Patents by Inventor Shigemi Kanda

Shigemi Kanda 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: 6335066
    Abstract: A disposal cartridge for use in an image forming apparatus includes a sheet and a roller. An area of the sheet is at least equal to an area of the entire circumferential surface of the roller. The sheet is detachably bonded to an entire circumferential surface of the roller. The roller attracts toner and is detachably and rotatably mounted on the disposal cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2002
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigemi Kanda
  • Patent number: 6088561
    Abstract: A toner cartridge includes a container body for holding toner therein, at least one rotatable member including a rotation center shaft, for discharging the toner outside from the container body, disposed in the container body, the container body having an opening at one end thereof in the axial direction of rotation of the rotatable member, and a cap member for opening and closing the opening formed in the container body, which is capable of serving as a bearing member for the rotatable member thereon and is detachable through the opening in the direction of the axis of rotation of the rotatable member. This toner cartridge is available with toner loaded therein, and can be recycled when the toner is used up. A method of recycling this toner cartridge is provided. In addition, an image formation apparatus including this toner cartridge is proposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2000
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshihide Kawamura, Hideo Ichikawa, Shigemi Kanda
  • Patent number: 5873021
    Abstract: In a cleaning device and a eveloping device installed in an electrophotographic device, a cleaner and toner magazine (CTM) has a cleaning unit including a cleaning blade for removing a toner left on a photoconductive element after image transfer and a waste toner tank for collecting it, and a developing unit accommodating a fresh toner tank storing a fresh toner. The waste toner tank and fresh toner tank are connected together such that the fresh toner tank is movable relative to the developing device independently of the waste toner tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1999
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Hatta, Hiroshi Saitoh, Shigemi Kanda, Yozo Matsuura, Masahiko Kamijo
  • Patent number: 5852762
    Abstract: A toner magazine for feeding a developing device including in an electrophotographic apparatus, and a cleaner and toner magazine (CTM) including a cleaning unit and a developing unit are disclosed. The cleaning unit has a cleaning blade for removing toner remaining on a photoconductive element and collecting it as waste toner. The developing unit has a fresh toner tank for storing fresh toner. The toner magazine and CTM are easy to handle and facilitate replacement and maintenance. The fresh toner tank is capable of storing a great amount of toner therein without increasing the overall size of the toner magazine and CTM. The toner magazine and CTM can be recycled by a simple procedure and reduce the amount of a seal material used to prevent the toner from leaking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1998
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Hatta, Shigemi Kanda
  • Patent number: 5697038
    Abstract: In a cleaning device and a developing device installed in an electrophotographic device, a cleaner and toner magazine (CTM) has a cleaning unit including a cleaning blade for removing a toner left on a photoconductive element after image transfer and a waste toner tank for collecting it, and a developing unit accommodating a fresh toner tank storing a fresh toner. The waste toner tank and fresh toner tank are constructed integrally with each other and connected together such that the fresh toner tank is movable to the developing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Hatta, Hiroshi Saitoh, Shigemi Kanda, Yozo Matsuura, Masahiko Kamijo
  • Patent number: 5555081
    Abstract: In a cleaning device and a developing device installed in an electrophotographic device, a cleaner and toner magazine (CTM) has a cleaning unit including a cleaning blade for removing a toner left on a photoconductive element after image transfer and a waste toner tank for collecting it, and a developing unit accommodating a fresh toner tank storing a fresh toner. The waste toner tank and fresh toner tank are constructed integrally with each other and connected together such that the fresh toner tank is movable to the developing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1996
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Hatta, Hiroshi Saitoh, Shigemi Kanda, Yozo Matsuura, Masahiko Kamijo
  • Patent number: 5543906
    Abstract: A cleaning apparatus comprises a cleaning housing which has an opening and an accommodating part for accommodating removed toner. The opening faces an image bearing member. The apparatus further comprises a blade which covers part of the opening with the blade having one end which contacts the image bearing member, a cleaning roller, which is provided in the cleaning housing, for collecting toner which is removed by the blade and transporting the toner into the cleaning housing, and a scraper for scraping toner on the cleaning roller. The accommodating part for accumulating removed toner is partitioned by the scraper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 6, 1996
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigemi Kanda
  • Patent number: 5298952
    Abstract: A toner supplying device for use in an image forming system includes a cleaner portion for removing a residual toner from a photosensitive medium of the image forming system so as to store the residual toner therein, and a toner supplying portion, integrally formed with the cleaner portion, having a compartment for storing toner and a mechanism for supplying the toner to a developing unit so that a toner image is formed on a copy sheet in accordance with an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive medium. In this device, the toner supplying portion includes an agitator member for agitating the toner within the toner supplying portion so as to prevent the toner from sticking to an inside wall of the toner supplying portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1994
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiko Kamijo, Shigemi Kanda
  • Patent number: D375118
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 29, 1996
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazumasa Ishikawa, Shigemi Kanda