Patents by Inventor Yusuke Atsu

Yusuke Atsu 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: 11982952
    Abstract: A toner cartridge includes a casing, a feeding member, and a pump. The casing includes a toner accommodation chamber accommodating toner, a toner discharging chamber having a discharge opening for discharging the toner, and a communication passage for fluid communication between the toner accommodation chamber and the toner discharging chamber such that the toner can move from the toner accommodation chamber to the toner discharging chamber. A part of the feeding member is positioned inside the communication passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoya Asanuma, Takatoshi Hamada, Masato Tanabe, Tomofumi Kawamura, Yusuke Atsu
  • Patent number: 11971682
    Abstract: A cartridge includes a first unit including a photosensitive member, and a second unit including a developer bearing member and a force receiving portion, the second unit being configured to be rotatable about a first axis to move with respect to the first unit between a first position and a second position. In a state where the first unit is in a same posture as when an image forming operation is performed, the second unit is disposed at the second position by its own weight. The developer bearing member is configured to be rotatable about a second axis. When seen in the direction of the first axis, a first distance between the force receiving portion and the second axis is smaller than a second distance between the first axis and the second axis and a third distance between the first axis and the force receiving portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideki Kakuta, Toshiaki Takeuchi, Yu Akiba, Shuichi Gofuku, Tomofumi Kawamura, Yusuke Atsu, Joji Goto
  • Publication number: 20230367239
    Abstract: A toner cartridge includes a toner accommodation chamber containing toner, a toner discharging chamber having a discharge opening for discharging the toner, and a passage for fluid communication between the toner accommodation chamber and the toner discharging chamber. The toner cartridge also includes a screw, with at least a part of the screw being positioned in the passage. In a first cross-sectional plane perpendicular to a toner feeding direction of the screw, a minimum cross-sectional area of the passage is Asmin, and in a second cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the toner feeding direction, the toner accommodation chamber has a cross-sectional area Cs that is larger than Asmin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2023
    Publication date: November 16, 2023
    Inventors: Naoya Asanuma, Takatoshi Hamada, Masato Tanabe, Tomofumi Kawamura, Yusuke Atsu
  • Publication number: 20230244181
    Abstract: A cartridge includes a first unit including a photosensitive member, and a second unit including a developer bearing member and a force receiving portion, the second unit being configured to be rotatable about a first axis to move with respect to the first unit between a first position and a second position. In a state where the first unit is in a same posture as when an image forming operation is performed, the second unit is disposed at the second position by its own weight. The developer bearing member is configured to be rotatable about a second axis. When seen in the direction of the first axis, a first distance between the force receiving portion and the second axis is smaller than a second distance between the first axis and the second axis and a third distance between the first axis and the force receiving portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2023
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Inventors: Hideki Kakuta, Toshiaki Takeuchi, Yu Akiba, Shuichi Gofuku, Tomofumi Kawamura, Yusuke Atsu, Joji Goto
  • Patent number: 11650538
    Abstract: A cartridge includes a first unit including a photosensitive member, and a second unit including a developer bearing member and a force receiving portion, the second unit being configured to be rotatable about a first axis to move with respect to the first unit between a first position and a second position. In a state where the first unit is in a same posture as when an image forming operation is performed, the second unit is disposed at the second position by its own weight. The developer bearing member is configured to be rotatable about a second axis. When seen in the direction of the first axis, a first distance between the force receiving portion and the second axis is smaller than a second distance between the first axis and the second axis and a third distance between the first axis and the force receiving portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideki Kakuta, Toshiaki Takeuchi, Yu Akiba, Shuichi Gofuku, Tomofumi Kawamura, Yusuke Atsu, Joji Goto
  • Publication number: 20220171328
    Abstract: A cartridge includes a first unit including a photosensitive member, and a second unit including a developer bearing member and a force receiving portion, the second unit being configured to be rotatable about a first axis to move with respect to the first unit between a first position and a second position. In a state where the first unit is in a same posture as when an image forming operation is performed, the second unit is disposed at the second position by its own weight. The developer bearing member is configured to be rotatable about a second axis. When seen in the direction of the first axis, a first distance between the force receiving portion and the second axis is smaller than a second distance between the first axis and the second axis and a third distance between the first axis and the force receiving portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Inventors: Hideki Kakuta, Toshiaki Takeuchi, Yu Akiba, Shuichi Gofuku, Tomofumi Kawamura, Yusuke Atsu, Joji Goto
  • Patent number: 11287763
    Abstract: A toner transport apparatus includes a toner, a transport container having a transport path for transporting the toner toward the developing apparatus, and a pipe through which the toner is transported from the toner container to the transport container, with the pipe having an outlet hole from which the toner is discharged into the transport container. An air pump transports the toner from the toner container to the transport container, and an optical sensor includes a light-emitting element to emit a light and a light-receiving element to receive the light so that an optical path from the light-emitting element to the light-receiving element intersects with a passage area of the toner through which the toner passes after being discharged from the outlet hole of the pipe and before landing at a landing point of the transport container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomofumi Kawamura, Masato Tanabe, Takatoshi Hamada, Yusuke Atsu
  • Publication number: 20220050404
    Abstract: A toner cartridge includes a casing, a feeding member and a pump. the casing includes a toner accommodation chamber accommodating toner, and a toner discharging chamber having a discharge opening for discharging the toner, and a communication port for fluid communication between the toner accommodation chamber and the toner discharging chamber. A part of the feeding member is provided inside the communication port. When a minimum cross-sectional area of the communication port in a plane perpendicular to a toner feeding direction of the feeding member is Asmin, the toner discharging chamber has a cross-sectional area Bs larger than Asmin, and the toner accommodation chamber has a cross-sectional area Cs larger than Asmin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Inventors: Naoya Asanuma, Takatoshi Hamada, Masato Tanabe, Tomofumi Kawamura, Yusuke Atsu
  • Publication number: 20210149324
    Abstract: A toner transport apparatus includes: a storing portion that stores toner used by a developing apparatus; an ejection port for outputting the toner from the storing portion; a transport path unit that includes a receiving part which receives the toner ejected from the ejection port, and that constitutes a transport path for transporting the toner to the developing apparatus; a pump for outputting the toner stored in the storing portion from the ejection port toward the transport path unit; and an optical sensor unit that is disposed in a passage area through which the toner output by the pump from the ejection port to the transport path unit passes, the optical sensor unit detecting whether or not toner is present.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2020
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Inventors: Tomofumi Kawamura, Masato Tanabe, Takatoshi Hamada, Yusuke Atsu