Patents by Inventor Tamotsu Ikeda
Tamotsu Ikeda 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: 11927900Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotator, a pressure rotator, a pressure plate, a pressing force, an entrance guide, an exit guide, and a transmission. The pressure rotator presses the fixing rotator to form a nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator. The pressure plate rotates about a fulcrum to press the pressure rotator. The pressing force adjuster adjusts a pressing force of the pressure rotator. The entrance guide guides a recording medium entering the nip. The exit guide guides the recording medium ejected from the nip. The transmission transmits a displacement of the pressure plate to the entrance guide and the exit guide.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2022Date of Patent: March 12, 2024Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Toshio Ogiso, Tamotsu Ikeda
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Patent number: 11841652Abstract: A contact-separation device brings a contact-separation member into contact with a contacted member separably and includes a biasing member that generates a biasing force. A presser presses the contact-separation member against the contacted member in a pressing direction with the biasing force from the biasing member. A cam presses the presser in an opposite direction being opposite to the pressing direction. The cam is rotatable and has a cam face. A cam follower has a cam contact face that contacts the cam face of the cam. The cam contact face is curved to project toward the cam. The cam contact face has a curvature that is smaller than a greatest curvature of the cam face of the cam and is greater than a smallest curvature of the cam face of the cam.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2022Date of Patent: December 12, 2023Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Seiji Saitoh, Takahiro Imada, Yoshikuni Sasaki, Tamotsu Ikeda, Hiromasa Takagi, Jun Okamoto
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Publication number: 20230251592Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotator, a pressure rotator, a pressure plate, a pressing force, an entrance guide, an exit guide, and a transmission. The pressure rotator presses the fixing rotator to form a nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator. The pressure plate rotates about a fulcrum to press the pressure rotator. The pressing force adjuster adjusts a pressing force of the pressure rotator. The entrance guide guides a recording medium entering the nip. The exit guide guides the recording medium ejected from the nip. The transmission transmits a displacement of the pressure plate to the entrance guide and the exit guide.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2022Publication date: August 10, 2023Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Toshio OGISO, Tamotsu IKEDA
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Publication number: 20230236533Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotator, a pressure rotator, a pressure plate, a pressing force adjuster, an entrance guide, an exit guide, and a guide. The pressure rotator presses the fixing rotator to form a nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator. The pressure plate rotates about a fulcrum to press the pressure rotator. The pressing force adjuster adjusts a pressing force of the pressure rotator. The entrance guide guides a recording medium entering the nip. The exit guide guides the recording medium ejected from the nip. The guide guides the pressure rotator in a direction inclined from a line connecting a rotation center of the fixing rotator and a rotation center of the pressure rotator toward downstream in a conveyance direction of the recording medium.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 8, 2022Publication date: July 27, 2023Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Tamotsu IKEDA, Toshio Ogiso
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Patent number: 11703787Abstract: A fixing device includes a heater, a heating rotator, a nip formation rotator, and an entry guide. The entry guide guides each of a first recording medium having a predetermined length or more and a second recording medium having a length less than the predetermined length to the fixing nip. The entry guide includes a first and second entry guide portion. The first entry guide portion guides the first recording medium toward a harder one of the heating rotator and the nip formation rotator and has an opening. The second entry guide portion guides the second recording passing through the opening to the fixing nip along a reference line connecting an entry and exit of the fixing nip or guides the second recording medium from an area including a softer one of the heating rotator and the nip formation rotator with respect to the reference line to the fixing nip.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2022Date of Patent: July 18, 2023Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Toshio Ogiso, Tamotsu Ikeda
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Patent number: 11693362Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes two rotators, a driver driving the rotators, a heating device to heat the rotator, a blower blowing air to the heating device, a temperature detector, a recording medium detector, a cover, an open-close detector, and circuitry. The circuitry detects an abnormal state and stops heat generation, determines whether the cover is closed using the open-close detector, controls the blower to blow air when the cover is closed, determines whether the recording medium is in the nip using the recording medium detector, controls the driver to rotate the two rotators when the cover is closed and no recording medium is in the nip, determines whether a temperature detected is equal to or lower than a threshold value before the cover is opened, and controls the blower to decrease an air volume when the temperature detected is equal to or lower than the threshold value.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2022Date of Patent: July 4, 2023Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Hiromasa Takagi, Seiji Saitoh, Jun Okamoto, Tamotsu Ikeda, Yoshikuni Sasaki, Takahiro Imada
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Patent number: 11573513Abstract: A heating device includes a housing, a heating member, a pressure member, a pair of openings, and a thermal insulator. The heating member and the pressure member extend along a longitudinal direction and press each other to form a nip portion in the housing. The heating member transfers heat to a recording medium passing through the nip portion. The pair of openings is disposed in the housing and opens facing both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the heating member so that air passes through the pair of openings. The thermal insulator is disposed inside the housing between the pair of openings and faces an outer peripheral surface of the heating member.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2021Date of Patent: February 7, 2023Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventor: Tamotsu Ikeda
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Publication number: 20230008258Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes two rotators, a driver driving the rotators, a heating device to heat the rotator, a blower blowing air to the heating device, a temperature detector, a recording medium detector, a cover, an open-close detector, and circuitry. The circuitry detects an abnormal state and stops heat generation, determines whether the cover is closed using the open-close detector, controls the blower to blow air when the cover is closed, determines whether the recording medium is in the nip using the recording medium detector, controls the driver to rotate the two rotators when the cover is closed and no recording medium is in the nip, determines whether a temperature detected is equal to or lower than a threshold value before the cover is opened, and controls the blower to decrease an air volume when the temperature detected is equal to or lower than the threshold value.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2022Publication date: January 12, 2023Inventors: Hiromasa TAKAGI, Seiji SAITOH, Jun OKAMOTO, Tamotsu IKEDA, Yoshikuni SASAKI, Takahiro IMADA
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Publication number: 20230004107Abstract: A contact-separation device brings a contact-separation member into contact with a contacted member separably and includes a biasing member that generates a biasing force. A presser presses the contact-separation member against the contacted member in a pressing direction with the biasing force from the biasing member. A cam presses the presser in an opposite direction being opposite to the pressing direction. The cam is rotatable and has a cam face. A cam follower has a cam contact face that contacts the cam face of the cam. The cam contact face is curved to project toward the cam. The cam contact face has a curvature that is smaller than a greatest curvature of the cam face of the cam and is greater than a smallest curvature of the cam face of the cam.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 26, 2022Publication date: January 5, 2023Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Seiji SAITOH, Takahiro IMADA, Yoshikuni SASAKI, Tamotsu IKEDA, Hiromasa TAKAGI, Jun OKAMOTO
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Publication number: 20220373950Abstract: A fixing device includes a heater, a heating rotator, a nip formation rotator, and an entry guide. The entry guide guides each of a first recording medium having a predetermined length or more and a second recording medium having a length less than the predetermined length to the fixing nip. The entry guide includes a first and second entry guide portion. The first entry guide portion guides the first recording medium toward a harder one of the heating rotator and the nip formation rotator and has an opening. The second entry guide portion guides the second recording passing through the opening to the fixing nip along a reference line connecting an entry and exit of the fixing nip or guides the second recording medium from an area including a softer one of the heating rotator and the nip formation rotator with respect to the reference line to the fixing nip.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 19, 2022Publication date: November 24, 2022Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Toshio OGISO, Tamotsu IKEDA
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Patent number: 11204570Abstract: A contact-separation mechanism includes a cam to rotate to move a contact-separation member to and from a counterpart member, a detection target to rotate together with the cam, and a detector to detect presence or absence of the detection target in a detection area of the detector, and circuitry. The cam has a reference range. The circuitry issues a rotation stop instruction of the cam after a target time elapses from passing of the reference range of the detection target through the detection area, and sets the target time based on a duration of an immediately preceding passing of the reference range through the detection area.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2019Date of Patent: December 21, 2021Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Shigeo Nanno, Kimihiro Tanaka, Tamotsu Ikeda, Kenji Tomita, Osamu Saito
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Publication number: 20210364962Abstract: A heating device includes a housing, a heating member, a pressure member, a pair of openings, and a thermal insulator. The heating member and the pressure member extend along a longitudinal direction and press each other to form a nip portion in the housing. The heating member transfers heat to a recording medium passing through the nip portion. The pair of openings is disposed in the housing and opens facing both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the heating member so that air passes through the pair of openings. The thermal insulator is disposed inside the housing between the pair of openings and faces an outer peripheral surface of the heating member.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 20, 2021Publication date: November 25, 2021Inventor: Tamotsu IKEDA
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Publication number: 20200172359Abstract: A contact-separation mechanism includes a cam to rotate to move a contact-separation member to and from a counterpart member, a detection target to rotate together with the cam, and a detector to detect presence or absence of the detection target in a detection area of the detector, and circuitry. The cam has a reference range. The circuitry issues a rotation stop instruction of the cam after a target time elapses from passing of the reference range of the detection target through the detection area, and sets the target time based on a duration of an immediately preceding passing of the reference range through the detection area.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 7, 2019Publication date: June 4, 2020Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: SHIGEO NANNO, Kimihiro Tanaka, Tamotsu Ikeda, Kenji Tomita, Osamu Saito
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Patent number: 10374849Abstract: The present technology relates to a signal processing apparatus and method which can suppress increase in power consumption. In an aspect of the present technology, control data, which is for controlling frequency modulation to a carrier signal using digital data to be transmitted, and for suppressing a time average of a fluctuation amount of a frequency modulation amount more than a case of controlling the frequency modulation to the carrier signal using the digital data is generated, the frequency modulation is performed to the carrier signal on the basis of the generated control data, and the carrier signal to which the frequency modulation is performed is transmitted as a transmission signal. The present technology can be applied to, for example, a signal processing apparatus, a transmission apparatus, a reception apparatus, a communication apparatus, or an electronic apparatus having a transmission function, a reception function, or a communication function, or a computer which controls these.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2015Date of Patent: August 6, 2019Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Seiji Kobayashi, Toshiyuki Hiroi, Katsuyuki Tanaka, Tamotsu Ikeda, Hitoshi Tomiyama, Makoto Sato, Hiroyuki Mita
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Patent number: 10078300Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotator including a primary portion and a secondary portion disposed outboard from the primary portion in an axial direction of the fixing rotator. A pressure rotator contacts the fixing rotator to form a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator, through which a recording medium is conveyed. A primary heater heats the primary portion of the fixing rotator. A secondary heater heats the secondary portion of the fixing rotator. A primary temperature detector is isolated from the fixing rotator and detects a temperature of the primary portion of the fixing rotator. A secondary temperature detector contacts the fixing rotator and detects a temperature of the secondary portion of the fixing rotator. The primary temperature detector has a thermal time constant that is smaller than a thermal time constant of the secondary temperature detector.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2017Date of Patent: September 18, 2018Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Masahiro Samei, Toshio Ogiso, Tamotsu Ikeda, Shigeo Nanno
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Patent number: 10036987Abstract: A fixing device is removably installed inside an apparatus body including an apparatus guide. The fixing device includes a convex guide guided along the apparatus guide and a heater to heat a recording medium to fix a toner image on the recording medium. The heater includes a lateral end in a longitudinal direction of the heater. The lateral end is disposed inside the convex guide.Type: GrantFiled: August 14, 2017Date of Patent: July 31, 2018Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Shigeo Nanno, Toshio Ogiso, Masahiro Samei, Tamotsu Ikeda
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Patent number: 9992446Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image transmission system including a plurality of cameras and a coaxial cable for transmitting image signals from the cameras, wherein: each of the cameras includes an imaging block configured to acquire an image signal by imaging an object, a coding block configured to compression-code the image signal through intra-frame compression and inter-frame compression so as to generate a coded signal, and a signal output block configured to output the coded signal onto the coaxial cable; and the camera of interest outputs the coded signal obtained through inter-frame compression onto the coaxial cable when another of the cameras outputs the coded signal obtained through intra-frame compression onto the coaxial cable.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2016Date of Patent: June 5, 2018Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATIONInventors: Hideyuki Matsumoto, Tamotsu Ikeda, Tetsuya Narita
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Patent number: 9954925Abstract: Provided is a transmission device including a stream input unit configured to input a plurality of streams each constituted of continuous packets, a stream synthesizing unit configured to synthesize the plurality of input streams to obtain one stream, and a stream transmission unit configured to transmit the one obtained stream. The stream synthesizing unit encodes at least a typical pattern portion of each packet of the plurality of streams using keys that are intrinsic to the respective streams for separation of packets of each stream on a reception side, and thereafter performs time-division multiplexing on the packets of the plurality of streams to obtain the one stream.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2013Date of Patent: April 24, 2018Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLCInventors: Masahiko Sato, Kazutoyo Sekine, Tamotsu Ikeda
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Publication number: 20180107142Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotator including a primary portion and a secondary portion disposed outboard from the primary portion in an axial direction of the fixing rotator. A pressure rotator contacts the fixing rotator to form a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator, through which a recording medium is conveyed. A primary heater heats the primary portion of the fixing rotator. A secondary heater heats the secondary portion of the fixing rotator. A primary temperature detector is isolated from the fixing rotator and detects a temperature of the primary portion of the fixing rotator. A secondary temperature detector contacts the fixing rotator and detects a temperature of the secondary portion of the fixing rotator. The primary temperature detector has a thermal time constant that is smaller than a thermal time constant of the secondary temperature detector.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 9, 2017Publication date: April 19, 2018Inventors: Masahiro SAMEI, Toshio Ogiso, Tamotsu Ikeda, Shigeo Nanno
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Publication number: 20180067431Abstract: A fixing device is removably installed inside an apparatus body including an apparatus guide. The fixing device includes a convex guide guided along the apparatus guide and a heater to heat a recording medium to fix a toner image on the recording medium. The heater includes a lateral end in a longitudinal direction of the heater. The lateral end is disposed inside the convex guide.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 14, 2017Publication date: March 8, 2018Inventors: Shigeo NANNO, Toshio Ogiso, Masahiro Samei, Tamotsu Ikeda