Patents by Inventor Hironori NUMATA

Hironori NUMATA 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: 11590772
    Abstract: A heating device heats a sheet to which a liquid discharge unit discharges a liquid. The heating device includes a first heater to heat the sheet that has passed through the liquid discharge unit, a vacuum conveyor to convey the sheet that has passed through the first heater while sucking the sheet, a second heater to heat the sheet being conveyed by the vacuum conveyor, and circuitry that cause the first heater to heat the sheet when sheet data regarding the sheet satisfies a predetermined condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hironori Numata
  • Publication number: 20220236678
    Abstract: An application device includes an application roller to apply a treatment liquid to a sheet medium and multiple conveyance roller pairs to convey the sheet medium from an upstream side to a downstream side of the application roller. The multiple conveyance roller pairs define a conveyance path of the sheet medium and include a downstream conveyance roller pair adjacent to the application roller on the downstream side along the conveyance path. The downstream conveyance roller pair includes two rollers having a length equal to or longer than a width of the sheet medium and a nip force applying member that applies a nip force to one of the two rollers to nip the sheet medium with the two rollers in a width direction of the sheet medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2022
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hironori Numata
  • Publication number: 20210053370
    Abstract: A heating device heats a sheet to which a liquid discharge unit discharges a liquid. The heating device includes a first heater to heat the sheet that has passed through the liquid discharge unit, a vacuum conveyor to convey the sheet that has passed through the first heater while sucking the sheet, a second heater to heat the sheet being conveyed by the vacuum conveyor, and circuitry that cause the first heater to heat the sheet when sheet data regarding the sheet satisfies a predetermined condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2020
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hironori Numata
  • Patent number: 9399354
    Abstract: A treatment-liquid application apparatus includes a rotary treatment-liquid applicator, a rotary treatment-liquid supplier, a transfer rotator, and a contact load adjuster. The contact load adjuster adjusts a contact load of the rotary treatment-liquid supplier on the treatment-liquid applicator. After feeding of a recording medium is initiated by contact between the treatment-liquid applicator and the transfer rotator, an acceleration time until a feed speed of the recording medium reaches a constant speed during printing is set. Before feeding of the recording medium is initiated, the rotary treatment-liquid supplier contacts the treatment-liquid applicator and imparts a contact load L0. During an acceleration operation of the recording medium after feeding of the recording medium is initiated, the transfer rotator contacts the treatment-liquid applicator via the recording medium and imparts a contact load L1, and the contact load adjuster adjusts the contact load L1 to be greater than the contact load L0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hironori Numata, Yasushi Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 9341974
    Abstract: A liquid application device includes an application roller, a container, a supply roller, a transfer unit, and a controller. The application roller applies a liquid to a target. The container stores the liquid. The supply roller rotates with the supply roller immersed in the container and supplies the liquid to the application roller. The transfer unit contacts the target with the application roller and causes the application roller to apply the liquid to the target. The controller controls an operation of the liquid application device. In a state in which the transfer unit does not contact the target with the application roller, the controller controls the supply roller to rotate and stop at a position different from a pre-rotation position of the supply roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hironori Numata
  • Publication number: 20160059586
    Abstract: A treatment-liquid application apparatus includes a rotary treatment-liquid applicator, a rotary treatment-liquid supplier, a transfer rotator, and a contact load adjuster. The contact load adjuster adjusts a contact load of the rotary treatment-liquid supplier on the treatment-liquid applicator. After feeding of a recording medium is initiated by contact between the treatment-liquid applicator and the transfer rotator, an acceleration time until a feed speed of the recording medium reaches a constant speed during printing is set. Before feeding of the recording medium is initiated, the rotary treatment-liquid supplier contacts the treatment-liquid applicator and imparts a contact load L0. During an acceleration operation of the recording medium after feeding of the recording medium is initiated, the transfer rotator contacts the treatment-liquid applicator via the recording medium and imparts a contact load L1, and the contact load adjuster adjusts the contact load L1 to be greater than the contact load L0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hironori Numata, Yasushi Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 9233557
    Abstract: A treatment liquid coating apparatus includes a conveyance member to convey a recording medium; a coating roller, to apply treatment liquid on the recording medium, driven to rotate with the conveyance of the conveyance member; a pressure roller to press against the coating roller to hold the recording medium that is placed between the coating roller and the pressure roller; and a reciprocating mechanism to reciprocate the coating roller in a width direction of the recording medium during printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Masaru Hoshina, Yasushi Hashimoto, Sho Sawahata, Akitomo Kuwabara, Hironori Numata, Tetsuya Ohba, Jun Ogino, Kahei Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20150338758
    Abstract: A liquid application device includes an application roller, a container, a supply roller, a transfer unit, and a controller. The application roller applies a liquid to a target. The container stores the liquid. The supply roller rotates with the supply roller immersed in the container and supplies the liquid to the application roller. The transfer unit contacts the target with the application roller and causes the application roller to apply the liquid to the target. The controller controls an operation of the liquid application device. In a state in which the transfer unit does not contact the target with the application roller, the controller controls the supply roller to rotate and stop at a position different from a pre-rotation position of the supply roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Publication date: November 26, 2015
    Inventor: Hironori NUMATA
  • Patent number: 9193179
    Abstract: A treatment agent liquid application device for an ink jet printer includes a supply pan including a liquid chamber that stores treatment agent liquid; an application roller that applies the treatment agent liquid on a record surface of a recording medium; a squeeze roller that rotates to draw up a part of the treatment agent liquid in which a part of the squeeze roller is immersed in the supply pan and to supply the treatment agent liquid to a pressure contact part between the application roller and the squeeze roller; and a partition member arranged outside the squeeze roller and along a circumferential direction of the squeeze roller in the supply pan, the partition member dividing the liquid chamber in the supply pan into a liquid chamber on a squeeze roller side and an external liquid chamber outside the liquid chamber on the squeeze roller side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Hironori Numata
  • Patent number: 9162485
    Abstract: A treatment liquid application device for use in an inkjet printer includes an application roller to apply a treatment liquid to a recording medium before an image is formed on the recording medium, a squeeze roller disposed below the application roller and to make a pressure-contact with the application roller, a treatment liquid supply unit to supply the treatment liquid to a nip part between the application roller and the squeeze roller, and a pressure roller disposed above the application roller and to cause the recording medium to make a pressure-contact with the application roller. When the application roller applies the treatment liquid to the recording medium, a position of the application roller is not restricted in approximate load directions of the squeeze roller and the pressure roller but is restricted in directions other than the approximate load directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Ohba, Akitomo Kuwabara, Hironori Numata, Masaru Hoshina, Kahei Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9108438
    Abstract: A treatment liquid application apparatus including an application roller for applying treatment liquid; a press roller for pressing against the application roller an elongated recording medium which is placed between the press roller and the application roller; and a conveyance roller located downstream relative to the application roller on a conveyance path of the recording medium and conveying the recording medium is disclosed. The apparatus includes a control unit for causing the press roller to be pressed against the application roller when a value related to a conveyance amount of the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance roller from a re-start of conveyance exceeds a value corresponding to a slack amount of the recording medium which occurs in an upstream side of the conveyance roller at a stopping of conveyance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohji Kuwana, Hironori Numata
  • Publication number: 20150210091
    Abstract: A treatment liquid coating apparatus includes a conveyance member to convey a recording medium; a coating roller, to apply treatment liquid on the recording medium, driven to rotate with the conveyance of the conveyance member; a pressure roller to press against the coating roller to hold the recording medium that is placed between the coating roller and the pressure roller; and a reciprocating mechanism to reciprocate the coating roller in a width direction of the recording medium during printing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Inventors: Masaru HOSHINA, Yasushi HASHIMOTO, Sho SAWAHATA, Akitomo KUWABARA, Hironori NUMATA, Tetsuya OHBA, Jun OGINO, Kahei NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20150022600
    Abstract: A treatment agent liquid application device for an ink jet printer includes a supply pan including a liquid chamber that stores treatment agent liquid; an application roller that applies the treatment agent liquid on a record surface of a recording medium; a squeeze roller that rotates to draw up a part of the treatment agent liquid in which a part of the squeeze roller is immersed in the supply pan and to supply the treatment agent liquid to a pressure contact part between the application roller and the squeeze roller; and a partition member arranged outside the squeeze roller and along a circumferential direction of the squeeze roller in the supply pan, the partition member dividing the liquid chamber in the supply pan into a liquid chamber on a squeeze roller side and an external liquid chamber outside the liquid chamber on the squeeze roller side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Hironori Numata
  • Publication number: 20150015636
    Abstract: A treatment liquid application apparatus including an application roller for applying treatment liquid; a press roller for pressing against the application roller an elongated recording medium which is placed between the press roller and the application roller; and a conveyance roller located downstream relative to the application roller on a conveyance path of the recording medium and conveying the recording medium is disclosed. The apparatus includes a control unit for causing the press roller to be pressed against the application roller when a value related to a conveyance amount of the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance roller from a re-start of conveyance exceeds a value corresponding to a slack amount of the recording medium which occurs in an upstream side of the conveyance roller at a stopping of conveyance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2014
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Kohji Kuwana, Hironori Numata
  • Publication number: 20140253652
    Abstract: A treatment liquid application device for use in an inkjet printer includes an application roller to apply a treatment liquid to a recording medium before an image is formed on the recording medium, a squeeze roller disposed below the application roller and to make a pressure-contact with the application roller, a treatment liquid supply unit to supply the treatment liquid to a nip part between the application roller and the squeeze roller, and a pressure roller disposed above the application roller and to cause the recording medium to make a pressure-contact with the application roller. When the application roller applies the treatment liquid to the recording medium, a position of the application roller is not restricted in approximate load directions of the squeeze roller and the pressure roller but is restricted in directions other than the approximate load directions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Inventors: Tetsuya Ohba, Akitomo Kuwabara, Hironori Numata, Masaru Hoshina, Kahei Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8733879
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a drying chamber on a downstream side of a recording head along a conveyance path for a sheet-shaped recording medium originally wound to be like a roll; and a drying unit circulating gas. The drying unit includes a heat pump separating water droplets from gas containing moisture returned after moisture is moved from the sheet-shaped recording medium, heating the gas, supplying the gas as high temperature dried gas to the drying chamber, causing moisture to move from the sheet-shaped recording medium to the gas in the drying chamber and returning the gas to which the moisture has been moved and which becomes gas containing moisture to the drying unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hironori Numata
  • Publication number: 20120098881
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a drying chamber on a downstream side of a recording head along a conveyance path for a sheet-shaped recording medium originally wound to be like a roll; and a drying unit circulating gas. The drying unit includes a heat pump separating water droplets from gas containing moisture returned after moisture is moved from the sheet-shaped recording medium, heating the gas, supplying the gas as high temperature dried gas to the drying chamber, causing moisture to move from the sheet-shaped recording medium to the gas in the drying chamber and returning the gas to which the moisture has been moved and which becomes gas containing moisture to the drying unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2011
    Publication date: April 26, 2012
    Inventor: Hironori NUMATA