Patents by Inventor Ryotaro KONNO

Ryotaro KONNO 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: 11774878
    Abstract: An amount-of-remaining-toner detecting device includes: a toner housing portion in which a toner bottle is housed, the toner bottle having a bottle body that is cylindrical and in which toner is housed, and a cap that is attached to one end of the bottle body in an axial direction of the bottle body and from which the toner housed in the bottle body is discharged; and circuitry configured to detect an amount of remaining toner in the toner bottle housed in the toner housing portion. The toner housing portion includes a first pair of electrodes facing each other with the bottle body interposed between the first pair of electrodes, and a second pair of electrodes facing each other with the bottle body interposed between the second pair of electrodes, at respective positions closer to the cap than the first pair of electrodes are.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryotaro Konno, Junichi Matsumoto, Tatsuya Kubo, Yuki Osato, Yuusuke Tomura, Masashi Hommi
  • Patent number: 11604423
    Abstract: A remaining toner amount detection device includes four electrodes and a controller. Each electrode has an arc shape along an outer circumferential surface of a toner bottle, and the four electrodes are spaced a certain distance apart in a circumferential direction so as to surround the toner bottle. The controller detects a remaining toner amount inside the toner bottle by using the four electrodes. The controller determines whether at least one of a first electrostatic capacity value between one pair of adjacent electrodes and a second electrostatic capacity value between the other pair of adjacent electrodes falls within a threshold range. In response to determination that at least one of the electrostatic capacity values falls within the threshold range, the controller detects a remaining toner amount inside the toner bottle based on an electrostatic capacity value, and outputs the detected remaining toner amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuki Osato, Masashi Hommi, Yuusuke Tomura, Ryotaro Konno, Junichi Matsumoto, Tatsuya Kubo
  • Publication number: 20220397853
    Abstract: An amount-of-remaining-toner detecting device includes: a toner housing portion in which a toner bottle is housed, the toner bottle having a bottle body that is cylindrical and in which toner is housed, and a cap that is attached to one end of the bottle body in an axial direction of the bottle body and from which the toner housed in the bottle body is discharged; and circuitry configured to detect an amount of remaining toner in the toner bottle housed in the toner housing portion. The toner housing portion includes a first pair of electrodes facing each other with the bottle body interposed between the first pair of electrodes, and a second pair of electrodes facing each other with the bottle body interposed between the second pair of electrodes, at respective positions closer to the cap than the first pair of electrodes are.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Publication date: December 15, 2022
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryotaro Konno, Junichi Matsumoto, Tatsuya Kubo, Yuki Osato, Yuusuke Tomura, Masashi Hommi
  • Publication number: 20220283533
    Abstract: A remaining toner amount detection device includes four electrodes and a controller. Each electrode has an arc shape along an outer circumferential surface of a toner bottle, and the four electrodes are spaced a certain distance apart in a circumferential direction so as to surround the toner bottle. The controller detects a remaining toner amount inside the toner bottle by using the four electrodes. The controller determines whether at least one of a first electrostatic capacity value between one pair of adjacent electrodes and a second electrostatic capacity value between the other pair of adjacent electrodes falls within a threshold range. In response to determination that at least one of the electrostatic capacity values falls within the threshold range, the controller detects a remaining toner amount inside the toner bottle based on an electrostatic capacity value, and outputs the detected remaining toner amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuki Osato, Masashi Hommi, Yuusuke Tomura, Ryotaro Konno, Junichi Matsumoto, Tatsuya Kubo
  • Patent number: 10992823
    Abstract: An information processing device includes control circuitry. The control circuitry is configured to store, in a first memory, record information formed each time a predetermined event occurs in a device and perform an update process of successively updating an old piece of record information with a new piece of record information in the record information stored in the first memory; transmit the record information stored in the first memory via a first signal line; transfer communication abnormality record information stored in the first memory to a second memory, which is configured not to update record information, and store the communication abnormality record information in the second memory when a communication abnormality signal of the first signal line is supplied via a second signal line; and transmit the communication abnormality record information stored in the second memory via the first signal line when communication of the first signal line is restored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryohta Ueba, Sumihiro Inokuchi, Yuki Sunagawa, Kenichi Yamada, Tasuku Kohara, Xiaoya Sun, Ryotaro Konno
  • Publication number: 20200259963
    Abstract: An information processing device includes control circuitry. The control circuitry is configured to store, in a first memory, record information formed each time a predetermined event occurs in a device and perform an update process of successively updating an old piece of record information with a new piece of record information in the record information stored in the first memory; transmit the record information stored in the first memory via a first signal line; transfer communication abnormality record information stored in the first memory to a second memory, which is configured not to update record information, and store the communication abnormality record information in the second memory when a communication abnormality signal of the first signal line is supplied via a second signal line; and transmit the communication abnormality record information stored in the second memory via the first signal line when communication of the first signal line is restored.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Ryohta UEBA, Sumihiro INOKUCHI, Yuki SUNAGAWA, Kenichi YAMADA, Tasuku KOHARA, Xiaoya SUN, Ryotaro KONNO