Patents by Inventor Yuichiro Hirata
Yuichiro Hirata 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).
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Publication number: 20240085845Abstract: A restricting member includes a blade portion and a supporting portion. A contact portion is provided at the blade portion, and, in a cross section orthogonal to a longitudinal direction, the contact portion includes a first portion extending in a first direction and a second portion extending toward a free end from an end of the first portion and extending in a second direction. When a region demarcated by connecting an intersection point, the end of the first portion, and an end of the second portion by a straight line is defined as a first region, the intersection point being where an imaginary line intersects an extension line of the first portion in the first direction, an area of the first region is smaller on a longitudinal end portion than on a longitudinal central portion of the blade portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 20, 2023Publication date: March 14, 2024Inventors: Issei Imamura, Ryohei Tsutsumi, Yuichiro Hirata, Takuya Oka
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Patent number: 11860565Abstract: A restricting member includes a blade portion and a supporting portion. A contact portion is provided at the blade portion, and, in a cross section orthogonal to a longitudinal direction, the contact portion includes a first portion extending in a first direction and a second portion extending toward a free end from an end of the first portion and extending in a second direction. When a region demarcated by connecting an intersection point, the end of the first portion, and an end of the second portion by a straight line is defined as a first region, the intersection point being where an imaginary line intersects an extension line of the first portion in the first direction, an area of the first region is smaller on a longitudinal end portion than on a longitudinal central portion of the blade portion.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2022Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Issei Imamura, Ryohei Tsutsumi, Yuichiro Hirata, Takuya Oka
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Patent number: 11835888Abstract: A developing device includes a stirring member including a flexible sheet member having a first sheet portion and a second sheet portion overlapping each other with respect to a thickness direction of the sheet member. With respect to a lateral direction of the sheet member which is a direction from a fixed end fixed to a rotating shaft portion to the free end, a length of the first sheet portion is longer than a length of the second sheet portion, and when the stirring member is rotated, a free end of the first sheet portion is capable of contacting an inner wall surface of a toner accommodation chamber. The sheet member is provided with a through hole penetrating in a thickness direction of the sheet member in a region where the first sheet portion and the second sheet portion overlap each other.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2022Date of Patent: December 5, 2023Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Harunobu Maeda, Masahito Kato, Kodai Hayashi, Takuya Oka, Yu Akiba, Masato Tanabe, Koichi Ooishi, Takatoshi Hamada, Yuichiro Hirata
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Publication number: 20220413425Abstract: A restricting member includes a blade portion and a supporting portion. A contact portion is provided at the blade portion, and, in a cross section orthogonal to a longitudinal direction, the contact portion includes a first portion extending in a first direction and a second portion extending toward a free end from an end of the first portion and extending in a second direction. When a region demarcated by connecting an intersection point, the end of the first portion, and an end of the second portion by a straight line is defined as a first region, the intersection point being where an imaginary line intersects an extension line of the first portion in the first direction, an area of the first region is smaller on a longitudinal end portion than on a longitudinal central portion of the blade portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 23, 2022Publication date: December 29, 2022Inventors: Issei Imamura, Ryohei Tsutsumi, Yuichiro Hirata, Takuya Oka
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Publication number: 20220283526Abstract: A developing device includes a frame having an accommodation chamber where a developer is accommodated, and a replenishing port replenishing a developer to the accommodation chamber from outside; and a stirring member stirring the developer in the accommodation chamber, the stirring member including a rotating shaft portion rotatably supported by the frame and a sheet member having one end fixed to the rotating shaft portion and another end as a free end and being rotatable with the rotating shaft portion. When the stirring member is rotated, the free end of the sheet member is capable of contacting an inner wall surface of the accommodation chamber in which the replenishing port is formed, and a through hole penetrating in a thickness direction of the sheet member is provided in a region of the sheet member that comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the accommodation chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 26, 2022Publication date: September 8, 2022Inventors: Harunobu Maeda, Masahito Kato, Kodai Hayashi, Takuya Oka, Yu Akiba, Masato Tanabe, Koichi Ooishi, Takatoshi Hamada, Yuichiro Hirata
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Patent number: 11372348Abstract: A developing device includes a frame having an accommodation chamber where a developer is accommodated, and a replenishing port replenishing a developer to the accommodation chamber from outside, and a stirring member stirring the developer in the accommodation chamber. The stirring member includes a rotating shaft portion rotatably supported by the frame and a sheet member having one end fixed to the rotating shaft portion and another end as a free end and being rotatable with the rotating shaft portion. When the stirring member is rotated, the free end of the sheet member is capable of contacting an inner wall surface of the accommodation chamber in which the replenishing port is formed, and a through hole penetrating in a thickness direction of the sheet member is provided in a region of the sheet member that comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the accommodation chamber.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2020Date of Patent: June 28, 2022Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Harunobu Maeda, Masahito Kato, Kodai Hayashi, Takuya Oka, Yu Akiba, Masato Tanabe, Koichi Ooishi, Takatoshi Hamada, Yuichiro Hirata
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Patent number: 11249416Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, a charging member, an exposing member, a developer carrying member, a storage member to store a first lifetime threshold for the first image forming mode, a second lifetime threshold for the second image forming mode and a value related to a driving amount of the image bearing member. The image forming apparatus further includes a controller to (i) perform a first determination regarding the lifetime corresponding to the first mode based on the value related to the driving amount and the first lifetime threshold and (ii) perform a second determination regarding the lifetime corresponding to the second mode based on the value related to the driving amount and the second lifetime threshold, and a notifying unit to perform a notification based on a result of the first or second determination to the image bearing member.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2021Date of Patent: February 15, 2022Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yuichiro Hirata, Shinichi Hagiwara
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Publication number: 20210255563Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, a charging member, an exposing member, a developer carrying member, a storage member to store a first lifetime threshold for the first image forming mode, a second lifetime threshold for the second image forming mode and a value related to a driving amount of the image bearing member. The image forming apparatus further includes a controller to (i) perform a first determination regarding the lifetime corresponding to the first mode based on the value related to the driving amount and the first lifetime threshold and (ii) perform a second determination regarding the lifetime corresponding to the second mode based on the value related to the driving amount and the second lifetime threshold, and a notifying unit to perform a notification based on a result of the first or second determination to the image bearing member.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 20, 2021Publication date: August 19, 2021Inventors: Yuichiro Hirata, Shinichi Hagiwara
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Patent number: 11079712Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a holding apparatus configured to collect residual developer remaining on an intermediate transfer belt and temporarily hold the residual developer, and a cleaning member configured to remove toner borne on the photosensitive drum that moves the toner held by the holding apparatus to the intermediate transfer belt and discharging the toner. Toner from a development roller is supplied to the cleaning member before toner reversely transferred from the intermediate transfer belt is supplied to the cleaning member.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 2019Date of Patent: August 3, 2021Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Bunro Noguchi, Taku Watanabe, Yusaku Iwasawa, Yuichiro Hirata
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Patent number: 11073781Abstract: An image forming apparatus that executes an image forming operation for forming a toner image on a recording material and an application operation of applying a metal soap to a surface of an image bearing member by supplying a toner stored in a toner storing unit to the surface of the image bearing member from the developing member. A surficial moving speed of the image bearing member during the application operation is lower than the surficial moving speed of the image bearing member during the image forming operation, and a speed difference between the surficial moving speed of the developing member and the surficial moving speed of the image bearing member during the application operation is larger than that during the image forming operation.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 2020Date of Patent: July 27, 2021Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kosuke Ikada, Go Shindo, Keitaro Nakata, Hisashi Yamauchi, Shinichi Agata, Yoshihiro Mitsui, Masahito Kato, Yuichiro Hirata
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Patent number: 11054786Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a charging member for charging the image bearing member, an exposure unit for exposing the charged surface of the image bearing member, a developing apparatus that supplies a developer containing a toner particle and an external additive having an opposite charging polarity to the regular charging polarity of the toner particle to the image bearing member, a cleaning member for removing the developer from the image bearing member, a transfer member for transferring a developer image on the image bearing member onto a transfer subject material, and a voltage application unit for applying a voltage to the transfer member. During an image non-formation period as a lubrication operation to the cleaning member, (i) the developer is supplied to the image bearing member, and (ii) a voltage having an identical polarity to a voltage applied during the image formation operation is applied.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2019Date of Patent: July 6, 2021Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yuichiro Hirata, Taku Watanabe, Shunsuke Matsushita, Takayoshi Kihara
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Publication number: 20210200132Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, when a cartridge is unused, a control portion performs a preparatory operation of initiating rotational drive of a rotating member in a first rotational speed by second drive unit, and then initiating rotational drive of an image bearing member by first drive unit with the surface of the rotating member in contact with the surface of an image bearing member and then, driving the rotating member in a second rotational speed smaller than the first rotational speed prior to the image forming operation, and a ratio of the surface movement speed of the first rotational speed of the rotating member to the surface movement speed of the image bearing member in the preparatory operation is greater than the ratio of the surface movement speed of the rotating member to the surface movement speed of the image bearing member in the image forming operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2020Publication date: July 1, 2021Inventors: Masahito Kato, Yoshihiro Mitsui, Yuichiro Hirata
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Patent number: 11022933Abstract: A process cartridge includes a seal member contacting an image bearing member upstream in the rotation direction of the image bearing member from a cleaning member and allowing the developer to move from upstream in the rotation direction from the contact part between the seal member and the image bearing to downstream from the contact part while regulating movement from downstream to upstream from the contact part. The developer has surface protrusions containing an organic silicon polymer, wherein either (i) the work function of the seal member is greater than the work function of the developer when the developer has a negative charging polarity and is smaller than the work function of the developer when the developer has a positive charging polarity, or (ii) the absolute value of the difference between the work function of the seal member and the work function of the developer is within a predetermined range.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 2020Date of Patent: June 1, 2021Assignee: CANON KABUSHI KIKAISHAInventors: Kazunori Hashimoto, Katsuhiro Kojima, Toshiaki Takeuchi, Yasukazu Ikami, Kosuke Ikada, Yoshihiro Mitsui, Yuichiro Hirata, Go Shindo, Akinobu Saito, Yuhei Terui, Noriyoshi Umeda, Tomonori Matsunaga, Shohei Kototani, Masamichi Sato
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Patent number: 11016409Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, a charging member, an exposing member, a developer carrying member, a storage member to store a first lifetime threshold for the first image forming mode, a second lifetime threshold for the second image forming mode and a value related to a driving amount of the image bearing member. The image forming apparatus further includes a controller to (i) perform a first determination regarding the lifetime corresponding to the first mode based on the value related to the driving amount and the first lifetime threshold and (ii) perform a second determination regarding the lifetime corresponding to the second mode based on the value related to the driving amount and the second lifetime threshold, and a notifying unit to perform a notification based on a result of the first or second determination to the image bearing member.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2020Date of Patent: May 25, 2021Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yuichiro Hirata, Shinichi Hagiwara
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Publication number: 20210080870Abstract: A developing device includes a frame having an accommodation chamber where a developer is accommodated, and a replenishing port replenishing a developer to the accommodation chamber from outside; and a stirring member stirring the developer in the accommodation chamber, the stirring member including a rotating shaft portion rotatably supported by the frame and a sheet member having one end fixed to the rotating shaft portion and another end as a free end and being rotatable with the rotating shaft portion. When the stirring member is rotated, the free end of the sheet member is capable of contacting an inner wall surface of the accommodation chamber in which the replenishing port is formed, and a through hole penetrating in a thickness direction of the sheet member is provided in a region of the sheet member that comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the accommodation chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 10, 2020Publication date: March 18, 2021Inventors: Harunobu Maeda, Masahito Kato, Kodai Hayashi, Takuya Oka, Yu Akiba, Masato Tanabe, Koichi Ooishi, Takatoshi Hamada, Yuichiro Hirata
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Publication number: 20200409297Abstract: An image forming apparatus that executes an image forming operation for forming a toner image on a recording material and an application operation of applying a metal soap to a surface of an image bearing member by supplying a toner stored in a toner storing unit to the surface of the image bearing member from the developing member. A surficial moving speed of the image bearing member during the application operation is lower than the surficial moving speed of the image bearing member during the image forming operation, and a speed difference between the surficial moving speed of the developing member and the surficial moving speed of the image bearing member during the application operation is larger than that during the image forming operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 18, 2020Publication date: December 31, 2020Inventors: Kosuke Ikada, Go Shindo, Keitaro Nakata, Hisashi Yamauchi, Shinichi Agata, Yoshihiro Mitsui, Masahito Kato, Yuichiro Hirata
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Publication number: 20200363768Abstract: A process cartridge includes a seal member contacting an image bearing member upstream in the rotation direction of the image bearing member from a cleaning member and allowing the developer to move from upstream in the rotation direction from the contact part between the seal member and the image bearing to downstream from the contact part while regulating movement from downstream to upstream from the contact part. The developer has surface protrusions containing an organic silicon polymer, wherein either (i) the work function of the seal member is greater than the work function of the developer when the developer has a negative charging polarity and is smaller than the work function of the developer when the developer has a positive charging polarity, or (ii) the absolute value of the difference between the work function of the seal member and the work function of the developer is within a predetermined range.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 15, 2020Publication date: November 19, 2020Inventors: Kazunori Hashimoto, Katsuhiro Kojima, Toshiaki Takeuchi, Yasukazu Ikami, Kosuke Ikada, Yoshihiro Mitsui, Yuichiro Hirata, Go Shindo, Akinobu Saito, Yuhei Terui, Noriyoshi Umeda, Tomonori Matsunaga, Shohei Kototani, Masamichi Sato
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Publication number: 20200301309Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, a charging member, an exposing member, a developer carrying member, a storage member to store a first lifetime threshold for the first image forming mode, a second lifetime threshold for the second image forming mode and a value related to a driving amount of the image bearing member. The image forming apparatus further includes a controller to (i) perform a first determination regarding the lifetime corresponding to the first mode based on the value related to the driving amount and the first lifetime threshold and (ii) perform a second determination regarding the lifetime corresponding to the second mode based on the value related to the driving amount and the second lifetime threshold, and a notifying unit to perform a notification based on a result of the first or second determination to the image bearing member.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 8, 2020Publication date: September 24, 2020Inventors: Yuichiro Hirata, Shinichi Hagiwara
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Patent number: 10719029Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, a charging member, an exposing member, a developer carrying member, a storage member to store a first lifetime threshold for the first image forming mode, a second lifetime threshold for the second image forming mode and a value related to a driving amount of the image bearing member. The image forming apparatus further includes a controller to (i) perform a first determination regarding the lifetime corresponding to the first mode based on the value related to the driving amount and the first lifetime threshold and (ii) perform a second determination regarding the lifetime corresponding to the second mode based on the value related to the driving amount and the second lifetime threshold, and a notifying unit to perform a notification based on a result of the first or second determination to the image bearing member.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2019Date of Patent: July 21, 2020Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yuichiro Hirata, Shinichi Hagiwara
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Publication number: 20200218195Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a charging member for charging the image bearing member, an exposure unit for exposing the charged surface of the image bearing member, a developing apparatus that supplies a developer containing a toner particle and an external additive having an opposite charging polarity to the regular charging polarity of the toner particle to the image bearing member, a cleaning member for removing the developer from the image bearing member, a transfer member for transferring a developer image on the image bearing member onto a transfer subject material, and a voltage application unit for applying a voltage to the transfer member. During an image non-formation period as a lubrication operation to the cleaning member, (i) the developer is supplied to the image bearing member, and (ii) a voltage having an identical polarity to a voltage applied during the image formation operation is applied.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 30, 2019Publication date: July 9, 2020Inventors: Yuichiro Hirata, Taku Watanabe, Shunsuke Matsushita, Takayoshi Kihara