Patents by Inventor Hirokazu Ikenoue
Hirokazu Ikenoue 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: 11312156Abstract: A drying device includes a contact heater unit to contact and heat a medium. The contact heater unit includes a plurality of heating members each having a curved contact face to contact the medium among plural heating members of the plurality of heating members to contact a first surface of the medium opposite a second surface of the medium on which liquid is applied. The plurality of heating members includes a first heating member and a plurality of second heating members. The first heating member has a maximum contact distance to contact the medium. The plurality of second heating members is disposed upstream from the first heating member in a direction of conveyance of the medium. Two heating members of the plurality of second heating members immediately upstream from the first heating member in the direction of conveyance of the medium contact the first surface of the medium.Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 2019Date of Patent: April 26, 2022Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Ken Onodera, Sho Sawahata, Junji Nakai, Toshihiro Yoshinuma, Yasuhisa Katoh, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Satoshi Kitaoka, Hideaki Nishimura
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Patent number: 11254143Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form an image on a recording medium by discharging liquid droplets onto the medium; and a media heater to heat the medium by contacting a rear surface of the medium opposite a surface of the medium on which the image is formed, in which the media heater includes a contact member with a contact surface having a predetermined curvature that the medium contacts, the contact member is a roller member, and the medium closely contacts the contact surface of the contact member across an entire width of the medium in a direction perpendicular to the media conveyance direction.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2020Date of Patent: February 22, 2022Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Yoshiaki Hoshino, Kenji Sato, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Satoshi Kitaoka, Hideaki Nishimura, Yoko Ishii
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Patent number: 11161354Abstract: A drying device includes one or more first heating bodies configured to heat a drying target object conveyed with liquid applied on the drying target object, and a second heating body configured to heat the drying target object after the drying target object is heated by the one or more first heating bodies. The one or more first heating bodies include at least one heating body configured to heat the drying target object at a heating temperature greater than a heating temperature of the second heating body.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2019Date of Patent: November 2, 2021Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Osamu Takehira, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Yoshiki Yanagawa, Amika Sagara
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Patent number: 11097556Abstract: A drying device includes a plurality of guide rollers and a heater. The plurality of guide rollers is configured to contact a liquid applied face of a drying target object that is conveyed with liquid applied to the liquid applied face, while the drying target object is dried. The plurality of guide rollers includes at least one guide roller having a surface roughness of from 2 to 8. The heater is configured to heat the drying target object while the plurality of guide rollers guides the drying target object. A printer includes a liquid application device configured to apply liquid to a drying target object, and the drying device.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2019Date of Patent: August 24, 2021Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Yoshiaki Hoshino, Osamu Takehira, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Satoshi Kitaoka
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Patent number: 11014379Abstract: A drying device includes a contact heater unit to contact and heat a medium. The contact heater unit includes a plurality of heating members each having a curved contact face to contact the medium among plural heating members of the plurality of heating members to contact a first surface of the medium opposite a second surface of the medium on which liquid is applied. The plurality of heating members includes a first heating member and a plurality of second heating members. The first heating member has a maximum contact distance to contact the medium. The plurality of second heating members is disposed upstream from the first heating member in a direction of conveyance of the medium. Two heating members of the plurality of second heating members immediately upstream from the first heating member in the direction of conveyance of the medium contact the first surface of the medium.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2019Date of Patent: May 25, 2021Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Ken Onodera, Sho Sawahata, Junji Nakai, Toshihiro Yoshinuma, Yasuhisa Katoh, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Satoshi Kitaoka, Hideaki Nishimura
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Publication number: 20210001648Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form an image on a recording medium by discharging liquid droplets onto the medium; and a media heater to heat the medium by contacting a rear surface of the medium opposite a surface of the medium on which the image is formed, in which the media heater includes a contact member with a contact surface having a predetermined curvature that the medium contacts, the contact member is a roller member, and the medium closely contacts the contact surface of the contact member across an entire width of the medium in a direction perpendicular to the media conveyance direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 17, 2020Publication date: January 7, 2021Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Yoshiaki HOSHINO, Kenji SATO, Hirokazu IKENOUE, Satoshi KITAOKA, Hideaki NISHIMURA, Yoko ISHII
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Patent number: 10800187Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form an image on a recording medium by discharging liquid droplets onto the medium; and a media heater to heat the medium by contacting a rear surface of the medium opposite a surface of the medium on which the image is formed, in which the media heater includes a contact member with a contact surface having a predetermined curvature that the medium contacts, the contact member is a roller member, and the medium closely contacts the contact surface of the contact member across an entire width of the medium in a direction perpendicular to the media conveyance direction.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2018Date of Patent: October 13, 2020Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Yoshiaki Hoshino, Kenji Sato, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Satoshi Kitaoka, Hideaki Nishimura, Yoko Ishii
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Patent number: 10730319Abstract: A drying device includes a drier, a gas circulator, and a concentration adjuster. The drier warms a liquid composition on a drying target object. The gas circulator circulates a gas containing a volatile component of an organic solvent warmed and volatilized by the drier to reuse the gas for drying. The concentration adjuster adjusts a concentration of the volatile component reused.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2019Date of Patent: August 4, 2020Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Hideaki Nishimura, Yoshiaki Hoshino, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Yoshiki Yanagawa, Amika Sagara
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Publication number: 20200023654Abstract: A drying device includes a plurality of guide rollers and a heater. The plurality of guide rollers is configured to contact a liquid applied face of a drying target object that is conveyed with liquid applied to the liquid applied face, while the drying target object is dried. The plurality of guide rollers includes at least one guide roller having a surface roughness of from 2 to 8. The heater is configured to heat the drying target object while the plurality of guide rollers guides the drying target object. A printer includes a liquid application device configured to apply liquid to a drying target object, and the drying device.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 17, 2019Publication date: January 23, 2020Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Yoshiaki Hoshino, Osamu Takehira, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Satoshi Kitaoka
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Publication number: 20200023655Abstract: A drying device includes one or more first heating bodies configured to heat a drying target object conveyed with liquid applied on the drying target object, and a second heating body configured to heat the drying target object after the drying target object is heated by the one or more first heating bodies. The one or more first heating bodies include at least one heating body configured to heat the drying target object at a heating temperature greater than a heating temperature of the second heating body.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 17, 2019Publication date: January 23, 2020Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Osamu Takehira, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Yoshiki Yanagawa, Amika Sagara
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Publication number: 20190344589Abstract: A drying device includes a contact heater unit to contact and heat a medium. The contact heater unit includes a plurality of heating members each having a curved contact face to contact the medium among plural heating members of the plurality of heating members to contact a first surface of the medium opposite a second surface of the medium on which liquid is applied. The plurality of heating members includes a first heating member and a plurality of second heating members. The first heating member has a maximum contact distance to contact the medium. The plurality of second heating members is disposed upstream from the first heating member in a direction of conveyance of the medium. Two heating members of the plurality of second heating members immediately upstream from the first heating member in the direction of conveyance of the medium contact the first surface of the medium.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2019Publication date: November 14, 2019Inventors: Ken ONODERA, Sho SAWAHATA, Juni NAKAI, Toshihiro YOSHINUMA, Yasuhisa KATOH, Hirokazu IKENOUE, Satoshi KITAOKA, Hideaki NISHIMURA
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Publication number: 20190337307Abstract: A drying device includes a contact heater unit to contact and heat a medium. The contact heater unit includes a plurality of heating members each having a curved contact face to contact the medium among plural heating members of the plurality of heating members to contact a first surface of the medium opposite a second surface of the medium on which liquid is applied. The plurality of heating members includes a first heating member and a plurality of second heating members. The first heating member has a maximum contact distance to contact the medium. The plurality of second heating members is disposed upstream from the first heating member in a direction of conveyance of the medium. Two heating members of the plurality of second heating members immediately upstream from the first heating member in the direction of conveyance of the medium contact the first surface of the medium.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 19, 2019Publication date: November 7, 2019Inventors: Ken ONODERA, Sho SAWAHATA, Junji NAKAI, Toshihiro YOSHINUMA, Yasuhisa KATOH, Hirokazu IKENOUE, Satoshi KITAOKA, Hideaki NISHIMURA
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Publication number: 20190283463Abstract: A drying device includes a drier, a gas circulator, and a concentration adjuster. The drier warms a liquid composition on a drying target object. The gas circulator circulates a gas containing a volatile component of an organic solvent warmed and volatilized by the drier to reuse the gas for drying. The concentration adjuster adjusts a concentration of the volatile component reused.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 18, 2019Publication date: September 19, 2019Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Hideaki Nishimura, Yoshiaki Hoshino, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Yoshiki Yanagawa, Amika Sagara
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Patent number: 10384472Abstract: A drying device includes a contact heater unit to contact and heat a medium. The contact heater unit includes a plurality of heating members each having a curved contact face to contact the medium among plural heating members of the plurality of heating members to contact a first surface of the medium opposite a second surface of the medium on which liquid is applied. The plurality of heating members includes a first heating member and a plurality of second heating members. The first heating member has a maximum contact distance to contact the medium. The plurality of second heating members is disposed upstream from the first heating member in a direction of conveyance of the medium. Two heating members of the plurality of second heating members immediately upstream from the first heating member in the direction of conveyance of the medium contact the first surface of the medium.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2017Date of Patent: August 20, 2019Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Ken Onodera, Sho Sawahata, Junji Nakai, Toshihiro Yoshinuma, Yasuhisa Katoh, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Satoshi Kitaoka, Hideaki Nishimura
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Patent number: 10183503Abstract: A drying device includes a first heater, a second heater, a conveyance path, and an infrared heater. The first heater contacts and heats a medium on which liquid is applied. The second heater contacts and heats the medium. The second heater contacts the medium at a distance longer than a distance at which the first heater contacts the medium. The conveyance path of the medium includes a first conveyance-path portion and a second conveyance-path portion. The medium is conveyed while contacting the first heater in the first conveyance-path portion. The first conveyance-path portion is disposed upstream from the second heater in a direction of conveyance of the medium. The second conveyance-path portion is disposed downstream from the second heater in the direction of conveyance of the medium. The infrared heater is disposed in the second conveyance-path portion, to irradiate an infrared ray to the medium.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2017Date of Patent: January 22, 2019Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Toshihiro Yoshinuma, Yasuhisa Katoh, Junji Nakai, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Sho Sawahata, Ken Onodera
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Publication number: 20180141348Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form an image on a recording medium by discharging liquid droplets onto the medium; and a media heater to heat the medium by contacting a rear surface of the medium opposite a surface of the medium on which the image is formed, in which the media heater includes a contact member with a contact surface having a predetermined curvature that the medium contacts, the contact member is a roller member, and the medium closely contacts the contact surface of the contact member across an entire width of the medium in a direction perpendicular to the media conveyance direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 17, 2018Publication date: May 24, 2018Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Yoshiaki HOSHINO, Kenji SATO, Hirokazu IKENOUE, Satoshi KITAOKA, Hideaki NISHIMURA, Yoko ISHII
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Patent number: 9902171Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form an image on a recording medium by discharging liquid droplets onto the medium; and a media heater to heat the medium by contacting a rear surface of the medium opposite a surface of the medium on which the image is formed, in which the media heater includes a contact member with a contact surface having a predetermined curvature that the medium contacts, the contact member is a roller member, and the medium closely contacts the contact surface of the contact member across an entire width of the medium in a direction perpendicular to the media conveyance direction.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2017Date of Patent: February 27, 2018Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Yoshiaki Hoshino, Kenji Sato, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Satoshi Kitaoka, Hideaki Nishimura, Yoko Ishii
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Publication number: 20170334217Abstract: A drying device includes a first heater, a second heater, a conveyance path, and an infrared heater. The first heater contacts and heats a medium on which liquid is applied. The second heater contacts and heats the medium. The second heater contacts the medium at a distance longer than a distance at which the first heater contacts the medium. The conveyance path of the medium includes a first conveyance-path portion and a second conveyance-path portion. The medium is conveyed while contacting the first heater in the first conveyance-path portion. The first conveyance-path portion is disposed upstream from the second heater in a direction of conveyance of the medium. The second conveyance-path portion is disposed downstream from the second heater in the direction of conveyance of the medium. The infrared heater is disposed in the second conveyance-path portion, to irradiate an infrared ray to the medium.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 18, 2017Publication date: November 23, 2017Inventors: Toshihiro YOSHINUMA, Yasuhisa KATOH, Junji NAKAI, Hirokazu IKENOUE, Sho SAWAHATA, Ken ONODERA
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Publication number: 20170266991Abstract: A drying device includes a contact heater unit to contact and heat a medium. The contact heater unit includes a plurality of heating members each having a curved contact face to contact the medium among plural heating members of the plurality of heating members to contact a first surface of the medium opposite a second surface of the medium on which liquid is applied. The plurality of heating members includes a first heating member and a plurality of second heating members. The first heating member has a maximum contact distance to contact the medium. The plurality of second heating members is disposed upstream from the first heating member in a direction of conveyance of the medium. Two heating members of the plurality of second heating members immediately upstream from the first heating member in the direction of conveyance of the medium contact the first surface of the medium.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 17, 2017Publication date: September 21, 2017Inventors: Ken ONODERA, Sho SAWAHATA, Junji NAKAI, Toshihiro YOSHINUMA, Yasuhisa KATOH, Hirokazu IKENOUE, Satoshi KITAOKA, Hideaki NISHIMURA
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Publication number: 20170173974Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form an image on a recording medium by discharging liquid droplets onto the medium; and a media heater to heat the medium by contacting a rear surface of the medium opposite a surface of the medium on which the image is formed, in which the media heater includes a contact member with a contact surface having a predetermined curvature that the medium contacts, the contact member is a roller member, and the medium closely contacts the contact surface of the contact member across an entire width of the medium in a direction perpendicular to the media conveyance direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2017Publication date: June 22, 2017Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Yoshiaki HOSHINO, Kenji SATO, Hirokazu IKENOUE, Satoshi KITAOKA, Hideaki NISHIMURA, Yoko ISHII