Re-fed For Additional Image Patents (Class 399/401)
  • Patent number: 9042807
    Abstract: An image formation apparatus has a body having a pair of frames, and an image formation unit configured to form an image on a sheet, and a re-feeding path which is used when the sheet, on one surface of which an image has been formed by the image formation unit, is fed again to the image formation unit. The re-feeding path includes a first path vertically extending from a downstream side, in a sheet feed direction, of the image formation unit, a second path extending horizontally, and a curved portion connecting the first path and the second path. The pair of frames are connected with a metal plate which is formed and arranged to extend along the curved portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hikaru Iino
  • Patent number: 9026005
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided, which includes a sheet tray disposed to face a plurality of photoconductive bodies across a belt device, and two main frames disposed to face each other across the plurality of photoconductive bodies, the belt device, and the sheet tray, the two main frames being configured such that the plurality of photoconductive bodies, the belt device, and the sheet tray are detachably attached thereto, the two main frames being further configured to define a communication section that leads from a space for accommodating the plurality of photoconductive bodies to the sheet tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mariko Mogi
  • Publication number: 20150117926
    Abstract: An image formation apparatus has a body having a pair of frames, and an image formation unit configured to form an image on a sheet, and a re-feeding path which is used when the sheet, on one surface of which an image has been formed by the image formation unit, is fed again to the image formation unit. The re-feeding path includes a first path vertically extending from a downstream side, in a sheet feed direction, of the image formation unit, a second path extending horizontally, and a curved portion connecting the first path and the second path. The pair of frames are connected with a metal plate which is formed and arranged to extend along the curved portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventor: Hikaru IINO
  • Patent number: 8989651
    Abstract: An image formation device is provided with a discharge tray configured to receive the sheet discharged from a discharge exit, a guide portion configuring at least a part of a first feed path and a second feed path extending from a fixing unit to the discharge exit, a reversibly rotatable roller configured to reverse a feeding direction of the sheet fed from the fixing unit to the discharge exit so that the sheet is reversely fed toward an entrance of the of the developing unit. In this configuration, the first path and the second path are converged to form a converged feed path on the discharge exit side, the reversibly rotatable roller is provided in the converged feed path, and a converged feed path guide portion, which is a part of the guide portion, is displaceable to a position to expose the converged feed path to outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirotaka Mori
  • Patent number: 8977184
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a conveyance path configured to guide a recording sheet conveyed from a sheet placement portion, passing through a sheet feeder unit, a nip portion between a photoconductor and transfer member, a fixing device, and a sheet ejection unit in this order; and a re-conveyance path configured to guide the sheet conveyed from the fixing device to an upstream-side path which constitutes part of the conveyance path extending upstream from the photoconductor. The re-conveyance path branches off from the conveyance path at a position downstream from the fixing device and extends to pass through a space between the photoconductor and the exposure device. The re-conveyance path includes a switchback mechanism configured to reverse a traveling direction of a sheet conveyed along the re-conveyance path after passing through the space between the photoconductor and the exposure device and to convey the sheet toward the upstream-side path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tokuda, Tomonori Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8971732
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a storage unit to store sheets fed to an image forming unit, a sheet guide disposed above the storage unit and to form a sheet conveyance path, on which a sheet is conveyed, a detection unit disposed above the sheet guide and including a light emitting portion to emit light and a light receiving portion to receive light, a light passage portion disposed in the sheet guide, through which light emitted from the light emitting portion in the detection unit passes, a reflection portion disposed below the storage unit and to reflect towards the light receiving portion, light emitted from the light emitting portion and having passed through the light passage portion, and a control unit to determine, based on light received by the light receiving portion, whether there is a sheet in the sheet conveyance path and whether there is a sheet stored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenji Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8960665
    Abstract: A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a first conveyance roller configured to convey a sheet, a second conveyance roller configured to convey the sheet at a variable speed ranging from a first sheet conveyance speed to a second sheet conveyance speed wherein the first sheet conveyance speed is less than a sheet conveyance speed of the first conveyance roller and the second sheet conveyance speed is greater than the sheet conveyance speed of the first conveyance roller, a driving unit configured to drive the second conveyance roller, and a control unit configured to control the driving unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yutaka Nishimura
  • Patent number: 8950327
    Abstract: A method for printing is disclosed. In one embodiment the method is performed by a digital printer. A substrate is secured to a front side and a back side of a liner sheet. The lined substrate is fed into the digital printer, and an image is printed onto both the front side and the back side of the lined substrate. In one embodiment, the substrate may include a tissue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Lingraph
    Inventor: Brandon Boskovic
  • Patent number: 8948682
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet feed unit that feeds a sheet to an image forming unit forming a toner image on the sheet; a fixing unit that fixes the toner image formed in the image forming unit to the sheet; and a control unit that controls the sheet feed unit, when starting duplex image formation for forming both sides of the sheet after an one-side image formation, the control unit retards a timing to cause the sheet feed unit to start the sheet feed operation as the number of sheet with an image formed on one side thereof in the one-side image formation is greater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Abe, Hideki Ohta, Takashi Kuwata, Youhei Suzuki, Takamichi Matsuo, Toshiaki Sako
  • Patent number: 8948681
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit forming an image on a recording sheet; a transport unit transporting the recording sheet; a support surface supporting the recording sheet; a rotating member having an outer peripheral surface pressed against the support surface and rotationally following the recording sheet when the recording sheet passes through between the support surface and the outer peripheral surface; an ascertaining unit ascertaining a length of the recording sheet on the basis of an amount of rotation of the rotating member; and a restricting unit restricting a movement of the rotating member that moves toward the support surface after the recording sheet passes through between the support surface and the outer peripheral surface, the restricting unit preventing the outer peripheral surface, which comes into contact with the recording sheet, and the support surface from coming into contact with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takao Furuya, Yoshinari Iwaki, Minoru Ohshima
  • Patent number: 8942617
    Abstract: A drive transmission unit includes a rotation input shaft to bear rotatably and coaxially a first input rotary body that rotates in a first direction and a second input rotary body, and a rotation output shaft to bear rotatably and coaxially a first output rotary body disposed in a radial direction of the first input rotary body and a second output rotary body disposed in the radial direction of the second input rotary body. A first switching device is disposed on the rotation input shaft and switches between a power transmitting state and a non-transmitting state between the first input rotary body and the second input rotary body. A second switching device is disposed on the rotation output shaft and switches between the power transmitting state and the non-transmitting state between the first output rotary body and the second output rotary body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Matsuda, Masahiro Ishida
  • Patent number: 8909125
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including: an ejection section including an ejection roller to eject a sheet from a first sheet passing path to a sheet ejection port and a reverse roller to reverse a transport direction of a sheet transported along a second sheet passing path, the ejection roller and the reverse roller being placed close to each other and close to the sheet ejection port; and a switching lever switches the transport destination of the sheet between the first and the second sheet passing paths for transporting the sheet to the ejection roller and to the reverse roller, respectively. A moving trajectory of a sheet transported along the first sheet passing path between the ejection roller and the switching lever is substantially identical to a moving trajectory of a sheet transported along the second sheet passing path between the reverse roller and the switching lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hironobu Kinoshita, Masaya Shitami, Kazunori Matsuo
  • Patent number: 8909123
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a first transport unit; a second transport unit that is installed in a recording portion side of the downstream from the first transport unit and transports the medium to an upstream side and the downstream side; a first transport path that guides the medium between the first transport unit and the second transport unit; a second transport path that reverses both sides of the medium; and a third transport path that is installed on the second transport path, the second transport unit reversely transports the medium to the upstream side at a transport speed V1 and put it into the second transport path, the transport speed of the third transport unit, which is driven at the transport speed V1, is changed to a transport speed V2 which is higher than the transport speed V1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Ryuji Moriyama
  • Patent number: 8909124
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet feed unit which feeds a sheet to an image forming unit forming an image on the sheet, a re-transport roller which reverses the sheet with a toner image fixed on the sheet and re-transports the sheet to the image forming unit, and a control unit which controls a sheet feed operation of the sheet feed unit for feeding the sheet. As the temperature of the re-transport roller sensed by the temperature sensing unit is decreased, the control unit retards the timing at which the sheet feed unit starts the sheet feed operation when a duplex image formation in which the image is formed on both sides of the sheet is performed after a one-side image formation is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Kuwata, Kenji Abe, Hideki Ohta, Takamichi Matsuo, Youhei Suzuki, Takuro Mita
  • Patent number: 8899572
    Abstract: A printing apparatus comprising an image forming system, a sheet-feeding system, a sheet-transporting system, a sheet-controlling device, a sheet-detection device, a first driving system, a second driving system and a controller is provided. The sheet-controlling device and the sheet-detection device are disposed between the sheet-feeding system and the sheet-transporting system. The sheet-controlling device controls an entry of a sheet into the sheet-transporting system. The first driving system drives the sheet-controlling device, and the second driving system drives a transporting mechanism of the sheet-transporting system. The controller upon receiving an error signal from the sheet-detection device signals the sheet-controlling device to inhibit the entry of the sheet into the sheet-transporting system and signals the transporting mechanism to continue its operation. A duplex printing method is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Avision Inc.
    Inventor: Katsuhiko Gotoda
  • Patent number: 8897021
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a plurality of plug-in cards (25) from a card body (6), preferably on a standard sized, ISO 7810, ID1 type, the method comprising the steps of defining said plug-in cards (25) on the card body (6) and making at least one score line (19) on the card body to define the same plurality of similar plug-in support cards (33) each comprising a single plug-in card.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Oberthur Technologies UK Limited
    Inventor: David K. A. Hatch
  • Patent number: 8870183
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of rotary members, a conveyance belt, an image forming device, and a switchback device. The conveyance belt is looped around the plurality of rotary members so as to circulate to intermittently feed a sheet in a sheet transport direction. The image forming device is disposed opposing the conveyance belt to form an image on the sheet fed by the conveyance belt. The switchback device is disposed downstream from the image forming device in the sheet transport direction to feed the sheet having passed the image forming device to a position downstream from the conveyance belt in the sheet transport direction and switch back the sheet. When the sheet is fed by the conveyance belt and the switchback device, a drive start timing of the switchback device is delayed from a drive start timing of the conveyance belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kuniyori Takano
  • Patent number: 8870182
    Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus, including: a sheet conveying path; a reconveying path, which is branched from the sheet conveying path; a sheet conveying portion which conveys a sheet, which is conveyed through the sheet conveying path, selectively between in a forward direction and in a reverse direction toward the reconveying path; and a control portion which controls the sheet conveying portion to temporarily convey, in the middle that the sheet conveying portion conveys a preceding sheet in the reverse direction toward the reconveying path, the preceding sheet in the forward direction together with a succeeding sheet, and thereafter convey the preceding sheet in the reverse direction toward the reconvening path and the succeeding sheet in the forward direction respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Ogata, Akira Kuroda, Yuichi Obara
  • Patent number: 8867982
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an intermediate transfer member onto which an image is transferred, a transfer part transferring the image formed on the intermediate transfer member onto a transfer, a detection part detecting a transfer which is conveyed, a both-surface conveying part reversing the transfer with an image being formed on a first surface, and conveying the transfer to the transfer part again, and a control wherein a timing when forming an image on a second surface of the transfer by the image forming part is set based on a time necessary to reverse the transfer material and a size in a conveying direction of a transfer material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuya Kojima
  • Patent number: 8862045
    Abstract: A conveyor has a first conveying unit including a pair of first nip roll sets configured to nip and convey the sheet, and a second conveying unit including a second nip roll set configured to nip and convey the sheet from the first conveying unit. The second nip roll set nips the sheet at an inner location than the first nip roll set, and the first nip roll set nips the sheet more strongly than the second nip roll set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Miyake
  • Patent number: 8851770
    Abstract: A control unit includes a memory storing correction data obtained by associating information acquired by a first acquisition unit (rotary encoder) with information acquired by a second acquisition unit (direct sensor) with respect to, at least one rotation of a conveying roller. When a plurality of images are sequentially printed on a first surface and a second surface of a continuous sheet, the control unit reads the correction data corresponding to the rotation information acquired by the first acquisition unit from the memory and corrects at least one of driving control of a print head and driving control of the roller. The correction data used in printing on the first surface of the sheet is different from that used in printing on the second surface of the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Ikeda, Masahito Yoshida, Koichiro Kawaguchi, Kenji Shigeno, Toshiki Takeuchi, Masato Izumi, Ryosuke Sato, Kengo Nieda
  • Patent number: 8849175
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, an image forming unit, and a retransporting unit. The retransporting unit includes a transporting roller for applying a transporting force to the sheet and an input portion disposed at a position shifted upstream of the transporting roller in a retransporting direction. The input portion is configured to receive an input of a drive force supplied from the apparatus body. The retransporting unit further includes a drive shaft extending in a retransporting direction. The drive shaft is configured to transmit the drive force from the input portion toward the transporting roller by rotating about an axis thereof. A height of the image forming apparatus may be reduced by this configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsushi Miwa
  • Patent number: 8843054
    Abstract: A downsized recording apparatus capable of housing inside a holding member that holds a disc recording medium so as to convey the disc recording medium. The recording apparatus includes a conveyance unit that conveys a sheet; a recording unit that performs recording on the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit; a duplex conveyance path that guides the sheet having recording performed on a first side thereof by the recording unit and reverses the sheet before guiding the sheet to the conveyance unit so that recording is performed on a second side of the sheet having recording performed on the first side thereof, the second side being opposite the first side; a holding-member-housing portion provided at a position enclosed by the duplex conveyance path, the portion housing a holding member that holds a disc recording medium; and a moving unit that moves the holding member to the conveyance unit so that the holding member is conveyed by the conveyance unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Haruo Uchida
  • Patent number: 8843055
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of improving productivity in a print job mixedly involving single-sided printing and double-sided printing. Sheets are fed one by one to an image forming section. When double-sided printing is to be performed, a sheet having an image formed on the first side thereof by the image forming section is re-fed thereto so as to have an image formed on the second side thereof. When a sheet for double-sided printing exists, which is posterior in page order to a sheet for single-sided printing, an image forming order is changed such that the first side of the sheet for double-sided printing is subjected to image formation prior to the sheet for single-sided printing. When it is predicted that a state will occur in which the sheet for single-sided printing cannot be fed, the image forming order is not changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hidenori Matsumoto, Takayuki Fujii, Akinobu Nishikata, Hiroshi Matsumoto, Katsuya Nakama
  • Patent number: 8840328
    Abstract: When a size of a reversing unit is smaller than that of a printing medium, errors can be detected without adding any other mechanism, and if such errors are not caused by a paper jam, the printing can be continued. A printing apparatus is provided with: an reversing unit provided with an reversing roller; a sensor ; and a control unit configured to, if when the detecting unit detects a load equal to or more than a predetermined value, a conveyance amount of the printing medium after the sensor has detected the fore end is longer than a threshold value that is a distance from a position of the fore end at the time of being detected by the sensor to a position of the fore end at the time of exiting from the conveyance path of the reversing unit, perform control to continue conveyance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ken Hoshino
  • Patent number: 8833760
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a motor for driving a first rotary body and a second rotary body that rotates according to an image processing operation; a switching unit that switches a connection/disconnection of the motor and the second rotary body; and a control unit that performs: a constant-speed rotation process of rotating the motor at a first speed in the connection state; a disconnecting process of performing switching to the disconnection state during the constant-speed rotation process; a decelerating process of decelerating the motor to a second speed after the disconnecting process; and a connecting process of performing, before completion of the decelerating process, switching to the connection state when the rotating speed of the second rotary body at a timing when the decelerating process is performed is slower than that at a timing when the switching to the disconnection state is performed in the disconnecting process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Suzuki, Tetsuya Okano
  • Publication number: 20140255072
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including: an ejection section including an ejection roller to eject a sheet from a first sheet passing path to a sheet ejection port and a reverse roller to reverse a transport direction of a sheet transported along a second sheet passing path, the ejection roller and the reverse roller being placed close to each other and close to the sheet ejection port; and a switching lever switches the transport destination of the sheet between the first and the second sheet passing paths for transporting the sheet to the ejection roller and to the reverse roller, respectively. A moving trajectory of a sheet transported along the first sheet passing path between the ejection roller and the switching lever is substantially identical to a moving trajectory of a sheet transported along the second sheet passing path between the reverse roller and the switching lever.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hironobu Kinoshita, Masaya Shitami, Kazunori Matsuo
  • Patent number: 8820915
    Abstract: A receiver supply media cassette adapted to hold cut sheet media and for permitting an imaging apparatus to form images on both sides of the cut sheet media, comprising a media tray including a cut sheet receiving well having at least two side walls, and a ramp disposed between the two side walls and a removable media receptacle adapted to fit inside the cut sheet receiving well of the media tray including a first compartment adapted to hold cut sheet media to be fed to the imaging apparatus, a second compartment adapted to receive cut sheet media from the imaging apparatus, wherein the removable media receptacle is flipped inside the cut sheet receiving well of the media tray after images have been formed on a first side of the cut sheet media so that images can be formed on a second side of the cut sheet media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Kodak Alaris Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin T. Mahoney, Robert Fredric Mindler
  • Patent number: 8824953
    Abstract: A device includes a winding rotary member having a cylindrical shape; a holder having a rotating member, which is provided in the vicinity of a cylindrical surface of the winding rotary member, capable of nipping and conveying the sheet; a first driving mechanism configured to rotate the winding rotary member; and a second driving mechanism configured to rotate the rotating member. The winding rotary member rotates with the sheet is nipped with the rotatable holder, whereby the sheet is wound around the winding rotary member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kota Uchida, Manabu Kanazawa, Masahito Yoshida, Tetsuhiro Nitta, Takayuki Okamoto
  • Patent number: 8811883
    Abstract: The present invention provides a printing apparatus and a printing method, in which a very thick and rigid printing medium such as board paper can be conveyed with stable conveyance accuracy, and in which a high-quality image can be printed thereon. In order to achieve this, paper on a front tray is conveyed onto a rear tray approximately along a plane containing a position on a platen, and then the paper is conveyed onto the front tray through the position on the platen. When the paper passes through the position on the platen, an image is printed on the paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasuo Miyauchi
  • Patent number: 8792106
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a hopper unit, a separating unit, a reading unit, an ejecting unit, a stacking unit, a control unit, and a storage unit. The control unit includes a detecting unit that detects abnormal reading of the document read by the reading unit, an image storing unit that associates the read image and an abnormal reading result with a reading order of the document to store, a separation stacking unit that controls the ejecting unit to separate the document in which the abnormal reading is detected and the document in which the abnormal reading is not detected to eject to the stacking unit, a rereading unit that allows the reading unit to read again the document in which the abnormal reading is detected, thereby obtaining a reread image, and an image replacing unit that replaces the image corresponding to the reading order with the reread image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: PFU Limited
    Inventor: Akira Iwayama
  • Patent number: 8792817
    Abstract: Overlap positioning systems are provided for use with a receiver transport system that moves receiver from a pre-printing path, past a print engine, to a post-printing path. In one aspect, the overlap positioning system has a receiver transport system that moves receiver from a post-printing path to a reentry point in the pre-printing path, a diverter selectively diverts the first receiver from the post printing path into a recirculation system having a plurality of surfaces to guide the first receiver from the post printing path to a reentry in the pre-printing path; and a receiver movement system moves the first receiver through the recirculation system; a controller and sensor system cooperate to cause one of the first receiver or a second receiver to be first through the reentry point and the other is advanced through the reentry point at a point where an overlap of a determined amount is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Kodak Alaris Inc.
    Inventors: Gary P. Lawniczak, Donald S. Rimai
  • Patent number: 8781388
    Abstract: An image forming device, comprising: a sheet-like medium accommodation unit; a supply member that carries a sheet-like medium; a pair of separation members that separate the sheet-like medium one by one; an image formation unit; a carrying path; a re-carrying unit to move inversely the sheet-like medium whose top face has been subjected to printing; a moving mechanism to move the supply member close to or away from the sheet-like medium and to move the pair of separation members close to or away from each other so that a path for the inversely carried sheet-like medium is formed; and a control unit to control the moving mechanism such that, when back-face printing is performed, the supply member is in a state of being moved away from the sheet-like medium and the pair of separation members are in a state of being moved away from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takuya Yamaguchi, Yoshiteru Hattori
  • Patent number: 8770876
    Abstract: A printing apparatus is provided. The printing apparatus includes a printing unit, a sheet feeder, a discharge unit, a sheet path including a feeding path, a discharge path, and a reversing path, a manual sheet inlet, through which a recording sheet is manually inserted, a manual sheet path merging into the sheet path at a merging point and guiding the manually-inserted recording sheet to the merging point, a detecting unit to detect the manually-inserted sheet fed through the manual sheet inlet while a double-face printing operation is conducted with a preceding recording sheet, a judging unit to judge whether the detecting unit detected the manually-inserted sheet, and a conveyer controller unit to reduce a speed to convey the preceding recording sheet in the sheet path when the judging unit judges that the detecting unit detected the manually-inserted sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuki Fukusada, Tetsuya Okano
  • Patent number: 8774701
    Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus including a transferring unit, fixing unit, a first sheet conveying path section, a re-conveying unit and a charge-removing member. The transferring unit transfers developer onto a sheet. The fixing unit fixes the developer transferred to the sheet to form a visible image on the sheet. The first sheet conveying path section extends through the transfer unit and the fixing unit, the sheet being conveyed from the transfer unit to the fixing unit along the first sheet conveying path section. The re-conveying unit constitutes a second sheet conveying path section for re-conveying the sheet from the fixing unit to an inlet side of the transfer unit, the second sheet conveying path section being positioned below the first sheet conveying path section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Junji Uehara
  • Patent number: 8768238
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus connected to a conveying-speed-changeable sheet post processing device includes a discharging unit which discharges a sheet in a reverse discharge mode with front and back surfaces of the image-formed sheet reversed, and a non-reverse discharge mode without front and back surfaces of the image-formed sheet reversed, and discharges the sheet at a first speed or a second speed lower than the first speed; and a control unit which controls the discharging unit to discharge the sheet at the first speed in the reverse discharge mode and at the second speed in the non-reverse discharge mode. When the sheet is discharged at the second speed, the control unit controls the discharging unit to discharge a subsequent sheet at the second speed even if the subsequent sheet is to be discharged in the reverse discharge mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kuniyasu Kimura, Yuichiro Maeda, Takuya Hayakawa, Hidenori Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 8768236
    Abstract: A duplex image forming apparatus includes a driving unit which has driving rollers and driven rollers to reversely feed the paper printed on the first surface to a duplex printing part or discharge the paper printed on the first and second surfaces, and a separation unit which separates the driven rollers from the driving rollers while the paper printed on the first surface is reversely fed and registered by duplex rollers of the duplex printing part. Accordingly, when the paper is registered by the duplex rollers, because the paper is not caught in the driving rollers and the driven rollers, the paper can be easily registered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Seung Bok Jung
  • Patent number: 8768237
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a return-sheet conveyer unit to convey a recording sheet carried from the image forming unit along a return-sheet path to return to the image forming unit, an upper frame unit including a pair of side frames to support the image forming unit in a position there-between, and a pair of lower frames arranged to have a predetermined amount of clearance there-between to have the return-sheet conveyer unit in the clearance, and configured to be less rigid than the upper frame unit and to support lower sections of the pair of side frames. A vertical position of the return-sheet conveyer unit with respect to the image forming unit is defined with reference to the upper frame unit by having a part of the return-sheet conveyer unit aligned to be in contact with the upper frame unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Makoto Souda
  • Patent number: 8755735
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus in one embodiment includes: a first paper feeding control unit; a transfer unit that transfers a toner image onto a front surface or a back surface of the sheet; a second paper feeding control unit that reverses the sheet whose front surface has been transferred; a first decision unit that decides a transfer order on each surface by interleaf control; an execution control unit that controls the transfer on the back surface; and a second decision unit that decides whether a second sheet is to be fed for being transferred. The execution control unit makes the second sheet be fed from the sheet staking unit. The first paper feeding control unit controls such that the first sheet is apart from the second sheet by a predetermined interval distance or more, without changing a transfer order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Akito Okutsu
  • Patent number: 8752825
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, an image forming unit, a guide member, and a cover. The guide member is configured to be pivotable with respect to the apparatus body and is configured to guide the sheet along a transporting path. The cover is configured to be pivotable with respect to the apparatus body and is configured to open and close at least a part of the transporting path. The guide member includes a first engaging portion and the cover includes a second engaging portion which engages the first engaging portion of the guide member. One of the guide member and the cover includes an engagement guiding portion which guides one of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion toward the other one of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion, such that the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion engages with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomonori Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8755734
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet feed unit that feeds a sheet to an image forming unit forming a toner image on the sheet; a fixing unit that fixes the toner image formed in the image forming unit to the sheet; and a control unit that controls the sheet feed unit, when starting duplex image formation for forming both sides of the sheet after an one-side image formation, the control unit retards a timing to cause the sheet feed unit to start the sheet feed operation as the number of sheet with an image formed on one side thereof in the one-side image formation is greater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Abe, Hideki Ohta, Takashi Kuwata, Youhei Suzuki, Takamichi Matsuo, Toshiaki Sako
  • Patent number: 8750780
    Abstract: A decurling unit regulates a decurling force so as to be smaller when a sheet is returned from a printing unit to a sheet feeding unit than when the sheet is fed from the sheet feeding unit to the printing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masato Izumi, Tetsuhiro Nitta, Ryosuke Sato, Kenji Shigeno
  • Patent number: 8746687
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a rockable member which is configured to rotate about an axis defined at a first end portion among: a first position at which a second end portion at a downstream side in the forward feed direction with respect to the first end portion is supported by the guide member having the first orientation; a second position at which the second end portion is located at a higher position that the second end portion when located at the first position; and a third position at which the second end portion is located at a lower position that the second end portion when located at the first position; and a signal generating unit configured to output a signal corresponding to the position of the rockable member. A photo sensor is provided to generate a signal in accordance with an orientation of the rockable member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Samoto, Yuji Koga, Takashi Omura
  • Patent number: 8750779
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of increasing the speed of successively discharging printed printing media in order to increase the overall print speed and a control method thereof. The image forming apparatus includes a first discharge roller to feed printed printing medium rearward from a print unit disposed at an inner front portion of a main body, a reverse roller to reverse a moving direction of the printed printing medium fed from the first discharge roller from a rear to a front of the main body, a second discharge roller to discharge the printed printing medium whose moving direction is reversed outside, and an intermediate discharge roller unit which is provided between the first discharge roller and the reverse roller, the intermediate discharge roller unit including a main roller, a sub discharge roller and a sub supply roller which are in contact with the main roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Byeong Hwa Ahn, Bong Hwan Choi, Yong Kon Jo
  • Patent number: 8750742
    Abstract: An image formation apparatus may compensate for potential printing irregularities caused by creasing of a print medium by detecting a humidity and determining whether the humidity is equal or above a specified threshold. If so, the image formation apparatus may increase a size of an area in which no image is to be formed at a trailing end of side of the print medium on which an image is to be formed. Increasing the size of the non-image area may include shifting an image formation area (e.g., where the image is to be formed) toward a leading end of the print medium and/or scaling the image and the image formation area to be smaller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroshi Nakano
  • Patent number: 8744333
    Abstract: A first conveyance path is a path for conveying paper from a paper feed unit to a registration roller. Passage of paper on the first conveyance path is detected by a first sensor and a second sensor. The first sensor detects passage of paper upstream from the second sensor. A second conveyance path is connected to the first conveyance path downstream from a detection position of the second sensor. In response to the first sensor detecting passage of paper, first preregistration correction is performed. In response to the second sensor detecting passage of paper, second preregistration correction is performed. If a first sheet of paper is supplied from the paper feed unit, the first preregistration correction is performed on a second sheet of paper conveyed following the first sheet. If the first sheet is conveyed from the second conveyance path, the second preregistration correction is performed on the second sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Shigeo Tomita
  • Patent number: 8744335
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of improving productivity in a print job mixedly involving single-sided printing and double-sided printing. Sheets are fed one by one to an image forming section. When double-sided printing is to be performed, a sheet having an image formed on the first side thereof by the image forming section is re-fed thereto so as to have an image formed on the second side thereof. When a sheet for double-sided printing exists, which is posterior in page order to a sheet for single-sided printing, an image forming order is changed such that the first side of the sheet for double-sided printing is subjected to image formation prior to the sheet for single-sided printing. When it is predicted that a state will occur in which the sheet for single-sided printing cannot be fed, the image forming order is not changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hidenori Matsumoto, Takayuki Fujii, Akinobu Nishikata, Hiroshi Matsumoto, Katsuya Nakama
  • Patent number: 8737905
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus and a driver for the image forming apparatus are provided. The image forming apparatus includes: a first communication section configured to receive print data; a printing section configured to perform a duplex printing including printing N sheets on first sides thereof and subsequently printing M sheets on second sides thereof, wherein M is equal to or smaller than N; a setting section configured to set the value of N; and a control section configured to control the printing section to perform the duplex printing in accordance with the value of N set by the setting section. The value of N may be set based on a communication speed of the print data when acquired by the acquisition section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8718533
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes a cover member attached to and detached from a main body in a sliding manner, and achieves power transmission from the main body to driving elements of the cover member through an electronic clutch, thereby simplifying a power transmission structure and improving reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hyung Won Yoon
  • Patent number: 8718532
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including an image forming part which forms an image on a printing medium, a main feeding part which accommodates the printing medium and supplies the printing medium to the image forming part, and a reversing part which transfers the printing medium, on which an image is formed on a first surface thereof in the image forming part, to the main feeding part, wherein the main feeding part includes a feeding roller part which re-feeds the printing medium, having been transferred through the reversing part, to the image forming part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jin-soo Lee, Jae-yong Kim, Ki-hun Kim