Discharge Of Copy (e.g., Exit Tray) Patents (Class 399/405)
  • Patent number: 11840072
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a printing apparatus includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet in a conveyance direction, a print head configured to perform printing on the sheet conveyed in the conveyance direction by the conveyance unit, a discharge port from which the sheet printed by the print head is discharged, a stacking portion located below the discharge port and configured to stack the sheet discharged from the discharge port in a state where a leading end of the sheet is directed to an upstream side in the conveyance direction, and a holding unit disposed in a sheet discharge path below the discharge port and configured to move between a holding position in which the holding unit holds the sheet and a releasing position in which the holding unit releases the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiro Sugiyama, Yasuyuki Asai
  • Patent number: 11840064
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a conveying unit, a supporting unit, and a static elimination unit. The conveying unit conveys a recording medium in a first direction to a recording area where recording is performed by a recording unit. The supporting unit supports the recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit and includes an abutment surface that abuts the recording medium when the supporting unit supports the recording medium. The static elimination unit eliminates static from the recording medium in a static elimination portion. The static elimination portion is not provided at a position opposed to the abutment surface and is provided at a position not opposed to the abutment surface in the supporting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masakazu Tsukuda, Akira Kida, Takaaki Ishida, Masaaki Matsuura, Koki Kudo, Atsushi Arai, Masashi Hayashi
  • Patent number: 11731436
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording portion configured to record an image on a recording medium; a housing having an ejection opening on the side of the housing, the recording medium recorded with the image being ejected from the ejection opening in the ejection direction; and a receiver that receives the recording medium ejected from the ejection opening. The recording apparatus further includes a guide provided inside the ejection opening of the housing, and the receiver has an end on an upstream side of the receiver with respect to the ejection direction such that the end is held at a position overlapping with the guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Asai, Hideyuki Nozawa, Hiromasa Yoneyama, Kota Uchida
  • Patent number: 11722614
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, an output unit, a light source, and a processor. The image forming unit creates a printed material by forming an image on paper. The output unit outputs the printed material to an output tray. The light source is provided such that lit light is viewable from outside the image forming apparatus. The processor is configured to receive a print job for creating the printed material by the image forming unit, and perform control such that the light source is lit in a first lighting pattern in a case where a printed material of a print job for a single user has been output to the output tray and the light source is lit in a second lighting pattern in a case where printed materials of print jobs for multiple users have been output to the output tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Masayoshi Miki, Teiju Sato, Masato Saito, Yasuhiro Nakatani
  • Patent number: 11703797
    Abstract: A first guide member guides a sheet from a sending roller pair to a discharge port. A second guide member is disposed above the first guide member such that an upstream end of the second guide member in a sheet discharge direction overlaps the first guide member, and forms an upper partition of a discharge path in an area extending from a position above an end of the first guide member to a position of a discharge roller pair. The second guide member guides the sheet to the discharge roller pair. A cooling fan blows air from below the discharge path toward a lower surface of the second guide member. The lower surface of the second guide member is formed convexly curved upward when viewed in a width direction intersecting the sheet discharge direction. The lower surface of the second guide member guides air toward the first guide member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Fumito Nakamoto
  • Patent number: 11609525
    Abstract: A post-processing device includes an output unit that outputs a medium; a stacking unit on which the medium that is output is stacked; and a blow-out unit that is disposed below the output unit and that blows gas toward the medium that is output, wherein an amount of the gas blown is adjusted in accordance with a type of the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Yoshiji Kano, Shinya Takahashi, Tomoko Taguchi, Masaaki Takahashi, Hiroshi Ashizawa
  • Patent number: 11586138
    Abstract: An image forming device includes an image forming unit, a roller unit, a static elimination brush, a moving unit, and a control unit. The static elimination brush eliminates static electricity of the printing medium. The moving unit moves the static elimination brush between a first position that does not intersect a first conveyance path on a downstream side of the roller unit in the conveyance path and a second position that intersects the first conveyance path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Wataru Ikeda
  • Patent number: 11460805
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device, a discharge roller pair, a cooling fan, a detection portion, and a cooling fan control unit. The discharge roller pair discharges a sheet on which a toner image has been fixed in the fixing device to a discharge tray via a discharge port. The cooling fan cools the sheet discharged on the discharge tray by blowing air thereto. The detection portion detects a rear end of the sheet being conveyed from the fixing device toward the discharge port. The cooling fan control unit performs control so that, within a prescribed period from a point in time of detection of the rear end of the sheet by the detection portion to when the rear end passes through the discharge roller pair, a rotation speed of the cooling fan is reduced to be lower than a reference speed used to cool the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Shota Onishi
  • Patent number: 11267668
    Abstract: A paper conveyance device includes a roller, paper feed sensor, registration sensor, and controller. At a first time point at which specified time from start of draw of paper by the roller to arrival of the paper at the registration sensor has passed, when a detection result by the registration sensor is absence of the paper and a detection result by the paper feed sensor is presence of the paper, and the detection result by the paper feed sensor is the absence at a second time point at which standby time has passed from the first time point, the controller sets a safe paper feed mode in which the draw of the paper by the roller is started at a delay time point at which delay time has passed since a switching time point at which the detection result by the registration roller is switched from the presence to absence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Masayuki Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 11221586
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form a toner image on one surface of a recording material, a fixing unit configured to fix the toner image on the surface of the recording material in a nip portion formed by a heating unit and a pressing unit, a discharge unit configured to discharge the recording material on which the toner image has been fixed to a discharge tray, and a recording material conveyance path between the fixing unit and the discharge unit. In a conveyance direction of the recording material from the fixing unit to the discharge unit, a fan is disposed between the fixing unit and the discharge unit. The fan takes in air from an intake portion that takes in air of the recording material conveyance path and exhausts air such that air is applied to the recording material discharged from the discharge unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Aono, Kenji Takagi
  • Patent number: 11208286
    Abstract: A sheet discharge device includes a discharge conveyance path, a pair of discharge rollers, a side wall, a sheet stacking tray, a first fan, and a second fan. The discharge conveyance path communicates with a discharge port through which a sheet having passed through a fixing portion is discharged. The pair of discharge rollers convey the sheet along the discharge conveyance path and discharge the sheet from the discharge port. The side wall extends downward from the discharge port. The sheet stacking tray extends from the side wall in a sheet discharge direction in which the sheet is discharged by the pair of discharge rollers. The first fan is disposed below the discharge conveyance path and blows air toward the discharge conveyance path. The second fan is disposed above the discharge port and blows air from above the discharge port toward the sheet stacking tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Takahito Morita
  • Patent number: 11137713
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body to which a cartridge is detachably attached. The apparatus main body includes a frame having an opening portion through which the cartridge is attached to the apparatus main body; an opening and closing member supported by the frame rotatably between an open position in which the opening portion is exposed and a closed position in which the opening portion is covered with the opening and closing member and having a stacking surface on which a sheet is to be stacked; a discharging roller discharging the sheet in a discharging direction onto the stacking surface; and a regulating wall which is movably attached to the opening and closing member and extends from the stacking surface toward the discharging roller in a direction intersecting the discharging direction to regulate an upstream edge of the sheet in the discharging direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Junichi Sekiyama
  • Patent number: 11077678
    Abstract: An image recording device is provided, having a recording unit configured to record an image on a sheet, and a tray disposed below the recording unit. The tray includes a sheet holding surface configured to hold the sheet. Additionally, the image recording device includes a sheet feeder disposed between the recording unit and the tray. The sheet feeder includes a roller for feeding the sheet from the tray. The roller is configured to move between a first roller position in which the roller contacts the sheet holding surface of the tray and a second roller position in which the roller is separated from the sheet holding surface. A return guide, disposed between the recording unit and the sheet feeder, defines a second conveying path to guide the sheet having an image recorded on one side thereof back to the feed guide. The return guide has a first opening configured to accommodate the roller of the sheet feeder when the roller is in the second roller position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuo Asada, Hirotaka Aoki, Satoru Nakakita, Shota Iijima, Kenji Samoto, Yuji Koga
  • Patent number: 11039026
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes a first image capturing module, a first control module, a second image capturing module and a second control module. When the first control module is electrically connected to an external apparatus or the second control module, the first control module is for transmitting a first image captured by the first image capturing module to the external apparatus or the second control module. When the second control module is electrically connected to the first control module and the external apparatus, the second control module is for transmitting the first image transmitted from the first control module or a second image captured by the second image capturing module to the external apparatus. Therefore, the present application can provide flexibility in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: AVISION INC.
    Inventors: Shao-Lan Sheng, Chao-Yu Peng, Shu-Fei Yeh
  • Patent number: 10737412
    Abstract: A demolding device for use in an imprint machine, in which a foil is intermittently passed in a feed direction over a press region where a stamp is pressed against the foil for imprinting a surface pattern. The demolding device includes a carrier, a pressing roller mounted in the carrier, and a demolding roller mounted parallel to the pressing roller in the carrier, wherein the carrier is configured to slide over the press region against the feed direction while rolling the foil under the pressing roller and over the demolding roller for detaching the foil from the stamp after imprinting of the pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: OBDUCAT AB
    Inventors: Babak Heidari, Göran Larsson
  • Patent number: 10701227
    Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes an image-reading unit. The image-reading unit includes a first member and a second member. The image-reading unit includes an original-document-feeding apparatus that conveys an original document from an original-document-loading tray to a discharge tray via a read position. In the first member and the second member, a first conveyance passage along which the original document is conveyed to the read position and a second conveyance passage along which the original document is conveyed from the read position to the discharge tray are formed. The second member includes at least two conveyance rollers. Between the two conveyance rollers, there are opening edges for partly allowing access to the second conveyance passage. The second member includes a lid for covering an opening that is defined by the opening edges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenji Kuroda, Yasumasa Morimoto
  • Patent number: 10511725
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a reader; an image former, provided below the reader, for forming an image on a sheet; a sheet discharge portion, provided between the reader and the image former, for discharging and stacking the sheet; an operating portion provided in a front side adjacent to the reader in the horizontal direction and slidable along a side of the reader; a sensor unit provided at a side of the reader in a outside of a slidable range of the operating portion, the sensor unit being can project a signal on the side of the reader and receiving a reflection wave of the signal to detect presence of the user in an area in the front side; and a controller for restoring a state of the apparatus from a sleeping state to a stand-by state in response to detection by the sensor unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazunori Miyake, Teruhiko Suzuki, Masahiro Shinotsuka
  • Patent number: 10503118
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, an image forming device to form an image on a recording medium, a casing to accommodate the image forming device, a sheet discharging port through which the recording medium having the image is discharged from the casing, a sheet stacker to stack the recording medium output through the sheet discharging port and opening on one side of the apparatus body and surrounded by outer walls including an outer wall having the sheet discharging port, an air guide opening disposed within a sheet passing range in a width direction of the recording medium in a sheet conveying path through which the recording medium having the image passes from the image forming device to the sheet discharging port, and an air suction fan to discharge air passing through the air guide opening to an outside of the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Komatsuzaki, Osamu Kitagawa
  • Patent number: 10401790
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section, a fixing device, an exit tray, a first conveyance section, a duct, and an air generator. The image forming section forms an image on a sheet. The fixing device fixes the image to the sheet. The exit tray receives placement of the sheet with the image fixed thereto. The first conveyance section conveys the sheet with the image formed thereon along a conveyance path. The duct has an inlet and a first outlet. The air generator is disposed within the duct and generates air directed from the inlet to the first outlet. The inlet is located in a position for sucking in air from a space above the exit tray. The first outlet opens toward the conveyance path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Atsuhiro Wakimoto
  • Patent number: 10386758
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing unit, a sheet discharge unit to stack sheets, an acquisition unit, and a controller. The fixing unit fixes a toner image formed on a sheet by the image forming unit. The acquisition unit acquires information corresponding to a maximum toner application amount per unit area of the formed toner image. The controller controls the number of image formations on the sheets per unit time based on the acquired information. The controller executes a first job with a first number of image formations on the sheets per unit time during a period from an Lth sheet to an Mth sheet in the first job, and executes a second job with a second and smaller number of image formations on the sheets per unit time during the period from the Lth to the Mth sheet in the second job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keita Ishiguro, Masanobu Tanaka, Suguru Takeuchi, Asuna Fukamachi, Oki Kitagawa, Yasuharu Toratani
  • Patent number: 10291803
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main assembly; an operating portion mounted in a front surface side of the main assembly so as to be slidable in a widthwise direction of the main assembly and configured to be capable of inputting a signal to the main assembly, wherein the operating portion includes a first connector and a second connector; a first cable configured to electrically connect the main assembly and the first connector of the operating portion in a state in which a first loop is formed; and a second cable having a cable diameter smaller than a cable diameter of the first cable and configured to electrically connect the main assembly and the second connector of the operating portion in a state in which a second loop is formed inside the first cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hirohisa Sawada
  • Patent number: 10073395
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an acquiring unit that acquires rendering information including one or both of a text and an illustration; a first image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet material based on the rendering information that has been acquired; and a second image forming unit that forms an electrostatic attraction toner image on the sheet material, the electrostatic attraction toner image being for imparting an electrostatic attraction function to the sheet material, the electrostatic attraction function allowing the sheet material to be attracted to an object surface by using static electricity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaru Okutsu, Masayuki Nishimura, Mizuki Sugino, Daisuke Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9983534
    Abstract: A motor control device for driving a motor, the motor control device includes: a receiver configured to receive, from an external source, a drive command containing a rotation direction command designating a rotation direction of the motor; a storage part configured to store the rotation direction of the motor indicated by the rotation direction command when the motor is driven using the rotation direction command; and a controller configured to, when a new piece of the drive command is received from the external source, control rotation reversing of the motor based on a rotation direction of the motor indicated by the rotation direction command contained in the received piece of the drive command and the rotation direction of the motor stored in the storage part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoharu Takahashi, Yoshihiro Asano, Takuya Murata, Shingo Nagatsuka, Kentaroh Kurosu
  • Patent number: 9908357
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, a decoloring apparatus comprises a processor, a decoloring section, a shift roller, a paper discharge section and a paper discharge roller. The processor determines whether or not to execute either a decoloring job or a non-decoloring job. The decoloring section decolors an image on paper formed with decolorable coloring agent. The shift roller moves paper for decoloring job or paper for non-decoloring job in a direction orthogonal to a paper discharge direction of the paper on a same plane for a given distance to sort it. The paper discharge section stacks discharged papers. The paper discharge roller discharges the paper sorted by the shift roller to the paper discharge section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Isao Yahata
  • Patent number: 9703247
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a sheet post-processing apparatus includes a supporting member and a plurality of paddles. The supporting member supports the trailing end portion in a conveying direction of a sheet. The plurality of paddles rotates around a rotating shaft independently from the supporting member. The plurality of paddles nip and hold the trailing end portion of the sheet in conjunction with the supporting member from both the sides in the thickness direction of the sheet. The plurality of paddles nip and hold the trailing end portions of the following sheets, which are stacked on the sheet, one by one from the thickness direction of the trailing end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Mikio Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9654660
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electronic device that includes: a main body; an information processing device housed in the main body, the front face of a housing of the information processing device being installed on the back side of a panel of the main body; and a duct that leads the external air of the main body to the information processing device. The information processing device includes a fan that takes the external air from the back face opposite from the front face into the inside and discharges the air taken in to the outside from the front face. The duct is an air passage that leads the air from the outside of the panel of the main body to the back face of the housing of the information processing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Yasushi Okada
  • Patent number: 9617108
    Abstract: A recording medium conveyor includable to an image forming apparatus includes a driving source, a first rotary unit, and a second rotary unit. The first rotary unit includes a driving gear, a driving shaft rotating with the driving gear, and multiple driving rotary bodies disposed on the driving shaft. The second rotary unit disposed facing the first rotary unit includes a driven gear meshed with the driving gear, a driven shaft, multiple driven rotary bodies disposed on the driven shaft, and multiple stiffening rotary bodies disposed between two of the multiple driven rotary bodies and having a diameter greater than an outer diameter of the multiple driven rotary bodies. A gear ratio between the driving gear and the driven gear is adjusted such that a peripheral speed of the multiple driving rotary bodies is equal to a peripheral speed of the multiple stiffening rotary bodies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Junpei Kamichi
  • Patent number: 9612559
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus that includes a conveying section, an image forming section, a medium sensor, a mark printing section, and a controller. The conveying section is configured to convey a medium in a medium conveying direction. The image forming section is configured to form an image on the medium conveyed by the conveying section. The medium sensor is configured to perform detection of the medium conveyed by the conveying section. The mark printing section is configured to perform printing of a mark on the medium conveyed by the conveying section. The controller is configured to cause, based on a result of the detection by the medium sensor, the mark printing section to perform the printing of the mark on the medium, from a timing at which image formation on the medium by the image forming section is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuki Shinagawa
  • Patent number: 9551968
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a paper feeding unit which feeds a sheet-shaped recording medium, an image forming unit which forms a toner image on the recording medium fed from the paper feeding unit, a fixing unit which fixes the toner image formed by the image forming unit on the recording medium, a stacking unit which stacks the recording medium on which the toner image is fixed by the fixing unit, a temperature sensor which detects the surface temperature of the recording mediums stacked on the stacking unit and a control unit which determines, according to the printing information of the recording medium, whether or not to feed a new recording medium from the paper feeding unit when the surface temperature of the recording mediums detected by the temperature sensor is above a threshold temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Hasebe, Tadao Kamano, Takashi Ogiwara
  • Patent number: 9545809
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, a decoloring apparatus comprises a processor, a decoloring section, a shift roller, a paper discharge section and a paper discharge roller. The processor determines whether or not to execute either a decoloring job or a non-decoloring job. The decoloring section decolors an image on paper formed with decolorable coloring agent. The shift roller moves paper for decoloring job or paper for non-decoloring job in a direction orthogonal to a paper discharge direction of the paper on a same plane for a given distance to sort it. The paper discharge section stacks discharged papers. The paper discharge roller discharges the paper sorted by the shift roller to the paper discharge section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Isao Yahata
  • Patent number: 9511936
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a guide portion, a reader, a first drive roller and a second drive roller, and a first driven roller and a second driven roller. A first protrusion is formed in the reader and may be disposed on one side of the first drive roller. A second protrusion is formed in the reader and may be disposed on one side of the second drive roller. The second protrusion may protrude upward more than the first protrusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mayu Uno, Daisuke Nakayama
  • Patent number: 9444953
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image reading unit which reads an image, a photographing unit, a storing unit, a printing unit, a detecting unit, a notifying unit, an extracting unit, and a displaying unit. When the detecting unit detects untaken printed paper, the notifying unit notifies a user to promote reading of the image of the untaken printed paper by the image reading unit. The extracting unit extracts the data of the image of at least one part other than the face of the whole body of the user photographed by the photographing unit from the image of the printed paper read by the image reading unit. The displaying unit displays the image of at least one part other than the face of the whole body of the user extracted by the extracting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Fumiya Sakashita
  • Patent number: 9440810
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a housing, a sheet conveyance passage, a main tray, a downstream tray, and an elastic member. The main tray includes a first fastening portion and a first support portion, and is pivotable about an axis of the first support portion to thereby be openable and closeable with respect to the housing. The downstream tray includes a second fastening portion, and a second support portion disposed further inside the housing than the first support portion, the downstream tray overlapping the main tray, and being pivotable about an axis of the second support portion and thereby relatively movable with respect to the main tray. The elastic member is expandable and contractible and fastened on the first fastening portion of the main tray and the second fastening portion of the downstream tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshimasa Okura
  • Patent number: 9436153
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a cover including a protrusion and provided to be movable, and an abutment unit provided to be capable of abutting the protrusion and including a second member for applying a force to a first member of an image forming apparatus. The abutment unit includes a first surface which abuts the protrusion in a case where the cover is shifted from an opened state to a closed state and a second surface which abuts the protrusion in a case where the cover is shifted to the closed state after having abutted the first surface, and the protrusion is applied a force from a rotational force of the abutment unit when the protrusion abuts the second surface, and the second member of the abutment unit applies a force to the first member when the cover is in the closed state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Fuyuto Yamashita
  • Patent number: 9323207
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit, a housing having a sheet ejection opening, a plurality of sheet ejection rollers disposed in the sheet ejection opening and configured to eject the sheet fed from the fixing unit to the outside of the housing, a heat generating member spaced apart from the fixing unit and configured to generate heat, and a first guide member. The first guide member is disposed above the heat generating member, and configured to guide the sheet fed from the fixing unit to the ejection rollers. The first guide member includes a base portion having a plurality of outlet ports, and a plurality of ribs protruding upward from the base portion. The outlet ports are disposed between each pair of adjacent ones of the ribs and positioned closer to a downstream end of the first guide member than to an upstream end thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hidekazu Nogami, Shogo Mori
  • Patent number: 9291995
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a housing; an image forming section that is provided within the housing and forms an image onto a recording medium; an output section that outputs the recording medium, having the image formed thereon by the image forming section, outward from the housing; a loading section on which the recording medium output from the output section is loaded and that is provided with an air hole; and a cooling unit that allows air to flow between an interior of the housing and the loading section via the air hole so as to cool a surface, which faces the loading section, of the recording medium loaded on the loading section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hirofumi Ueno
  • Patent number: 9242827
    Abstract: A sheet stacking device including a stacking tray, an auxiliary tray, and pivot limiting means. The stacking tray is disposed to be pivotable relative to an apparatus main body. The stacking tray has a stacking surface on which sheets discharged from discharging means are stacked. The auxiliary tray is pivotable between a storage position at which the auxiliary tray is stored in the stacking tray and a pivot position to which the auxiliary tray pivots from the stacking tray. Pivot limiting means limits pivoting of the auxiliary tray from the pivot position when the stacking tray is caused to pivot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeshi Niimura
  • Patent number: 9221644
    Abstract: A medium conveying device including a first stacker to which a medium is ejected, a first conveying path guiding the medium to the first stacker, a second conveying path branched from the first conveying path at a first branching position, and a second stacker to which the medium guided by the second conveying path is ejected. The second stacker is provided on an apparatus main body so as to be openable and closable. A first switching unit is movable between a first position and a second position. The first switching unit guides the medium to the first conveying path at the first branching position when the first switching unit is in the first position, and guides the medium to the second conveying path at the first branching position when the first switching unit is in the second position. A moving mechanism moves the first switching unit from the first position to the second position in conjunction with an opening operation of the second stacker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: OKI DATA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takashi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9168768
    Abstract: A method for controlling a printing apparatus includes printing, via a printing unit, an image on a sheet according to image data to generating one copy of printed product, conveying, among one set of a plurality of index sheets, a number of index sheets designated by a user, to add the designated number of sheets to the one copy of printed product generated by the printing unit, conveying, after conveying sheets corresponding to the one copy of printed product, remaining index sheets among the set of a plurality of index sheets to discharge the remaining index sheets, and conveying the index sheets to be added to the one copy of printed product at a first conveyance speed, and conveying the remaining index sheets at a second conveyance speed that is higher than the first conveyance speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Nonaka
  • Patent number: 9075391
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an ejection stacking section, a cooling target unit, and a cooling fan. The cooling target unit is disposed below the ejection stacking section. The cooling fan sends air to flow between the cooling target unit and the ejection stacking section. The ejection stacking section includes an opening, a movable member, and a biasing member. The movable member is movable between a closed position and an open position. The biasing member biases the movable member toward the closed position. In response to that the recording mediums are stacked on the ejection stacking section, the movable member moves toward the open position against a biasing force of the biasing member to allow the air sent from the cooling fan to flow through the opening so as to cool a lower surface of the recording mediums stacked on the ejection stacking section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Tomohisa Ono
  • Patent number: 9075377
    Abstract: A recording medium discharging device includes a discharging unit configured to discharge a recording medium from a discharge port; a tray unit on which the recording medium discharged from the discharging unit is stacked; and an air blower configured to blow air in a direction substantially parallel to a direction in which the recording medium is discharged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Shuuya Nagasako, Masahiro Tamura, Tomohiro Furuhashi, Keisuke Sugiyama, Yuusuke Shibasaki, Kyosuke Nakada, Kazuya Yamamoto, Junya Suzuki, Kazunori Konno, Yasuo Niikura, Tomomichi Hoshino, Akira Kunieda, Takahiro Watanabe, Tomohiro Yoshizaki, Kiichiro Goto
  • Patent number: 9075378
    Abstract: Provided is a fixing device that includes a first rotating member that rotates while pinching a sheet which holds an image on a first surface of the sheet and is transported, fixes the image to the sheet, and heats the image while coming into contact with the first surface. Further provided is a second rotating member that comes into contact with a second surface that is a back surface of the first surface, a third rotating member that guides the sheet by rotating while coming into contact with the first surface of the sheet fed from a gap between the first and second rotating members, and a support member that supports the first, second, and third rotating members with a space through which the heat of the first rotating member is transferred to the third rotating member interposed between the first and third rotating members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masami Ishida, Shigeru Watanabe, Kiichirou Arikawa, Yoshiro Konishi
  • Patent number: 9061526
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a plurality of paper ejection devices includes a control unit which performs control to allow before a paper ejection device, which is continuously ejecting paper in the plurality of paper ejection devices, ejects paper over the maximum loading a paper ejection device which is not ejecting paper to prepare for starting an operation based on the time taken for the paper ejection device which is not ejecting paper to become operable and the number of ejectable sheets before a loading of the paper ejection device which is continuously ejecting paper reaches the maximum loading.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: RISO KAGAKU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Kono, Hideaki Ogawa, Yoshihiro Hanamoto, Yoshikazu Hara, Kazuaki Mori, Hiroaki Takanohashi, Yousuke Minowa
  • Patent number: 9046855
    Abstract: A feeder is configured to feed a recording medium. An image forming unit has a maximum sheet feed width corresponding to a longer side length of a maximum size recording medium to be accommodated in the feeder, and is disposed above the feeder in such a manner as to allow the maximum size recording medium to enter the image forming unit with a longer side first.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Hideyuki Kurahashi, Osamu Okada, Teruo Nagashima, Kenji Tsuru
  • Publication number: 20150147103
    Abstract: A blowing device is equipped with a blowing portion and a holder. The blowing portion has a cylindrical body that stores a rotating body, and includes: a suction inlet arranged on a side surface perpendicular to the axial direction of the cylindrical body; and an exhaust outlet arranged on a part of the peripheral surface of the cylindrical body. The holder has a wall that faces the peripheral surface of the blowing portion with a gap between the wall and the peripheral surface, and holds the blowing portion inside. The holder includes: a suction portion that communicates with the suction inlet; and an exhaust portion that causes the exhaust outlet to communicate with the outside and the gap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takashi KUBO
  • Publication number: 20150147104
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit configured to transfer a developing agent image onto a sheet, a fixing unit configured to fix the developing agent image onto the sheet, a discharge tray configured to receive the sheet having the developing agent image thereon, at least one pair of discharge rollers disposed downstream of the fixing unit in a conveying direction and configured to discharge the sheet toward the discharge tray, and at least one pair of conveying rollers disposed at a conveying path extending between the fixing unit and the at least one pair of discharge rollers. The at least one pair of conveying rollers is configured to convey the sheet toward the at least one discharge rollers in the conveying direction and to form the sheet into a corrugated shape having at least one of a ridge portion and a groove portion in a sheet thickness direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventor: Atsushi Miwa
  • Publication number: 20150117927
    Abstract: In an image processing apparatus, a control device controls a releasing member to release a release object onto a sheet to perform an image processing; controls a first rotating body to rotate to convey the sheet on which the releasing member has released the release object; controls a second rotating body to rotate to convey the sheet whose leading edge has passed through the first rotating body; determines whether a cover is in an open position or a close position relative to a housing of the image processing apparatus based on a signal outputted by a cover sensor; and restricts, when the cover is determined to be in the open position based on the signal, a rotation of the second rotating body while the first rotating body rotates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Masato Makino, Yohei Hashimoto
  • Publication number: 20150117928
    Abstract: A recording medium storage apparatus has a storage cassette and a lock mechanism. The lock mechanism restricts movement of the storage cassette in the drawing direction. The lock mechanism has an engaging portion on an apparatus body and an engaged portion on the storage cassette. While the storage cassette is drawn out of the apparatus body, an abutting portion of the engaging portion moves along a first slope on the engaged portion toward a peak portion while swinging in a second direction in which it retracts from the engaged portion, and meanwhile the engaged portion rotates in a third direction so that the peak portion is displaced from a protruding position to a guiding position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Toshio HORI, Yoshio SUGISHIMA, Yoshiaki TASHIRO, Hideaki DOYO, Noriko MASUTA, Hiroaki TAKAI
  • Publication number: 20150110538
    Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet storage device having a high sheet receiving performance and whose size is reduced. A point 272 of intersection of a first upper guide and a second upper guide is located upstream from a point 271 of intersection of a first lower guide and a second lower guide in a sheet conveyance direction. Thus, the size of the sheet storage device can be reduced while the sheet receiving performance remains unaffected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Inventors: Daisuke Kaneko, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Hiroharu Tsuji, Yohei Suzuki, Ichiro Yasumaru
  • Patent number: RE46846
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a main body, a post-processing device, an objective working section, a light source and a shade member. The post-processing device is disposed freely displaceable between a retracted position at which it is received by an intra-body paper discharge section of the main body and a protruded position at which it is drawn to one side face side. The objective working section is disposed on an upstream side face of the post-processing device in the drawing direction of the post-processing device. The light source is disposed on the upstream side face of the post-processing device, and lights up the objective working section at the protruded position. The shade member is disposed on the upstream side face of the post-processing device and in the front face side from the light source, and blocks direct projection light of the light source to the front face side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Matsumoto, Masaru Tsuji