Patents by Inventor Kenji Sugiura

Kenji Sugiura 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: 8830627
    Abstract: In a magnetic head of a high-frequency magnetic field assisted recording system, a width of a high-frequency magnetic field from an oscillator is decreased to enhance an oscillation frequency, in order to realize a high-density recording. An oscillator provided near a main pole, which generates a recording magnetic field, for generating a high-frequency magnetic field is patterned by a conventional photolithography, and then, an oxidation, nitridation, or oxynitridation is performed on the side face in a track width direction. With this process, an oxide layer, a nitride layer, or an oxynitride layer, which is made of a material of the oscillator, is formed on the side face of the oscillator in the track width direction, and the shape of the oscillator is formed to be semi-circular.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Sugiura, Katsuro Watanabe, Masukazu Igarashi, Yo Sato
  • Publication number: 20140247597
    Abstract: In a mounting area, a plurality of light-emitting elements are two-dimensionally mounted, and light-emitting elements are connected in series in each of light-emitting element blocks. The light-emitting element blocks) are connected in parallel by wires. The light-emitting element blocks located in a middle portion each include only blue light-emitting elements. On the other hand, the light-emitting elements located above the light-emitting element blocks and the light-emitting element blocks located below the light-emitting element blocks include one or more light-emitting element blocks each including not only blue light-emitting elements but also one or more red light-emitting elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2013
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masumi Abe, Yasufumi Wada, Toshifumi Ogata, Kenji Sugiura
  • Patent number: 8824103
    Abstract: The strength of a magnetic field applied from a main pole to an oscillator and the strength of a magnetic field applied from the main pole to a recording medium are improved in a magnetic recording head for microwave assisted recording. In the magnetic recording head according to the present invention, an interval between the main pole and a trailing shield at a place in a position above an air bearing surface is larger than an interval between the main pole and the trailing shield on the air bearing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masato Shiimoto, Kenji Sugiura, Mikito Sugiyama, Isao Nunokawa, Yo Sato, Katsuro Watanabe, Kazuhiko Hosomi, Nobuo Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20140241744
    Abstract: A transfer device includes a nip forming member to contact a surface of an image bearing member to form a transfer nip therebetween, a pressing device, and a nip pressure changing device. The pressing device includes a plurality of elastic members, to produce a contact pressure between the nip forming member and the image bearing member according to a restoring force of at least one of the elastic members upon deformation of the elastic member. The nip pressure changing device changes an amount of elastic deformation of the elastic member between at least two stages to change a nip pressure of the transfer nip. While the contact pressure is produced by one of the elastic members, the nip pressure changing device changes the amount of elastic deformation of a different elastic member, different from the one that produces the contact pressure, to change the nip pressure of the transfer nip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Inventors: Junichi ICHIKAWA, Seiichi KOGURE, Junpei FUJITA, Kazuki YOGOSAWA, Kenji SUGIURA
  • Publication number: 20140211340
    Abstract: To realize a highly reliable magnetic head for a high-frequency magnetic field assisted recording system by preventing current crowding in an oscillator and increasing the current resistance of the oscillator. Between a main pole that generates a recording magnetic field and a trailing shield, an oscillator that includes a non-magnetic metal layer, a spin injection pinned layer, an intermediate layer, and a high-frequency magnetic field generation layer and that generates a high-frequency magnetic field is disposed. The non-magnetic metal layer adjacent to the main pole is tapered with the width gradually increasing from the trailing side toward the leading side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2014
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Kenji SUGIURA, Yo SATO, Masukazu IGARASHI, Katsuro WATANABE
  • Publication number: 20140210426
    Abstract: An on-vehicle power generation control unit includes current detecting unit; communication unit; holding unit; maximum current determining unit; and current control unit. The current detecting unit detects the excitation current at the field winding. The communication unit communicates with an external equipment to receive a first upper limit. The holding unit holds a second upper limit. The maximum current determining unit determines a maximum current to be the second upper limit when the first upper limit has not received by the communication unit or when the received first upper limit is more than or equal to the second upper limit. Further, the maximum current determining unit determines the maximum current value to be the first upper limit when the received first upper limit is less than the second upper limit. The current control unit controls the detected excitation current to be within the maximum current value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2014
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Inventors: Kengo TERADA, Kenji SUGIURA
  • Patent number: 8793157
    Abstract: An information providing device can provide an arrangement, in addition to conventional affiliate programs, through which affiliators or the like can get rewards. In the information providing device, when a user of a terminal device specifies an advertisement display area, a partial area including a position specified in the advertisement display area is specified such that a reward is paid to the user allocated to the partial area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Rakuten, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Sugiura, Yasuaki Shirogane
  • Publication number: 20140167599
    Abstract: A light-emitting module includes a light-emitting element, a first wavelength converter and a second wavelength converter. The first wavelength converter is located in an optical pathway of emitted light, and converts a portion of the emitted light to light in a first visible wavelength band. The second wavelength converter is located in the optical pathway on an opposite side of the first wavelength converter relative to the light-emitting element, and converts at least a portion of light passing unconverted through the first wavelength converter to light in a second visible wavelength band, differing from the first visible wavelength band. The light-emitting module also includes a light-absorbing substance, absorbing light in at least a wavelength band from 570 nm to 590 nm, which is present in the optical pathway between the light-emitting element and the second wavelength converter, and is not substantially present in the second wavelength converter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2013
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenji SUGIURA
  • Publication number: 20140147181
    Abstract: A belt device incorporatable in an image forming apparatus includes an endless belt, multiple belt tension rollers disposed in contact with an inner surface of the endless belt, a rotary cleaning member to contact a belt wound area of the endless belt facing an opposing roller to form a cleaning nip between the rotary cleaning member and the endless belt and rotate the rotary cleaning member in a direction opposite the belt moving direction within the cleaning nip, and a voltage applier. The cleaning nip is formed by offsetting a center of the cleaning nip upstream from a center of the belt wound area of the endless belt in the belt moving direction and by at least contacting the rotary cleaning member in a range from the belt wound area to a tensioned belt area located upstream from the belt wound area in the belt moving direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Inventors: Kenji SUGIURA, Osamu Naruse, Naomi Sugimoto, Hisashi Kikuchi, Yoshiki Hozumi
  • Patent number: 8731431
    Abstract: A belt device incorporatable in an image forming apparatus includes an endless belt, multiple belt tension rollers disposed in contact with an inner surface of the endless belt, a rotary cleaning member to contact a belt wound area of the endless belt facing an opposing roller to form a cleaning nip between the rotary cleaning member and the endless belt and rotate the rotary cleaning member in a direction opposite the belt moving direction within the cleaning nip, and a voltage applier. The cleaning nip is formed by offsetting a center of the cleaning nip upstream from a center of the belt wound area of the endless belt in the belt moving direction and by at least contacting the rotary cleaning member in a range from the belt wound area to a tensioned belt area located upstream from the belt wound area in the belt moving direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Sugiura, Osamu Naruse, Naomi Sugimoto, Hisashi Kikuchi, Yoshiki Hozumi
  • Patent number: 8699898
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a setting memory storing multiple voltage settings; two or more voltage applying members each contacting a voltage applied member at respective contact positions close to each other, which are simultaneously being applied with respective voltages selected from the voltage settings; two or more current detectors each detecting a current flowing in the respective contact positions; and a setting changer performing a setting changing processing in which the voltage applied to one of the voltage applying members is changed based on the current detected by the corresponding current detector while a predetermined voltage is applied to the other voltage applying members, so that an optimum current flows in the corresponding contact position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisashi Kikuchi, Takaya Muraishi, Kenji Sugiura, Akira Asaoka, Yoshiki Hozumi, Yuu Sakakibara
  • Patent number: 8699908
    Abstract: A cleaning device including a rotatable cleaning member contacting a rotatable image carrier bearing a toner image to electrostatically remove toner from the image carrier while rotating, and a control unit to control rotation of the cleaning member to satisfy a relation of (60/R)>(L/V) during removal of a toner pattern formed on the image carrier at a predetermined timing and remaining attached to the image carrier without being transferred from the image carrier onto a transfer member using the cleaning member, where R (rpm) is a number of rotations of the cleaning member, L (mm) is a length of the toner pattern in a direction of rotation of the image carrier, and V (mm/s) is a speed of the image carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisashi Kikuchi, Takaya Muraishi, Kenji Sugiura, Akira Asaoka, Yoshiki Hozumi, Yuu Sakakibara
  • Patent number: 8682208
    Abstract: A cleaning device including: multiple cleaning members arranged consecutively in a direction of movement of a cleaning target to remove adhered substances from the cleaning target; multiple casings to individually hold and at least partially enclose the multiple cleaning members, respectively, the casings and the cleaning members together constituting multiple sub-units; and a sub-unit holder to hold the multiple sub-units, from which the sub-units are individually removable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Asaoka, Takaya Muraishi, Kenji Sugiura, Hisashi Kikuchi, Yoshiki Hozumi, Yuu Sakakibara
  • Publication number: 20140064769
    Abstract: A cleaner includes at least two cleaning brush members to electrostatically remove toner on an object; a memory; a voltage applicator to apply a voltage to the cleaning brush members based on setup voltage values stored in the memory; a current detector to detect the amounts of currents flowing through contact portions of the object with the cleaning brush members; and a setup voltage changing device to change the setup voltage values based on the amounts of currents detected by the current detector. The voltage applicator applies a first voltage for removing residual toner or a second voltage higher than the first voltage in absolute value for removing non-transferred toner to at least one of the cleaning brush members, and the setup voltage changing device performs change of the setup voltage value for the second voltage prior to change of the setup voltage value for the first voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2013
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Inventor: Kenji SUGIURA
  • Publication number: 20140054628
    Abstract: A substrate on which LEDs are to be mounted to form an element row and which includes a first line and a second line disposed such that the element row is interposed therebetween. The first line includes a first main line portion extending mainly in the row direction of the element row, and a first connecting portion including a portion for connecting to the LEDs. The second line includes a second main line portion extending mainly in the row direction of the element row, and a second connecting portion including a portion for connecting to the LEDs. The gap between the first main line portion and the second main line portion is larger at LED mounting positions than at positions other than the LED mounting positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2012
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Sugiura, Masumi Abe
  • Publication number: 20140036205
    Abstract: A light-emitting apparatus according to the present invention includes: an elongated substrate; a plurality of LEDs arranged in a straight line on the substrate in a longitudinal direction of the substrate; and a sealing member that includes an optical wavelength converter and seals the LEDs, wherein the sealing member is formed in a straight line in a direction of arrangement of the LEDs and seals the LEDs collectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2012
    Publication date: February 6, 2014
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenji Sugiura
  • Patent number: 8600256
    Abstract: A cleaning device disposed downstream from a transfer position in a direction of rotation of the image carrier to remove toner from the image carrier. The cleaning device includes a normally-charged toner cleaning member to electrostatically remove normally-charged toner from the image carrier, one of a polarity controller to control the toner on the image carrier to have a normal charging polarity and a reversely-charged toner cleaning member to electrostatically remove reversely-charged toner from the image carrier, a pre-cleaning member to electrostatically remove normally-charged toner from the image carrier, a pre-collection member to electrostatically collect the toner from the pre-cleaning member, and a control unit to reduce a voltage applied to the pre-cleaning member immediately after an untransferred toner image is removed from the image carrier by the pre-cleaning member below a voltage applied to the pre-cleaning member during removal of the untransferred toner image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuu Sakakibara, Kenji Sugiura, Naomi Sugimoto, Hisashi Kikuchi, Yoshiki Hozumi, Osamu Naruse
  • Publication number: 20130315617
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a belt cleaning device is provided. The belt cleaning device includes an image bearing belt having an elastic layer, a cleaning member, a cleaning facing member, and a side seal. A surface of the image bearing belt is movable. The cleaning member is in contact with the surface of the image bearing belt to remove a substance adhered thereto. The cleaning facing member is disposed on a back-surface side of the image bearing belt while facing the cleaning member with the image bearing belt therebetween. The side seal is disposed to an axial end part of the cleaning member and pressed against the surface of the image bearing belt. The cleaning facing member is out of contact with the back side of the image bearing belt within an area where the cleaning facing member faces the side seal with respect to an axial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2013
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Inventors: Kenji Sugiura, Takaya Muraishi, Hisashi Kikuchi, Akira Asaoka, Yoshiki Hozumi, Yuu Sakakibara
  • Patent number: 8548350
    Abstract: There is provided a pre-cleaning brush roller being a pre-cleaning member which is disposed on an upstream of a normally-charged-toner cleaning brush roller and an oppositely-charged-toner cleaning brush roller in a surface moving direction of an intermediate transfer belt, is applied with a voltage having a polarity opposite to a normal charge polarity of toner, and electrostatically removes the toner having the normal charge polarity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Yoshiki Hozumi, Kenji Sugiura, Osamu Naruse, Naomi Sugimoto, Hisashi Kikuchi, Yuu Sakakibara
  • Patent number: 8520338
    Abstract: Minute elements are formed while a photo deviation is suppressed between a spin torque oscillator and a main pole and damage is prevented on the ends of the spin torque oscillator in microwave-assisted recording. A magnetic recording head used for microwave-assisted recording includes: a main pole; a spin torque oscillator that is disposed on the main pole and includes a magnetization high-speed rotation layer for rotating magnetization at a high speed by a spin torque; a protective film that is disposed in the track width direction of the spin torque oscillator; an insulating film formed over the wall surfaces of the main pole and the wall surfaces of the protective film; and a magnetic film formed on the insulating film so as to cover at least the main pole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuta Udo, Mikito Sugiyama, Masato Shiimoto, Nobuo Yoshida, Kenji Sugiura, Masashi Hattori