Patents by Inventor Makoto Yagawara

Makoto Yagawara 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: 8406667
    Abstract: A fixing device includes: a fixing member that fixes a toner image onto a recording medium; a pressing member that presses the recording medium against the fixing member; an oiling unit that applies release oil onto a surface of the fixing member to clean the surface; a removing member that is arranged between an downstream side of the oiling unit and an upstream side of the pressing member in a rotating direction of the fixing member and movable between an in-contact state where the removing member is in contact with the surface of the fixing member and an out-of-contact state where the removing member is out of contact with the surface; a drive unit that drives the removing member; and an oiling control unit that, when starting earliest fixing, controls the drive unit to gradually move the removing member from the in-contact state into the out-of-contact state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Makoto Yagawara, Tsukasa Onose, Souichi Nakazawa, Sho Sawahata, Ken Onodera, Masahiro Mizuno, Soushi Kikuchi, Takahiro Inoue
  • Patent number: 8045871
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus for performing an image forming operation is disclosed that includes an image carrier on which a toner image is formed, an intermediate transfer member configured to transfer the toner image to a recording medium, the intermediate transfer member having a toner image forming area including an output image forming area and a non-output image forming area located outside of the output image forming area, the toner image forming area being wider than the output image forming area, and a detecting part configured to measure a physical quantity regarding an image quality of a first reference image formed in the output image forming area and a second reference image formed in the non-output image forming area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Susumu Monma, Shinya Kobayashi, Shinichi Akatsu, Teruaki Mitsuya, Makoto Yagawara, Hideharu Miki, Isao Nakajima
  • Publication number: 20110076069
    Abstract: A fixing device includes: a fixing member that fixes a toner image onto a recording medium; a pressing member that presses the recording medium against the fixing member; an oiling unit that applies release oil onto a surface of the fixing member to clean the surface; a removing member that is arranged between an downstream side of the oiling unit and an upstream side of the pressing member in a rotating direction of the fixing member and movable between an in-contact state where the removing member is in contact with the surface of the fixing member and an out-of-contact state where the removing member is out of contact with the surface; a drive unit that drives the removing member; and an oiling control unit that, when starting earliest fixing, controls the drive unit to gradually move the removing member from the in-contact state into the out-of-contact state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2010
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Inventors: Makoto YAGAWARA, Tsukasa Onose, Souichi Nakazawa, Sho Sawahata, Ken Onodera, Masahiro Mizuno, Soushi Kikuchi, Takahiro Inoue
  • Patent number: 7917045
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus forms high precision full color image by correcting the adhesion quantity of an image visualizing agent and a position shift of a visible image while performing printing process. The image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer unit; plural photoconductors; plural charging units; plural exposure units; plural developing units; plural first transferring units; and plural second transferring units. The intermediate transfer unit has a correction pattern image formed in a region outside a predetermined maximum document region in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction. A detector in the intermediate transfer unit detects the correction pattern image. A correction controller performs correcting, based on detection results of the detector, setting values of one or more of the charging units, the exposure units, and the developing units when a region corresponding to an interval between the visible images passes a position beneath one of the units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Yagawara, Hideharu Miki, Souichi Nakazawa, Shinichi Akatsu, Akira Asaoka, Akihiko Yamazaki, Isao Nakajima
  • Patent number: 7773896
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a image forming unit, a measurement unit and a controller. The image carrier includes a central region on which a target image as an object of an image forming is formed and a peripheral region placed outward of the central region. The image forming unit forms a reference image on the peripheral region and the central region, before the image forming is started. Also, the image forming unit forms the target image on the central region based on a preset condition and a third reference image on the peripheral region, during the image forming. The measurement unit measures a physical quantity for the reference images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Yagawara, Hideharu Miki, Isao Nakajima, Akihiko Yamazaki, Akira Asaoka, Yukio Otome, Souichi Nakazawa
  • Publication number: 20080317486
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus for performing an image forming operation is disclosed that includes an image carrier on which a toner image is formed, an intermediate transfer member configured to transfer the toner image to a recording medium, the intermediate transfer member having a toner image forming area including an output image forming area and a non-output image forming area located outside of the output image forming area, the toner image forming area being wider than the output image forming area, and a detecting part configured to measure a physical quantity regarding an image quality of a first reference image formed in the output image forming area and a second reference image formed in the non-output image forming area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Inventors: Susumu MONMA, Shinya KOBAYASHI, Shinichi AKATSU, Teruaki MITSUYA, Makoto YAGAWARA, Hideharu MIKI, Isao NAKAJIMA
  • Publication number: 20080044192
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a image forming unit, a measurement unit and a controller. The image carrier includes a central region on which a target image as an object of an image forming is formed and a peripheral region placed outward of the central region. The image forming unit forms a reference image on the peripheral region and the central region, before the image forming is started. Also, the image forming unit forms the target image on the central region based on a preset condition and a third reference image on the peripheral region, during the image forming. The measurement unit measures a physical quantity for the reference images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Publication date: February 21, 2008
    Applicant: RICOH PRINTING SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Yagawara, Hideharu Miki, Isao Nakajima, Akihiko Yamazaki, Akira Asaoka, Yukio Otome, Souichi Nakazawa
  • Publication number: 20070212086
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is disclosed that is able to form a full color image with high precision by correcting the adhesion quantity of an image visualizing agent and a position shift of a visible image while continuing to perform a printing process. The image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer unit; plural photoconductors; plural charging units; plural exposure units; plural developing units; plural first transferring units; and plural second transferring units. The intermediate transfer unit has a correction pattern image formed in a region outside of a predetermined maximum document region of the intermediate transfer unit in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction. A detector is provided in the intermediate transfer unit for detecting the correction pattern image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2007
    Publication date: September 13, 2007
    Inventors: Makoto YAGAWARA, Hideharu MIKI, Souichi NAKAZAWA, Shinichi AKATSU, Akira ASAOKA, Akihiko YAMAZAKI, Isao NAKAJIMA