Patents by Inventor Atsushi Nakafuji

Atsushi Nakafuji 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).

  • Publication number: 20030016971
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a fixing member to be heated and a pressure-contacting member for pressure contacting the fixing member. The fixing apparatus directs and conveys a recording member through a nip formed between the fixing member and pressure applying member in such a manner that a toner image carried on a recording member contacts the fixing member in order to be fixed thereto with heat and pressure. The fixing apparatus is configured to direct a tip margin of the recording member toward the pressure applying member across a virtual linear extension line drawn from a downstream end to upstream end of the nip when only the tip margin exits from the nip. A fixing member side separation device may be separately provided from the surface of the fixing apparatus so as to separate the recording member exiting from the nip. A gap formed between the downstream end of the nip and the tip of the fixing member side separation device is set smaller than the width of the tip margin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2002
    Publication date: January 23, 2003
    Inventors: Hisashi Kikuchi, Shigeo Kurotaka, Kiyoshi Ohshima, Takashi Fujita, Toshihiko Baba, Atsushi Nakafuji, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Jun Yura, Katsuhiro Echigo, Hideki Kosugi
  • Publication number: 20020113050
    Abstract: A fixing device for forming a toner image formed on a recording medium includes a heat roller accommodating a halogen heater. The halogen heater includes a glass tube formed of transparent quartz and provided with a wall thickness of 0.8 mm or below to increase transmission thereof. The increased transmission reduces a heat loss ascribable to the glass tube at the time of warm-up of the fixing device. The heat roller has such a thermal capacity that it can be warmed up in 10 seconds or less. The glass tube is filled with inactive gas whose major component is krypton or xenon. A tungsten filament accommodated in the glass tube has its diameter reduced in order to implement a color temperature of 2.500 K or above. An image forming apparatus using the fixing device is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2002
    Publication date: August 22, 2002
    Inventors: Jun Yura, Takashi Fujita, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Atsushi Nakafuji
  • Publication number: 20020076243
    Abstract: A fixing device for fixing a toner image formed on a recording medium conveyed to a nip for fixation of the present invention includes a rotary body, a stationary heating member not forming the nip, a fixing belt passed over the rotary body and heating member, and a pressing member held in contact with the fixing belt. A resistance heating body is formed on the heating member with the intermediary of an electric insulation layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2001
    Publication date: June 20, 2002
    Inventors: Atsushi Nakafuji, Takashi Fujita, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Jun Yura
  • Publication number: 20020043523
    Abstract: A heating device of the present invention includes a main power source and an auxiliary power source implemented by a chargeable capacitor. A heater is made up of a main heating element that heats when supplied with power from the main power source and an auxiliary heating element that heat when supplied with power from the auxiliary power source. A charger charges the capacitor of the auxiliary power source when supplied with power from the main power source. A switch selectively causes the auxiliary power source to be charged or to feed power to the auxiliary heating element. A controller adjusts the power to be fed from the auxiliary power source to the auxiliary heating element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Publication date: April 18, 2002
    Inventors: Takashi Fujita, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Atsushi Nakafuji, Kazuhito Kishi, Eriko Chiba
  • Publication number: 20020031382
    Abstract: A heating roller including a core of hollow cylinder form and wherein a thickness of the core is thicker in a center portion thereof than in both end portions thereof. Further, a heating device may have the heating roller, a fixing device may have the heating roller and the heating device, and an image forming apparatus may have the heating roller, the heating device and the fixing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2001
    Publication date: March 14, 2002
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Jun Yura, Takashi Fujita, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Atsushi Nakafuji