Patents by Inventor Masaki Sukesako
Masaki Sukesako 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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Publication number: 20140233972Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of continuous image formation on multiple pages includes an image bearer to bear an image, a latent image forming unit to form a latent image on the image bearer, a developing device to develop the latent image with toner, a temperature sensor to detect temperature inside the developing device or adjacent to the developing device, a controller to impose a limit on a quantity of pages in continuous image formation and cancel the limit according to a detection result generated by the temperature sensor, and a report unit to report time data indicating when the limit is imposed.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 7, 2014Publication date: August 21, 2014Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Hiroyuki Sugiyama, Jun Yura, Masaki Sukesako, Hironobu Takeshita, Takuya Suganuma, Takeshi Uchitani, Hiroki Ishii
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Patent number: 8737866Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing device including a developing roller to bear a developing agent to develop a latent image formed on an image bearing member, a cooling device to reduce an internal temperature of the image forming apparatus, a controller to calculate a travel distance of the developing roller to control the cooling device, and a memory unit to store the total travel distance of the developing roller. The controller calculates the total travel distance of the developing roller every Y minutes in the last X minutes, and a difference between the latest total travel distance of the developing roller and the total travel distance stored Z minutes ago by the memory unit to obtain the total travel distance during Z minutes and operate the cooling device for W minutes after image forming operation where the difference is equal to or greater than a threshold value M.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 2011Date of Patent: May 27, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Jun Shiori, Jun Yura, Yukiko Iwasaki, Masaki Sukesako, Hiroyuki Sugiyama, Kazuaki Kamihara, Hironobu Takeshita
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Patent number: 8731417Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; a latent-image forming unit configured to form a latent image on the image carrier; a developing unit configured to develop the latent image on the image carrier with a developer applied onto a developer carrier; a temperature detector configured to detect an internal temperature or an ambient temperature of the developing unit, the internal temperature and ambient temperature varying depending on a temperature of the developer carrier; and a control unit configured to control restriction on number of pages on which image formation is allowed to be performed continuously and cancellation of the restriction, based on the temperature detected by the temperature detector.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2012Date of Patent: May 20, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, LimitedInventors: Jun Shiori, Yukiko Iwasaki, Masaki Sukesako, Hiroyuki Sugiyama, Kazuaki Kamihara, Hironobu Takeshita
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Publication number: 20140064756Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of executing continuous image forming operation forming images on more than one page includes a temperature detector that detects internal or surrounding temperature of a developing device correspondingly changing to temperature of a developer bearer. A temperature information acquiring device acquires information of ambient temperature outside of the image forming apparatus. A controller switches a current operation mode to an intermittent image forming operation mode intermittently including a braking time period not to allow image formation and cancels the intermittent image forming operation mode in accordance with detection result of the temperature detector. The intermittent image forming operation mode allowed to continuously form images only on a prescribed limited number of sheets. The controller varies the braking time period in accordance with the ambient temperature detected by the temperature information acquiring device.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 6, 2013Publication date: March 6, 2014Inventors: Hiroyuki SUGIYAMA, Jun YURA, Yukiko IWASAKI, Jun SHIORI, Masaki SUKESAKO, Takuya SUGANUMA, Kazuaki KAMIHARA, Hironobu TAKESHITA
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Patent number: 8655214Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a fixing unit configured to fix a not-yet-fixed image on a recording medium, includes a fixing target temperature changing part configured to change a fixing target temperature at a time of a fixing process; and a gradation processing part configured to carry out gradation processing on image information. For each sheet of a recording medium on which the fixing process is carried out, the fixing target temperature is changed based on whether halftone processing is carried out and a type of gradation processing to be used.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2011Date of Patent: February 18, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Hiroyuki Sugiyama, Jun Yura, Tokuya Ojimi, Yukiko Iwasaki, Jun Shiori, Masaki Sukesako, Kazuaki Kamihara, Hironobu Takeshita
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Patent number: 8649692Abstract: A toner replenishing device includes a toner container that stores toner, a toner replenishing device that supplies toner from the toner container to a developing device, and a toner condition detector that detects an aggregated condition of the toner stored in the toner container. A toner softening device is provided to soften toner stored in the toner container. A controller is also provided to drive the toner softening device for a prescribed time period in accordance with a detection result obtained by the toner condition detector.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 2011Date of Patent: February 11, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Masaki Sukesako, Tokuya Ohjimi
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Publication number: 20120315060Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming device including a fixing unit that fixes a first image to be fixed onto a sheet, the first image to be fixed being supported on the sheet, a target fixing temperature varying unit that varies a target fixing temperature during a time period in which a fixing process is performed, and a gradation processing unit that applies a gradation process to first image information. The target fixing temperature varying unit varies the target fixing temperature for the sheet of the recording medium to which the fixing process is applied, depending on presence or absence of a halftone process, and depending on a type of the gradation process to be utilized.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 22, 2012Publication date: December 13, 2012Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Hiroyuki Sugiyama, Jun Yura, Tokuya Ohjimi, Yukiko Iwasaki, Jun Shiori, Masaki Sukesako, Kazuaki Kamihara, Hironobu Takeshita, Ryota Kidera
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Publication number: 20120230711Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; a latent-image forming unit configured to form a latent image on the image carrier; a developing unit configured to develop the latent image on the image carrier with a developer applied onto a developer carrier; a temperature detector configured to detect an internal temperature or an ambient temperature of the developing unit, the internal temperature and ambient temperature varying depending on a temperature of the developer carrier; and a control unit configured to control restriction on number of pages on which image formation is allowed to be performed continuously and cancellation of the restriction, based on the temperature detected by the temperature detector.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 5, 2012Publication date: September 13, 2012Inventors: Jun SHIORI, Yukiko IWASAKI, Masaki SUKESAKO, Hiroyuki SUGIYAMA, Kazuaki KAMIHARA, Hironobu TAKESHITA
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Patent number: 8180246Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes multiple image forming units disposed adjacent to and horizontally aligned with each other to form respective single non-black color images, a first transfer member to sequentially transfer and overlay the respective single non-black color images thereon for forming a composite color image, a black image forming unit disposed separately from the multiple image forming units including a black image carrier and a black image developing unit, a second transfer member to transfer the black image from the black image forming unit onto a recording medium, a first cleaning unit to clean the surface of the black image carrier, and a second cleaning unit to clean the surface of the second transfer member. The black toner removed from the surface of the black image carrier is collected to the black image developing unit.Type: GrantFiled: August 17, 2009Date of Patent: May 15, 2012Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Shinichi Kawahara, Masumi Sato, Nobuyuki Koinuma, Kazuhisa Sudo, Tokuya Ojimi, Kazuhiko Yuki, Kohsuke Yamamoto, Takehide Mizutani, Masaki Sukesako, Ryuji Yoshida
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Publication number: 20120114358Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a fixing unit configured to fix a not-yet-fixed image on a recording medium, includes a fixing target temperature changing part configured to change a fixing target temperature at a time of a fixing process; and a gradation processing part configured to carry out gradation processing on image information. For each sheet of a recording medium on which the fixing process is carried out, the fixing target temperature is changed based on whether halftone processing is carried out and a type of gradation processing to be used.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 1, 2011Publication date: May 10, 2012Inventors: Hiroyuki SUGIYAMA, Jun Yura, Tokuya Ojimi, Yukiko Iwasaki, Jun Shiori, Masaki Sukesako, Kazuaki Kamihara, Hironobu Takeshita
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Publication number: 20120099878Abstract: A toner replenishing device comprises a toner container that stores toner, a toner replenishing device that supplies toner from the toner container to a developing device, and a toner condition detector that detects an aggregated condition of the toner stored in the toner container. A toner softening device is provided to soften toner stored in the toner container. A controller is also provided to drive the toner softening device for a prescribed time period in accordance with a detection result obtained by the toner condition detector.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 3, 2011Publication date: April 26, 2012Inventors: Masaki SUKESAKO, Tokuya Ohjimi
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Publication number: 20120093528Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing device including a developing roller to bear a developing agent to develop a latent image formed on an image bearing member, a cooling device to reduce an internal temperature of the image forming apparatus, a controller to calculate a travel distance of the developing roller to control the cooling device, and a memory unit to store the total travel distance of the developing roller. The controller calculates the total travel distance of the developing roller every Y minutes in the last X minutes, and a difference between the latest total travel distance of the developing roller and the total travel distance stored Z minutes ago by the memory unit to obtain the total travel distance during Z minutes and operate the cooling device for W minutes after image forming operation where the difference is equal to or greater than a threshold value M.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 3, 2011Publication date: April 19, 2012Inventors: Jun SHIORI, Jun Yura, Yukiko Iwasaki, Masaki Sukesako, Hiroyuki Sugiyama, Kazuaki Kamihara, Hironobu Takeshita
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Publication number: 20120045235Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member to bear a latent image on a surface thereof, a developing unit to develop the latent image on the image bearing member with toner, a driving unit to drive the developing device, a storage unit to store a cumulative travel distance of the developing roller at predetermined timing, a total travel distance of the developing unit, and control conditions for the developing unit, a controller to obtain a difference between the total travel distance of the developing roller and the cumulative travel distance up to a predetermined point in time in image forming operation and to instruct intermittent printing in which continuous printing is limited to a certain number of pages in a predetermined time period when the difference is equal to or greater than a threshold travel distance, and an operation unit in which the control conditions are set.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 11, 2011Publication date: February 23, 2012Inventors: Jun SHIORI, Jun YURA, Yukiko IWASAKI, Masaki SUKESAKO, Hiroyuki SUGIYAMA, Kazuaki KAMIHARA, Hironobu TAKESHITA
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Publication number: 20110211854Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a plurality of image forming units each with an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and each with a developing member for developing process on the electrostatic latent image, wherein the image forming apparatus superimposes toner images of the respective colors to form a composite color image; when images on a plurality of pages are formed, the developing members of the respective colors are started or stopped in response to presence or absence of latent images of the respective colors on a page that is targeted for image formation; and when the image forming unit starts to be driven, a developing member, corresponding to a color whose latent image is not to be formed on a first page of the plurality of pages, is not started.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 25, 2011Publication date: September 1, 2011Inventors: Jun Shiori, Yukiko Iwasaki, Masaki Sukesako, Hiroyuki Sugiyama, Kazuaki Kamihara, Hironobu Takeshita
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Patent number: 8010005Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer device, a voltage applicator, a current sensor, and a discharge detector. The transfer device transfers a toner image from one surface to another by developing an electrical field across a transfer gap when provided with a transfer bias. The voltage applicator applies a stepped test voltage to the transfer device. The current sensor senses a current flowing to the transfer device during application of the test voltage the discharge detector detects an electrical discharge occurring in the transfer gap based on a rate of increase of the sensed current.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2009Date of Patent: August 30, 2011Assignee: Ricoh Company LimitedInventors: Masaki Sukesako, Nobuyuki Koinuma, Kazuhisa Sudo, Kazuhiko Yuki, Hiroaki Takahashi, Takehide Mizutani, Ryuji Yoshida
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Publication number: 20100040393Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes multiple image forming units disposed adjacent to and horizontally aligned with each other to form respective single non-black color images, a first transfer member to sequentially transfer and overlay the respective single non-black color images thereon for forming a composite color image, a black image forming unit disposed separately from the multiple image forming units including a black image carrier and a black image developing unit, a second transfer member to transfer the black image from the black image forming unit onto a recording medium, a first cleaning unit to clean the surface of the black image carrier, and a second cleaning unit to clean the surface of the second transfer member. The black toner removed from the surface of the black image carrier is collected to the black image developing unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2009Publication date: February 18, 2010Inventors: Shinichi Kawahara, Masumi Sato, Nobuyuki Koinuma, Kazuhisa Sudo, Tokuya Ojimi, Kazuhiko Yuki, Kohsuke Yamamoto, Takehide Mizutani, Masaki Sukesako, Ryuji Yoshida
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Publication number: 20090196638Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer device, a voltage applicator, a current sensor, and a discharge detector. The transfer device transfers a toner image from one surface to another by developing an electrical field across a transfer gap when provided with a transfer bias. The voltage applicator applies a stepped test voltage to the transfer device. The current sensor senses a current flowing to the transfer device during application of the test voltage the discharge detector detects an electrical discharge occurring in the transfer gap based on a rate of increase of the sensed current.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 6, 2009Publication date: August 6, 2009Inventors: Masaki SUKESAKO, Nobuyuki Koinuma, Kazuhisa Sudo, Kazuhiko Yuki, Hiroaki Takahashi, Takehide Mizutani, Ryuji Yoshida