Curl Correction Patents (Class 399/406)
  • Patent number: 11604612
    Abstract: A method of analyzing decurling settings for a print request including a plurality of sheets, the method including receiving a real image of a first portion of the plurality of sheets, receiving a first input, displaying one or more decurler settings, and displaying a first augmented image of a stack of the plurality of sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Dara Nanette Lubin, Elizabeth Lee Barrese, Ron Edward Dufort, Matthew James Ochs
  • Patent number: 11592777
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device, a conveyance rollers pair, a curved path and a first guide roller. The fixing device fixes a toner image on a sheet. The conveyance rollers pair conveys the sheet on which the toner image is fixed by the fixing device. The curved path is provided between the fixing device and the conveyance rollers pair, and the sheet is conveyed along the curved path with a toner image fixed surface facing an inner peripheral side of the curved path. The first guide roller is shiftable between a guide position protruding in the curved path from the inner peripheral side and the inner peripheral side. When the sheet is conveyed along the curved path, the first guide roller is pushed by the sheet while rotating following the sheet and then is shifted from the guide position to the inner peripheral side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Hamada
  • Patent number: 11507009
    Abstract: A cover that covers side surfaces of a document conveyance path and a paper feeder in a direction orthogonal to a document conveyance direction and a notifier that notifies information on a document placement section are included. The cover has a first side surface disposed along the document conveyance direction and a second side surface disposed from an end of the first side surface on the paper feeder side toward the document placement section. The notifier includes a displayer that displays the information by light. The displayer includes a first displayer disposed on the first side surface and a second displayer disposed on the second side surface toward the document placement section. The first displayer and the second displayer each have a horizontal length that is longer than a vertical length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takenori Ohtoshi
  • Patent number: 11353816
    Abstract: A decurling device is provided on a downstream side with respect to a fixing device in a medium transporting direction and straightens a curl formed in a medium transported to the decurling device. The decurling device includes a bending unit extending across the medium transporting direction and having a guiding surface that guides a leading end of the medium, the leading end coming into contact with the guiding surface, the bending unit bending the medium in a decurling direction by using the guiding surface; an urging unit that urges the bending unit toward the medium; and a single or plural rotating members provided on a part of the guiding surface of the bending unit and rotating by coming into contact with the medium that is in contact with the guiding surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Keita Yano, Yoshinori Koike
  • Patent number: 11249433
    Abstract: A decurling device includes: a first transport unit including a transport roller, the first transport unit that sandwiches a transported sheet and transports the transported sheet further downstream; and a second transport unit including an endless belt that is in contact with the transport roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Komatsu, Shingo Akiyama, Shogo Kamiya, Seiji Taira
  • Patent number: 11243491
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a device body, a fixing unit, a pair of decurling units, and an open/close unit. The fixing unit is disposed on the device body to perform a fixing operation on a recording medium, and includes a removal assistance unit to assist removal of the recording medium. The pair of decurling units are disposed on the device body to correct a curl of the recording medium by holding the recording medium therebetween. The open/close unit is openably and closeably disposed on the device body to separate, when opened, the removal assistance unit from the fixing unit and one of the decurling units from the other decurling unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Shogo Kamiya, Hiroaki Okuma, Shingo Akiyama, Masakatsu Eda
  • Patent number: 11079709
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit that transports a sheet of paper carrying an unfixed image through a nip part to fix the unfixed image to the sheet, the nip part applying heat and pressure to the sheet, a first guide unit that guides transport of the sheet, the first guide unit coming into contact with a first side of the sheet leaving the nip part of the fixing unit, and a second guide unit that guides transport of the sheet, the second guide unit coming into contact with a second side of the sheet leaving the nip part of the fixing unit, the second guide unit being rotatable, the second side being opposite to the first side. The first guide unit has a guide part. The guide part includes an upstream guide part disposed upstream with respect to a sheet transport direction, and a bent guide part that is bent at an endpoint position of the upstream guide part in a direction of entry into a sheet transport passage relative to the upstream guide part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Yusuke Sakurai, Hideki Sato, Jun Sawamura
  • Patent number: 11048200
    Abstract: A guide structure includes a first guide member that guides a recording medium from a fixing unit to a transport roller unit, the fixing unit fixing an image formed on the recording medium to the recording medium by heating the recording medium that is transported, the transport roller unit transporting the recording medium; and a second guide member that comes into contact with the recording medium to which the image has been fixed by the fixing unit and guides the recording medium to the transport roller unit, the second guide member being disposed downstream of the first guide member in a transporting direction in which the recording medium is transported and being made of a material having a thermal conductivity higher than a thermal conductivity of a material of the first guide member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventor: Akira Shimodaira
  • Patent number: 10987919
    Abstract: A recording apparatus is provided for determining a relative moving speed between a recording head and a recording medium based on application amount information and power information corresponding to power for driving a heating element. In a case of the power amount in a first amount, the moving speed is determined as a first speed in a case where an application amount is equal to a predetermined amount, and the moving speed is determined as a speed higher than the first speed in a case where the application amount is smaller than the predetermined amount. In a case of the power amount in a second amount smaller than the first amount, the moving speed is determined as a speed higher than the first speed in a case where the application amount is equal to the predetermined amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kentaro Muro, Masashi Hayashi, Eiji Komamiya
  • Patent number: 10983472
    Abstract: In a feeding direction of a recording material, a recording material cooling device is provided downstream of a fixing device, a curl reducing device is provided downstream of the recording material cooling device, and another recording material cooling device is provided downstream of the curl reducing device. By this configuration, occurrence of image defect by the recording material cooling device during the feeding of the recording material can be suppressed, and the curling of the recording material can be reduced after the recording material is cooled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuki Inoue, Atsushi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 10864751
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes an image forming section, a roller, a heat source, a calculator, a determination section, and a controller. The determination section determines to activate the heat source when an ink ejection amount calculated by the calculator is larger than a specific reference amount. When the determination section determines to activate the heat source, the controller activates the heat source. When temperature of the roller is equal to or higher than a specific temperature, the controller controls the image forming section to form the image on the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Ueda, Susumu Hiroshima, Takeshi Watanabe, Takatoshi Nishimura, Hiroatsu Tamai, Noriaki Ozawa, Toyotsune Inoue
  • Patent number: 10551772
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a feed tray, a transferring unit, a fixing unit, a output tray, a conveying unit for conveying a sheet along a sheet conveyance path including a first sheet conveyance path and a second sheet conveyance path which branches from the first sheet conveyance path on a downstream side and joins to the first sheet conveyance path on a upstream side, and a controller. The controller causes the conveying unit to convey sheets, calculates a specific amount related to the amount of toner per unit area of a page in image data, performs double-sided printing with the large number of sheets conveyed in a case where the specific amount is smaller than a predetermined amount, and performs double-sided printing with the small number of sheets conveyed in a case where the specific amount is equal to or larger than the predetermined amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tadao Kyotani
  • Patent number: 10520871
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plate, a feeding unit that feeds a recording material placed on the plate, an image forming unit that form an image on the fed recording material, a conveying unit to convey a recording material pinched by a nip pressure from a rotating member nip portion, a switching unit to switch the nip pressure, a detecting unit, and a control unit. The detecting unit detects property information regarding the fed recording material. In response to an instruction to form the image on the recording material and before detection of property information completes, the control unit controls to switch the nip pressure based on information regarding image forming on the recording material, and after detection of the property information completes, the control unit controls to switch the nip pressure based on the information regarding the image forming on the recording material and the detected property information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shogo Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 10298801
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus which forms an image on a sheet, an image reading apparatus which reads the image formed on the sheet by the image forming apparatus, and a finisher which performs a post-printing process with the sheet. The image forming system further includes: a paper path which is provided in the image reading apparatus and through which the sheet is passed; and an electricity eliminator which is arranged in the upstream side of the finisher to eliminate static electricity of the sheet, wherein the electricity eliminator applies at least one of water and charge to front and back sides of the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Akio Kasuga, Kenji Kawatsu
  • Patent number: 10254701
    Abstract: A paper correction apparatus B corrects a curl of a sheet S by passing the sheet S through curved paper conveying routes CCP1 and CCP2 whose curving amounts can be changed. The paper correction apparatus B is provided with a control unit B3 which sets the curving amounts of the curved paper conveying routes CCP1 and CCP2, and changes a sheet interval in accordance with the curving amounts which are set. By this configuration, it is possible to inhibit the productivity from being reduced due to paper correction during performing post-printing processes in a finisher which is located in the downstream side of the paper correction apparatus B.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Akira Tsunoda
  • Patent number: 10227199
    Abstract: A web handling system is disclosed. The web handling system includes a roller wheel including two or more rollers configured to engage a print medium, a motor to rotate the roller wheel and a controller to transmit a signal to the motor indicating which of the two or more rollers are to engage the print medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Stuart James Boland, Dilan Nirushan Fernando, Robert F. Jessen
  • Patent number: 10175613
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transport member that transports a continuous medium as a result of a transport surface of the transport member making contact with the continuous medium and a transfer device that is disposed on a downstream side in a direction in which the transport member transports the medium and that transfers an image onto the medium, which extends to the transport member, as a result of a transfer surface of the transfer device making contact with the medium. A moving speed of the transfer surface is lower than a moving speed of the transport surface when the medium is transported.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kanji Watanabe
  • Patent number: 10137715
    Abstract: A printing system comprising an apparatus for defect detection in a printing system. The printing system comprises, an image forming device, a sensing unit for sensing a surface geometry of a sheet to be printed and for generating data representative of that surface geometry, a processor device for processing the data; and a controller for controlling further progress of the sheet along a transport path of the printing system in dependence upon the deformations in the surface geometry of the sheet detected and classified by the processor device. The operating conditions the sheet is exposed to at the sensing unit are similar to the operating conditions the sheet is exposed at the image forming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: OCÉ-TECHNOLOGIES B.V.
    Inventors: Catharinus Van Acquoij, Daisuke Kawaguchi, Roy H. R. Jacobs, Ernest J. J. Clevers
  • Patent number: 10114329
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device, a fixing device including a first rotary member of which a surface layer containing a fluororesin is brought into contact with a sheet surface having an unfixed toner image formed by the image forming device, and a controller. In a case that image formation processing for continuously forming a toner image on a plurality of predetermined sheets is executed, the controller can control conveyance of a sheet so that a portion of the surface layer of the first rotary member which is brought into contact with a trailing edge of a preceding sheet is brought into contact with a margin area on a leading edge side on a next sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takuma Tadomi, Tatsuhito Watanabe
  • Patent number: 10029479
    Abstract: The present invention is to provide a transfer apparatus which can effectively correct a curl of a card and prevent deterioration of the card. The transfer apparatus transfers a transfer layer of a transfer film with a transfer roller to both faces of a card, a transfer unit which includes the transfer roller is structured to perform transfer processing for a plurality of times on at least one face of the card. A controller performs control to perform decurl processing with a decurl mechanism when determining that a transfer face on which the current transfer processing is performed and a transfer face on which the subsequent transfer processing is to be performed are the same and that the card is curled after the current transfer processing is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: CANON FINETECH NISCA INC.
    Inventor: Yuichi Aihara
  • Patent number: 10029480
    Abstract: The present invention is to provide a transfer apparatus which can effectively correct a curl of a card and prevent deterioration of the card. The transfer apparatus transfers a transfer layer of a transfer film with a transfer roller to both faces of a card, a transfer unit which includes the transfer roller is structured to perform transfer processing for a plurality of times on at least one face of the card. A controller controls transfer sequence of transfer processing so that transfer processing is performed alternately on a first face (front face) and a second face (back face) of a card and so that the number of times of decurl processing with a decurl mechanism is smaller than the number of times of transfer processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: CANON FINETECH NISCA INC.
    Inventors: Yuichi Aihara, Kota Hihara
  • Patent number: 9836008
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit that includes a developing device which performs development with a toner having a metal color which contains a flat metal pigment and a developing device which performs development with a toner having another color other than the metal color which does not contains a flat metal pigment, and forms a toner image on a recording medium; a fixing unit that fixes the toner image formed on the recording medium; and a controller that controls the image forming unit and the fixing unit such that a toner image is formed of the toner having the metal color and fixed on one surface of a film, and controls transport of the film as defined herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Koichiro Yuasa
  • Patent number: 9836022
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises a fixing device configured to enable an image to be fixed on an image receiving medium passing through a nip between a heating section and a pressurizing section through heat of the heating section and pressurization of the pressurizing section; and a conveyance roller arranged at the downstream side of the fixing section in a conveyance direction of the image receiving medium and initially convey the fixed image receiving medium. The conveyance roller comprises an axis part; a plurality of large-diameter parts each configured to have an outer diameter larger than that of the axis part; and a plurality of small-diameter parts each configured to have an outer diameter which is larger than that of the axis part and smaller than that of the large-diameter part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Satoshi Himeno
  • Patent number: 9696668
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member; a heater to heat the fixing member; a nip forming member to contact the fixing member; and a pressure member, disposed opposite the nip forming member to press against the fixing member to form a fixing nip portion together with the nip forming member. The fixing device applies heat and pressure to fix an image transferred to a recording sheet when the recording sheet passes through the fixing nip. The nip forming member includes a first and second planar portions disposed at an upstream end and a downstream end, respectively, of the fixing nip portion, and the first planar portion and the second planar portion are continuous with a curved portion of the nip forming member. A guide member guides the recording sheet to bend in a direction opposite a back curl of the recording sheet generated in the fixing nip portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiki Yamaguchi, Yoshio Hattori, Ryuuichi Mimbu, Haruyuki Honda, Toshihiko Shimokawa
  • Patent number: 9665812
    Abstract: Upon occurrence of a paper jam at a circulation conveyer with a switching direction being set at a paper discharge guiding direction, a controller performs control of maintaining the switching direction at the paper discharge guiding direction and discharging sheets at a section of the circulation conveyer downstream of a position of the paper jam, the printing conveyer, and the paper discharger. Upon occurrence of the paper jam with the switching direction being set at a circulation guiding direction, the controller performs control of switching the switching direction to the paper discharge guiding direction after a sheet passing a switch exits the switch, and discharging the sheets at the section of the circulation conveyer downstream of the position of the paper jam, the printing conveyer, and the paper discharger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: RISO KAGAKU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masashi Hara
  • Patent number: 9557702
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a fixing unit including a first fixing member and a second fixing member opposing to the first fixing member, a curl correcting unit including a first curl correcting member and a second curl correcting member opposing to the first curl correcting member, a first changing member rotatable about a first rotation center, the first changing member changing a pressure to the sheet by the first fixing member and the second fixing member, and a second changing member rotatable about the first rotation center, the second changing member changing a pressure to the sheet by the first curl correcting member and the second curl correcting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Wataru Uchida, Ryo Iwasawa, Tomooku Koyama, Taro Ishifune, Mitsuhiro Ohta, Ken Murooka, Masayoshi Fukatsu
  • Patent number: 9509873
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus which utilizes a communication device is disclosed. A communication unit of a housing which corresponds to an antenna portion is provided at a position at which the communication unit can be seen without obstruction from the upper side. A communication device such as a smartphone can be brought close to or into contact with the communication unit readily. Accordingly, wireless communication between the antenna portion and the communication device can be established.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryoichi Matsushima, Hirofumi Kondo, Yasuhiro Kato, Masayoshi Hayashi, Masato Sueyasu, Reiko Toyama
  • Patent number: 9483006
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a discharge tray; a printing unit; a stacking controlling unit that determines a front side value related to toner amount on a front side of a sheet and a back side value related to toner amount on a back side, determines an absolute value of difference between the front side value and the back side value for each sheet, determines a correction value of each sheet based on the absolute value and correction value data, adds the correction value to a predetermined value for determining a corrected count value of each sheet, integrates the corrected count value, and detects full of the discharge tray when the integrated value reaches a predetermined upper limit value; and a storage unit for storing the correction value data in which the correction value is determined corresponding to the absolute value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Kenji Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 9463947
    Abstract: A sheet discharging device includes a sheet discharge roller pair, a sheet discharge tray, a first actuator, a second actuator and a detector. The first actuator includes a first shaft portion and a first contact piece. The second actuator includes a second shaft portion, a second contact piece and a third contact piece. The detector detects the discharge of the sheet by the rotation of the second actuator about the second shaft portion. The leading end of a first sheet comes into contact with the first, second and third contact pieces to rotate the first and second actuators and the detector detects the discharge of the first sheet. The leading end of a second sheet comes into contact with only the third contact piece to rotate the second actuator without rotating the first actuator and the detector detects the discharge of the second sheet smaller than the first sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Tahara
  • Patent number: 9403381
    Abstract: A curl eliminating device includes a decurl roller pair including a first roller and a second roller pressed to contact with an outer circumference surface of the first roller so as to correct curl of a recording medium, a cleaning member for cleaning the second roller, and a pressure contact mechanism. The first roller is an elastic roller including an elastic layer formed on the outer circumference surface and contacts with a non-image formed side of the recording medium. The second roller is a roller having a smaller diameter than the first roller and higher hardness than the first roller, and contacts with an image formed side of the recording medium. The pressure contact mechanism presses the cleaning member to contact with an outer circumference surface of the second roller from the side opposite to the first roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Kazuhisa Kondo
  • Patent number: 9348293
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a printer configured to print the display image on a first surface of paper in a case of simplex printing; a curl suppression image determination section configured to determine, in simplex printing case, a printing position and a printing pattern of a curl suppression image for suppressing the curl of the paper caused by the display image based on an analysis result of a display image analysis section which analyzes the printing range and the density of the display image for each page; and a curl-preventive image addition setting section configured to set image information of the printing position and the printing pattern of the curl suppression image which is determined by the curl suppression image determination section and is supposed to be printed on a second surface of the paper with color erasable material by the printer section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshinori Sato, Shunichi Megawa
  • Patent number: 9304452
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressuring member, a separating member and a reciprocating mechanism. The fixing member is arranged rotatably around a rotation axis. The fixing member includes a passing region and a non-passing region. Through the passing region, a recording medium passes. The non-passing region is arranged outside the passing region. The pressuring member is arranged rotatably and configured to come into pressure contact with the fixing member so as to form a fixing nip. The separating member includes a separating plate and a contact piece. The separating plate is configured to face the passing region with an interval and separate the recording medium passing through the fixing nip from the passing region. The contact piece is configured to come into contact with the non-passing region. The reciprocating mechanism is configured to reciprocate the separating member along a direction of the rotation axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Shinobu Ohata
  • Patent number: 9268288
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a curling correction portion, a curling direction determination portion, and a rotation control portion. The image forming portion forms an image on a recording medium. The curling direction determination portion determine a direction of curling in a recording medium in which images forms on both surfaces thereof, based on an image density of each of both surfaces of the recording medium in which the images forms on both surfaces thereof. The rotation control portion is configured to rotate the curling correction portion such that the curling correction portion is set in an orientation for correcting the curling that has occurred in the recording medium, in a direction opposite to the direction of the curling determined by the curling direction determination portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Takahiro Honda, Kenji Miyamoto, Mari Kokomoto
  • Patent number: 9261844
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an image forming portion, a curling correction portion, and a speed control portion. The image forming portion forms an image on a recording medium. The curling correction portion has one pair of rollers composed of members that respectively have different elasticities and are pressed against each other, and corrects curling that has occurred in the recording medium after image formation performed thereon by the image forming portion, by conveying the recording medium sandwiched with the roller pair. The speed control portion changes a conveyance speed of the recording medium by the roller pair based on a density value of an image formed on the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Takahiro Honda, Kenji Miyamoto, Mari Kokomoto
  • Patent number: 9188929
    Abstract: A curl straightening method in an image apparatus including a fixing apparatus and a curl straightening apparatus is disclosed. The method includes calculating moisture content of a sheet before being supplied to the fixing apparatus; measuring a temperature of a heating unit and a pressurizing unit; calculating a temperature and moisture content of the sheet in the respective conveying sections; calculating a conveying time of the sheet in the respective conveying sections; calculating a residual strain of the sheet in the respective conveying sections from the calculated temperature and the moisture content of the sheet in the respective conveying sections, the calculated conveying time, and the stress relaxation characteristics of the sheet; calculating a final curl amount using the calculated residual strain of the sheet in the respective conveying sections; and controlling the curl straightening apparatus based on the final curl amount obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Shunichi Oohara, Yuko Hayama
  • Patent number: 9144953
    Abstract: A folded sheet pressing device including: a folded sheet pressing unit configured to enhance a folded edge of a sheet subjected to a folding process; and a curving unit configured to curve the sheet in a sheet conveying direction when the sheet is supplied to the folded sheet pressing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Kakeru Hayashi
  • Patent number: 9073724
    Abstract: A sheet discharge device includes a fixing device that fixes a sheet, a curl correcting device that corrects a curl of the fixed sheet, a first guiding member that guides the fixed sheet in a sheet discharging direction, a second guiding member that guides the fixed sheet in the sheet discharging direction and is arranged on a side opposite to the first guiding member, a support part that rotatably supports the first guiding member, and an engaging part that engages with the support part. The curl correcting device includes a correcting roller that is attached to the first guiding member. The engaging part includes a hole including an oblong shape so that the first guiding member is movable apart from the second guiding member. An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device that forms an image on a sheet, and the sheet discharge device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kentaro Uehara, Tamotsu Ikeda, Yoo Dongkyu, Park Sungkyu
  • Patent number: 9060149
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit which forms a toner image on an image carrier and transfers the formed toner image on a paper, a color conversion process unit to carry out a color conversion process to convert inputted image data to image data of an output color in the image forming unit, a paper type information obtaining unit to obtain at least one or more information among a size of a paper, a basis weight of the paper and whether the paper is coated or not and a control unit to control so as to change a maximum adhesion amount of a toner to a paper by selecting a color conversion process condition for the color conversion process unit based on the information obtained by the paper type information obtaining unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Makoto Oki
  • Patent number: 9031492
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a curl correction device which corrects curl generated in a recording medium having passed through a fixing device; a temperature/humidity sensor unit which is installed in a conveying path between the fixing device and the curl correction device, and detects and outputs temperature and humidity near a surface of the recording medium; a calculation unit which calculates temperature and moisture content of the recording medium from the temperature and humidity output values output from the temperature/humidity sensor unit, and calculates curl correction efficiency of the curl correction device from the temperature and moisture content of the recording medium; a control value determination unit which determines a control value to perform a curl correction in the curl correction device, based on the curl correction efficiency calculated by the calculation unit; and a control unit which controls the curl correction device by the control value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Shunichi Oohara, Yuko Hayama
  • Patent number: 9020412
    Abstract: A curl correcting device includes a first roller, a second roller and a supporting unit. The supporting unit includes a first conveyance path and a second conveyance path. The first roller is rotated about a first rotary shaft and elastically deformable. The second roller is rotated about a second rotary shaft and elastically deforms the first roller by being pressed against the first roller, thereby forming a curved nip portion between the first and second rollers. The supporting unit is rotatable about a third rotary shaft and rotatably supports the first and second rollers. The first conveyance path communicates with the sheet conveyance path by the supporting unit being arranged at a first position about the third rotary shaft. The second conveyance path communicates with the sheet conveyance path by the supporting unit being arranged at a second position about the third rotary shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Shuji Osaki, Tsuyoshi Koyanagi, Yuta Okuno
  • Patent number: 8998515
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein are directed to characterizing a media curler for a printing. Test curls can be imposed on media having input curls with known input values using a media curler to be characterized. The media curler can impose the test curls based on curler settings of the media curler. Resulting output values from an interaction between the test curls and the input curls can be measured and the curler settings can be characterized based on the known input values and the resulting output values so that the media curler can be configured to respond to incoming media having a known input curl by applying curler setting to achieve a desired output curl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Joannes N. M. deJong, Martin Krucinski, Faming Li, Marina Tharayil
  • Patent number: 8998196
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first roller to come into contact with a first side of a recording medium and a second roller and a third roller to come into contact with a second side of the recording medium opposite the first side. Each of the first roller, the second roller, and the third roller includes a plurality of increased diameter portions and a plurality of decreased diameter portions alternately arranged in an axial direction of each of the first roller, the second roller, and the third roller to produce an uneven outer circumferential surface thereof. The increased diameter portions of the first roller overlap the increased diameter portions of each of the second roller and the third roller, respectively, with a clearance therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaaki Tsuda
  • Patent number: 8989614
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided that can prevent a winding jam of a sheet, which can be caused owing to curling of the sheet at the front end in the sheet conveying direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Finetech, Inc.
    Inventor: Kazuki Yokokawa
  • Patent number: 8971784
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing portion that fixes a toner image to a sheet by applying heat to the sheet, a conveyance path through which back and forth conveyance of the sheet conveyed from the fixing portion is performed by normally and reversely rotating a conveying roller, and a water addition portion that adds water to the sheet at a water addition position in the conveyance path on upstream in a conveying direction of the conveying roller. In addition, a controller controls the water addition portion such that the water is added to the sheet conveyed from the fixing portion to the water addition position, and the water is added to the sheet to which the reverse conveyance has been performed after an upstream end in the conveying direction of the sheet passes through the water addition position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Michiaki Endo
  • Publication number: 20150055996
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a sensor section includes a sheet path through which the sheet passes in a sheet feeding direction. In the sensor section, a light source unit emits light to an irradiation area set in the sheet path. Here, the light is elongated in a main-scanning direction and has quantities of light varying according to positions in the main-scanning direction and according to positions in a height direction perpendicular to a sheet feed surface. In addition, in the sensor section, a light-receiving section receives light diffused in a predetermined diffusing direction among the light emitted from the light source and then irradiated to the sheet passing in the sheet path and outputs information representing quantities of the received light. In the image forming apparatus, a control section extracts a parameter from the information and derives an amount of curl of the sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventors: Hiroyuki MAEDA, Yoshiyuki TOSO, Yasuhiro SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20150030366
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a curling correction portion, a curling direction determination portion, and a rotation control portion. The image forming portion forms an image on a recording medium. The curling direction determination portion determine a direction of curling in a recording medium in which images forms on both surfaces thereof, based on an image density of each of both surfaces of the recording medium in which the images forms on both surfaces thereof. The rotation control portion is configured to rotate the curling correction portion such that the curling correction portion is set in an orientation for correcting the curling that has occurred in the recording medium, in a direction opposite to the direction of the curling determined by the curling direction determination portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventors: Takahiro Honda, Kenji Miyamoto, Mari Kokomoto
  • Patent number: 8929802
    Abstract: A discharge device includes a transport unit that transports a medium in the form of a sheet having a first surface and a second surface on the opposite side of the first surface; a contact member that comes into contact with the second surface of the medium transported by the transport unit, and that moves in a first direction in which the contact member presses the medium to a side of the first surface, and in a second direction opposite to the first direction within a predetermined range; a guide member provided so that the guide member does not come into contact with the contact member, that guides the medium transported by the transport unit while contacting the first surface of the medium, after the contact member comes into contact with the medium; and a discharge unit that discharges the medium guided by the guide member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoyuki Yagi, Yukihiro Ichiki
  • Patent number: 8929801
    Abstract: An image forming device including a main frame, a fixing unit, and a sheet discharge guide. The main frame is formed with a sheet discharge opening. The fixing unit includes a heat member and a pressure member providing a nip portion in cooperation with the heat member to fix a developing agent image onto a sheet at the nip portion. The sheet discharge guide provides a generally U-shaped guide surface configured to turn around the sheet discharged from the fixing unit toward the sheet discharge opening. The sheet discharge guide is displaceable toward and away from the nip portion between a non displaced state and a displaced state. The sheet discharge guide is configured to guide the sheet toward the sheet discharge opening at the non displaced state and the displaced state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsushi Ozawa
  • Publication number: 20150003883
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an image forming portion, a curling correction portion, and a speed control portion. The image forming portion forms an image on a recording medium. The curling correction portion has one pair of rollers composed of members that respectively have different elasticities and are pressed against each other, and corrects curling that has occurred in the recording medium after image formation performed thereon by the image forming portion, by conveying the recording medium sandwiched with the roller pair. The speed control portion changes a conveyance speed of the recording medium by the roller pair based on a density value of an image formed on the recording medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2014
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Inventors: Takahiro Honda, Kenji Miyamoto, Mari Kokomoto
  • Publication number: 20140376981
    Abstract: The present invention includes a supporting member that supports a first roller and a second roller, a first actuator that rotates the supporting member, a first gear that is connected to an end of second roller on the first actuator side, a second gear that is threadably engaged with the first gear, a third gear that rotates coaxially with the second gear, an input gear that threadably engages with the third gear, and a second actuator that transmits a rotational force to the input gear. The third rotation shaft extends in parallel in a first plane that includes the leading edge and the trailing edge of the nip, the first actuator rotates the supporting member between a first position at which the sheet is received from the leading edge of the nip and a second position at which the sheet is received from the trailing edge of the nip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventors: Katsuji Furushige, Keisuke Egawa, Noriaki Sumikura