Responsive To Copy Media Characteristic Patents (Class 399/45)
  • Patent number: 9977385
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing film for fixing a toner image formed on a recording material, and first and second fixing heaters configured to heat the fixing film. The first fixing heater has a high heat generation region at a center portion in a width direction of a fixing nip portion and the second fixing heater has a high heat generation region at an end portion in the width direction of the fixing nip portion. A center portion temperature detection unit detects a center portion temperature of a center portion of the fixing film in the width direction. An end portion temperature detection unit detects an end portion temperature of an end portion of the fixing film in the width direction. A size detection unit detects a size of the recording material. A control unit controls a heat generation amount of the fixing heaters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shusuke Miura, Hiroki Kawai
  • Patent number: 9977386
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus determines, in a first mode, an image forming condition according to characteristic data, which is input by a user and represents characteristics of a sheet contained in a sheet container, causes a sensor to detect characteristics of a sheet, and stores characteristic data according to a result of the detection into a memory. The image forming apparatus determines, in a second mode with the characteristic data being stored in the memory, an image forming condition, based on the characteristic data stored in the memory before a result of detecting a characteristic of a sheet by the sensor is obtained. The image forming apparatus causes, in the second mode with the characteristic data being not stored in the memory, the sensor to detect characteristics of a sheet, and determines an image forming condition based on a result of the detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Mitsuhiko Sato
  • Patent number: 9969200
    Abstract: A decoloring apparatus includes an erasing unit configured to generate heat so as to erase an image formed on a sheet with an erasable material, a sheet storing unit to store one or more sheets, each having the image formed thereon with the erasable material, a sheet conveying unit configured to convey the sheets from the sheet storing unit to the erasing unit, a quantity sensor configured to detect a quantity of the sheets stored in the sheet storing unit, and a control unit configured to determine whether or not the detected quantity is greater than a predetermined value, and control the sheet conveying unit to convey the sheets and the erasing unit to generate heat, when the detected quantity is determined to be greater than the predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba TEC Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenji Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 9942422
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a display; a setting change determining section configured to, after the receipt of a command to execute a function, determine whether or not any of setting items for the function has been changed; a change frequency value storage section configured to store a change frequency value indicating a frequency of change of the individual setting item; a shortcut screen creating section configured to create one or more shortcut keys each for receiving a command to change one of the setting items in different sizes depending upon the change frequency value stored in the change frequency value storage section and create a shortcut screen on which the shortcut keys are arranged; and a display control section configured to read the shortcut screen created by the shortcut screen creating section and allow the display to display the shortcut screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Masahiro Nakao
  • Patent number: 9927742
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a toner image forming unit forming a toner image on an intermediate transfer member; a transfer member transferring the toner image on the intermediate transfer member to a recording material in a transfer portion; a driving source applying driving force to the transfer member independently of an intermediate transfer member driving source; an execution unit correcting image misalignment on the basis of a detection result of a test toner image on the intermediate transfer member when no toner image exists in the transfer portion; a container storing the recording material; and an input unit associating the container with a group related to basic weight and surface properties of the recording material. The apparatus includes a driving unit driving the driving source at a speed corresponding to the group if the recording material stored in the container associated with the group is used for image formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenichi Hirota
  • Patent number: 9921532
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a transmission unit, a reception unit, a control unit configured to obtain a time period until the reception unit receives a first ultrasonic wave via a first recording material and an amplitude value thereof at a reference temperature, obtain a time period until the reception unit receives a second ultrasonic wave via a second recording material and an amplitude value thereof at a different temperature, control an image formation condition for forming the image on the first recording material on the basis of the amplitude value of the first ultrasonic wave, obtain a difference time period between reception of the first and second ultrasonic waves, and control an image formation condition for forming the image on the second recording material on the basis of the difference time period and the amplitude value of the second ultrasonic wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shuhei Watanabe, Tsutomu Ishida
  • Patent number: 9904218
    Abstract: A heating device includes a conveying unit, a heating unit, a temperature detecting unit and a controller. The conveying unit conveys a recording material. The heating unit includes a plurality of heat sources which are disposed so that locations thereof are different from each other in a conveying direction of the recording material, and heats the conveyed recording material. The temperature detecting unit is positioned on an upstream side in the conveying direction of the recording material with respect to the plurality of heat sources, and detects a temperature of the heating unit. The controller controls one of the plurality of heat sources based on a detecting result obtained by the temperature detecting unit. The one of the plurality of heat sources is positioned on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the recording material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koichi Kimura, Toshinori Sasaki, Mizuki Sugino, Mitsutoshi Hongo
  • Patent number: 9817343
    Abstract: The fixing apparatus includes a cylindrical film, a nip portion forming member in contact with the film, a pressure member that forms the nip portion with the nip portion forming member through the film, a heater configured to heat the film by emitting a radiant light, the heater being arranged in a hollow portion of the film, a first shielding member arranged between the nip portion forming member and the heater, and a second shielding member movable between a first position in which the second shielding member is positioned in a region between the first shielding member and the nip portion forming member, and a second position in which the second shielding member is positioned in a region, where the nip portion forming member does not exist, between the heater and the film. The second shielding member has a slit through which the radiant light passes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masami Takeda
  • Patent number: 9811033
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a pressure mechanism and a pressure adjustment mechanism. The pressure mechanism includes a pressing member holding one of the pressure member and the heating member and a biasing member biasing the pressing member in a direction toward or away from the other of the pressure member and the heating member. The pressure adjustment mechanism includes an eccentric cam. The pressure adjustment mechanism uses one of small-diameter and large-diameter parts formed in the outer peripheral surface of the eccentric cam to allow the pressure mechanism to give the nip pressure, and uses the other of them to allow the pressure mechanism to release the nip pressure. When the large-diameter part is used to allow the pressure mechanism to give or release the nip pressure, the eccentric cam constantly receives reaction force urging it to rotate in a direction toward the small-diameter part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Masafumi Miki
  • Patent number: 9772575
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes multiple first image forming units, a second image forming unit, and a controller. The first image forming units transfer toner images developed with colored toners to a transfer body, and form first images on the transfer body. The second image forming unit transfers a toner image developed with a spot color toner different from colors of the colored toners to the transfer body prior to the first image forming units, and forms a second image serving as an undercoat or an overcoat of the first images on the transfer body. The controller controls the first image forming units in order that amounts of the colored toners used for forming the first images by the first image forming units become less than amounts of the colored toners used when the first images are formed prior to the second image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaaki Yamaura, Satoshi Shigezaki, Yoshiki Shimodaira, Yoshiyuki Tominaga
  • Patent number: 9766583
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming unit that develops a first latent image using a first developer so that a first developer image is developed with the first developer, a second image forming unit that develops a second latent image using a second developer, which is lower in saturation or higher in light-permeability in comparison to the first developer, so that a second developer image is developed with the second developer, a transfer part that transfers the first developer image and the second developer image to a medium, and a control part that controls an amount of the second developer used to develop the second developer image according to a type of the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Osamu Kunimori
  • Patent number: 9740156
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a toner image forming unit, a nip formation member, a transfer power source, an information acquisition device, and a controller. The information acquisition device acquires specific information that specifies whether a recording sheet as a transfer target of a toner image is an uneven surface sheet having an uneven surface. The controller outputs a bias including a superimposed voltage, in which an alternating current (AC) voltage is superimposed on a direct current (DC) voltage, as a transfer bias from the transfer power source when the specific information acquired by the information acquisition device is not information corresponding to the uneven surface sheet and to output a bias including only the DC voltage as the transfer bias from the transfer power source when the specific information is the information corresponding to the uneven surface sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuuji Wada, Hiroyoshi Haga, Naohiro Kumagai, Seiichi Kogure, Junpei Fujita, Kazuki Yogosawa, Kenji Sugiura, Takehide Mizutani, Tatsuya Ohsugi, Hirokazu Ishii
  • Patent number: 9684271
    Abstract: A controller for controlling an image heating device which includes first and second rollers for heating therebetween a toner image on a sheet, a first rubbing roller for rubbing the first roller, and a second rubbing roller for rubbing the second roller, said controller including a counter configured to count a number of heated sheets; a first executing portion configured to execute rubbing by the first rubbing roller in accordance with an output of the counter; a second executing portion configured to execute rubbing by the second rubbing roller in accordance with an output of the counter; an acquiring portion execution instructions of an image glossiness improving mode operation provided by an operator; and a determination portion configured to determine which roller or rollers of the first second rollers is to be rubbed in accordance with an output of the counter, when the acquiring portion acquires the execution instructions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichi Moteki, Yasuharu Chiyoda
  • Patent number: 9671730
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a fixing device includes determination means for determining the size of a medium, heating means for including plural heat-generating members which are two-dimensionally arranged such that the heat-generating members are lined up along two parallel lines or more which are vertical to a transport direction of the medium and divided at locations on the parallel lines, and are disposed so as to come into contact with an inner side of the rotating body, and a switching unit which switches individual conduction, and heats the medium, pressing means for forming a nip by performing pressing and contact at a position of the plural heat-generating members, and heating control means for selecting a group of the heat-generating members which are lined up in the two-dimensional arrangement, conducting the selected group of the heat-generating members, and controlling the heating means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shoko Shimmura, Osamu Takagi
  • Patent number: 9651899
    Abstract: A steering roller autonomously steers an intermediate transfer belt. A pre-secondary-transfer roller is disposed at a position upstream of and adjacent to a driving roller also functioning as a transfer inner roller, and includes a rubber material on at least a surface thereof. This suppresses movement of the intermediate transfer belt even when a lateral-deviation converging position is changed by the change of position of the driving roller having large frictional force due to the pressing force of a secondary transfer roller. Hence, the belt deviation amount is reduced, and the time until lateral deviation converges is shortened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Jiro Makinodan
  • Patent number: 9639039
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus detects that the temperature of a fixing member reaches a lower limit value at which the temperature once reduced by the start of a heating and fixing process to a paper turns to rise, after an image forming operation starts, and determines the type of the paper based on at least one of an elapsed time from a predetermined reference time point after the image forming operation starts to a time point at which it is detected that the temperature reaches the lower limit value, and a temperature difference between the temperature of the fixing member at the reference time point and the lower limit value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Takanobu Shiki, Tadayuki Ueda, Eiji Nishikawa, Yukinobu Iguchi, Satoshi Miyajima, Yohei Yamada
  • Patent number: 9612558
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device, an area coverage calculation section, and an image data rotating section. The image forming device forms a toner image in accordance with image data without setting margins at edges of a first recording medium. The area coverage calculation section calculates an area coverage of the image data for a certain region at each of the edges of the first recording medium. The image data rotating section rotates the image data by a certain angle, when the calculated area coverage at one of the edges is a certain value or more, so that the one of the edges is not on a leading edge side of the first recording medium in a transport direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yasuto Okabayashi
  • Patent number: 9599943
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit for forming an image on a recording material, a first detection unit including a transmission unit for transmitting an ultrasonic wave and a reception unit for receiving the transmitted ultrasonic wave, first and second conveyance units for conveying the recording material, and a control unit. The first and second conveyance units form a loop on the recording material by conveying the recording material at different speeds. The control unit controls an image forming condition for forming an image on the recording material by the image forming unit, based on the ultrasonic wave received via the recording material in a period in which no loop is formed on the recording material by the first and second conveyance units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsutomu Ishida, Masafumi Monde, Takuya Shono, Kohki Abiko
  • Patent number: 9568876
    Abstract: A damage amount determination device, which is used for an image forming device that forms an image on paper, includes an information acquisition unit that acquires information related to whiteness of the paper used for printing and a damage amount determination unit that determines an amount of damage, which is caused by the paper to a predetermined component of the image forming device when the paper passes through the predetermined component, based on the information related to the whiteness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Shinji Ogawa, Yu Mukobayashi, Yasuyuki Inada, Masato Kimura, Yuusuke Mandai
  • Patent number: 9547249
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming station, an intermediate transfer body, a transfer device, a transfer pressure applicator, and a controller. The image forming station forms a toner image. The toner image formed by the image forming station is transferred onto the intermediate transfer body. The transfer device transfers the toner image from the intermediate transfer body onto a recording medium. The transfer pressure applicator applies a secondary transfer pressure to the recording medium upon transfer of the toner image and to apply a lower secondary transfer pressure upon transfer of a toner image including a special color toner than that upon transfer of a toner image without the special color toner. The controller is operatively connected to the transfer pressure applicator to control the transfer pressure applicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Naoto Kochi
  • Patent number: 9509876
    Abstract: A control method for a printing apparatus including a reading unit configured to read an image to generate image data includes printing, via a printing unit, an adjustment image, which is used to adjust a printing position, in such a way that the adjustment image is in contact with an end of a sheet, detecting the end of the sheet based on adjustment image data generated by the reading unit reading the adjustment image printed on the sheet by the printing unit, obtaining an amount of shift in the printing position based on the detected end of the sheet and the adjustment image data, and controlling, based on the obtained amount of shift in the printing position, the printing unit to print an image on the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shou Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 9507369
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a method includes monitoring a temperature of a semiconductor chip and adjusting a supply voltage to the semiconductor chip based on the monitored temperature. The temperature may be monitored by a temperature sensor located on-chip or off-chip. Adjusting the supply voltage includes increasing the supply voltage as a function of the monitored temperature decreasing. The increase to the supply voltage occurs only if the monitored temperature is below a threshold temperature. The supply voltage adjustment is determined by a linear relationship having a negative slope with temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Cavium, Inc.
    Inventors: David A. Carlson, Manan Salvi, Curtis Miller
  • Patent number: 9482997
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a recording material accommodating portion configured to accommodate a recording material; an image forming portion configured to form a toner image on the recording material fed from the recording material accommodating portion; a fixing portion configured to heat-fix the toner image formed on the recording material by the image forming portion; a storing portion configured to store information corresponding to the type of the recording material accommodated in the recording material accommodating portion; a detecting portion configured to detect that an operator exists in a predetermined zone in a neighborhood of the image forming apparatus; and an executing portion configured to execute a start-up process of the fixing portion, when the detecting portion detects the existence of the operator before the image forming apparatus receives an image formation instruction, over a time depending on the information stored in the storing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Daigo Matsuura
  • Patent number: 9473657
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus capable of preventing a printed matter from being inadvertently taken away by other users. The image forming apparatus mainly includes a first determination part, a second determination part, and a job control part. The first determination part determines whether there exists a second printing job to be executed subsequent to the first printing job. The second determination part determines whether the time measured by the timer part has passed a predetermined period if it is determined that there exists the second printing job. The job control part performs interval control for causing the printing part to execute the second printing job after the predetermined period has passed if it is determined that the predetermined period has not yet passed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Hiromi Sakata
  • Patent number: 9448513
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a recording material accommodating portion configured to accommodate a recording material; an image forming portion configured to form a toner image on the recording material fed from the recording material accommodating portion; a fixing portion configured to heat-fix the toner image formed on the recording material by the image forming portion; a storing portion configured to store information corresponding to the type of the recording material accommodated in the recording material accommodating portion; a detecting portion configured to detect that an operator exists in a predetermined zone in a neighborhood of the image forming apparatus; and an executing portion configured to execute a start-up process of the fixing portion, when the detecting portion detects the existence of the operator before the image forming apparatus receives an image formation instruction, over a time depending on the information stored in the storing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Daigo Matsuura
  • Patent number: 9429881
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; an intermediate transfer body; a second-transfer member; a support mechanism that supports the second-transfer member in a second-transfer region; a surface-positioning member that is disposed upstream of the second-transfer member in a transport direction; a determination device that determines whether or not a recording medium is a thin medium; and a controller that, in a case where it is determined that the recording medium is a thin medium, controls the support mechanism so as to move the second-transfer member more upstream in the transport direction than in other cases and controls the position of the surface-positioning member so as to move the second-transfer member in a direction such that an angle between the intermediate transfer body and the second-transfer member on the upstream side becomes larger than in other cases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tomoaki Yoshioka
  • Patent number: 9423740
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes (i) a feeding portion; (ii) an image forming portion; and (iii) a fixing portion. The fixing portion includes: (iii-i) a rotatable member; (iii-ii) an exciting coil configured to cause the rotatable member to generate heat by electromagnetic induction heating; (iii-iii) a magnetic flux suppressing member configured to suppress a part of magnetic flux acting from the exciting coil to the rotatable member; and (iii-iv) a motor for moving the magnetic flux suppressing member depending on a width size of the sheet; and (iv) a controller configured to variably control a feeding interval of the sheet by the feeding portion so that a number of times of movement per unit time of the magnetic flux suppressing member is not more than a predetermined value when image formation of a plurality of sheets different in width size is continuously effected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masahiro Nawa
  • Patent number: 9423733
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a rotating unit, a pressing unit, a nip being formed therebetween, a first heating unit configured to heat the rotating unit, a second heating unit configured to heat the pressing unit, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to control the first and second heating units according to a mode of operation, such that, in a first mode, the rotating unit at the nip is at a first temperature and the pressing unit at the nip is at a second temperature, and in a second mode, the rotating unit at the nip is at a third temperature that is equal to or higher than the first temperature and the pressing unit at the nip is at a fourth temperature that is higher than the second temperature. A difference between the second and fourth temperatures is smaller than between the first and third temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba TEC Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shigeru Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 9417546
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment includes a first image forming unit that forms a transparent toner image and a second image forming unit that forms a color toner image. The transparent toner image and the color toner image are transferred onto an intermediate transfer belt. A secondary transfer unit transfers the toner images from the intermediate transfer belt to a recording medium. A control unit controls the first image forming unit and the second image forming unit so that the transparent toner image is formed before the color toner image is formed when the recording medium is a specialty paper having an adhesive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuichi Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 9400470
    Abstract: A lifespan determination device determines a lifespan of a fixing unit including a heating member and a pressing member and fixing a toner image onto a sheet passing through a feed area therebetween. The device includes a counting unit, a determining unit, and a notifying unit. The counting unit includes counters for respective sheet widths and adds, to a count value of a counter corresponding to a sheet width of the fed sheet, a count value obtained by multiplying the number of fed sheets having the sheet width by a first weight coefficient corresponding to a degree of damage given to the fixing unit by the fed sheet. The determining unit determines whether or not a count value of any one of the counters has reached a predetermined value. The notifying unit provides a notification indicating that the lifespan is reached if the count value has reached the predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Noriyuki Miyoshi
  • Patent number: 9386168
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, the media reuse determination apparatus has a decoding section, a reusability determination section, and an output section. The decoding section decodes information related to management of a print media attached to the print media obtained by using a reading apparatus to read the object having the information recorded thereon, and it carries out error correction during decoding of the information. On the basis of the result of the error correction carried out during decoding of the information by the decoding section, the reusability determination section determines whether or not the print media can be reused. The output section outputs the result of the determination made by the reusability determination section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaaki Yasunaga, Akihiko Fujiwara, Shunichi Megawa, Hajime Tomizawa
  • Patent number: 9377722
    Abstract: A destaticizing device includes: a first destaticizing member that is disposed at a downstream side in a conveyance direction of a medium relatively to a transfer area where an image held in a surface of an image holder is transferred to the medium, the first destaticizing member being grounded and destaticizing the medium; and a second destaticizing member that is disposed adjacent to the first destaticizing member with respect to the conveyance direction of the medium, the second destaticizing member being grounded and destaticizing the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Kanai, Wataru Yamada, Kanji Shintaku, Tomoya Oki
  • Patent number: 9360838
    Abstract: A liquid type cooling device, which is incorporated in an image forming apparatus, includes a heat releasing unit to release heat of a coolant that passes therethrough, and multiple air blowing fans disposed facing the heat releasing unit to blow air to the heat releasing unit. A cooling capacity of the liquid type cooling device varies according to a type of a recording medium on which an image is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Miyagawa, Satoshi Aizawa, Susumu Tateyama, Tomoyasu Hirasawa
  • Patent number: 9354566
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having: a power source applying alternating current voltage to the magnetizing coil; a demagnetizing coil switchable between a conductive state and a cutoff state, and when in the conductive state, cancelling out a portion of a magnetic flux produced by the magnetizing coil; a contact switch and a semiconductor switch electrically connected in parallel, and, in combination, bringing the demagnetizing coil into the conductive state or the cutoff state; and a control unit opening or closing the switches separately. The control unit: opens or closes the semiconductor switch in synchronization with a zero-crossing of the alternating current voltage at least when the contact switch is open; opens or closes the contact switch only when the semiconductor switch is closed; and opens the semiconductor switch when the demagnetizing coil brought into the conductive state by the contact switch needs to be maintained in the conductive state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Seiichi Kirikubo, Masahiro Kamiya, Takahiro Tsujimoto, Yutaka Yamamoto, Hidenori Mine, Nobuhiro Matsuo
  • Patent number: 9342002
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a rotary member comprising a heat generation layer; an excitation coil generating magnetic flux, disposed along an axial direction of the rotary member and opposite the rotary member, to heat by induction the heat generation layer; a first demagnetizing coil layered on the excitation coil and generating magnetic flux in a direction reverse to and cancel the magnetic flux that the excitation coil generates; a sheet size detector to obtain a size of a recording sheet on which an image is to be formed by passing through the rotary member; and a drive controller to control driving of the first demagnetizing coil. The drive controller drives the first demagnetizing coil after information including the sheet size information has been obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoko Morisawa, Susumu Matsusaka, Motokazu Hasegawa, Yukari Isoe
  • Patent number: 9342771
    Abstract: A printer includes a display unit, a printing unit and a printing control unit. The display unit is configured and arranged to display a paper registration screen for registering or confirming attributes of paper held in a paper feeding unit when display conditions have been satisfied. The printing unit is configured and arranged to execute printing. The printing control unit is configured to, when prescribed printing start conditions are satisfied during a period in which the paper registration screen is being displayed, control the printing unit to start printing job using the attributes registered before display of the paper registration screen as the attributes of the paper held in the paper feeding unit used with the printing job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ikumi Watanabe, Akemi Ito, Reiko Nomura
  • Patent number: 9335694
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a job queue that registers jobs and a controller that executes the jobs according to an order in which the jobs are registered in the job queue. Further, when a plurality of jobs that differ in a control temperature of a heat source are registered in the job queue, the controller sorts the jobs in the job queue so that a required time until execution of all the jobs is completed becomes shortest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideaki Fukaya
  • Patent number: 9335668
    Abstract: A transfer device includes a moving device to move a contact surface of an opposing member toward and away from an image bearing surface of an image bearing member. The moving device includes a cam and a cam driving device to rotate the cam. When the cam is at a first position, the image bearing surface and the contact surface are separated. When the cam is at a second position, the image bearing surface and the contact surface contact each other. After a recording medium enters a transfer nip between the image bearing surface and the contact surface, the cam is at the second position, and when the recording medium exits the transfer nip a timing at which the cam starts to rotate from the second position to the first position changes depending on a thickness of the recording medium, to reduce pressure in the transfer nip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryuuichi Mimbu, Osamu Ichihashi
  • Patent number: 9304471
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a discharge tray, a plurality of ribs, a ventilation duct, a ventilation hole, and an air flow generating portion. On the discharge tray, a sheet having been subjected to a fixing process for thermally fixing a toner image on the sheet is discharged. The plurality of ribs are formed on the discharge tray. The ventilation duct is formed on a side of an end among opposite ends of each of the plurality of ribs. The ventilation hole is formed in a partition wall separating the ventilation duct from a sheet mounting area of the discharge tray, and formed in a vicinity of the end of each of the plurality of ribs on the partition wall side. The air flow generating portion is configured to generate, via the ventilation duct, air flow between outside of an apparatus main body and spaces between the ribs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Hikaru Fuke
  • Patent number: 9304470
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided which shortens the time for image formation, thereby improving the convenience. To achieve this, the control part of the image forming apparatus has a job data acquisition part and a conveyance speed control part. The job data acquisition part acquires job data from an operation panel part, a document reading part, an external terminal, or the like. The conveyance speed control part measures the temperature of a temperature sensor at the time of initial start-up operation of conveying a recording sheet, and at the time when the recording sheet has reached a registration roller pair, respectively. Further, the conveyance speed control part selects whether or not to wait for a prescribed waiting time and whether or not to reduce the fixing speed below a normal speed, according to a condition corresponding to the respective measured temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Kei Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9291934
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member to bear a toner image on a surface thereof, a transfer device to transfer the toner image onto a recording medium, and a transfer bias power source to apply to the transfer device a superimposed transfer bias in which an alternating current (AC) component is superimposed on a direct current (DC) component in a superimposed transfer mode to transfer the toner image. The superimposed transfer bias has a waveform in which a first polarity in a direction of transferring the toner image onto the recording medium and a second polarity opposite the first polarity switch alternately. The superimposed transfer bias is output such that a standard value of each of the DC component and the AC component is multiplied by a respective correction ratio, and the correction ratio of the DC component is different from that of the AC component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunobu Shimizu, Hiromi Ogiyama, Hirokazu Ishii, Shinya Tanaka, Keigo Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9285722
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer bias output device and an information receiving device. The transfer bias output device outputs a transfer bias including a superimposed bias composed of an AC bias superimposed on a DC bias to form a transfer electric field in a transfer nip between an image bearing member bearing a toner image and a nip forming member, to transfer the toner image onto a recording medium in the transfer nip. A controller operatively connected to the information receiving device and the transfer bias output device causes the transfer bias output device to change a target output of a peak-to-peak voltage of the AC bias based on information received by the information receiving device that affects transfer of the toner image and to reduce a target output of the DC bias as the target output value of the peak-to-peak voltage of the AC bias increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinya Tanaka, Hirokazu Ishii, Yasunobu Shimizu, Keigo Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9274473
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing device including rollers which form a nip therebetween to fix a toner image on a sheet; a supporting mechanism for movably supporting the fixing unit; a reciprocating mechanism for reciprocating the fixing unit relative to the supporting mechanism in a longitudinal direction thereof; an electric connector provided on the supporting mechanism; and a wire connecting between the electric energy supply connector and the fixing unit and having an enough length to permit reciprocation of the fixing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Keisuke Mogi
  • Patent number: 9268284
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, provided is an image forming device that includes: an image forming unit forming an image in a predetermined cycle in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of a printing medium; a velocity acquisition unit acquiring a conveying velocity of the printing medium at a position where the image is formed by the image forming unit; and a correcting unit correcting the cycle on which the image forming unit forms the image in accordance with the conveying velocity acquired by the velocity acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Takuhei Yokoyama, Yoshinori Shirasaki, Tatsuya Miyadera, Masayuki Hayashi, Kunihiro Komai, Motohiro Kawanabe, Hiroaki Ikeda, Takeshi Shikama, Akinori Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 9268249
    Abstract: A charging device includes: a casing provided with an opening opposing a member-to-be-charged; a discharging wire provided in the casing; a grid electrode provided in the opening; a shutter for opening and closing the opening; a cleaning member for cleaning the grid electrode; and a moving mechanism for reciprocating the shutter and the cleaning member along a longitudinal direction of the opening. The moving mechanism includes a driving member for being rotationally driven, a first moving member, held by the driving member, for moving the shutter with rotational drive of the driving member, and a second moving member, held by the driving member, for moving the cleaning member with the rotational drive of the driving member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Ueno, Yoshiro Nishino, Tadashi Fukuda
  • Patent number: 9256177
    Abstract: A fixing device causes an eccentric cam to perform a rotation step of 113° to shift from a pressurization releasing mode to a pressurization mode, and causes the eccentric cam to perform a rotation step of 263° to shift from a standby mode to the pressurization mode. A control unit activates a motor by setting a rotational speed of a rotational magnetic field of a stator to 600 rpm in the rotation step of 113° and to 1500 rpm in the rotation step of 263° so as to prevent the eccentric cam from receiving acceleration of a rotational direction from a pressure lever before a rotational speed of a rotor reaches a first rotational speed. Then, the control unit stops the rotational magnetic field of the stator based on an output of a photo interrupter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tatsuhito Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9250591
    Abstract: A sensor is attached to an apparatus having a fixing unit which fixes an image on a recording medium by heating the recording medium. The sensor includes: a transmission unit transmitting an ultrasonic wave to the recording medium; a reception unit receiving the ultrasonic wave via the recording medium, and output a signal corresponding to the received ultrasonic wave; and a detecting unit detecting information relating to a state of the recording medium which has changed by passing through the fixing unit, based on a first signal which the reception unit has output upon having received the ultrasonic wave before the recording medium has passed through the fixing unit, and a second signal which the reception unit has output upon having received the ultrasonic wave after the recording medium has passed through the fixing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasutaka Yagi, Tsutomu Ishida, Tadashi Okanishi, Teruhiko Namiki, Motoyasu Muramatsu, Masaki Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9244402
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a recording material accommodating portion configured to accommodate a recording material; an image forming portion configured to form a toner image on the recording material fed from the recording material accommodating portion; a fixing portion configured to heat-fix the toner image formed on the recording material by the image forming portion; a storing portion configured to store information corresponding to the type of the recording material accommodated in the recording material accommodating portion; a detecting portion configured to detect that a predetermined operation is performed by an operator before the image forming apparatus receives an image formation instruction; and an executing portion configured to execute a start-up process, when the detecting portion detects the predetermined operation performed by the operator, over a time depending on the information stored in the storing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Daigo Matsuura
  • Patent number: 9239557
    Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus including: an image forming unit; a fixing unit; a motor; a transmission device configured to transmit a driving power from the motor with a speed transmission ratio selectable from a first speed transmission ratio and a second speed transmission ratio; and a control unit configured to control the transmission device to set the speed transmission ratio to one of the first speed transmission ratio and the second speed transmission ratio by controlling the transmission device to switch a connection state being set by a connection mechanism into one of a connected state and a disconnected state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9239973
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section that receives print data and forms an image on a sheet; a stacking section that stacks the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming section; and a notification section that issues notification prompting the user to change orientation of the sheet stacked on the stacking section in the case where an output mode, by which the sheet with the image formed thereon by the image forming section is outputted onto the stacking section, is changed between the sheet and a next sheet, wherein the notification section determines a change of the output mode based on any one of a sheet output orientation that is an orientation in outputting the sheet, on which the image is formed, onto the stacking section and a printing orientation that is an orientation in forming the image on the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yusaku Kurihara