Patents by Inventor Kentaroh Fukami

Kentaroh Fukami 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).

  • Publication number: 20240034580
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a first guide plate and a second guide plate facing with a given space in a thickness direction and having second and third openings, a sheet conveyance passage between the first and second guide plates, and a sheet conveyor including a drive source, a drive roller, a first driven roller, and a second driven roller. The drive roller protrudes from the first guide plate toward the sheet conveyance passage through the first opening. The first driven roller faces the drive roller and protrudes from the second guide plate toward the sheet conveyance passage through the second opening. The second driven roller protrudes from the second guide plate toward the sheet conveyance passage through the third opening. The second driven roller is disposed at a position shifted from the drive roller in a width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction and the thickness direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yusuke Tanaka, Kentaroh Fukami, Shigeyuki Itoh, Atsushi Kuriyama, Yuuki Nakagawa, Yiru Chen, Ken Sawada, Takuya Fukuhara, Ryoh Suzuki, Yasuo Ohba, Akikazu Iwata
  • Publication number: 20230348223
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a sheet conveyance passage, a sheet circulation passage, a first conveyor, a second conveyor, a third conveyor, and circuitry. In the sheet circulation passage, a sheet is circulated to be overlaid with a following sheet in the sheet conveyance passage. The circuitry circulates the sheet in the sheet circulation passage to overlay the sheet with the following sheet conveyed after the sheet in the first sheet conveyance passage, at an upstream position of the first sheet conveyance passage, and adjusts a sheet conveyance speed of the third conveyor to circulate the sheet, based on a reduction amount that is obtained when a preceding amount of a leading end of the following sheet with respect to a leading end of the sheet is reduced while the following sheet is temporarily stopped due to a temporary stop of the first conveyor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Fukuhara, Ken Sawada, Ryoh Suzuki, Kentaroh Fukami, Atsushi Kuriyama, Yusuke Tanaka, Yuuki Nakagawa, Yasuo Ohba, Akikazu Iwata
  • Publication number: 20230242371
    Abstract: A post-processing device (200) includes a circulation conveyance path, a zeroth conveyer (R0), and a controller (50). The circulation conveyance path includes a first conveyance path (W1), a second conveyance path (W2), a third conveyance path (W3), a first conveyer (R1), a second conveyer (R2), and a third conveyer (R3). The first and second conveyers convey a preceding sheet (P1) along the first and second conveyance paths. The third conveyer conveys it from the third conveyance path to the first conveyance path. The zeroth conveyer conveys a following sheet (P2) toward the first conveyer. The controller controls the third conveyer to stop the preceding sheet, subsequently controls the zeroth conveyer and the third conveyer to overlay the preceding sheet with the following sheet to form a sheet bundle (Q) having a shift amount (G) between a leading edges of the preceding sheet and the following sheet and strike the leading edges of the preceding sheet and the following sheet against the first conveyer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2021
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi KURIYAMA, Yuuki NAKAGAWA, Takeshi HIRABAYASHI, Takato MOCHIZUKI, Ryoh SUZUKI, Kentaroh FUKAMI, Yusuke TANAKA, Takaya FUKUHARA
  • Publication number: 20230024014
    Abstract: A post-processing apparatus includes a first conveyor, a second conveyor, a third conveyor, and a conveyance passage corrector. The first conveyor conveys a sheet conveyed along a first conveyance passage downstream from the first conveyor. The second conveyor conveys the sheet along a second conveyance passage. The third conveyor conveys the sheet along a third conveyance passage. The conveyance passage corrector includes a retracting mechanism to retract from a joining position at which the third conveyance passage joins to the first conveyance passage and turns a conveyance direction of the sheet toward the first conveyor when the sheet enters from the third conveyance passage to the first conveyance passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2022
    Publication date: January 26, 2023
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takato MOCHIZUKI, Kentaroh FUKAMI, Yuuki NAKAGAWA, Atsushi KURIYAMA, Yusuke TANAKA, Akikazu IWATA, Yasuo OHBA, Hiroki YOSHIDA, Takuya FUKUHARA, Ryoh SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 11511961
    Abstract: A sheet processing device includes a first conveyance passage, a first conveyor, a second conveyor, a folder, a second conveyance passage, and circuitry. The circuitry is configured to (1) cause the first conveyor and the second conveyor to convey the sheet nipping the sheet to warp the sheet between the first conveyor and the second conveyor, (2) guide the warped sheet to form a first fold on the sheet by the folder and circulate the sheet to the first conveyance passage, (3) cause the first conveyor and the second conveyor to convey the sheet while nipping the sheet again to warp the sheet between the first conveyor and the second conveyor, (4) guide the warped sheet to form a second fold on the sheet by the folder, and (5) cause the second conveyor to convey the sheet with the first fold and the second fold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yusuke Tanaka, Kentaroh Fukami, Atsushi Kuriyama, Yuuki Nakagawa, Takato Mochizuki, Toshihisa Hioki, Takuya Fukuhara, Ryoh Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11352233
    Abstract: A sheet stacking device includes a pair of first sheet stackers, a pair of sheet alignment members, a second sheet stacker, a sheet removal portion, and control circuitry. The first sheet stackers stack both end portions of a sheet in a direction orthogonal to a sheet ejecting direction. The sheet alignment members contact both ends of the sheet in the orthogonal direction to align the sheet on the first sheet stackers. The second sheet stacker is disposed lower than the first sheet stackers and stacks the sheet dropped from between the first sheet stackers. The sheet removal portion is disposed on one side in the orthogonal direction. The control circuitry causes one of the first sheet stackers and one of the sheet alignment members to move toward an opposite side of the sheet removal portion in the orthogonal direction after the sheet is dropped from between the first sheet stackers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Hirako, Kentaroh Fukami
  • Publication number: 20220063953
    Abstract: A sheet processing device includes a first conveyance passage, a first conveyor, a second conveyor, a folder, a second conveyance passage, and circuitry. The circuitry is configured to (1) cause the first conveyor and the second conveyor to convey the sheet nipping the sheet to warp the sheet between the first conveyor and the second conveyor, (2) guide the warped sheet to form a first fold on the sheet by the folder and circulate the sheet to the first conveyance passage, (3) cause the first conveyor and the second conveyor to convey the sheet while nipping the sheet again to warp the sheet between the first conveyor and the second conveyor, (4) guide the warped sheet to form a second fold on the sheet by the folder, and (5) cause the second conveyor to convey the sheet with the first fold and the second fold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yusuke TANAKA, Kentaroh FUKAMI, Atsushi KURIYAMA, Yuuki NAKAGAWA, Takato MOCHIZUKI, Toshihisa HIOKI, Takuya FUKUHARA, Ryoh SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20200239263
    Abstract: A sheet stacking device includes a pair of first sheet stackers, a pair of sheet alignment members, a second sheet stacker, a sheet removal portion, and control circuitry. The first sheet stackers stack both end portions of a sheet in a direction orthogonal to a sheet ejecting direction. The sheet alignment members contact both ends of the sheet in the orthogonal direction to align the sheet on the first sheet stackers. The second sheet stacker is disposed lower than the first sheet stackers and stacks the sheet dropped from between the first sheet stackers. The sheet removal portion is disposed on one side in the orthogonal direction. The control circuitry causes one of the first sheet stackers and one of the sheet alignment members to move toward an opposite side of the sheet removal portion in the orthogonal direction after the sheet is dropped from between the first sheet stackers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Hirako, Kentaroh Fukami
  • Patent number: 9533853
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a conveyance roller pair that rotates in a certain direction to convey a sheet, a first normal-reverse rotation roller pair that is capable of rotating in a normal direction and a reverse direction and rotates to convey the sheet, a first driver that drives the first normal-reverse rotation roller pair to rotate, and a first driving force transmitter that transmits a driving force of the first driver for rotating the first normal-reverse rotation roller pair in a first specific direction to the conveyance roller pair so as to rotate the conveyance roller pair in the certain direction, and blocks a driving force of the first driver for rotating the first normal-reverse rotation roller pair in the direction opposite to the first specific direction from being transmitted to the conveyance roller pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yuuki Nakagawa, Kentaroh Fukami, Daishi Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20150321871
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a conveyance roller pair that rotates in a certain direction to convey a sheet, a first normal-reverse rotation roller pair that is capable of rotating in a normal direction and a reverse direction and rotates to convey the sheet, a first driver that drives the first normal-reverse rotation roller pair to rotate, and a first driving force transmitter that transmits a driving force of the first driver for rotating the first normal-reverse rotation roller pair in a first specific direction to the conveyance roller pair so as to rotate the conveyance roller pair in the certain direction, and blocks a driving force of the first driver for rotating the first normal-reverse rotation roller pair in the direction opposite to the first specific direction from being transmitted to the conveyance roller pair.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2015
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Inventors: Yuuki NAKAGAWA, Kentaroh Fukami, Daishi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8672313
    Abstract: A sheet processing device for stacking one or more sheets temporarily on a stacking unit, and stapling the sheets by a stapling unit after aligned by an alignment unit. The device includes a shift unit that shifts the sheet in both a sheet conveying direction and a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction, and a control unit that controls a shift amount of the shift unit so that an alignment distance of a width direction alignment unit to align the sheet in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction is constant regardless of a staple position and a sheet size, when stacking the sheets on the stacking unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Kentaroh Fukami
  • Publication number: 20120217693
    Abstract: A sheet processing device for stacking one or more sheets temporarily on a stacking unit, and stapling the sheets by a stapling unit after aligned by an alignment unit. The device includes a shift unit that shifts the sheet in both a sheet conveying direction and a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction, and a control unit that controls a shift amount of the shift unit so that an alignment distance of a width direction alignment unit to align the sheet in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction is constant regardless of a staple position and a sheet size, when stacking the sheets on the stacking unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventor: Kentaroh Fukami