Patents by Inventor Hideo Yoshizawa
Hideo Yoshizawa 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: 20240134301Abstract: A toner container (32) includes a rotatable container body (33). The container body includes an opening portion (33c) and a plurality of projections (33a). The opening portion is on a first end, which is opposite a second end, of the container body in a rotation axis direction. The plurality of projections are each protrude inward and have a slope inclined with respect to the rotation axis direction. The plurality of projections are disposed such that, out of two adjacent projections in the rotation axis direction, one projection closer to the first end of the container body in the rotation axis direction overlaps the other projection closer to the second end of the container body in the rotation axis direction, in an area of the one projection closer to the second end and an area of the other projection closer to the first end in the rotation axis direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 4, 2022Publication date: April 25, 2024Inventors: Hideo YOSHIZAWA, Kei SAITO, Yuki OSHIKAWA
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Patent number: 11803134Abstract: A powder container contains powder and is attached to an image forming apparatus including: a conveying nozzle to convey the powder; a powder receiving hole of the conveying nozzle to receive the powder from the powder container; an apparatus main-body gear to transmit a driving force to the powder container; and a container receiving section including the conveying nozzle and receiving the powder container. The powder container includes: an opening at one end of the powder container in a longitudinal direction; a nozzle receiver at the opening to receive the conveying nozzle; a conveyor to convey the powder; and a container gear to drive the conveyor by meshing with the apparatus main-body gear. The container gear is to mesh with the apparatus main-body gear at a position closer to the opening than the powder receiving hole in the longitudinal direction. The opening is to mate with the container receiving section.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2022Date of Patent: October 31, 2023Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Kenji Kikuchi, Shinji Tamaki, Hiroshi Hosokawa, Shunji Katoh, Michiharu Suzuki, Hideo Yoshizawa, Shingo Kuboki
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Patent number: 11754947Abstract: A toner container includes a container body, a gear, a held portion, an information storage device, a holding portion, and a connecting portion. The container body is rotatable around a rotation axis. The gear is disposed on a leading end of the toner container in the attaching direction of the toner container. The held portion is disposed such that the gear is exposed on the leading end in the attaching direction. The information storage device communicates with the body of the image forming apparatus. The holding portion is held by the held portion via the connecting portion. The information storage device, the holding portion, and the connecting portion are disposed at oblique positions excluding positions on a horizontal line and a vertical line. The connecting portion covers a part of the gear in a rotation direction and includes a rib-shaped portion that connects the held portion and the holding portion.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2022Date of Patent: September 12, 2023Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Hideo Yoshizawa, Kei Saito, Yuki Oshikawa
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Publication number: 20220317595Abstract: A toner container includes a container body, a gear, a held portion, an information storage device, a holding portion, and a connecting portion. The container body is rotatable around a rotation axis. The gear is disposed on a leading end of the toner container in the attaching direction of the toner container. The held portion is disposed such that the gear is exposed on the leading end in the attaching direction. The information storage device communicates with the body of the image forming apparatus. The holding portion is held by the held portion via the connecting portion. The information storage device, the holding portion, and the connecting portion are disposed at oblique positions excluding positions on a horizontal line and a vertical line. The connecting portion covers a part of the gear in a rotation direction and includes a rib-shaped portion that connects the held portion and the holding portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 29, 2022Publication date: October 6, 2022Inventors: Hideo YOSHIZAWA, Kei SAITO, Yuki OSHIKAWA
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Publication number: 20220253001Abstract: A powder container contains powder and is attached to an image forming apparatus including: a conveying nozzle to convey the powder; a powder receiving hole of the conveying nozzle to receive the powder from the powder container; an apparatus main-body gear to transmit a driving force to the powder container; and a container receiving section including the conveying nozzle and receiving the powder container. The powder container includes: an opening at one end of the powder container in a longitudinal direction; a nozzle receiver at the opening to receive the conveying nozzle; a conveyor to convey the powder; and a container gear to drive the conveyor by meshing with the apparatus main-body gear. The container gear is to mesh with the apparatus main-body gear at a position closer to the opening than the powder receiving hole in the longitudinal direction. The opening is to mate with the container receiving section.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 27, 2022Publication date: August 11, 2022Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Kenji KIKUCHI, Shinji TAMAKI, Hiroshi HOSOKAWA, Shunji KATOH, Michiharu SUZUKI, Hideo YOSHIZAWA, Shingo KUBOKI
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Patent number: 11372347Abstract: A powder container contains powder and is attached to an image forming apparatus including: a conveying nozzle to convey the powder; a powder receiving hole of the conveying nozzle to receive the powder from the powder container; an apparatus main-body gear to transmit a driving force to the powder container; and a container receiving section including the conveying nozzle and receiving the powder container. The powder container includes: an opening at one end of the powder container in a longitudinal direction; a nozzle receiver at the opening to receive the conveying nozzle; a conveyor to convey the powder; and a container gear to drive the conveyor by meshing with the apparatus main-body gear. The container gear is to mesh with the apparatus main-body gear at a position closer to the opening than the powder receiving hole in the longitudinal direction. The opening is to mate with the container receiving section.Type: GrantFiled: December 3, 2020Date of Patent: June 28, 2022Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Kenji Kikuchi, Shinji Tamaki, Hiroshi Hosokawa, Shunji Katoh, Michiharu Suzuki, Hideo Yoshizawa, Shingo Kuboki
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Patent number: 11048189Abstract: A toner container includes a cylindrical container body having a head with an opening in the head, a cap into which the head of the container body is inserted, and a sheet member attached inside the cap. The cylindrical container body rotates around a rotation axis extending in a longitudinal direction of the container body to transport toner contained in the container body toward the opening. The cap has a toner outlet through which the toner discharged from the opening is discharged outside the toner container. The sheet member includes a first elastic-deformation portion that is elastically deformable and located near the toner outlet, and a second elastic-deformation portion that is elastically deformable and located in the container body and near the opening.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2020Date of Patent: June 29, 2021Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Takahiro Adachi, Koichi Yamazaki, Hideo Yoshizawa, Tatsuya Ohhira
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Publication number: 20210088935Abstract: A powder container contains powder and is attached to an image forming apparatus including: a conveying nozzle to convey the powder; a powder receiving hole of the conveying nozzle to receive the powder from the powder container; an apparatus main-body gear to transmit a driving force to the powder container; and a container receiving section including the conveying nozzle and receiving the powder container. The powder container includes: an opening at one end of the powder container in a longitudinal direction; a nozzle receiver at the opening to receive the conveying nozzle; a conveyor to convey the powder; and a container gear to drive the conveyor by meshing with the apparatus main-body gear. The container gear is to mesh with the apparatus main-body gear at a position closer to the opening than the powder receiving hole in the longitudinal direction. The opening is to mate with the container receiving section.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 3, 2020Publication date: March 25, 2021Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.,Inventors: Kenji KIKUCHI, Shinji TAMAKI, Hiroshi HOSOKAWA, Shunji KATOH, Michiharu SUZUKI, Hideo YOSHIZAWA, Shingo KUBOKI
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Patent number: 10935905Abstract: A powder container contains powder and is attached to an image forming apparatus including: a conveying nozzle to convey the powder; a powder receiving hole of the conveying nozzle to receive the powder from the powder container; an apparatus main-body gear to transmit a driving force to the powder container; and a container receiving section including the conveying nozzle and receiving the powder container. The powder container includes: an opening at one end of the powder container in a longitudinal direction; a nozzle receiver at the opening to receive the conveying nozzle; a conveyor to convey the powder; and a container gear to drive the conveyor by meshing with the apparatus main-body gear. The container gear is to mesh with the apparatus main-body gear at a position closer to the opening than the powder receiving hole in the longitudinal direction. The opening is to mate with the container receiving section.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2020Date of Patent: March 2, 2021Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Kenji Kikuchi, Shinji Tamaki, Hiroshi Hosokawa, Shunji Katoh, Michiharu Suzuki, Hideo Yoshizawa, Shingo Kuboki
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Patent number: 10895827Abstract: A developer conveyor includes a shaft; a first blade helically wound around the shaft in a first direction, a second blade disposed away from an end of the first blade with a gap in a longitudinal axial direction of the developer conveyor and helically wound around the shaft in a second direction opposite the first direction, and a third blade helically wound around the shaft in the first direction at least at a position where the gap is formed.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2020Date of Patent: January 19, 2021Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Tatsuya Ohhira, Koichi Yamazaki, Hideo Yoshizawa, Takahiro Adachi
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Publication number: 20210003942Abstract: A powder container contains powder and is attached to an image forming apparatus including: a conveying nozzle to convey the powder; a powder receiving hole of the conveying nozzle to receive the powder from the powder container; an apparatus main-body gear to transmit a driving force to the powder container; and a container receiving section including the conveying nozzle and receiving the powder container. The powder container includes: an opening at one end of the powder container in a longitudinal direction; a nozzle receiver at the opening to receive the conveying nozzle; a conveyor to convey the powder; and a container gear to drive the conveyor by meshing with the apparatus main-body gear. The container gear is to mesh with the apparatus main-body gear at a position closer to the opening than the powder receiving hole in the longitudinal direction. The opening is to mate with the container receiving section.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 17, 2020Publication date: January 7, 2021Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Kenji KIKUCHI, Shinji TAMAKI, Hiroshi HOSOKAWA, Shunji KATOH, Michiharu SUZUKI, Hideo YOSHIZAWA, Shingo KUBOKl
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Patent number: 10809648Abstract: A powder container contains powder and is attached to an image forming apparatus including: a conveying nozzle to convey the powder; a powder receiving hole of the conveying nozzle to receive the powder from the powder container; an apparatus main-body gear to transmit a driving force to the powder container; and a container receiving section including the conveying nozzle and receiving the powder container. The powder container includes: an opening at one end of the powder container in a longitudinal direction; a nozzle receiver at the opening to receive the conveying nozzle; a conveyor to convey the powder; and a container gear to drive the conveyor by meshing with the apparatus main-body gear. The container gear is to mesh with the apparatus main-body gear at a position closer to the opening than the powder receiving hole in the longitudinal direction. The opening is to mate with the container receiving section.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2019Date of Patent: October 20, 2020Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Kenji Kikuchi, Shinji Tamaki, Hiroshi Hosokawa, Shunji Katoh, Michiharu Suzuki, Hideo Yoshizawa, Shingo Kuboki
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Publication number: 20200292963Abstract: A toner container includes a cylindrical container body having a head with an opening in the head, a cap into which the head of the container body is inserted, and a sheet member attached inside the cap. The cylindrical container body rotates around a rotation axis extending in a longitudinal direction of the container body to transport toner contained in the container body toward the opening. The cap has a toner outlet through which the toner discharged from the opening is discharged outside the toner container. The sheet member includes a first elastic-deformation portion that is elastically deformable and located near the toner outlet, and a second elastic-deformation portion that is elastically deformable and located in the container body and near the opening.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 25, 2020Publication date: September 17, 2020Inventors: Takahiro ADACHI, Koichi YAMAZAKI, Hideo YOSHIZAWA, Tatsuya OHHIRA
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Publication number: 20200264538Abstract: A developer conveyor includes a shaft; a first blade helically wound around the shaft in a first direction, a second blade disposed away from an end of the first blade with a gap in a longitudinal axial direction of the developer conveyor and helically wound around the shaft in a second direction opposite the first direction, and a third blade helically wound around the shaft in the first direction at least at a position where the gap is formed.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2020Publication date: August 20, 2020Inventors: Tatsuya OHHIRA, Koichi Yamazaki, Hideo Yoshizawa, Takahiro Adachi
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Publication number: 20200183303Abstract: A powder container contains powder and is attached to an image forming apparatus including: a conveying nozzle to convey the powder; a powder receiving hole of the conveying nozzle to receive the powder from the powder container; an apparatus main-body gear to transmit a driving force to the powder container; and a container receiving section including the conveying nozzle and receiving the powder container. The powder container includes: an opening at one end of the powder container in a longitudinal direction; a nozzle receiver at the opening to receive the conveying nozzle; a conveyor to convey the powder; and a container gear to drive the conveyor by meshing with the apparatus main-body gear. The container gear is to mesh with the apparatus main-body gear at a position closer to the opening than the powder receiving hole in the longitudinal direction. The opening is to mate with the container receiving section.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 6, 2019Publication date: June 11, 2020Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Kenji KIKUCHI, Shinji TAMAKI, Hiroshi HOSOKAWA, Shunji KATOH, Michiharu SUZUKI, Hideo YOSHIZAWA, Shingo KUBOKl
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Patent number: 10564592Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a removable component configured to be removably installed in an installation position in the apparatus body, a cover configured to open and close when the removable component is removed from or installed in the installation position, a replacement removable component configured to be installable in and removable from the installation position in which the removable component is installed, and a holder configured to hold the replacement removable component at a different position from the installation position when the removable component is installed in the installation position and the cover opens. The replacement removable component held by the holder is configured to inhibit the cover from closing.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2019Date of Patent: February 18, 2020Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTDInventors: Michiharu Suzuki, Jun Shiori, Hideo Yoshizawa, Toshio Koike, Teppei Kikuchi, Kazuhiro Aso, Keinosuke Kondoh
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Patent number: 10534290Abstract: A powder container contains powder and is attached to an image forming apparatus including: a conveying nozzle to convey the powder; a powder receiving hole of the conveying nozzle to receive the powder from the powder container; an apparatus main-body gear to transmit a driving force to the powder container; and a container receiving section including the conveying nozzle and receiving the powder container. The powder container includes: an opening at one end of the powder container in a longitudinal direction; a nozzle receiver at the opening to receive the conveying nozzle; a conveyor to convey the powder; and a container gear to drive the conveyor by meshing with the apparatus main-body gear. The container gear is to mesh with the apparatus main-body gear at a position closer to the opening than the powder receiving hole in the longitudinal direction. The opening is to mate with the container receiving section.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2016Date of Patent: January 14, 2020Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Kenji Kikuchi, Shinji Tamaki, Hiroshi Hosokawa, Shunji Katoh, Michiharu Suzuki, Hideo Yoshizawa, Shingo Kuboki
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Patent number: 10520856Abstract: A developing device includes a developer bearer opposed to an image bearer, configured to bear developer and rotate in a direction of rotation of the developer bearer, and configured to develop a latent image on the image bearer and a casing opposed to the developer bearer at a position downstream from an opposed position, at which the developer bearer is opposed to the image bearer, in the direction of rotation of the developer bearer. A casing gap between the developer bearer and the casing continuously decreases or increases from a first end of the developing device to a second end of the developing device across a center of the developing device in a longitudinal direction of the developing device.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2018Date of Patent: December 31, 2019Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Toshio Koike, Jun Shiori, Hideo Yoshizawa, Keinosuke Kondoh, Teppei Kikuchi, Kazuhiro Aso, Michiharu Suzuki
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Patent number: 10409196Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transferor to rotate in a predetermined rotation direction, a plurality of image bearers disposed along the intermediate transferor to bear latent images, a plurality of developing devices to develop the latent images, a plurality of developer containers to contain developers, and a plurality of conveyance paths each corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of developing devices and a respective one of the plurality of developer containers to supply the developers to the plurality of developing devices respectively. An arrangement of the plurality of developing devices in the predetermined rotation direction is configured to be changed without changing an arrangement of the plurality of developer containers. A layout of the plurality of conveyance paths is configured to be changed without changing connections between a supply source and a supply destination of the plurality of conveyance paths.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2018Date of Patent: September 10, 2019Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Toshio Koike, Jun Shiori, Teppei Kikuchi, Michiharu Suzuki, Kazuhiro Aso, Keinosuke Kondoh, Tadashi Ogawa, Hideo Yoshizawa
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Publication number: 20190227479Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a removable component configured to be removably installed in an installation position in the apparatus body, a cover configured to open and close when the removable component is removed from or installed in the installation position, a replacement removable component configured to be installable in and removable from the installation position in which the removable component is installed, and a holder configured to hold the replacement removable component at a different position from the installation position when the removable component is installed in the installation position and the cover opens. The replacement removable component held by the holder is configured to inhibit the cover from closing.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 3, 2019Publication date: July 25, 2019Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Michiharu SUZUKI, Jun SHIORI, Hideo YOSHIZAWA, Toshio KOIKE, Teppei KIKUCHI, Kazuhiro ASO, Keinosuke KONDOH