Patents by Inventor Hotaru HASHIKAWA

Hotaru HASHIKAWA 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: 12050414
    Abstract: A developing device includes a developing case, a filter, and a filter holder. The developing case stores developer inside to develop a latent image formed on a surface of an image bearer and has an opening portion that communicates between an inside and an outside of the developing device. The filter has a lower weight density per unit volume at a first side of the filter facing the inside of the developing device than a weight density per unit volume at a second side of the filter facing the outside of the developing device. The filter holder is detachably attached to the opening portion of the developing case with the filter held by the filter holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Chiba, Takuya Suganuma, Kazuki Yogosawa, Taku Kumiya, Hotaru Hashikawa
  • Patent number: 11880160
    Abstract: A filter holding device includes an opening portion and a filter. The opening portion communicates an inside of the filter holding device with an outside of the filter holding device. The filter includes a first side and a second side. The first side faces the inside of the filter holding device. The second side faces the outside of the filter holding device. The filter has a lower weight density per unit volume at the first side than at the second side. At least a side face of the first side of the filter is covered with an air-impermeable member. The side face is a lateral face of the filter at the first side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hotaru Hashikawa, Tatsuya Kubo, Kazuki Yogosawa, Yuta Yabuta, Takuya Suganuma
  • Publication number: 20230330582
    Abstract: A filter holding device includes an opening portion and a filter. The opening portion communicates an inside of the filter holding device with an outside of the filter holding device, and has a rim that extends in a communication direction from the inside of the filter holding device toward the outside of the filter holding device. The filter is disposed in the opening portion, and has a first side and a second side. The first side faces the inside of the filter holding device. The second side faces the outside of the filter holding device. The filter has a larger weight density per unit volume at the second side facing the outside of the filter holding device than at the first side facing the inside of the filter holding device in a state in which the filter is disposed in the opening portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2021
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventors: Yuta YABUTA, Kazuki YOGOSAWA, Tatsuya KUBO, Takuya SUGANUMA, Hotaru HASHIKAWA, Yoshihiro FUJIWARA
  • Publication number: 20230168608
    Abstract: A developing device includes a developing case, a filter, and a filter holder. The developing case stores developer inside to develop a latent image formed on a surface of an image bearer and has an opening portion that communicates between an inside and an outside of the developing device. The filter has a lower weight density per unit volume at a first side of the filter facing the inside of the developing device than a weight density per unit volume at a second side of the filter facing the outside of the developing device. The filter holder is detachably attached to the opening portion of the developing case with the filter held by the filter holder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2022
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Inventors: Yusuke CHIBA, Takuya SUGANUMA, Kazuki YOGOSAWA, Taku KUMIYA, Hotaru HASHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20220395771
    Abstract: A filter holding device includes an opening portion and a filter. The opening portion communicates between an inside and an outside of the filter holding device. The filter is disposed in the opening portion and includes a first side and a second side. The first side is located adjacent to the inside of the filter holding device. The second side is located adjacent to the outside of the filter holding device. The filter has a larger weight density per unit volume at the second side than a weight density per unit volume at the first side and has a larger area of a surface intersecting a communication direction at the second side than an area of a surface intersecting the communication direction at the first side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2022
    Publication date: December 15, 2022
    Inventors: Shohtaroh HOSHI, Kazuki YOGOSAWA, Tatsuya KUBO, Yuta YABUTA, Hotaru HASHIKAWA, Takuya SUGANUMA, Takuya SEKINE, Tatsumi YAMADA
  • Publication number: 20220121138
    Abstract: A filter includes a sticker and a filter body. The filter body has a smaller weight density per unit volume at a first side than at a second side opposite the first side. The sticker is disposed around a surface of the second side of the filter body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2021
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Inventors: Tatsumi YAMADA, Takuya SUGANUMA, Takuya SEKINE, Shotaro HOSHI, Kazuki YOGOSAWA, Yuta YABUTA, Tatsuya KUBO, Hotaru HASHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20220107605
    Abstract: A filter holding device includes an opening portion and a filter. The opening portion communicates an inside of the filter holding device with an outside of the filter holding device. The filter includes a first side and a second side. The first side faces the inside of the filter holding device. The second side faces the outside of the filter holding device. The filter has a lower weight density per unit volume at the first side than at the second side. At least a side face of the first side of the filter is covered with an air-impermeable member. The side face is a lateral face of the filter at the first side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2021
    Publication date: April 7, 2022
    Inventors: Hotaru HASHIKAWA, Tatsuya KUBO, Kazuki YOGOSAWA, Yuta YABUTA, Takuya SUGANUMA
  • Patent number: 11275325
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer, a rotation shaft, a developing device, and a supply portion. The developing device includes a developing device main portion that rotates around the rotation shaft between a developing position and a retracted position and includes a developer, a developer bearer to face or be away from the image bearer depending on whether the developing device main portion is at the developing position or the retracted position, a replenishment portion having a replenishment port with an opposite surface formed by an arc drawn around the rotation shaft to replenish the developer, and a non-rotating portion. The supply portion has a supply port with an opposite surface formed by an arc drawn around the rotation shaft and facing the opposite surface of the replenishment port. The supply port communicates the replenishment port and supplies the developer to the developing device through the replenishment port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hotaru Hashikawa, Yoshihiro Fujiwara, Nobuo Takami, Ryusuke Mase, Kazuki Yogosawa, Tomohiro Kubota, Naohiro Kawashima, Yuuki Tsuchiya
  • Patent number: 11256194
    Abstract: A developing device includes a developer conveyer, a bearing, a flange, and a developer mover. The developer conveyer is rotatable and configured to convey a developer. The bearing rotatably supports a support shaft of the developer conveyer. The flange is disposed at an end portion of the developer conveyor to regulate a movement of the developer in an axial direction of the developer conveyer. The developer mover is disposed on a surface of the flange facing the bearing and configured to move the developer that enters between the flange and the bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yuuki Tsuchiya, Yoshihiro Fujiwara, Yuki Oshikawa, Ryusuke Mase, Naohiro Kawashima, Hotaru Hashikawa
  • Publication number: 20210080856
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer, a rotation shaft, a developing device, and a supply portion. The developing device includes a developing device main portion that rotates around the rotation shaft between a developing position and a retracted position and includes a developer, a developer bearer to face or be away from the image bearer depending on whether the developing device main portion is at the developing position or the retracted position, a replenishment portion having a replenishment port with an opposite surface formed by an arc drawn around the rotation shaft to replenish the developer, and a non-rotating portion. The supply portion has a supply port with an opposite surface formed by an arc drawn around the rotation shaft and facing the opposite surface of the replenishment port. The supply port communicates the replenishment port and supplies the developer to the developing device through the replenishment port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2020
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Inventors: Hotaru HASHIKAWA, Yoshihiro FUJIWARA, Nobuo TAKAMI, Ryusuke MASE, Kazuki YOGOSAWA, Tomohiro KUBOTA, Naohiro KAWASHIMA, Yuuki TSUCHIYA
  • Publication number: 20210041806
    Abstract: A developing device includes a developer conveyer, a bearing, a flange, and a developer mover. The developer conveyer is rotatable and configured to convey a developer. The bearing rotatably supports a support shaft of the developer conveyer. The flange is disposed at an end portion of the developer conveyor to regulate a movement of the developer in an axial direction of the developer conveyer. The developer mover is disposed on a surface of the flange facing the bearing and configured to move the developer that enters between the flange and the bearing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2020
    Publication date: February 11, 2021
    Inventors: Yuuki TSUCHIYA, Yoshihiro FUJIWARA, Yuki OSHIKAWA, Ryusuke MASE, Naohiro KAWASHIMA, Hotaru HASHIKAWA