Warmup Or Standby Mode Patents (Class 399/70)
  • Patent number: 11966188
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a print engine to perform an image forming job, a motor to drive the print engine, a driving circuit, to supply a power to the motor, and including a sensor to sense an amount of current of the power supplied to the motor, and a processor to analyze a frequency component of the current supplied to the motor by using the amount of current sensed by the sensor for a predetermined time, and to determine an occurrence of a jam based on the analyzed frequency component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Yong-Ho You, Hyoungil Kim, Kiho Park, Minkeun Song
  • Patent number: 11966647
    Abstract: A jig determination method, a production base system, and an information processing system. The jig determination method executed by an information processing system for controlling production of an ordered product by printing includes acquiring correspondence information associating, for each image forming apparatus, a jig attached to the image forming apparatus and the image forming apparatus, determining a jig to be attached to an image forming apparatus on standby based on the correspondence information and a jig to be used in printing of an ordered product, and outputting information indicating a change of the jig attached to the image forming apparatus on standby based on a result of the determining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Ryota Nakazato
  • Patent number: 11914316
    Abstract: A fixing unit includes a first heater, a first switch, a second heater, and a second switch. In an image forming mode, a controller controls the first switch and the second switch to keep a temperature of the fixing unit at a fixing temperature serving as a target temperature for fixing the image on the sheet. In a standby mode, the controller controls the first and second switches to keep the temperature of the fixing unit at a standby temperature, and controls the first and second switches such that a period in which a first current is supplied to the first heater and a period in which a second current is supplied to the second heater do not overlap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Uehara
  • Patent number: 11803141
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device and a control unit. The fixing device includes a heating resistor formed of a positive temperature coefficient material. The control unit energizes the heating resistor with a first energization amount if a temperature of the heating resistor is lower than a predetermined temperature, and energizes the heating resistor with a second energization amount that is higher than the first energization amount if the temperature of the heating resistor is higher than the predetermined temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Noboru Furuyama
  • Patent number: 11693343
    Abstract: A device includes a rotator having a rotation axis, a belt, a nip forming member surrounded by the belt and configured to, with the rotator, pinch the belt to form a nip, an urging member configured to urge one of the rotator and the nip forming member towards the other in a particular direction perpendicular to the rotation axis, an upstream guide and a downstream guide. The upstream guide includes an upstream guide surface configured to guide an inner peripheral surface of the belt. The nip forming member includes a facing surface which faces the rotator. An upstream edge of the facing surface in the moving direction is located at a position farther from the rotation axis, in the particular direction, than a downstream edge of the upstream guide surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Handa, Mingguang Zhang, Shuhei Fukue, Tokifumi Tanaka, Kenji Takeuchi, Hirotaka Imaeda
  • Patent number: 11687018
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to fix the thermoplastic ink in powder state used to print digital images by means of an electrographic laser motor on self-adhesive web media such as self-adhesive paper webs, self-adhesive film webs such as polypropylenes, polyethylenes, polyesters, and vinyls, with different thicknesses and finishes, allowing work to be stopped between one production batch and another and/or stops for self-calibration of the print motor without changing the self-adhesive media, preventing problems due to overheating of the printout. The apparatus according to the present invention makes it possible to enhance the fixed prints with a glossy, matt, or holographed finish, without the need for subsequent treatment and/or the use of chemical materials afterwards, offering greater flexibility and economy at work.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: G.M.C. DI G. MACCAFERRI E CLAUDIO S.N.C.
    Inventor: Claudio Maccaferri
  • Patent number: 11650526
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of sheet storage receptacles configured to store a sheet. The image forming apparatus also includes a fixing device having a heating belt and a pressure roller configured to heat and fix toner on the sheet conveyed from one of the plurality of sheet storage receptacles. The image forming apparatus also includes a processor and a memory configured to store temperature information associated with each sheet storage receptacle and related to temperature control of the fixing device, acquire type information of a sheet to be printed, in response to a predetermined condition, specify the sheet storage receptacle storing the sheet to be printed, and perform a first heating control that controls a temperature of the fixing device based on the stored temperature information associated with the specified sheet storage receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Sasuke Endo
  • Patent number: 11561493
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a temperature control device stores a fixing device temperature estimation value and a storage time obtained by WAE control in a memory at any time during operation. After an electric power supply to the temperature control device is stopped, the next time the electric power supply is started, an electric power supply stop period until the electric power supply is started is calculated. If the electric power supply stop period is shorter than a set time, the WAE control is started by using the stored fixing device temperature estimation value, and if the electric power supply stop period exceeds the set time, the WAE control is started based on an initial set value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeshi Kojima, Yutaka Usami
  • Patent number: 11558528
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a main body, a touch panel, a document transport path, a feed tray, a feed roller, a separation unit, a reader, a discharge roller, a discharge tray, and a mounting table. The mounting table is provided on an upper side of the main body and includes an upper surface. The mounting table is located at an outer face of the main body, the upper surface serves as a mounting surface on which the source document to be fed or the source document that has been read is mounted. The mounting surface is located at a position higher than an upstream end of the feed tray when the source document is mounted on the mounting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Keisuke Miyauchi
  • Patent number: 11523018
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus that reduces discomfort when returning from the energy saving mode. The image forming apparatus can switch between an energy saving mode and a normal mode that consumes more power than the energy saving mode as the operation mode. A human sensor can detect a person and calculate the distance to the person. An operation mode control unit raises the temperature of the fixing unit of the image forming unit when a person detected by the human sensor approaches within the first specific distance, and it start transport unit to be driven when the person approaches within a second specific distance, which is closer than the first specific distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Norifumi Miyahara, Yoshihiro Osada, Keizen Kanazawa, Kunihiko Shimamoto
  • Patent number: 11429329
    Abstract: A printing system includes a first printer configured to execute an initial operation to transition to a printable state when receiving an activation instruction and a second printer configured to execute an initial operation to transition to a printable state when receiving an activation instruction. Activation instruction processing for outputting the activation instruction to the second printer is executed when the second printer is designated as a following printer to be activated subsequently to the first printer. In the activation instruction processing, the activation instruction is output to the second printer at second activation timing obtained based on, with timing at which the first printer receives the activation instruction as a starting point, a first initial operation time, a first maintenance time, and a second initial operation time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Shimosato
  • Patent number: 11334009
    Abstract: A load controller includes a control device, a switching device, an arc suppression circuit, and a control section. The control device is provided on an electric power supply path between first and second terminals coupled to an alternating-current electric power source, and controls electric power supply to a load provided on the electric power supply path. The switching device is provided on the electric power supply path and is to be in an open state or a closed state. The arc suppression circuit is to suppress discharge at the switching device. The arc suppression circuit is to be set to an enabled state or a limited state. The control section controls operation of the control device, the switching device, and the arc suppression circuit. The control section varies the arc suppression circuit from the limited state to the enabled state after bringing the switching device into the closed state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuichi Fujikura, Mitsuhiko Kitagawa, Akira Nakayama, Kazuya Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11243488
    Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus including: a body casing; a toner image forming section including an image carrier and a transferring section; a fixing section; a heater; a temperature sensor; and a controller. In a case that the temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold value, the controller controls the image carrier and the transferring section such that a conveying velocity of the print medium by the image carrier and the transferring section becomes a first conveying velocity. In a case that the temperature is lower than the predetermined threshold value, the controller controls the image carrier and the transferring section such that the conveying velocity of the print medium by the image carrier and the transferring section becomes a second conveying velocity slower than the first conveying velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Jun Mihara, Yutaka Kakigahara, Satoshi Murata, Kengo Takeda
  • Patent number: 11243489
    Abstract: An fixing device comprises a heating member, a first heater, a second heater, and the heating member, a first temperature detector, a second temperature detector, and a controller configured to control energization to the first heater and the second heater based on an energization pattern for each control period. In a case where a length of the control period is T, a length of a period during which a first continuous energization control is T1, and a length of a period during which a second continuous energization control is T2, when a first condition represented by T1+T2<T is satisfied, the controller starts the second continuous energization control just after an end of the first continuous energization control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuya Harada
  • Patent number: 11003115
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a heating element, a power supply circuit, and a processor. The fixing member is used in fixing on recording material. The heating element is used to heat the fixing member. The power supply circuit causes current in phase control to flow to the heating element. The processor is configured to set the phase of the current by using a combination of multiple phase control periods having different numbers of cycles supplied from an alternating-current power supply. The current flows to the heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Itoh, Tomohiro Tarumi
  • Patent number: 10935919
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus forms a plurality of images of different colors on an intermediate transfer belt by a plurality of image forming portions. The image forming apparatus detects a color misregistration amount of the image formed on the intermediate transfer belt and performs image formation using a correction value based on the color misregistration amount. If an elapsed time from previous image formation is less than a predetermined time, the image forming apparatus predicts the correction value using the previous correction value and the temperature at that time and performs color misregistration correction. If the elapsed time from the previous image formation is a predetermined time or longer, the image forming apparatus predicts the correction value using the correction value and the temperature at the time when the elapsed time becomes a predetermined time or longer and performs the color misregistration correction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Hamano, Rin Ishikawa, Takashi Tsujimura, Yuichiro Imai, Saimon Gokyu
  • Patent number: 10928756
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming device includes a fixing device and a controller. The controller obtains an identifier for identifying a user. The controller controls the fixing device based on the obtained identifier, history information, and temperature information, to be a fixing temperature associated with usage status information associated with the obtained identifier. The history information is information obtained by associating the identifier and the usage status information. The usage status information is information including a printing ratio in previous image formation by a user. The temperature information is information obtained by associating the usage status information and the fixing temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Satoshi Araki
  • Patent number: 10845742
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit and a control unit. The fixing unit includes a rotating endless belt, a rotary member, a heating member, a driving unit, and a separation member arranged facing a circumference of the endless belt and configured to separate the recording material, after passing through the nip portion, from the endless belt. The control unit is configured to control the driving unit such that the endless belt stops along with an end of a fixing processing and rotates when a temperature of the endless belt passes a glass transition temperature of the endless belt from higher than the glass transition temperature of the endless belt to lower than the glass transition temperature of the endless belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroki Kawai, Mitsuru Hasegawa, Suguru Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 10845741
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a circuit including both a circuit within a fixing unit and a power control circuit, provided with a first circuit which supplies power to a heater from an AC power supply, a second circuit electrically insulated from the first circuit, and a third circuit electrically insulated from both the first circuit and the second circuit, all of the first to third circuits are provided on at least one surface of a circuit board, and the first to third circuits are disposed on at least one straight line on which all of the first to third circuits are present on the one surface of the circuit board in the order of the first circuit, the third circuit and the second circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuji Fujiwara, Ryota Ogura, Keigo Akiya, Teruhiko Namiki
  • Patent number: 10838331
    Abstract: A fixing device for fixing a toner image formed on an image receiving medium to the image receiving medium includes a heating rotation member, a heating element that heats the heating rotation member, a pressure rotation member pressed to the heating rotation member and forming a nip therebetween through which the image receiving medium passes, a pressure control device that controls a pressure at which the pressure rotation member abuts against the heating rotation member. A control device controls the heating element and the pressure control device to alternately perform a process for heating the heating rotation member while the pressure rotation member abuts against the heating rotation member and a process for heating the heating rotation member while the pressure rotation member is separated from the heating rotation member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroshi Ishii
  • Patent number: 10811891
    Abstract: An object of the present disclosure is to perform discharge control that suppresses deterioration in power storage performance of a power storage component by taking the state of power supply equipment into consideration. A power supply apparatus comprises: a power storage unit that stores electric charges from an external power supply; a control unit that controls charge and discharge of the power storage unit; a state determination unit that determines the power supply state of the external power supply; and a voltage detection unit that detects the voltage at the power storage unit. The control unit performs first discharge control to lower the voltage at the power storage unit to a smaller second voltage value if a predetermined time elapses since the completion of drive of a drive unit and the state determination unit determines that the power supply state is not a state of restricting power to be supplied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuu Shimizu
  • Patent number: 10775722
    Abstract: A fixing device according to an embodiment includes an endless belt, a pressure element, a heating member, an adjustment mechanism, and a controller. The pressure element conveys and presses a sheet to the endless belt. The heating member is on the inner side of the belt and has a heat generating element for heating the belt. The adjustment mechanism moves the heating member or the pressure element to adjust the nip width between the heating member and the pressure element. The controller controls the adjustment mechanism so that A>B?N is satisfied, where A is the nip width during a fixing process in which a colored material is fixed to the sheet, B is the nip width during a heating process conducted before the fixing process, and N is the length of the heat generating element in the sheet conveyance direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Kikuchi, Osamu Takagi, Chie Miyauchi
  • Patent number: 10739711
    Abstract: A fixing device of an image forming apparatus includes: a fixing belt, a heat source that heats a portion of the fixing belt; and a pressure roller that forms a nip between the pressure roller and the fixing belt and that transports a sheet. In the heat source, a standby temperature (setting temperature in a suspension standby mode) in a standby state in which rotation of the fixing belt is suspended is set to be higher than a printing temperature in a printing state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Taiga Hiate, Takuto Shibuya
  • Patent number: 10732549
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heater to generate heat with AC power for fixing a toner image to a medium and a power supply device to supply the AC power to the heater according to a pattern corresponding to one of at least two different combinations of a control cycle and a resolution in duty ratio. The control cycle corresponds to an integer multiple of a nominal AC power cycle. The duty ratio reflects a number of nominal AC power cycles in the control cycle during which the heater is in an on state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Noboru Furuyama
  • Patent number: 10649375
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a fixing portion, a temperature detecting portion, a measuring portion, a storing portion, and a controller. The controller is capable of setting a case that a start of feeding of a recording material is permitted after a lapse of a predetermined time need to measure a temperature rising rate of the fixing portion and a case that the start of feeding of the recording material is permitted, depending on a value relating to the temperature rising rate stored in the storing portion, at timing before the lapse of the predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeharu Nakada, Tomoo Akizuki, Ryo Morihara, Masahiko Suzumi
  • Patent number: 10642200
    Abstract: There is provided a fixing device, in which an operation delay of a safety element is unlikely to occur even if a heater tilts. The fixing device includes a spacer disposed between the heater and the safety element, wherein an area of the spacer in contact with the safety element is smaller than an area of the spacer in contact with the heater, and the spacer is tiltable relative to the safety element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Sasaoka, Masafumi Maeda
  • Patent number: 10591852
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a contact portion that comes into contact with a recording material transported; a heat source that heats the contact portion and has a counter surface and an opposite surface, the counter surface facing the contact portion; a high-thermal-conductivity portion provided on the opposite surface of the heat source and extending in a width direction intersecting a transport direction of the recording material, the high-thermal-conductivity portion having a higher thermal conductivity than the contact portion; a low-thermal-conductivity portion provided between the opposite surface of the heat source and the high-thermal-conductivity portion and having a lower thermal conductivity than the high-thermal-conductivity portion; and a temperature detector that detects a temperature of the heat source and is provided on the opposite surface of the heat source and at a position shifted from the high-thermal-conductivity portion and the low-thermal-conductivity portion in the transport direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Koyanagi, Takaaki Sato, Kazuyoshi Itoh, Toru Inoue
  • Patent number: 10520868
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a belt member, an inner circumferential rotating body, an outer circumferential rotating body, and a rotation starter. The belt member has an inner circumferential surface and an outer circumferential surface and fixes an image formed on a recording medium. The inner circumferential surface of the belt member is looped over the inner circumferential rotating body. The inner circumferential rotating body rotates the belt member. The outer circumferential rotating body is movable between a contact position at which the outer circumferential rotating body is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the belt member and a separated position at which the outer circumferential rotating body is separated from the outer circumferential surface of the belt member. The outer circumferential rotating body rotates the belt member when the outer circumferential rotating body is disposed at the contact position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuhei Tomita
  • Patent number: 10496341
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an authentication section configured to execute an authentication process on a replacement part; and a controller configured to skip the authentication process when determining that a stop period from the start of operation stop to the end or the operation stop is equal to or shorter than a predetermined period of time, and to execute the authentication process when determining that the stop period exceeds the predetermined period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takayuki Nishi
  • Patent number: 10474088
    Abstract: An image formation device includes a power controller that controls transition to an energy-saving mode to reduce power consumption in a standby state and starts up out of the energy-saving mode and a timer in which a timing schedule that starts up the device out of the energy-saving mode is set. The power controller controls the surface temperature of the fixing roller of the image generator to be a temperature lower than the fixing temperature that enables image formation when the image formation device is started up out of the energy-saving mode according to the timing schedule set in the timer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Ishikura
  • Patent number: 10459381
    Abstract: According to embodiments, an image forming apparatus includes a fixation member, a pressurization member, a heat source, a drive unit, a measurement unit, and a control unit. The measurement unit measures the time that elapses after the image forming apparatus ends image forming processing until the image forming apparatus receives an instruction to perform the next image forming processing. If the elapsed time does not exceed a predetermined threshold, the control unit causes the drive unit to start to drive the fixation member after a temperature of the fixation member reaches a first control temperature. If the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined threshold, the control unit causes the drive unit to start to drive the fixation member after the temperature of the fixation member reaches a second control temperature that is higher than the first control temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Keiji Yuge
  • Patent number: 10452010
    Abstract: A fuser assembly includes a heated member and a backup member defining a fusing nip. Toner fuses to media in the nip at a fusing temperature and process speed during an imaging operation. Upon receipt of a command to commence imaging, a controller operates a heater to heat the fuser assembly to a first temperature less than the fusing temperature and operates a motor to rotate the fuser assembly at a speed lower than the process speed to prevent overheating the heated and backup members. Before a first media reaches the fusing nip, a speed of the motor is increased to the process speed to properly advance the media through the nip at the process speed. Upon the first media arriving at the fusing nip, the controller increases the temperature of the heater to a second temperature greater than the first temperature to prevent cold offset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Jichang Cao, Douglas Campbell Hamilton, Benjamin Karnik Johnson
  • Patent number: 10429756
    Abstract: A toner is provided. The toner comprises a glittering pigment and a coloring pigment. The glittering pigment is disposed inside the toner. The coloring pigment comprises a yellow pigment comprising an isoindoline pigment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuoki Fuwa, Hiroshi Yamashita, Yuka Mizoguchi, Shizuka Hashida, Toma Takebayashi, Junko Yamaguchi, Maia Kamei, Keisuke Ohta
  • Patent number: 10289037
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a lateral end heater, disposed opposite a lateral end of an inner circumferential surface of a fixing rotator in an axial direction thereof, to heat the fixing rotator and a thermal conduction aid contacting the fixing rotator and the lateral end heater to conduct heat. The lateral end heater includes a power supply portion disposed outboard from a lateral end of the thermal conduction aid in a longitudinal direction thereof and disposed opposite the inner circumferential surface of the fixing rotator. The power supply portion includes an electrode. A cover covers the power supply portion and includes a cover face disposed opposite the inner circumferential surface of the fixing rotator. A height adjuster adjusts a height of the cover face of the cover and causes the cover face to define an identical plane with a fixing rotator side face of the thermal conduction aid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takayuki Seki, Takashi Seto, Kenji Ishii, Hiroshi Yoshinaga, Ippei Fujimoto, Kazunari Sawada, Hiroyuki Shimada
  • Patent number: 10281854
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing unit having a heating member for generating heat based on power supplied, a detection unit, and a controller. The image forming unit forms an image on a sheet. The fixing unit fixes the image on the sheet by the heat of the heating member. The detection unit detects a temperature of the heating member. The controller controls power to be supplied to the heating member based on a temperature detected by the detection unit. The controller determines a difference value between the temperature detected by the detection unit and a target temperature, determines an accumulated value by performing accumulation processing of the difference value, and controls the power based on the difference value and the accumulated value. The controller controls the accumulation processing based on the difference value and the accumulated value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kana Oshima, Jiro Shirakata, Shusuke Miura
  • Patent number: 10268145
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a cylindrical film having an inner surface and a plate-like heater that extends in a longitudinal direction of the film, with the heater having (i) a first surface that contacts the inner surface of the film, and (ii) a second surface opposite to the first surface. The fixing device further includes a heat conduction plate that extends in the longitudinal direction of the film and contacts the second surface of the heater, and a supporting member that supports the heater through the heat conduction plate. An image that is formed on a recording material is heated by heat from the heater through the film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsutoshi Ando, Takashi Narahara, Toru Imaizumi, Yasuhito Minamishima
  • Patent number: 10248056
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressuring member and a temperature sensing part. The fixing member heated by a heat source contacts with a recording medium to heat a toner image on the recording medium. The pressuring member pressures the recording medium to the fixing member. The temperature sensing part in non-contact with the fixing member includes an infrared sensing element sensing infrared rays from the fixing member and a condensing member condensing the infrared rays to the infrared sensing element. Detection temperature of the fixing member is calculated with a sensing value by the infrared sensing element. The detection temperature or control temperature of the heat source is corrected with temperature deference between the infrared sensing element and the condensing member. Heating of the fixing member is controlled with the corrected detection temperature and the control temperature or the detection temperature and the corrected control temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Eriko Hayashi, Ryohei Tokunaga, Tatsuya Yamanaka, Takashi Kainuma
  • Patent number: 10228643
    Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes an endless belt and a rotatable member configured to form a nip for heating a toner image on a recording material therebetween, a substantially stationary pad member and a movable pad member provided along a feeding direction of the recording material and configured to press the endless belt toward the rotatable member from an inside of the endless belt, a moving mechanism configured to move the movable pad member between a first position at which the movable pad member presses the endless belt toward the rotatable member and a second position at which the movable pad member does not press the endless belt toward the rotatable member, and a sheet-like member configured to cover such a surface of the stationary pad member as is opposite to the rotatable member and such a surface of the movable pad member as is opposite to the rotatable member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ikuo Nakamoto
  • Patent number: 10216134
    Abstract: An image formation device includes a power controller that controls transition to an energy-saving mode to reduce power consumption in a standby state and starts up out of the energy-saving mode and a timer in which a timing schedule that starts up the device out of the energy-saving mode is set. The power controller controls the surface temperature of the fixing roller of the image generator to be a temperature lower than the fixing temperature that enables image formation when the image formation device is started up out of the energy-saving mode according to the timing schedule set in the timer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Ishikura
  • Patent number: 10088787
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a first pressure structure, a second pressure structure, a fixing member, a first arm, a second arm, and an elastic member. The fixing member is disposed between the first and second pressure structures. The first arm is pivotable about a first shaft and includes a first pressing portion and a first connection portion. The second arm is pivotable about a second shaft and includes a second pressing portion and a second connection portion. The elastic member biases the first and second pressing portions toward each other. A first leverage ratio of a distance between the first shaft and the first connection portion to a distance between the first shaft and the first pressing portion is different from a second leverage ratio of a distance between the second shaft and the second connection portion to a distance between the second shaft and the second pressing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenji Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 10001747
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fusing unit that heats a toner image and fixes the toner image on a recording medium; an exhaust passage that allows air heated by the fusing unit to flow and discharges the air to an outside of the apparatus; a delivery unit that moves the air in the exhaust passage in a discharge direction; a target structural component to which the air is to be delivered; a ventilation passage that connects a portion on a downstream side of the delivery unit of the exhaust passage in the discharge direction and the target structural component, and that allows the air to flow; and an adjuster that adjusts a passage through which the air flows, at a branch point between the exhaust passage and the ventilation passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuya Tamura, Masafumi Kudo, Koji Udagawa
  • Patent number: 9740160
    Abstract: An image formation device includes a power controller that controls transition to an energy-saving mode to reduce power consumption in a standby state and starts up out of the energy-saving mode and a timer in which a timing schedule that starts up the device out of the energy-saving mode is set. The power controller controls the surface temperature of the fixing roller of the image generator to be a temperature lower than the fixing temperature that enables image formation when the image formation device is started up out of the energy-saving mode according to the timing schedule set in the timer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Ishikura
  • Patent number: 9651902
    Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus including a fixing unit in which fixing temperature is calculated from a toner bearing amount and fixing processing is performed while reducing drop in the print speed. A method for controlling a temperature of a fixing unit for fixing a recording material onto a recording medium includes determining, for image data of a plurality of pages, whether a data size of the image data of a unit page is smaller than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and based on the determination result, selecting whether to control the temperature of the fixing unit to be a temperature determined from the amount of the recording material of the image data of the unit page, or to control the temperature of the fixing unit to be a predetermined temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mikio Yamano
  • Patent number: 9426326
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus communicable with an external apparatus includes a reception unit configured to receive from the external apparatus a request for displaying a frame used to operate the image forming apparatus on a display of the external apparatus, an execution unit configured to perform shut down processing of the image forming apparatus when a predetermined time has elapsed, and a control unit configured to prevent the execution unit from performing the shut down processing in a case where the reception unit has received the request before the predetermined time has elapsed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomohiko Bito
  • Patent number: 9419513
    Abstract: Methods, devices, and integrated circuits are disclosed for controlling switch timing in a power factor correction timing switch. In one example, a device is configured to receive one or more indications of one or more power factor correction circuit parameters. The device is further configured to determine a switch delay time based at least in part on the one or more power factor correction circuit parameters. The device is further configured to generate an indication of a switch on time for the power factor correction timing switch, wherein the switch on time is based at least in part on the switch delay time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Mingping Mao, Junyang Luo, Dong Li
  • Patent number: 9411284
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a rotatable fuser member, a rotatable pressure member, a heater, and a controller. The rotatable fuser member is subjected to heating. The rotatable pressure member is disposed opposite the fuser member. The pressure member presses against the fuser member to form a fixing nip therebetween, through which multiple recording media, each spaced apart from each other by an interval distance in a conveyance direction, are sequentially conveyed at a conveyance speed. The heater is disposed adjacent to the fuser member to heat the fuser member. The controller is operatively connected to the heater to control power supply to the heater through a series of on-off switching control cycles, each including an on-time during which the heater power supply is on, and an off-time during which the heater power supply is off, in synchronization with conveyance of the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takumi Waida, Hiroshi Seo, Ippei Fujimoto, Ryota Yamashina
  • Patent number: 9354688
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus monitors sleep-cancelling events, and when a sleep-cancelling event occurs, stores an identifier and a sleep-cancellation time of the event. If a start time of a sleep mode is reached when (i) the apparatus is in a standby mode and (ii) one or more sleep-cancelling events specifying sleep-cancellation times later than the start time have been stored, the apparatus calculates power consumption required to maintain the standby mode for a period from the start time to the earliest sleep-cancellation time, as a power-saving amount savable during the period. Also, a recovery power amount required for recovery from the sleep mode to the standby mode is calculated on the assumption that the sleep mode is started at the start time and is cancelled at the earliest sleep-cancellation time. Switching to the sleep mode is performed only when the power-saving amount is greater than the recovery power amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Toshiya Furubayashi
  • Patent number: 9335682
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device. The fixing device includes a fixing roller and a pressure roller. The fixing roller applies heat of a predetermined fixing temperature T1 to a print sheet S to which a toner image has been transferred. The pressure roller has a larger heat capacity than the fixing roller. A control portion of the image forming apparatus determines, in a power saving mode, whether or not a detection result of a temperature sensor is equal to or lower than a motor rotation start temperature T3 which is lower than the fixing temperature T1 (first step). Upon determining that the detection result is equal to or lower than the motor rotation start temperature T3, the control portion controls a driving motor to rotate the fixing roller at least once in the state where a halogen lamp has been lighted off (second step).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Yuichiro Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 9316980
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus made to shorten time of a first copy (first page copy of a manuscript.) In the image forming apparatus, primary feeding (feeding from a sheet paper cassette to a resist position roller) and secondary feeding (feeding from a resist position roller) are performed continuously. When a first copy is performed, based on warm-up information, print engine, such as a feed roller, a transfer part, a fixing part, and an ejection roller, is set up. Paper will be fed when the setup is completed. The setup of print engine that performs operation required for printing is performed before feeding by using the warm-up information. Therefore, the time of the first copy is shortened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Norifumi Miyahara
  • Patent number: 9274465
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a controller including a primary heating control portion to control a heater to perform a primary heating to heat a fixing rotator with a first amount of power determined based on a temperature of the fixing rotator, a secondary heating control portion to control the heater to perform a secondary heating to heat the fixing rotator with a preset second amount of power, and a switch portion to control the heater to switch between the primary heating and the secondary heating during an identical print job and to perform at least one of a primary switching from the primary heating to the secondary heating and a secondary switching from the secondary heating to the primary heating at a time different from a preset control cycle that defines a power supply time in the primary heating and the secondary heating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Samei, Tomoya Adachi, Daisuke Inoue, Yasuharu Kawarasaki, Yoshiharu Takahashi