Patents by Inventor Yuka Aoyama

Yuka Aoyama 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).

  • Patent number: 9244423
    Abstract: A cleaning blade includes a supporting member, and a tabular elastic member. One end portion of the elastic member is fixed to the supporting member, and the other end portion is a free end portion whose tip edge is to be contacted with a member to be cleaned while rubbing the surface to remove a residual material therefrom. The tip portion of the free end portion of the elastic member ranging in length from 0 to 500 ?m from the tip surface thereof includes at least a cured material of a curable compound and an elastic material of the elastic member. The elastic member satisfies the relationship, 0.05(%)?[(tM?tA)/tA]×100?2%, wherein tM represents the maximum thickness of the tip portion of the elastic member, and tA represents the average thickness of the rear portion of the free end portion of the elastic member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Masanobu Gondoh, Shohei Gohda, Kaori Toyama, Shinji Nohsho, Masahiro Ohmori, Yohta Sakon, Hiromi Sakaguchi, Yuka Aoyama
  • Publication number: 20160004206
    Abstract: A cleaning blade cleaning the surface of an object includes a rigid holder; and a strip-shaped elastic body fixed on the holder, including a tip ridgeline to contact the surface of the object. The cleaning blade includes a part having a Martens hardness of from 0.9 to 5.0 N/mm2 at a depth of 20 ?m from an undersurface of the blade including the ridgeline, 0.3 to 0.8 N/mm2 at a depth of 40 ?m therefrom, and the Martens hardness at a depth of 20 ?m therefrom larger than that at a depth of 40 ?m therefrom by 0.6 N/mm2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2015
    Publication date: January 7, 2016
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiromi Sakaguchi, Shinji Nohsho, Yohta Sakon, Masahiro Ohmori, Yuka Aoyama, Masanobu Gondoh, Shohei Gohda, Kaori Toyama
  • Publication number: 20160004207
    Abstract: A cleaning blade cleaning the surface of an object includes a rigid holder; and a strip-shaped elastic body fixed on the holder, having a tip ridgeline to contact the surface of the object. The elastic body has a Martens hardness M1 in the range of from 0.9 to 10.0 N/mm2 at a position 300 ?m from the ridgeline on an undersurface of the elastic body including the ridgeline, a Martens hardness M2 at a position 1,000 ?m therefrom and a Martens hardness M3 at a position 2,000 ?m therefrom, and M1, M2 and M3 satisfy the following relationship: M1>M2>M3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Publication date: January 7, 2016
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiromi Sakaguchi, Shinji Nohsho, Yohta Sakon, Masahiro Ohmori, Yuka Aoyama, Masanobu Gondoh, Shohei Gohda, Kaori Toyama
  • Patent number: 9167825
    Abstract: A method is directed to producing liquid fermented milk, suppressing an increase in acidity and a decrease in pH over time during refrigerated storage, keeping a refreshing flavor (sour taste) originating from yogurt lactic acid bacteria for a long time, and suppressing production of an acid during storage to maintain good quality, without requiring heating after a fermentation step, use of a particular additive, and the like. The method for producing liquid fermented milk which uses a rod-shaped lactic acid bacteria and a coccus-shaped lactic acid bacteria as lactic acid bacteria to be added to a raw material for fermented milk, and which includes a homogenization step of obtaining the liquid fermented milk at a homogenization pressure of from 50 MPa to 100 MPa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: MEIJI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masato Saito, Yuka Aoyama, Masashi Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20150261171
    Abstract: A cleaning blade includes a supporting member, and a tabular elastic member. One end portion of the elastic member is fixed to the supporting member, and the other end portion is a free end portion whose tip edge is to be contacted with a member to be cleaned while rubbing the surface to remove a residual material therefrom. The tip portion of the free end portion of the elastic member ranging in length from 0 to 500 ?m from the tip surface thereof includes at least a cured material of a curable compound and an elastic material of the elastic member. The elastic member satisfies the relationship, 0.05(%)?[(tM?tA)/tA]×100?2%, wherein tM represents the maximum thickness of the tip portion of the elastic member, and tA represents the average thickness of the rear portion of the free end portion of the elastic member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Masanobu Gondoh, Shohei Gohda, Kaori Toyama, Shinji Nohsho, Masahiro Ohmori, Yohta Sakon, Hiromi Sakaguchi, Yuka Aoyama
  • Patent number: 9046864
    Abstract: Provided is a cleaning blade formed of an elastic blade and configured to abut on the surface of a cleaning target member, which allows a leading end edge portion of the elastic blade to move on the surface thereof, to remove powder from the surface of the cleaning target member. A blade surface of the elastic blade, which has the leading end edge portion of the elastic blade on one side thereof and faces the surface of the cleaning target member, has a Martens hardness of 1.2 N/mm2 or greater when it is indented by 5 ?m at a location that is 20 ?m away from the leading end edge portion, a Martens hardness of 1 N/mm2 or less when it is indented by 20 ?m at the location, and an elastic power of 70% or greater when it is indented by 5 ?m at the location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Masanobu Gondoh, Yohta Sakon, Yasuyuki Yamashita, Shohei Gohda, Yuka Aoyama, Shinji Nohsho
  • Publication number: 20150117896
    Abstract: A cleaning blade for an image forming apparatus includes a base and a contact portion disposed on the base that contacts and cleans a surface of an intermediate transfer belt. A Martens hardness of the contact portion of the cleaning blade is at least 2 [N/mm2] and not more than 10 [N/mm2].
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Naomi SUGIMOTO, Yoshiki Hozumi, Yohta Sakon, Shinji Nohsho, Masanobu Gondoh, Masahiro Ohmori, Shohei Gohda, Yuka Aoyama, Kaori Toyama
  • Publication number: 20150055995
    Abstract: A fixing member having a roller shape or a seamless belt shape for fixing toner is provided. The fixing member includes an elastic layer; an adhesive layer located overlying the elastic layer; and a release layer including a particulate material, which is arranged along the surface of the adhesive layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Yamashita, Yuka Aoyama, Shinji Nohsho
  • Patent number: 8897690
    Abstract: A cleaning blade, including a strip-shaped elastic blade to contact the surface of a member to be cleaned, traveling on an edge line of the elastic blade, to remove a powder from the surface thereof, wherein the edge line of the elastic blade is impregnated with an ultraviolet curable resin including a fluorinated acrylic monomer, a surface layer harder than the elastic blade is formed on each of an under surface thereof, having the edge line as one line of the under surface and facing the member, and an apical surface thereof, having the edge line as one line of the apical surface and being parallel to a direction of the thickness thereof, and the apical surface is impregnated with the ultraviolet curable resin at a depth of from 50 to 150 ?m and the under surface is impregnated therewith at a depth of from 20 to 100 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yohta Sakon, Masahiro Ohmori, Yuka Aoyama, Shinji Nohsho, Yasuyuki Yamashita, Masanobu Gondoh, Shohei Gohda
  • Publication number: 20140270876
    Abstract: A fixing member to fix toner on a recording medium includes a heat-resistant elastic layer and a release layer. The release layer includes a particle layer. The particle layer includes heat-resistant fine particles arranged in a surface direction on a surface of the heat-resistant elastic layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Yamashita, Yuka Aoyama, Shinji Nohsho
  • Publication number: 20140205338
    Abstract: Provided is a cleaning blade formed of an elastic blade and configured to abut on the surface of a cleaning target member, which allows a leading end edge portion of the elastic blade to move on the surface thereof, to remove powder from the surface of the cleaning target member. A blade surface of the elastic blade, which has the leading end edge portion of the elastic blade on one side thereof and faces the surface of the cleaning target member, has a Martens hardness of 1.2 N/mm2 or greater when it is indented by 5 ?m at a location that is 20 ?m away from the leading end edge portion, a Martens hardness of 1 N/mm2 or less when it is indented by 20 ?m at the location, and an elastic power of 70% or greater when it is indented by 5 ?m at the location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Masanobu Gondoh, Yohta Sakon, Yasuyuki Yamashita, Shohei Gohda, Yuka Aoyama, Shinji Nohsho
  • Publication number: 20130266692
    Abstract: A method is directed to producing liquid fermented milk, suppressing an increase in acidity and a decrease in pH over time during refrigerated storage, keeping a refreshing flavor (sour taste) originating from yogurt lactic acid bacteria for a long time, and suppressing production of an acid during storage to maintain good quality, without requiring heating after a fermentation step, use of a particular additive, and the like. The method for producing liquid fermented milk which uses a rod-shaped lactic acid bacteria and a coccus-shaped lactic acid bacteria as lactic acid bacteria to be added to a raw material for fermented milk, and which includes a homogenization step of obtaining the liquid fermented milk at a homogenization pressure of from 50 MPa to 100 MPa.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2011
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Applicant: MEIJI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masato Saito, Yuka Aoyama, Masashi Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20130243507
    Abstract: A cleaning blade, including a strip-shaped elastic blade to contact the surface of a member to be cleaned, traveling on an edge line of the elastic blade, to remove a powder from the surface thereof, wherein the edge line of the elastic blade is impregnated with an ultraviolet curable resin including a fluorinated acrylic monomer, a surface layer harder than the elastic blade is formed on each of an under surface thereof, having the edge line as one line of the under surface and facing the member, and an apical surface thereof, having the edge line as one line of the apical surface and being parallel to a direction of the thickness thereof, and the apical surface is impregnated with the ultraviolet curable resin at a depth of from 50 to 150 ?m and the under surface is impregnated therewith at a depth of from 20 to 100 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yohta Sakon, Masahiro Ohmori, Yuka Aoyama, Shinji Nohsho, Yasuyuki Yamashita, Masanobu Gondoh, Shohei Gohda