Patents by Inventor Kento AOKI

Kento AOKI 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: 12528099
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a liquid discharge head, a second medium, and a cleaner. The liquid discharge head discharges a liquid on the first medium. The second medium is different from the first medium. The liquid discharge head is dischargeable the liquid onto the second medium to form a test pattern. The cleaner cleans the second medium to remove the test pattern from the second medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2026
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kento Aoki
  • Publication number: 20250236110
    Abstract: A liquid discharge system includes: a head (300) including: a nozzle (302) from which a liquid is to be discharged; a liquid chamber (311) communicating with the nozzle through a communication port; a nozzle face (301) on which the nozzle is formed; and a valve (304) configured to open or close the communication port; and a cleaner (708) including a cleaning nozzle (201) to supply a cleaning liquid to the nozzle face, wherein the cleaner supplies the cleaning liquid from the cleaning nozzle to the nozzle face in a state where the valve has closed the communication port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2023
    Publication date: July 24, 2025
    Inventors: Bingxian CHEN, Tomoya TANAKA, Kento AOKI, Shigeru YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20250187339
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a plurality of liquid discharge nozzles, a housing, and a support. The plurality of liquid discharge nozzles discharges liquid. The housing includes the plurality of liquid discharge nozzles and an opening array face in which a plurality of nozzle rows are arranged. A plurality of nozzle openings of the plurality of liquid discharge nozzles are arranged in the plurality of nozzle rows. The support supports the housing, to fix the housing in a cleaning posture that is a fixed posture of the housing when the opening array face is cleaned. The opening array face has the plurality of nozzle openings at positions where the plurality of nozzle openings do not overlap each other in a gravity direction of the housing when the housing is fixed in the cleaning posture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2023
    Publication date: June 12, 2025
    Inventors: Tomoya TANAKA, Bingxian CHEN, Kento AOKI, Shigeru YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20250178349
    Abstract: A liquid discharge system includes: a first head having a first nozzle, from which a liquid is to be discharged, on a first nozzle face oriented in a first direction; a second head having a second nozzle, from which a liquid is to be discharged, on a second nozzle face oriented in a second direction different from the first direction; a head holder holding the first head and the second head; a first sealer configured to contact and seal the first nozzle face; a second sealer configured to contact and seal the second nozzle face; a first cleaner configured to clean the first nozzle face in a state where the first sealer has contacted and sealed the first nozzle face; and a second cleaner configured to clean the second nozzle face in a state where the second sealer has contacted and sealed the second nozzle face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2023
    Publication date: June 5, 2025
    Inventors: Tomoya TANAKA, Kento AOKI, Bingxian CHEN, Shigeru YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20240033767
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a liquid discharge head, a second medium, and a cleaner. The liquid discharge head discharges a liquid on the first medium. The second medium is different from the first medium. The liquid discharge head is dischargeable the liquid onto the second medium to form a test pattern. The cleaner cleans the second medium to remove the test pattern from the second medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kento AOKI
  • Patent number: 10481515
    Abstract: A charging device is detachably attachable with respect to a body of an image forming apparatus. The charging device includes a charging roller and a cleaning member. The charging roller charges an image bearer. The cleaning member cleans the charging roller. The cleaning member has a higher cleaning performance on the charging roller during detachment in which the charging device is detached from the body of the image forming apparatus than during attachment in which the charging device is attached to the body of the image forming apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuo Kuwabara, Daisuke Tomita, Norio Kudoh, Kento Aoki, Takeshi Fukao
  • Publication number: 20190258188
    Abstract: A charging device is detachably attachable with respect to a body of an image forming apparatus. The charging device includes a charging roller and a cleaning member. The charging roller charges an image bearer. The cleaning member cleans the charging roller. The cleaning member has a higher cleaning performance on the charging roller during detachment in which the charging device is detached from the body of the image forming apparatus than during attachment in which the charging device is attached to the body of the image forming apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuo Kuwabara, Daisuke Tomita, Norio Kudoh, Kento Aoki, Takeshi Fukao
  • Patent number: 10042314
    Abstract: A cleaning device, which is included in a process cartridge and an image forming apparatus, includes a cleaning blade configured to remove a material attached to a surface of an image bearer, a cleaning case configured to contain the material removed by the cleaning blade, and a removed material receiver configured to receive the material failed to enter into the cleaning case when the material is removed by the cleaning blade, the removed material receiver having a first range at both ends in a width direction of the cleaning blade and a second range at a center in the width direction of the cleaning blade. A volume per unit length in a width direction of the first range is greater than a volume per unit length in a width direction of the second range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Daisuke Tomita, Nobuo Kuwabara, Yasuhiro Maehata, Norio Kudoh, Yasuhito Kuboshima, Kento Aoki
  • Patent number: 9958823
    Abstract: A device disposed opposing an image bearer includes a roller to rotate while contacting a surface of the image bearer, a rolling bearing fitted around a shaft located at an end of the roller in an axial direction of the roller, a frame to house the roller, and a bearing support removably attached to the frame. The rolling bearing includes an outer ring, an inner ring, and a rolling element disposed between the outer ring and the inner ring. The bearing support holds, from an outer-ring side, the rolling bearing interposed between the bearing support and the frame. The bearing support includes a receiving portion to contact the outer ring of the rolling bearing and bias the rolling bearing toward the frame in a direction in which the rolling bearing is interposed between the bearing support and the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Daisuke Tomita, Takeshi Shintani, Yasuhiro Maehata, Yasuhito Kuboshima, Yusuke Ishizuka, Nobuo Kuwabara, Norio Kudoh, Kento Aoki
  • Publication number: 20180046128
    Abstract: A cleaning device, which is included in a process cartridge and an image forming apparatus, includes a cleaning blade configured to remove a material attached to a surface of an image bearer, a cleaning case configured to contain the material removed by the cleaning blade, and a removed material receiver configured to receive the material failed to enter into the cleaning case when the material is removed by the cleaning blade, the removed material receiver having a first range at both ends in a width direction of the cleaning blade and a second range at a center in the width direction of the cleaning blade. A volume per unit length in a width direction of the first range is greater than a volume per unit length in a width direction of the second range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Daisuke TOMITA, Nobuo KUWABARA, Yasuhiro MAEHATA, Norio KUDOH, Yasuhito KUBOSHIMA, Kento AOKI
  • Publication number: 20170102663
    Abstract: A device disposed opposing an image bearer includes a roller to rotate while contacting a surface of the image bearer, a rolling bearing fitted around a shaft located at an end of the roller in an axial direction of the roller, a frame to house the roller, and a bearing support removably attached to the frame. The rolling bearing includes an outer ring, an inner ring, and a rolling element disposed between the outer ring and the inner ring. The bearing support holds, from an outer-ring side, the rolling bearing interposed between the bearing support and the frame. The bearing support includes a receiving portion to contact the outer ring of the rolling bearing and bias the rolling bearing toward the frame in a direction in which the rolling bearing is interposed between the bearing support and the frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2016
    Publication date: April 13, 2017
    Inventors: Daisuke TOMITA, Takeshi SHINTANI, Yasuhiro MAEHATA, Yasuhito KUBOSHIMA, Yusuke ISHIZUKA, Nobuo KUWABARA, Norio KUDOH, Kento AOKI