotani, Kazuko Fukumoto, Yasuo Shirodai, Eiji Tabata
  • Publication number: 20130084090
    Abstract: In a wet-type image forming apparatus, a plurality of patch images are successively transferred to a recording medium corresponding to a plurality of transfer biases obtained as bias value of the transfer bias is changed; density detecting unit measures image density of each of the plurality of patch images on the recording medium and detects a range of bias values of transfer bias in which the image density of patch image is substantially saturated; and the bias value of transfer bias when a normal image is formed on the recording medium is set to be within the range of bias values of transfer bias in which the image density of patch image is substantially saturated and to be not larger than absolute value of the bias value at which the image density of patch image is substantially saturated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Inventors: Yasuo SHIRODAI, Masahiko Matsuura, Takeshi Maeyama
  • Publication number: 20120321351
    Abstract: A wet-type development device includes a draw-up roller and a conveyance roller rotating in contact with each other's surface, and a developer regulating member arranged facing to and keeping a distance from a nip section formed between the draw-up roller and the conveyance roller at the contact surface. The developer regulating member forms a storage space for storing developer to be supplied toward the nip section, on the upstream side of the nip section. The fluid level of developer in the vertical direction in the storage space is higher than the nip section when the developer is being supplied to the nip section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Inventor: Yasuo Shirodai
  • Publication number: 20110217081
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid development apparatus having a constitution in which liquid developer containing carrier liquid with toner dispersed therein is supplied from a liquid developer/cleaning liquid supply member on a pool forming member arranged facing to a supply roller so as to form a pool of the liquid developer, from which pool the liquid developer is supplied to the supply roller, wherein a liquid developer/cleaning liquid supply member supplies cleaning liquid on a pool forming member to form a suitable pooling portion of the cleaning liquid and the liquid developer remaining on the surface of the supply roller is removed and cleaned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Publication date: September 8, 2011
    Inventors: Naoki YOSHIE, Yuji Kamoda, Keiko Momotani, Kazuko Fukumoto, Yasuo Shirodai, Eiji Tabata
  • Patent number: 7459257
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises an image carrier, a lubricant application device that applies a first lubricant to the image carrier surface, and a developing device that houses a developer to which a second lubricant is added and develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier. Here, the pure water contact angle ?1 of the first lubricant and the pure water contact angle ?2 of the second lubricant have the following relationship, ?1??2. Furthermore, a frictional coefficient of the second lubricant may be larger than a frictional coefficient of the first lubricant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yasuo Shirodai, Kuniaki Kashiwakura
  • Publication number: 20060045592
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises an image carrier, a lubricant application device that applies a first lubricant to the image carrier surface, and a developing device that houses a developer to which a second lubricant is added and develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier. Here, the pure water contact angle ?1 of the first lubricant and the pure water contact angle ?2 of the second lubricant have the following relationship, ?1??2. Furthermore, a frictional coefficient of the second lubricant may be larger than a frictional coefficient of the first lubricant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2004
    Publication date: March 2, 2006
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yasuo Shirodai, Kuniaki Kashiwakura