Patents by Inventor Satoru Tobita

Satoru Tobita 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: 10730292
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes a plurality of nozzles, a plurality of individual liquid chambers, a common liquid chamber, a deformable damper, and a damper chamber. The plurality of nozzles is arrayed in a nozzle array direction, to discharge liquid. The plurality of individual liquid chambers is communicated with the plurality of nozzles. The common liquid chamber supplies liquid to the plurality of individual liquid chambers. The deformable damper constitutes part of a wall face of the common liquid chamber. The damper chamber is disposed along the nozzle array direction with the damper interposed between the damper chamber and the common liquid chamber. The damper chamber extends to an outer area in the nozzle array direction than an individual liquid chamber of the plurality of individual liquid chambers at each end in the nozzle array direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tomohiko Kohda, Satoru Tobita, Ryo Kasahara, Ryohta Matsufuji, Norimasa Sohgawa
  • Publication number: 20180290446
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes a plurality of nozzles, a plurality of individual liquid chambers, a common liquid chamber, a deformable damper, and a damper chamber. The plurality of nozzles is arrayed in a nozzle array direction, to discharge liquid. The plurality of individual liquid chambers is communicated with the plurality of nozzles. The common liquid chamber supplies liquid to the plurality of individual. liquid chambers. The deformable damper constitutes part of a wall face of the common liquid chamber. The damper chamber is disposed along the nozzle array direction with the damper interposed between the damper chamber and the common liquid chamber. The damper chamber extends to an outer area in the nozzle array direction than an individual liquid chamber of the plurality of individual liquid chambers at each end in the nozzle array direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tomohiko KOHDA, Satoru TOBITA, Ryo KASAHARA, Ryohta MATSUFUJI, Norimasa SOHGAWA
  • Patent number: 10022963
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes a plurality of nozzles, a plurality of individual liquid chambers, a common liquid chamber, a deformable damper, and a damper chamber. The plurality of nozzles is arrayed in a nozzle array direction, to discharge liquid. The plurality of individual liquid chambers is communicated with the plurality of nozzles. The common liquid chamber supplies liquid to the plurality of individual liquid chambers. The deformable damper constitutes part of a wall face of the common liquid chamber. The damper chamber is disposed along the nozzle array direction with the damper interposed between the damper chamber and the common liquid chamber. The damper chamber extends to an outer area in the nozzle array direction than an individual liquid chamber of the plurality of individual liquid chambers at each end in the nozzle array direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tomohiko Kohda, Satoru Tobita, Ryo Kasahara, Ryohta Matsufuji, Norimasa Sohgawa
  • Publication number: 20170129245
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes a plurality of nozzles, a plurality of individual liquid chambers, a common liquid chamber, a deformable damper, and a damper chamber. The plurality of nozzles is arrayed in a nozzle array direction, to discharge liquid. The plurality of individual liquid chambers is communicated with the plurality of nozzles. The common liquid chamber supplies liquid to the plurality of individual liquid chambers. The deformable damper constitutes part of a wall face of the common liquid chamber. The damper chamber is disposed along the nozzle array direction with the damper interposed between the damper chamber and the common liquid chamber. The damper chamber extends to an outer area in the nozzle array direction than an individual liquid chamber of the plurality of individual liquid chambers at each end in the nozzle array direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2016
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tomohiko KOHDA, Satoru TOBITA, Ryo KASAHARA, Ryohta MATSUFUJI, Norimasa SOHGAWA
  • Patent number: 8911062
    Abstract: A liquid-jet head includes a channel plate forming an individual liquid chamber in communication with nozzles configured to eject liquid drops, a wall surface member forming a wall surface of the individual liquid chamber, and a drive unit disposed on the wall surface member side and configured to generate a pressure applied to a drive region inside the individual liquid chamber. In the liquid-jet head, a fluid resistance part is formed by disposing an island part in a liquid supply channel configured to supply a liquid to the individual liquid channel, and the island part includes a gradient part on the channel plate side, at least a part of the gradient part being formed such that the part of the gradient part faces the drive region inside the individual liquid chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Kuwata, Kunihiro Yamanaka, Satoru Tobita
  • Patent number: 8845051
    Abstract: A droplet ejecting apparatus includes a recording head including nozzles, liquid chambers communicating with the respective nozzles and storing ink, and actuators for applying pressure to the respective liquid chambers; and a print control unit configured to generate drive signals for driving the respective actuators to eject droplets from the nozzles. The drive signal includes a first contracting waveform component for ejecting a droplet and a second contracting waveform component for further contracting the liquid chamber after application of the first contracting waveform component but not ejecting a droplet. The second contracting waveform component is output at oscillation-damping timing at which a pressure wave generated by the first contracting waveform component is damped, in a condition where an environmental temperature is high, and is output at resonating timing at which resonance with the generated pressure wave occurs, in a condition where the environmental temperature is low.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuusuke Iwata, Naoko Kitaoka, Satoru Tobita
  • Patent number: 8777349
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head and a driving waveform generator. The recording head has a nozzle, a liquid chamber, and a pressure generator. The driving waveform generator is connected to the pressure generator to generate and output a driving waveform including a plurality of driving pulses per driving cycle to eject a droplet from the nozzle. A last one of the driving pulses includes a first expansion waveform element, a first retaining waveform element, a first contraction waveform element, a second retaining waveform element, a second contraction waveform element, a third retaining waveform element, and a second expansion waveform element. The first contraction waveform element has a potential difference greater than a potential difference of the first expansion waveform element. The second contraction waveform element has a time period longer than a time period of the first contraction waveform element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoru Tobita, Takashi Satou
  • Publication number: 20140160193
    Abstract: A droplet ejecting apparatus includes a recording head including nozzles, liquid chambers communicating with the respective nozzles and storing ink, and actuators for applying pressure to the respective liquid chambers; and a print control unit configured to generate drive signals for driving the respective actuators to eject droplets from the nozzles. The drive signal includes a first contracting waveform component for ejecting a droplet and a second contracting waveform component for further contracting the liquid chamber after application of the first contracting waveform component but not ejecting a droplet. The second contracting waveform component is output at oscillation-damping timing at which a pressure wave generated by the first contracting waveform component is damped, in a condition where an environmental temperature is high, and is output at resonating timing at which resonance with the generated pressure wave occurs, in a condition where the environmental temperature is low.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2013
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Shuusuke Iwata, Naoko Kitaoka, Satoru Tobita
  • Patent number: 8657401
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a printing head unit, a driving waveform generator that generates and outputs a driving waveform having four or more driving pulses in chronological order per driving cycle, and a selector that selects and applies one of multiple driving pulses to a pressure generator to cause a printing head unit to selectively discharge a liquid droplet of three or more different sizes. The driving waveform includes three or more driving pulses at least having a final driving pulse to collectively discharge the biggest liquid droplet. The driving waveform includes a micro-driving pulse for discharging a smallest droplet within a time period of from about 2×Tc to about 4×Tc after the driving waveform starts being outputted when Tc represents a natural vibration period of a separate liquid chamber of the printing head unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoru Tobita, Kunihiro Yamanaka, Naoko Kitaoka, Takashi Satou
  • Publication number: 20130242001
    Abstract: A liquid-jet head includes a channel plate forming an individual liquid chamber in communication with nozzles configured to eject liquid drops, a wall surface member forming a wall surface of the individual liquid chamber, and a drive unit disposed on the wall surface member side and configured to generate a pressure applied to a drive region inside the individual liquid chamber. In the liquid-jet head, a fluid resistance part is formed by disposing an island part in a liquid supply channel configured to supply a liquid to the individual liquid channel, and the island part includes a gradient part on the channel plate side, at least a part of the gradient part being formed such that the part of the gradient part faces the drive region inside the individual liquid chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Masahiro Kuwata, Kunihiro Yamanaka, Satoru Tobita
  • Publication number: 20130070010
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a printing head unit, a driving waveform generator that generates and outputs a driving waveform having four or more driving pulses in chronological order per driving cycle, and a selector that selects and applies one of multiple driving pulses to a pressure generator to cause a printing head unit to selectively discharge a liquid droplet of three or more different sizes. The driving waveform includes three or more driving pulses at least having a final driving pulse to collectively discharge the biggest liquid droplet. The driving waveform includes a micro-driving pulse for discharging a smallest droplet within a time period of from about 2×Tc to about 4×Tc after the driving waveform starts being outputted when Tc represents a natural vibration period of a separate liquid chamber of the printing head unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoru TOBITA, Kunihiro Yamanaka, Naoko Kitaoka, Takashi Satou
  • Patent number: 8393716
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head is disclosed. The liquid ejection includes a flow channel plate, the flow channel plate being formed from one thin plate, the flow channel plate being formed with one or more pressure generating chambers, a fluid resistance section which supplies liquid to the pressure generating chamber, and a nozzle hole which opposes the pressure generating chamber. The flow channel plate is made of a metal material, and wherein the flow plate includes the pressure generating chamber which is formed of a groove-shaped indentation; the nozzle hole which is formed at one end in a longitudinal direction of the groove-shaped indentation; and the fluid resistance section which is formed at the other end in the longitudinal direction of the groove-shaped indentation. The pressure generating chamber, the nozzle head, and the fluid resistance section are formed such that they deform the thin plate in a thickness direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoru Tobita, Masayuki Kinoshita, Kaori Fujii
  • Patent number: 8348407
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes nozzles, separate chambers, a common chamber, inlet portions, a filter unit, and ribs. Droplets of liquid are ejected from the nozzles. The separate chambers are communicated with the nozzles. The inlet portions are communicated with the corresponding separate chambers. Liquid is supplied from the common chamber to the separate chambers through the inlet portions. The filter unit is disposed between the inlet portions and the common chamber to filter liquid in an area across the separate chambers in a first direction in which the nozzles are arrayed. The ribs are disposed in the filter unit at intervals corresponding in size to at least two of the separate chambers in the first direction to partition the filter unit. The inlet portions are communicated in the first direction with each other in at least one portion of each of the inlet portions facing the filter unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryouta Matsufuji, Hideyuki Makita, Tadashi Mimura, Satoru Tobita, Tomohiko Koda
  • Publication number: 20120236052
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head and a driving waveform generator. The recording head has a nozzle, a liquid chamber, and a pressure generator. The driving waveform generator is connected to the pressure generator to generate and output a driving waveform including a plurality of driving pulses per driving cycle to eject a droplet from the nozzle. A last one of the driving pulses includes a first expansion waveform element, a first retaining waveform element, a first contraction waveform element, a second retaining waveform element, a second contraction waveform element, a third retaining waveform element, and a second expansion waveform element. The first contraction waveform element has a potential difference greater than a potential difference of the first expansion waveform element. The second contraction waveform element has a time period longer than a time period of the first contraction waveform element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoru TOBITA, Takashi Satou
  • Publication number: 20110057992
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head is disclosed. The liquid ejection includes a flow channel plate, the flow channel plate being formed from one thin plate, the flow channel plate being formed with one or more pressure generating chambers, a fluid resistance section which supplies liquid to the pressure generating chamber, and a nozzle hole which opposes the pressure generating chamber. The flow channel plate is made of a metal material, and wherein the flow plate includes the pressure generating chamber which is formed of a groove-shaped indentation; the nozzle hole which is formed at one end in a longitudinal direction of the groove-shaped indentation; and the fluid resistance section which is formed at the other end in the longitudinal direction of the groove-shaped indentation. The pressure generating chamber, the nozzle head, and the fluid resistance section are formed such that they deform the thin plate in a thickness direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoru TOBITA, Masayuki Kinoshita, Kaori Fujii
  • Publication number: 20100328409
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes nozzles, separate chambers, a common chamber, inlet portions, a filter unit, and ribs. Droplets of liquid are ejected from the nozzles. The separate chambers are communicated with the nozzles. The inlet portions are communicated with the corresponding separate chambers. Liquid is supplied from the common chamber to the separate chambers through the inlet portions. The filter unit is disposed between the inlet portions and the common chamber to filter liquid in an area across the separate chambers in a first direction in which the nozzles are arrayed. The ribs are disposed in the filter unit at intervals corresponding in size to at least two of the separate chambers in the first direction to partition the filter unit. The inlet portions are communicated in the first direction with each other in at least one portion of each of the inlet portions facing the filter unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryouta MATSUFUJI, Hideyuki Makita, Tadashi Mimura, Satoru Tobita, Tomohiko Koda
  • Patent number: 7744197
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an inkjet recording head includes an ejecting step, a measuring step, dividing step and applying step. The ejecting step ejects test ink droplets and print ink droplets from nozzles. The measuring step measures ejection results of the test ink droplets. The dividing step divides a plurality of nozzles into a plurality of groups based on the ejection results. The applying step applies a group-based polarizing voltage determined for each group to the piezoelectric elements belonging to a corresponding group to polarize the piezoelectric elements so that ejection results of the print ink droplets fall in a predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Printing Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Yamada, Satoru Tobita, Hitoshi Kida, Kenichi Kugai, Nobuhiro Kurosawa
  • Patent number: 7695114
    Abstract: A disclosed inkjet head includes an ink channel unit formed by stacking a channel plate having a nozzle hole formed therein, a channel plate having a pressure chamber formed therein, and a channel plate having a restrictor formed therein and by bonding the channel plates together by diffusion bonding, which channel plates have substantially the same thickness; a pressure generating source attached to a surface of the ink channel unit and configured to generate pressure to jet ink; and a housing formed by stacking housing plates and by bonding the housing plates together by diffusion bonding and configured to hold the ink channel unit, which housing plates have substantially the same thickness as that of the channel plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Printing Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiko Koda, Satoru Tobita, Takashi Sato, Yoshinari Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7681987
    Abstract: An inkjet recording head includes a nozzle plate, chamber plate, and a diaphragm plate. The nozzle plate includes a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink droplets, a plurality of connecting channels in communication with the nozzles and pressure chambers. The nozzles are formed in a row at a uniform pitch. The connecting channels extend from the nozzles alternately in opposite directions in a staggered formation and are offset a prescribed angle to a direction orthogonal to the row of nozzles. The chamber plate includes the pressure chambers, restrictors, and common ink chambers formed therein. Each pressure chamber has an elongated shape extending in a direction orthogonal to the row of nozzles. The pressure chambers are formed in rows, one on either side of the row of nozzles, so that the pressure chambers in one row oppose the corresponding pressure chambers in the other row. The diaphragm plate has a vibration plate that seals the pressure chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Printing Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoru Tobita, Ryouta Matsufuji, Tomohiko Koda
  • Patent number: 7654652
    Abstract: An ink jet head having: a common ink chamber for storing an ink supplied from an ink supply part; an ink supply path for supplying the ink stored in the common ink chamber; a pressure chamber to which the ink is supplied via the ink supply path; and a nozzle for discharging the ink in the pressure chamber in accordance with a pressure change in the pressure chamber. The components being constructed by stacking a plurality of thin plate members, wherein a plurality of the ink supply paths are arranged in parallel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Printing Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoru Tobita, Toshiharu Sumiya, Ryouta Matsufuji