The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 17, 2019
Filed:
Mar. 20, 2018
Konica Minolta, Inc., Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, JP;
Tomoko Maruyama, Toyokawa, JP;
Kaoru Fukuoka, Toyokawa, JP;
Hideyuki Matsuda, Hirakata, JP;
Jun Shiraishi, Toyokawa, JP;
Hiroyuki Ohno, Toyokawa, JP;
Konica Minolta, Inc., Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
When an image forming apparatus such as an MFP runs out of supplies, such as paper or toner, the user will need to load paper in the paper tray or replace the toner cartridge. However, the user occasionally has difficulty in opening the paper tray or the front cover because his/her hands are carrying the additional supplies. For example, the user may have to put the belonging down to open up the paper tray or the front cover. The image forming apparatus reacts to the user's desire in a mechanical manner by opening the paper tray or the front cover.