1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to component replacement support tools used for the replacement of a heating roller, a pressure roller, or a lamp cartridge in a fusing unit of an image forming apparatus, such as a laser printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer or a copy machine, a recording medium with an un-fused toner image carried thereon is heated and pressed between a heating roller and a pressure roller of a fusing unit in order to fuse the toner image onto the surface of the recording medium. The heating roller typically contains heater lamps as a heat source. Generally, as the printing speed or the ream weight increases, the image forming apparatus requires a larger amount of heat for fusing the toner image. Thus, the heating roller needs to be maintained at higher temperatures in order to provide higher fusing temperatures.
When the heating roller is replaced at the end of its lifespan, typically a maintenance worker first needs to stop the operation of the image forming apparatus and then wait until the heating roller is cooled down to a temperature allowing the removal of the heating roller from the fusing unit for replacement. In this case, however, it takes a long time before the heating roller is sufficiently cooled, resulting in low operation efficiency. The image forming apparatus also needs to be stopped for a long time during the replacement work, resulting in not only a decrease in the operational efficiency of the image forming apparatus but also in an increase in the replacement/maintenance cost.
In recent years, there has been an increasing need for higher printing speed and image quality, and also for the capability for handling various kinds of printing sheets. When high-speed printing is required, the surface of the heating roller may be coated with a thin layer of a PFA (tetrafluoroethylene/perfluoroalkylvinylether copolymer) resin so that the heat for fusing the toner image can be quickly transmitted from the heating roller to the recording medium. When a higher image quality is required, the surface of the heating roller may be coated with silicon rubber so that the toner image can be prevented from being blurred or stained on the recording medium upon fusing. When the durability of the heating roller is of concern while a certain level of image quality also needs to be maintained, the silicon rubber layer of the heating roller may be coated with PFA tube. Thus, there is a demand for the use of several kinds of heating rollers.
Such demand may be addressed by providing various heating rollers in a single image forming apparatus so that one of the heating rollers can be selected depending on the requirement. However, the heating rollers generally have large thermal capacities, although there may be some differences depending on the type of the heating roller. Thus, a long time is generally required before any of the heating rollers is cooled down from the high temperature for fusing to a lower temperature for replacement.
In the heating roller 100, plural heater lamps 105 are disposed of which one end is retained at the center of the support flange 101 via a retaining member 109. While not illustrated, the other end of the heater lamps 105 is similarly retained on the corresponding support flange via a retaining member. A connector 110 is disposed at the end of the heater lamps 105. With the heater lamps 105 retained at the center of the support flange 101, the connector 110 protrudes beyond the support flange 101, as illustrated in
When replacing the heating roller 100, the thumbscrew 106 is unfastened and the heating roller 100 is pulled out of the frame 102, together with the support flange 101 or the like, while holding the grip 111 with one hand, as illustrated in
The heating roller 100 is typically a cylinder having a diameter of about 100 mm and a length of about 500 mm or more, with more than a little weight. Accordingly, in the case of the fusing unit according to Patent Document 1, it is not easy for the maintenance worker to pull the heating roller 100 out of the frame 102 together with the support flange 101 and the like stably. Specifically, even though the grip 111 is held with one hand and the heating roller 100 is held with the other gloved hand 120, the pulling-off operation may be destabilized due to the weight of the heating roller 100 and heat. As a result, the heating roller 100 may come into contact with other components, such as the frame 102, resulting in a damage to the roller surface.
Thus, according to the above conventional technology, the posture of the heating roller 100 tends to be unstable and no supporting tool is described for stabilizing the posture of the heating roller 100. There is also the danger of burning the hands of the maintenance worker by the high-temperature heating roller 100 even if the hands are gloved. Further, a mold release agent or lubricant on the heating roller 100 may become attached to the gloved hand 120, thereby not just staining the hand but also hindering the replacing operation.
Further, when the heating roller 100 is pulled out of the frame 102 together with the support flange 101 and the like by holding the grip 111 with one hand, the roller surface may be scratched upon contact with the frame 102. While the opening of the frame 102 may be lined with felt for protection of the heating roller surface, the mold release agent or lubricant on the heating roller 100 may be transferred onto the felt and may remain on the felt as dirt, which may potentially damage the surface of the heating roller 100. The felt also needs to be affixed and removed each time the heating roller 100 is replaced. The removed felt needs to be disposed of and new felt needs to be prepared.
In order to prevent the damage to the heater lamps when pulling them out, JP2002-23535A proposes the following.
The operator then moves to the front of the image forming apparatus (i.e., to the right-side of
In this method, damage to the lamp cartridge 127 upon its detachment or attachment may be prevented and the lamp cartridge 127 may be handled more easily. However, the lamp protection member 164 cannot be used for replacing the heating roller 114; namely, a separate jig is required for replacing the heating roller 114, thus requiring various jigs. In addition, the jigs for replacing the lamp protection member 164 and the heating roller 114 need to be individually managed and stored, requiring additional space for the replacing operation or during storage.
When the lamp protection member 164 is inserted into the image forming apparatus until the front end of the lamp protection member is fitted in the first lamp holder 128, how far the lamp protection member 164 should be inserted has been left to the discretion of the individual operator based on experience or guess-work. Consequently, the operator may decide to pull the lamp cartridge 127 when the lamp protection member 164 is not fully fitted in the first lamp holder 128, thereby potentially damaging the lamp cartridge 127.
When a new lamp cartridge 127 is attached within the image forming apparatus, the lamp protection member 164 (lamp cartridge 127) is inserted from the right of
The disadvantages of the related art may be overcome by the present invention which, in one aspect, is a component replacement support tool for a fusing unit having a roller that contains a lamp cartridge, the fusing unit including a replacement opening via which the roller or the lamp cartridge can be removed from or inserted into the fusing unit along an axis of the roller for replacement. The tool includes a roller insertion/removal guide shaft; and a lamp protection member detachably housed in the roller insertion/removal guide shaft. The roller insertion/removal guide shaft is configured to be inserted into the roller along the axis of the roller and fixed therein so as to guide the roller when the roller is removed from or inserted into the fusing unit via the replacement opening. The lamp protection member is inserted between the roller and the lamp cartridge when the lamp cartridge is pulled out of or inserted into the roller along the axis of the roller via the replacement opening.
A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, when considered in conjunction with the subsequent, detailed description, in which:
Laser Printer
Immediately after the laser printer 1 is turned on, a rotating polygonal mirror 3 starts to rotate and keeps its rotation at a precisely constant speed as long as the laser printer 1 is on. A light source 4, which may include a semiconductor laser, emits light which is reflected by the rotating polygonal mirror 3. The reflected light then irradiates (scans) the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 via an fθ lens 5. Character data or figure data in dot image form are supplied from the controller 22 to the laser printer 1 as a laser beam on/off signal. The surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is partially irradiated with the laser beam in accordance with the on/off signal, whereby an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 21.
When the region of the photosensitive drum 21 where the electrostatic latent image is retained is located opposite a developing unit 6, the developing unit 6 supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image. The toner, which may be positively charged, is electrostatically attached to the portions on the photosensitive drum 21 where the charges have been removed by the laser beam irradiation, thereby forming a toner image on the photosensitive drum 21.
A continuous sheet (recording medium) 7 is stored in a sheet hopper 11. The sheet 7 is transported by a sheet transport tractor 8 to a gap (transfer area) between the photosensitive drum 21 and a transfer unit 10 in accordance with the timing of the arrival of the toner image on the photosensitive drum 21. In the transfer area, the transfer unit 10 provides charges of the opposite polarity to that of the toner image to the back side of the sheet 7, so that the toner image can be transferred onto the sheet 7.
The sheet 7 is then transported to a fusing unit 12 via the sheet transport tractors 8 and 9, the transfer unit 10, and the buffer plate 24. In the fusing unit 12, the sheet 7 is initially heated by a preliminary heater 13 which may include plural heater elements. The sheet 7 is then passed through a nipping area between a heating roller 14 and a pressure roller 15 (fusing rollers). In the nipping area, the sheet 7 is heated and pressed by the fusing rollers 14 and 15 so that the toner image can be fused onto the sheet 7. The heating roller 14 may include plural heater lamps 25.
The sheet 7 is further transported by a sheet ejecting roller 16 and ejected into a stacker table 19. Specifically, the sheet 7 is folded along its perforations in alternate directions by a swinging movement of a swing fin 17, while the folds of the sheet 7 are put in order by a rotating paddle 18. The area of the photosensitive drum 21 that has passed through the transfer area is cleaned by a cleaning unit 20 in preparation for the next round of a printing operation.
The buffer plate 24 is configured to absorb any slack or tension in the sheet 7 due to a sheet transport speed difference between the sheet transport tractor 9 and the fusing rollers (heating roller 14 and pressure roller 15). Information about the status of the laser printer 1 during the printing operation may be displayed by a display screen 23. A web member 26 is wound across a pair of rolls in a retrievable manner and configured to apply a mold release agent or lubricant to the surface of the heating roller 14.
Structure Near the Heating Roller
With reference to
Inside the heating roller 14 near its openings at both ends, substantially disc-shaped heating roller lids (hereafter referred to as “absorbers”) 14c and 14d which may be made of aluminum are fixed. The absorbers 14c and 14d are configured to prevent the radiation heat emitted by the heater lamps 25 within the heating roller 14 from being released to the outside, thus preventing a fluctuation of the surface temperature of the heating roller 14 or an increase in the temperature within the apparatus.
As illustrated in
When the absorbers 14c and 14d are entirely or partially disposed inside the sheet-passage area Aw of the heating roller 14, the transmission of radiation heat from the heater lamps 25 is hindered by the absorbers 14c and 14d, so that the surface temperature of the heating roller 14 may fail to reach a desired temperature. Thus, the absorbers 14c and 14d are disposed outside the sheet-passage area Aw of the heating roller 14.
The ends of the heating roller 14 are supported by frames 50, 50 of the fusing unit via retaining members 48 and 49 having centering members 46 and 47, respectively. The centering member 46 is disposed on the retaining member 48 via a bearing 51. The centering member 46 is inserted into one open end of the heating roller 14. The bearing 51 is configured to absorb dimensional variations of the heating roller 14 or the surrounding support members due to thermal expansion or the like, together with springs 52 disposed in a circumferential direction of the bearing 51 and a stopper plate 53 attached to an inner-end surface of the retaining member 48.
In an assembled state, the springs 52 are in a slightly compressed state such that, as illustrated in
In an open-end portion of the heating roller 14 opposite the centering member 47, a key groove (not shown) is formed extending in the axial direction. On the other hand, on an end portion of the centering member 47, a key (not shown) is provided that fits into the key groove. The heating roller 14 and the centering member 47 are coupled with each other via such a key structure. Thus, the drive force from the motor can be transmitted via the gear 55, the retaining member 49, the centering member 47, and the key structure to the heating roller 14 so that the heating roller 14 can be rotated in a predetermined direction.
The position of the heating roller 14 in the axial direction is regulated by the retaining member 48, which is positioned on a front side (corresponding to the frame 50 via which the heating roller 14 is inserted; the side may be referred to as an “operation side”). The key of the centering member 47 and the corresponding key groove on the rear side of the heating roller 14 may be configured to have substantially the same width, so that the position of the heating roller 14 in the rotating direction can be regulated. The positions of the key and the key groove may be determined as desired. Preferably, the key and key groove are positioned such that they can be readily recognized. In accordance with the present embodiment, the key and the key groove are disposed out of alignment by 90° in the circumferential direction with respect to a holder 43 of a handle unit 40, which will be described later.
A similar key groove may also be provided on the front side of the heating roller 14. The key grooves on the front and rear sides may be disposed out of alignment by 180° in phase so that the heating roller 14 can be stabilized. More than one key groove may be provided on the front side and the rear side. Because the key and the key groove are displaced from the handle unit 40 by 90° as mentioned above, the positions of the key grooves on the front and rear sides are automatically determined when the handle unit 40 is aligned with the absorber 14c.
In order to prevent the outflow of heat from the heating roller 14 to the centering members 46 and 47 or the damage to the centering members 46 and 47, rings 60 are interposed between ends of the heating roller 14 and the corresponding centering members 46 and 47. The ring 60 may be made of heat-resistant synthetic resin. The ring 60 on the side of the centering member 47 includes a cut-out portion (not shown) formed at a position corresponding to the key groove of the heating roller 14, allowing the fitting of the key in the key groove.
The heater lamps 25 as the heat source of the heating roller 14 are bundled by lamp holders 61 and 62 that retain the ends of the heater lamps 25, thus forming a lamp cartridge 63. The lamp cartridge 63 is disposed at a central portion within the heating roller 14, as illustrated in
Lamp Protection Member and Roller Insertion/Removal Guide Shaft
With reference to
With reference to
At a position opposite the locking pin 30d, a pressure spring 30e is disposed protruding into the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30. The pressure spring 30e may include a plate spring with an inverted-V shape (in a side view), as illustrated in
For example, as illustrated in
An open end of the guide groove 64b at the end portion 64a is provided with a tapered portion 64d so as to facilitate the insertion of the locking pin 30d. The guide groove 64b and the locking groove 64c may have widths slightly greater than the outer diameter of the locking pin 30d. Further, the circumferential wall of the lamp protection member 64 has a fitting opening 64e (see
As illustrated in
Then, the lamp protection member 64 is rotated in a direction C while holding the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30, until the locking pin 30d of the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 abuts against one end of the guide groove 64b of the lamp protection member 64, as illustrated in
Next, as illustrated in
After the locking between the locking pin 30d and the locking groove 64c and the locking between the pressure spring 30e and the fitting opening 64e are released, the lamp protection member 64 can be pulled out in the direction D. The lamp protection member 64 may be inserted into the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 in a procedure opposite to the procedure described above.
In accordance with the present embodiment, the locking pin 30d is provided on the side of the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 while the guide groove 64b and the locking groove 64c are formed on the side of the lamp protection member 64. Conversely, the guide groove and the locking groove may be formed on the side of the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 and the locking pin may be provided on the side of the lamp protection member 64. However, if the configuration of the groove and the pin illustrated in
Roller Replacement Support Tool
Next, a roller replacement support tool according to an embodiment of the present invention for the replacement of the heating roller 14 is described. The roller replacement supporting tool includes a roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30, a handle unit 40, and a support roller member 70.
The roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 has a length which is a little longer than the interval between the left and right frames 50, 50, as illustrated in
On an outer lateral surface of the housing 59, a plate-shaped stopper 31 for fixing (locking) the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 is slidably retained by a pin 32. On a circumferential wall of the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 closer to the rear portion 30c, there is provided a locking groove 30a in which the stopper 31 fits when the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 is inserted to a predetermined position.
When the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 is fixed (locked) at the predetermined position by the fitting of the stopper 31 in the locking groove 30a, the heating roller 14, the retaining member 48, and the handle unit 40 can be inserted or removed smoothly without causing the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 to be displaced in the axial direction, as will be described in detail later.
Referring to
The handle unit 40, as illustrated in
The handle unit main body 45 has a central insertion opening 45d extending along the axial direction. On one side of the handle unit main body 45, a flange portion 45c is formed. The handle unit main body 45 is attached to an open end of the heating roller 14 when replacing the heating roller 14, for example, via a ring 65, as illustrated in
The two latches 41 have identical shapes and each includes a semi-cylindrical rotating part 41a formed on one end, an axle portion 41b eccentrically provided on an inner side of the rotating part 41a, and a lever part 41c disposed on the other end opposite the rotating part 41a. The two latches 41 are attached to the handle unit main body 45 opposite to each other across the insertion opening 45d.
As illustrated in
The coil-shaped spring 44 is disposed between a stepped-spring receiver portion 45e of the handle unit main body 45 and the latch 41. The latch 41 is resiliently biased in the outer direction by the resilience of the spring 44 at all times via the shaft 42 inserted within the spring 44. The latch 41 includes a stopper unit 41d as illustrated in
In
When the lever parts 41c of the latches 41 are both rotated inward, the axle portions 41b of the latches 41 are moved away from the handle unit main body 45, as illustrated in
Referring to
Specifically, the two support roller members 70a and 70b are disposed under the heating roller 14 and, as illustrated in
Preferably, one or more support roller members 70 may be disposed on top of the heating roller 14, in addition to the two support roller members 70a and 70b under the heating roller 14. In such an embodiment, the additional support roller members 70 need to be disposed such that they do not obstruct the pulling-out of the heating roller 14 by the handle unit 40, as in the case of the lower support roller members 70a and 70b. A certain amount of gap may be provided between the additional upper support roller members 70 and the heating roller 14 such that the support roller members 70 do not exert an excessive restraining force on the heating roller 14.
Detaching/Attaching of Lamp Cartridge
When the lamp cartridge 63 is pulled out of the heating roller 14, the lamp protection member 64 together with the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 is inserted in a direction B via the through-hole 59a of the housing 59, as illustrated in
The lamp protection member 64 may have an inner diameter which is substantially identical to the outer diameter of the lamp holder 62 and that of the small-diameter portion 61a of the lamp holder 61. The lamp protection member 64 (together with the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30) is inserted until its front end is fitted into the end of the small-diameter portion 61a of the lamp holder 61. Thus, the lamp protection member 64 is held in the lamp holder 61 by the frictional force between the lamp protection member 64 and the small-diameter portion 61a.
As illustrated in
As mentioned above, when the lamp protection member 64 is held in the lamp holder 61, the stopper 91 is raised so as to release the locking of the lamp holder 61, and then the stopper 91 is fixed in the upper position using a screw (not shown) or the like. Then, the lamp protection member 64 is rotated in a direction C by about 45°, as illustrated in
Thereafter, the lamp protection member 64 is pushed in a direction D, as illustrated in
When inserting the lamp cartridge 63 into the heating roller 14, the lamp cartridge 63 is inserted from the opening portion of the lamp protection member 64 opposite the side where the guide groove 64b and the like is formed. The smooth insertion of the lamp cartridge 63 is facilitated by the inclined portion 62a at the tip of the lamp holder 62, as illustrated in
The lamp protection member 64 with the lamp cartridge 63 housed therein is inserted into the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 from the tapered portion 64d (see
Just before completion of insertion of the lamp protection member 64, the tapered portion 64d of the lamp protection member 64 is positioned opposite the locking pin 30d in the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30. As the lamp protection member 64 is further inserted, the locking pin 30d is guided by the tapered portion 64d and relatively inserted into the guide groove 64b (see
At this stage, as illustrated in
In this way, the locking pin 30d of the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 enters the locking groove 64c of the lamp protection member 64. As a result, the locking pin 30d and the locking groove 64c are locked with each other as illustrated in
Thereafter, the stopper 31 is raised to release the lock with the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30, and then the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30, together with the lamp protection member 64, is pulled out of the image forming apparatus in the direction A, as illustrated in
Thus, by covering the lamp cartridge 63 with the lamp protection member 64 upon removal or insertion of the lamp cartridge 63, the heater lamps 25 can be prevented from being damaged during the handling of the lamp cartridge 63. Preferably, the lamp protection member 64 may comprise a paper cylinder having sufficient mechanical strength and heat-shielding property, as such paper cylinders are relatively inexpensive and readily available.
Procedure for Replacing the Heating Roller
A procedure for replacing the heating roller 14 is described. The replacement of the heating roller 14 may be required at the end of its lifespan, or in order to address the requirements of the printer.
In step 2, the thumbscrew 54 is unfastened and the retaining member 48 that retains the centering member 46, the bearing 51, the spring 52, the stopper plate 53 and the like is pulled out in the direction B. At this time, the end portion of the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 is slightly protruding beyond the outer side face of the frame 50. Thus, the retaining member 48 can be smoothly removed while being guided by the guide shaft 30 without colliding with the open end of the roller insertion/removal frame 50, for example. During the pulling operation, as the centering member 46 is separated from the heating roller 14, the centering member 46 and the bearing 51 may abut the stopper plate 53 due to the resilience of the spring 52. At this time, as illustrated in
In step 3, the handle unit 40 is inserted via the front-end portion of the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 where the inclined surface 30b is formed, by holding the handle 66. At this time, the lever parts 41c of the latches 41 are in the open state, as illustrated in
Referring to
Then, the handle unit 40 is rotated in the direction of the arrow indicated in
In step 4, the support roller 71 is moved to the operating position and locked therein. Specifically, the support roller member 70 in the position of
In step 5, the heating roller 14 which may still be in a high-temperature state is pulled out of the image forming apparatus by holding the handle 66 of the handle unit 40. During this operation, the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 is reliably held by the inner cylinder portion 59b of the housing 59, so that the heating roller 14 can be smoothly pulled out, with the inner circumferential portion of the absorber 14d sliding on the outer circumferential surface of the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30.
The portion of the heating roller 14 that protrudes out of the frame 50 is stably supported by the support rollers 71a and 71b, as illustrated in
In step 6, the handle unit 40 is attached to a new heating roller 14 for replacement (not shown), and the new heating roller 14 is installed together with the handle unit 40, using the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30. Also during this attaching operation, the support rollers 71a and 71b are used to ensure a smooth insertion of the new heating roller 14. In step 7, the support rollers 71a and 71b are unlocked and moved to the stand-by position, as described above with reference to
In step 8, the handle unit 40 is removed out of the heating roller 14. In step 9, the retaining member 48 is attached using the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30. In step 10, the lamp cartridge 63 covered with the lamp protection member 64 is installed within the heating roller 14 while being guided by the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30. Thereafter, the stopper 31 is removed and the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 is pulled out together with the lamp protection member 64, thus completing the replacement of the heating roller 14.
The operation for installing the new heating roller 14 in step 6 may be a reversal of the operation of pulling out the heating roller 14 in step 5. The operation of unlocking and moving the support roller 71 to the stand-by position in step 7 may be a reversal of the operation of attaching the handle unit 40 in step 3. The operation of removing the handle unit 40 in step 8 may be a reversal of the operation of attaching the handle unit 40 in step 3. The operation of attaching the retaining member 48 in step 9 may be a reversal of the operation of pulling out the retaining member 48 in step 2. The operation of attaching the lamp cartridge 63 and pulling out the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 in step 10 may be a reversal of the operation of attaching the roller insertion/removal guide shaft 30 and pulling out the lamp cartridge 63 in step 1.
While the foregoing embodiment is directed to the replacement of the heating roller 14, an embodiment of the present invention may be applied to the replacement of a heat source (lamp cartridge) provided in the pressure roller 15. When the pressure roller 15 having no lamp cartridge has the same shape as that of the opposite heating roller 14, the replacement support tool without the lamp protection member 64 may be applied for the replacement of the pressure roller 15. In this case, it is not necessary to prepare more than one replacement support tool, so that the storage and maintenance of the replacement jig require less space and expense.
The mold release agent or lubricant may be applied to the pressure roller 15 or the heating roller 14, or both, in the fusing unit (image forming apparatus). Although this invention has been described in detail with reference to certain embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of the invention as described and defined in the following claims.
The present application is based on Japanese Priority Application No. 2010-024472 filed Feb. 5, 2010, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
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