Patents by Inventor Hideo Ichikawa

Hideo Ichikawa 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: 9022220
    Abstract: A sieving system includes a filter; a blade stirring a powder accumulated on the filter; a driver driving the blade; a notifier notifying predetermined information of a status of the filter, based on a load of the driver while driving the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kaori Ozeki, Tatsushi Umayahara, Hideo Ichikawa, Tetsuya Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8973759
    Abstract: A sieving device including a hollow cylindrical body, a filter disposed at a bottom portion of the hollow cylindrical body, and a blade configured to rotate in close proximity to the filter around a rotation axis thereof crossing the filter to thereby stir powder supplied to the hollow cylindrical body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Ichikawa, Kaori Ozeki, Tatsushi Umayahara, Takashi Ono, Masayoshi Suzuki, Teruo Shibata, Keiichi Yano, Masato Suzuki, Eiichi Masushio, Hiroshi Sano, Yusuke Uchida, Junji Yamabe, Seiji Terazawa, Masashi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 8934816
    Abstract: A sieve device is provided. The sieve device includes a sieve body and an inlet unit. The sieve body includes a cylinder, a filter, and a blade. The cylinder is adapted to be supplied with a powder. The filter is disposed at a bottom of the cylinder. The blade is adapted to agitate the powder within the cylinder to allow the powder to pass through the filter. The blade is rotatable about a rotation axis that intersects with the filter in proximity to the filter. The inlet unit is adapted to introduce the powder into the sieve body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Junji Yamabe, Hideo Ichikawa, Seiji Terazawa, Masashi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 8929776
    Abstract: A nozzle is provided. The nozzle includes a gas injection unit, a sieve body, and a derivation unit. The gas injection unit is adapted to inject a gas into a powder container containing a powder. The sieve body includes a cylinder, a filter, and a blade. The cylinder has a communication aperture for communicating the cylinder with the powder container. The filter is disposed at a bottom of the cylinder. The blade is adapted to agitate the powder introduced into the cylinder from the powder container through the communication aperture upon injection of the gas into the powder container to allow the powder to pass through the filter. The blade is rotatable about a rotation axis that intersects with the filter in proximity to the filter. The derivation unit is adapted to derive the powder passed through the filter out of the powder container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Junji Yamabe, Hideo Ichikawa, Seiji Terazawa, Masashi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 8929777
    Abstract: A sieve device is provided. The sieve device includes a sieve body and an introduction unit. The sieve body includes a cylinder, a filter, and a blade. The cylinder is adapted to be supplied with toner particles. The filter is disposed at a bottom of the cylinder. The blade is adapted to agitate the toner particles within the cylinder to allow the toner particles to pass through the filter. The blade is rotatable about a rotation axis that intersects with the filter in proximity to the filter. The introduction unit is adapted to introduce the toner particles passed through the filter outside the sieve body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Junji Yamabe, Hideo Ichikawa, Seiji Terazawa, Masashi Hasegawa
  • Publication number: 20130319913
    Abstract: A sieving system includes a filter; a blade stirring a powder accumulated on the filter; a driver driving the blade; a notifier notifying predetermined information of a status of the filter, based on a load of the driver while driving the blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2013
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Inventors: Kaori OZEKI, Tatsushi UMAYAHARA, Hideo ICHIKAWA, Tetsuya YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20130216271
    Abstract: A sieve device is provided. The sieve device includes a sieve body and an inlet unit. The sieve body includes a cylinder, a filter, and a blade. The cylinder is adapted to be supplied with a powder. The filter is disposed at a bottom of the cylinder. The blade is adapted to agitate the powder within the cylinder to allow the powder to pass through the filter. The blade is rotatable about a rotation axis that intersects with the filter in proximity to the filter. The inlet unit is adapted to introduce the powder into the sieve body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2013
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Inventors: Junji Yamabe, Hideo Ichikawa, Seiji Terazawa, Masashi Hasegawa
  • Publication number: 20130216270
    Abstract: A sieve device is provided. The sieve device includes a sieve body and an introduction unit. The sieve body includes a cylinder, a filter, and a blade. The cylinder is adapted to be supplied with toner particles. The filter is disposed at a bottom of the cylinder. The blade is adapted to agitate the toner particles within the cylinder to allow the toner particles to pass through the filter. The blade is rotatable about a rotation axis that intersects with the filter in proximity to the filter. The introduction unit is adapted to introduce the toner particles passed through the filter outside the sieve body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2013
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Inventors: Junji YAMABE, Hideo Ichikawa, Seiji Terazawa, Masashi Hasegawa
  • Publication number: 20130216269
    Abstract: A nozzle is provided. The nozzle includes a gas injection unit, a sieve body, and a derivation unit. The gas injection unit is adapted to inject a gas into a powder container containing a powder. The sieve body includes a cylinder, a filter, and a blade. The cylinder has a communication aperture for communicating the cylinder with the powder container. The filter is disposed at a bottom of the cylinder. The blade is adapted to agitate the powder introduced into the cylinder from the powder container through the communication aperture upon injection of the gas into the powder container to allow the powder to pass through the filter. The blade is rotatable about a rotation axis that intersects with the filter in proximity to the filter. The derivation unit is adapted to derive the powder passed through the filter out of the powder container.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2013
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Inventors: Junji Yamabe, Hideo Ichikawa, Seiji Terazawa, Masashi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 8478172
    Abstract: A transport member for a powder transport includes a revolving shaft, a transport part that extends in a helical shape relative to an axial direction of the revolving shaft, includes one end part with a free end and the other end part at an opposite side of the one end part, and transports a powder at the time of revolution of the revolving shaft, and one support part that supports the other end part of the transport part by being arranged with the revolving shaft, wherein the transport part is not supported by another support part that is arranged at an phase angle between the one support part and the another support part of 90 degrees or more, in a direction of the revolving shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 8401438
    Abstract: A conveyance member includes: a rotational shaft; a support portion that extends from the rotational shaft in a direction crossing an axial direction of the rotational shaft; and an arcuate member that includes one end that is supported by the support portion, and another end that extends in a direction different from the rotational direction, wherein a distance between an outer edge of the arcuate member at the other end and the rotational shaft is longer than a distance between an outer edge of the arcuate member at the one end and the rotational shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Ichikawa, Ryoji Sugimoto, Takashi Sakamoto, Masatoshi Norigoe
  • Patent number: 8369751
    Abstract: A conveyor includes a rotation shaft and a plurality of convey members provided along an axial direction of the rotation shaft, wherein at least one part of the plurality of convey members is an arc convey member that includes: an arc part having an outer periphery that forms an arc forming a part of a spiral so that an angle between two perpendiculars extended from two ends of the arc is smaller than 360°; and a support part that supports the arc part, with the outer periphery of the arc part inclined to the axial direction of the rotation shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Ichikawa, Hirokazu Murase
  • Publication number: 20120234735
    Abstract: A sieving device including a hollow cylindrical body, a filter disposed at a bottom portion of the hollow cylindrical body, and a blade configured to rotate in close proximity to the filter around a rotation axis thereof crossing the filter to thereby stir powder supplied to the hollow cylindrical body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hideo ICHIKAWA, Kaori Ozeki, Tatsushi Umayahara, Takashi Ono, Masayoshi Suzuki, Teruo Shibata, Keiichi Yano, Masato Suzuki, Eiichi Masushio, Hiroshi Sano, Yusuke Uchida, Junji Yamabe, Seiji Terazawa, Masashi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 7869747
    Abstract: A developer container includes: a container chamber that has a container space for containing a developer; and an conveyance member having a rotation shaft and a spiral member and which rotates inside the container space about the rotation shaft, the spiral member being spirally extended to hold a first angle to an axial direction of the rotation shaft, and the spiral member being provided with a plurality of low-angle portions, wherein at least one of the low-angle portions is provided in each unit segment which is equivalent to one turn of the spiral member about the rotation shaft, and an amount of a developer contained in the container space is enough to constantly bury any of the plurality of low-angle portions in the developer under a condition that the axial direction of the rotation shaft is held to be horizontal inside the container space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20110002714
    Abstract: A conveyance member includes: a rotational shaft; a support portion that extends from the rotational shaft in a direction crossing an axial direction of the rotational shaft; and an arcuate member that includes one end that is supported by the support portion, and another end that extends in a direction different from the rotational direction, wherein a distance between an outer edge of the arcuate member at the other end and the rotational shaft is longer than a distance between an outer edge of the arcuate member at the one end and the rotational shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2010
    Publication date: January 6, 2011
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideo ICHIKAWA, Ryoji SUGIMOTO, Takashi SAKAMOTO, Masatoshi NORIGOE
  • Patent number: 7792469
    Abstract: A developer storage container includes a container body, an opening formed in the container body, an opening-and-closing cover, a cover holding frame that holds the cover so that the cover is movable between opening and closing positions, a protrusion portion, a blocking portion and a position regulating protrusion. When the opening-and-closing cover moves in the opening-and-closing direction toward the opening position and reaches a certain intermediate position, the blocking portion contacts with the protrusion portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Ichikawa, Hirokazu Murase
  • Patent number: 7792468
    Abstract: A developer storage container includes a container body, an opening formed in the container body, an opening-and-closing cover, a cover holding frame that holds the cover so that the cover is movable between opening and closing positions, a protrusion portion, a blocking portion and a position regulating protrusion. When the opening-and-closing cover moves in the opening-and-closing direction toward the opening position and reaches a certain intermediate position, the blocking portion contacts with the protrusion portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Ichikawa, Hirokazu Murase
  • Patent number: 7715765
    Abstract: A detachable cartridge includes: a buffer portion that contacts with a contacted portion when the detachable cartridge is attached to an image forming apparatus body, the contacted portion being provided on the image forming apparatus body, and that buffers impact, the detachable cartridge being detachable from the image forming apparatus body during an image recording operation of recording an image on a recording sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Ichikawa, Naoto Nishi, Ryuji Hattori
  • Publication number: 20100111574
    Abstract: A transport member for a powder transport includes a revolving shaft, a transport part that extends in a helical shape relative to an axial direction of the revolving shaft, includes one end part with a free end and the other end part at an opposite side of the one end part, and transports a powder at the time of revolution of the revolving shaft, and one support part that supports the other end part of the transport part by being arranged with the revolving shaft, wherein the transport part is not supported by another support part that is arranged at an phase angle between the one support part and the another support part of 90 degrees or more, in a direction of the revolving shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2009
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Inventor: Hideo Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20100008698
    Abstract: A developer storage container includes a container body, an opening formed in the container body, an opening-and-closing cover, a cover holding frame that holds the cover so that the cover is movable between opening and closing positions, a protrusion portion, a blocking portion and a position regulating protrusion. When the opening-and-closing cover moves in the opening-and-closing direction toward the opening position and reaches a certain intermediate position, the blocking portion contacts with the protrusion portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2009
    Publication date: January 14, 2010
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideo Ichikawa, Hirokazu Murase