Patents by Inventor Hiroomi Yokomaku
Hiroomi Yokomaku has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11554586Abstract: A liquid discharge device includes a head including a discharge port. The head discharges a liquid from the discharge port toward an object. The liquid discharge device further includes a liquid receiving surface to receive the liquid discharged from the discharge port, a liquid collector to collect the liquid received by the liquid receiving surface, and a moving unit to hold the liquid receiving surface and the liquid collector. The moving unit is movable at a facing position where the liquid receiving surface faces the discharge port without changing an inclination of the liquid collector with respect to a horizontal plane.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2021Date of Patent: January 17, 2023Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Hiroomi Yokomaku, Tomomi Katoh
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Patent number: 11407219Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a head to discharge a liquid containing a solvent from a discharge port toward an object, a concentration detector to detect a vapor concentration of the solvent, and circuitry to causes the head to discharge the liquid from the discharge port while moving the discharge port of the head in a movement direction perpendicular to a discharge direction to discharge the liquid. When the vaper concentration is equal to or higher than a first threshold, the circuitry stops moving the head in the movement direction and causes the head to stop discharging the liquid from the discharge port. When the vaper concentration is less than a second threshold, the circuitry resumes moving the head in the movement direction from a stop position where the head stops moving in the movement direction and causes the head to resume discharging the liquid from the discharge port.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2021Date of Patent: August 9, 2022Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Hiroomi Yokomaku, Satoshi Kitaoka
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Publication number: 20210291516Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a head to discharge a liquid containing a solvent from a discharge port toward an object, a concentration detector to detect a vapor concentration of the solvent, and circuitry to causes the head to discharge the liquid from the discharge port while moving the discharge port of the head in a movement direction perpendicular to a discharge direction to discharge the liquid. When the vaper concentration is equal to or higher than a first threshold, the circuitry stops moving the head in the movement direction and causes the head to stop discharging the liquid from the discharge port. When the vaper concentration is less than a second threshold, the circuitry resumes moving the head in the movement direction from a stop position where the head stops moving in the movement direction and causes the head to resume discharging the liquid from the discharge port.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 23, 2021Publication date: September 23, 2021Inventors: Hiroomi YOKOMAKU, Satoshi KITAOKA
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Publication number: 20210291533Abstract: A liquid discharge device includes a head including a discharge port. The head discharges a liquid from the discharge port toward an object. The liquid discharge device further includes a liquid receiving surface to receive the liquid discharged from the discharge port, a liquid collector to collect the liquid received by the liquid receiving surface, and a moving unit to hold the liquid receiving surface and the liquid collector. The moving unit is movable at a facing position where the liquid receiving surface faces the discharge port without changing an inclination of the liquid collector with respect to a horizontal plane.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 18, 2021Publication date: September 23, 2021Inventors: Hiroomi YOKOMAKU, Tomomi KATOH
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Patent number: 8936336Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a liquid ejection head including a pressure generation unit configured to generate a pressure for pressurizing a liquid in an individual liquid chamber communicating nozzles; and a head drive control unit configured to generate a drive waveform including pulses in time series, select one or more pulses from the drive waveform according to a droplet size, and provide the selected drive pulses to the pressure generation unit. The drive waveform includes a first pulse not including a waveform component that suppresses ejection bending, and allowing a droplet to be ejected, and a second pulse including the waveform component that suppresses ejection bending, and allowing a droplet to be ejected. An amount of the droplet ejected in the second pulse is larger than in the first pulse, and a speed of the droplet ejected in the second pulse is higher than that in the first pulse.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2014Date of Patent: January 20, 2015Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventor: Hiroomi Yokomaku
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Patent number: 8919932Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes a channel plate, a diaphragm member, and a piezoelectric member. The channel plate includes a separate liquid chamber, a fluid resistance portion, and a liquid introducing portion. The diaphragm member has a thin layer and a thick layer. The thin layer forms a wall face of each of the separate liquid chamber, the resistance portion, and the introducing portion and includes a vibration area facing the separate liquid chamber. The piezoelectric member is arranged to deform the vibration area and has a portion opposing the introducing portion. The thin layer has a thin portion forming the wall face of the introducing portion. The thick layer has a thick portion formed along the longitudinal direction of the separate liquid chamber on a first face opposite a second face opposing the introducing portion. In a plan view, the thin portion is divided by the thick portion.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2014Date of Patent: December 30, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Takahiro Yoshida, Hiroomi Yokomaku
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Publication number: 20140240384Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a liquid ejection head including a pressure generation unit configured to generate a pressure for pressurizing a liquid in an individual liquid chamber communicating nozzles; and a head drive control unit configured to generate a drive waveform including pulses in time series, select one or more pulses from the drive waveform according to a droplet size, and provide the selected drive pulses to the pressure generation unit. The drive waveform includes a first pulse not including a waveform component that suppresses ejection bending, and allowing a droplet to be ejected, and a second pulse including the waveform component that suppresses ejection bending, and allowing a droplet to be ejected. An amount of the droplet ejected in the second pulse is larger than in the first pulse, and a speed of the droplet ejected in the second pulse is higher than that in the first pulse.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 25, 2014Publication date: August 28, 2014Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventor: Hiroomi Yokomaku
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Publication number: 20140210914Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes a channel plate, a diaphragm member, and a piezoelectric member. The channel plate includes a separate liquid chamber, a fluid resistance portion, and a liquid introducing portion. The diaphragm member has a thin layer and a thick layer. The thin layer forms a wall face of each of the separate liquid chamber, the resistance portion, and the introducing portion and includes a vibration area facing the separate liquid chamber. The piezoelectric member is arranged to deform the vibration area and has a portion opposing the introducing portion. The thin layer has a thin portion forming the wall face of the introducing portion. The thick layer has a thick portion formed along the longitudinal direction of the separate liquid chamber on a first face opposite a second face opposing the introducing portion. In a plan view, the thin portion is divided by the thick portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 2, 2014Publication date: July 31, 2014Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Takahiro YOSHIDA, Hiroomi YOKOMAKU
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Patent number: 8757752Abstract: A method of controlling a liquid ejection head controls a liquid ejection head including a liquid pressurizing chamber, nozzles communicating with the liquid pressurizing chamber, and a pressure generating device that generates pressure in the liquid pressurizing chamber based on a drive waveform. The method includes generating a preliminary ejection drive waveform with a predetermined number of successive drive pulses aligned in descending order of length of drive pulse intervals of the drive pulses, with each of the drive pulse intervals set to an integral multiple of a natural vibration period of the liquid pressurizing chamber, and applying the generated preliminary ejection drive waveform to the pressure generating device to cause the liquid ejection head to perform a preliminary ejecting operation.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2012Date of Patent: June 24, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventor: Hiroomi Yokomaku
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Patent number: 8746854Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes a channel plate, a diaphragm member, and a piezoelectric member. The channel plate includes a separate liquid chamber, a fluid resistance portion, and a liquid introducing portion. The diaphragm member has a thin layer and a thick layer. The thin layer forms a wall face of each of the separate liquid chamber, the resistance portion, and the introducing portion and includes a vibration area facing the separate liquid chamber. The piezoelectric member is arranged to deform the vibration area and has a portion opposing the introducing portion. The thin layer has a thin portion forming the wall face of the introducing portion. The thick layer has a thick portion formed along the longitudinal direction of the separate liquid chamber on a first face opposite a second face opposing the introducing portion. In a plan view, the thin portion is divided by the thick portion.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2012Date of Patent: June 10, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Takahiro Yoshida, Hiroomi Yokomaku
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Publication number: 20120320118Abstract: A method of controlling a liquid ejection head controls a liquid ejection head including a liquid pressurizing chamber, nozzles communicating with the liquid pressurizing chamber, and a pressure generating device that generates pressure in the liquid pressurizing chamber based on a drive waveform. The method includes generating a preliminary ejection drive waveform with a predetermined number of successive drive pulses aligned in descending order of length of drive pulse intervals of the drive pulses, with each of the drive pulse intervals set to an integral multiple of a natural vibration period of the liquid pressurizing chamber, and applying the generated preliminary ejection drive waveform to the pressure generating device to cause the liquid ejection head to perform a preliminary ejecting operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2012Publication date: December 20, 2012Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventor: Hiroomi Yokomaku
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Publication number: 20120236080Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes a channel plate, a diaphragm member, and a piezoelectric member. The channel plate includes a separate liquid chamber, a fluid resistance portion, and a liquid introducing portion. The diaphragm member has a thin layer and a thick layer. The thin layer forms a wall face of each of the separate liquid chamber, the resistance portion, and the introducing portion and includes a vibration area facing the separate liquid chamber. The piezoelectric member is arranged to deform the vibration area and has a portion opposing the introducing portion. The thin layer has a thin portion forming the wall face of the introducing portion. The thick layer has a thick portion formed along the longitudinal direction of the separate liquid chamber on a first face opposite a second face opposing the introducing portion. In a plan view, the thin portion is divided by the thick portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 12, 2012Publication date: September 20, 2012Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Takahiro YOSHIDA, Hiroomi Yokomaku