Patents by Inventor Ken Ikuma
Ken Ikuma 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: 20110069133Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an exposure head that includes a light emitting device for emitting light having a first wavelength and a second wavelength and an optical system having a first lens surface through which the light emitted from the light emitting device enters and a second lens surface from which the light entered through the first lens surface is emitted, forms an image of the light having the first wavelength at a first image forming position, and forms an image of the light having the second wavelength at a second image forming position different from the first image forming position in an optical axis direction of the optical system; a latent image carrier onto which the light emitted from the second lens surface of the exposure head is irradiated and a latent image is formed; and a support member that supports the exposure head.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 30, 2010Publication date: March 24, 2011Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Takeshi SOWA, Ken IKUMA
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Patent number: 7911492Abstract: At least one light emission array includes a plurality of light emitting elements arrayed in a first direction. Each of the light emitting elements is an organic electroluminescence element. A monitor quantitatively monitors a light emitting state of at least one of the light emitting elements to obtain a monitored amount. A comparator compares the monitored amount and a reference amount. A controller performs a constant current control with respect to at least one of the light emitting elements in accordance with a result of the comparison performed by the comparator.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 2009Date of Patent: March 22, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Kiyoshi Tsujino, Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
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Publication number: 20110050835Abstract: An exposure head includes: a light emitting element substrate in which light emitting elements are arranged in a first direction; first lens arrays with first lenses, to which the light from the light emitting elements is incident, arranged thereon; second lens arrays with second lenses, to which the light emitting from the first lenses is incident, and each of which constitutes with each of the first lenses an optical system whose absolute value of a lateral magnification is less than one, arranged thereon; first spacers which are arranged on the light emitting element substrate and support the first lens arrays; and second spacers which are arranged on the first lens arrays so as to be in different positions from those of the first spacers when seen from an optical axis direction of the optical system and support the second lens arrays.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 26, 2010Publication date: March 3, 2011Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Takeshi SOWA, Ken IKUMA
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Patent number: 7899381Abstract: An image formation apparatus includes a roller member that contacts a developer retaining member at a position and is distanced from the developer retaining member at another position. A contact edge of a cleaning blade supported by a supporting member is in contact with the roller member. A first plane of the cleaning blade that is supported by the supporting member, or is opposite to a surface that is supported by the supporting member, and a second plane of the cleaning blade form the contact edge. An angle ?1 formed by a virtual vertical plane and the second plane thereunder when the roller member is distanced from the developer retaining member is greater than zero degrees but not greater than ninety degrees.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2009Date of Patent: March 1, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Satoshi Chiba, Ken Ikuma
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Publication number: 20110033213Abstract: A transfer apparatus includes a transfer belt being configured to carry an image, a transfer roller having an elastic layer and being configured to transfer the image from the transfer belt onto a transfer material, and a backup roller being configured to have pressure against the transfer roller with the transfer belt therebetween in order to form a transfer nip portion. The transfer nip portion includes a pressure-contact nip and a contact nip. A length of the contact nip is smaller than half a length of the pressure-contact nip in the rotational direction of the transfer roller.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 3, 2010Publication date: February 10, 2011Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Masahide NAKAMURA, Ken IKUMA
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Publication number: 20110008079Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a transfer roller, a transfer roller position detector and a controller. The transfer roller includes a concaved portion formed on a circumferential surface thereof with the concaved portion having a width in the circumferential direction larger than a width of a transfer nip formation area formed between the image carrier and the transfer roller in the circumferential direction. The transfer roller includes an elastic member disposed on the circumferential surface thereof. The transfer roller position detector is configured and arranged to detect a rotational position of the transfer roller. The controller is configured to stop rotation of the transfer roller in a state in which the concaved portion is located at the transfer nip formation area on the basis of the rotational position of the transfer roller.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 15, 2010Publication date: January 13, 2011Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Koichi KAMIJO, Ken IKUMA
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Patent number: 7862976Abstract: A liquid developer having superior fixing characteristic of toner particles to a recording medium and which is harmless to the environment, and an image forming apparatus using the liquid developer are provided. The liquid developer is comprised of an insulation liquid and toner particles dispersed in the insulation liquid, wherein the insulation liquid contains a first vegetable oil and a reaction product produced by an ester exchange reaction of a second vegetable oil and a monovalent alcohol.Type: GrantFiled: July 12, 2007Date of Patent: January 4, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Satoru Miura, Koji Akioka, Hiroshi Kaiho, Takashi Teshima, Ken Ikuma
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Publication number: 20100329744Abstract: A line head, includes: a microlens array in which a plurality of microlenses having a magnification whose absolute value is below 1 are arranged in a main scanning direction of a surface-to-be-scanned, and a plurality of luminous element groups which are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the respective plurality of microlenses, wherein in each of the plurality of luminous element groups, a plurality of luminous elements are arranged at mutually different main-scanning-direction positions in the main scanning direction, the plurality of luminous elements are respectively caused to emit lights at timings in conformity with a movement of the surface-to-be-scanned in a sub scanning direction, and light beams emitted from the plurality of luminous elements are imaged on the surface-to-be-scanned at mutually different main-scanning-direction positions in the main scanning direction to form a plurality of spots side by side on the surface-to-be-scanned in the main scanning direction, and in each of the plType: ApplicationFiled: August 27, 2010Publication date: December 30, 2010Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Yujiro NOMURA, Nozomu INOUE, Ryuta KOIZUMI, Ken IKUMA
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Publication number: 20100321658Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; and an exposure head including a light emitting element that emits a light having a first wavelength and a light having a second wavelength, and an optical system that focuses the light having the first wavelength at a first imaging position and focuses the light having the second wavelength at a second imaging position that is different from the first imaging position with respect to the first direction, the optical system having an optical axis extending in the first direction, wherein a surface of the image carrier is located between the first imaging position and the second imaging position.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 17, 2010Publication date: December 23, 2010Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Takeshi Sowa, Ken Ikuma
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Publication number: 20100321462Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier having a curvature in a first direction; and an exposure head including a first light emitting element that emits a light having a wavelength ?11 and a light having a wavelength ?12, a first optical system that converges each of the light emitted from the first light emitting element onto the image carrier, a second light emitting element, and a second optical system that converges a light emitted from the second light emitting element onto the image carrier, wherein a position at which the first optical system converges each of the light and a position at which the second optical system converges the light are different from each other with respect to the first direction, wherein the first optical system focuses the light having the wavelength ?11 at an imaging position P11 and focuses the light having the wavelength ?12 at an imaging position P12, the imaging position P11 and the imaging position P12 being different from each other with respect to an optiType: ApplicationFiled: June 17, 2010Publication date: December 23, 2010Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Takeshi Sowa, Ken Ikuma
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Publication number: 20100303516Abstract: A transfer device including a transfer roller including a roller base member which opposes an image carrier carrying an image, the transfer device rotates about an axis of rotation, and has a concaved portion on an outer circumference thereof and is configured to transfer the image carried by the image carrier to a recording medium when the concaved portion is not opposed to the image carrier, the device also including a pressing portion configured to press the transfer roller to the image carrier, and a contact portion provided at either end of the transfer roller, wherein the contact portion includes an outer circumference which comes into contact with a supporting portion disposed on a drive transmitting portion configured to transmit a drive to the image carrier while the concaved portion opposes the image carrier, and an elastic member is provided on the outer circumference of the contact portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 27, 2010Publication date: December 2, 2010Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Satoshi Chiba, Ken Ikuma
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Patent number: 7844203Abstract: A development apparatus includes an anilox roller for supplying liquid developer to a development roller and a supply roller arranged in a developer container and held in contact with the anilox roller to supply the liquid developer to the anilox roller. An AC voltage is applied to the supply roller, and a bias voltage is applied to the development roller. Liquid developer contained in grooves of undulations of an anilox pattern formed on a surface of the anilox roller is applied to the development roller.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2007Date of Patent: November 30, 2010Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Hidehiro Takano, Fuminori Yano, Ken Ikuma, Koichi Kamijo
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Patent number: 7834898Abstract: An image forming device includes a photoconductor drum having a rotational shaft in a first direction, and an exposure head having a plurality of imaging optical systems disposed in the first direction and a second direction and each having a negative optical magnification, and a light emitting element substrate on which a plurality of light emitting elements are disposed, the plurality of light emitting elements emitting light beams imaged on the photoconductor drum by one of the imaging optical systems, and the light beams are imaged by the imaging optical systems disposed in the second direction on the photoconductive drum at positions different from each other in the second direction.Type: GrantFiled: August 7, 2008Date of Patent: November 16, 2010Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Kenji Yamaguchi, Nozomu Inoue, Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
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Patent number: 7834897Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus in which an exposing signal is generated from pattern data indicating a position to be exposed by a light beam on a surface-to-be-scanned. A corrected exposing signal is generated by varying the width of pulses of the exposing signal in accordance with a distance between an exposing area corresponding to the pulse and an optical axis of the scanning optical system. The light beam is emitted and modulated by the corrected exposing signal. The pulse width and/or the light quantity of the light beam is/are varied in accordance with the distance between the exposing area and the optical axis of the scanning optical system.Type: GrantFiled: February 2, 2007Date of Patent: November 16, 2010Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Hiroshi Toyama, Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
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Patent number: 7835082Abstract: A line head includes: a first lens array having a plurality of first lenses each having a convex surface as a light incidence surface; a second lens array that is arranged at a light-emitting surface side of the first lens array so as to be opposite to the first lens array and that has a plurality of second lenses, which are arranged at positions corresponding to the plurality of first lenses and each of which has a convex surface as a light incidence surface; and at least a light-emitting element provided for each of the first lenses at a light incidence side of the first lens array.Type: GrantFiled: January 18, 2008Date of Patent: November 16, 2010Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Kiyoshi Tsujino, Nozomu Inoue, Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
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Publication number: 20100278550Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a latent image bearing drum on which a latent image is formed, an exposure unit that exposes the latent image bearing drum, a developer unit that develops the latent image formed on the latent image bearing drum, a transfer medium onto which the image developed by the developer unit is transferred, and a transfer roller that transfers the image from the transfer medium to the transfer material, the transfer roller having a concaved portion extending in the axial direction and a support portion disposed on the outer circumference of the roller that supports the transfer material, where the outer circumference of the transfer roller being an integral multiple or an approximate integral multiple of the circumference of the latent image bearing drum.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 28, 2010Publication date: November 4, 2010Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Satoshi CHIBA, Ken IKUMA
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Publication number: 20100272480Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image carrying belt which has volume resistance from 107 ?cm to 1012 ?cm and carries an image, a roller around which the image carrying belt is wound and which drives the image carrying belt, a transfer roller which includes a transfer material gripper which grips a transfer material which is disposed in a concaved portion of the transfer roller and which comes into pressing contact with the roller with the image carrying belt interposed therebetween so as to transfer the image carried by the image carrying belt to the transfer material, a bias applying unit which applies a transfer bias to the roller, and a ground unit which electrically grounds the transfer roller.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 26, 2010Publication date: October 28, 2010Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Koichi KAMIJO, Ken IKUMA
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Patent number: 7815276Abstract: An image forming method using an image forming apparatus including: a latent image carrier whose surface is driven in a sub scanning direction; a deflector which scans a beam spot reciprocally in a main scanning direction substantially perpendicular to the sub scanning direction on the surface of the latent image carrier in the use of an oscillating deflect mirror so as to form spot latent images each of which formed on a pixel; developer which develops each of the spot latent images as a pixel-dot, the method includes of: halftoning for a tone reproduction in which a halftone-dot constituted by the pixel-dot(s) is formed on a cell consisting plural pixels according to a fattening type threshold matrix, wherein a plurality of cells are contiguously arranged in the main scanning direction so as to form a plurality of contiguous locations at each of which the cells adjoin mutually in the main scanning direction, each cell includes a larger-than-four even number of pixels in the sub scanning direction, and the cType: GrantFiled: June 12, 2008Date of Patent: October 19, 2010Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Hiroshi Toyama, Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
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Patent number: 7808519Abstract: A line head, includes: a microlens array in which a plurality of microlenses having a magnification whose absolute value is below 1 are arranged in a main scanning direction of a surface-to-be-scanned, and a plurality of luminous element groups which are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the respective plurality of microlenses, wherein in each of the plurality of luminous element groups, a plurality of luminous elements are arranged at mutually different main-scanning-direction positions in the main scanning direction, the plurality of luminous elements are respectively caused to emit lights at timings in conformity with a movement of the surface-to-be-scanned in a sub scanning direction, and light beams emitted from the plurality of luminous elements are imaged on the surface-to-be-scanned at mutually different main-scanning-direction positions in the main scanning direction to form a plurality of spots side by side on the surface-to-be-scanned in the main scanning direction, and in each of the plType: GrantFiled: July 12, 2007Date of Patent: October 5, 2010Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Yujiro Nomura, Nozomu Inoue, Ryuta Koizumi, Ken Ikuma
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Patent number: 7809295Abstract: A color image forming apparatus includes, for each of liquid developers of plural colors, a photosensitive member, a developing roller, an agitating device that agitates a liquid developer having a viscosity characteristic dependent on a shearing force, and a developer supplying unit that supplies the liquid developer to the developing roller. In development, agitation start timing is varied depending on the color of the liquid developer.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2007Date of Patent: October 5, 2010Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Shinji Yasukawa, Nobuhiro Miyakawa, Ken Ikuma