Patents by Inventor Shinichi Kuramoto
Shinichi Kuramoto 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).
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Publication number: 20170277072Abstract: A developing device includes a developer carrier that opposes an image carrier and rotates while carrying developer on a surface thereof; and a container that supports the developer carrier in a rotatable manner and contains the developer, the developer containing toner, first carrier subjected to frictional charging together with the toner, and second carrier having a diameter greater than a diameter of the first carrier and an electrical resistance lower than an electrical resistance of the first carrier.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 1, 2016Publication date: September 28, 2017Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Shinichi KURAMOTO, Yoshifumi OZAKI, Ryota TOMISHI, Junichi UCHIYAMA, Yoshitaka NAKAJIMA, Norihiro TAMAZAWA
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Patent number: 9733590Abstract: A developing device includes a developing housing that contains developer; a developer carrier that transports the developer; a layer-thickness regulating member that is provided for an upstream gap between the developer carrier and the developing housing and that regulates a layer thickness of the developer; and a sealing member that is provided for a downstream gap between the developer carrier and the developing housing. The sealing member is fixed to the developing housing at one side and is in contact with the developer on the developer carrier at the other side. The sealing member has cuts extending from a free end of the sealing member by approximately 60% or more of a dimension of the sealing member from the free end to a fixed end in the width direction, and is at an angle of approximately 30° or less with respect to a reference line.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2015Date of Patent: August 15, 2017Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Shinichi Kuramoto, Shigemi Murata, Yoshitaka Nakajima, Ryota Tomishi
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Publication number: 20160282754Abstract: A developing device includes a developing housing that contains developer; a developer carrier that transports the developer; a layer-thickness regulating member that is provided for an upstream gap between the developer carrier and the developing housing and that regulates a layer thickness of the developer; and a sealing member that is provided for a downstream gap between the developer carrier and the developing housing. The sealing member is fixed to the developing housing at one side and is in contact with the developer on the developer carrier at the other side. The sealing member has cuts extending from a free end of the sealing member by approximately 60% or more of a dimension of the sealing member from the free end to a fixed end in the width direction, and is at an angle of approximately 30° or less with respect to a reference line.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 18, 2015Publication date: September 29, 2016Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Shinichi KURAMOTO, Shigemi MURATA, Yoshitaka NAKAJIMA, Ryota TOMISHI
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Patent number: 9423721Abstract: A developing device is provided. A rotating shaft of a first transporting member is positioned exactly below a developer carrier. A second virtual tangent to the first transporting member that extends vertically on a side of the first transporting member opposite an image carrier is farther from the image carrier than a first virtual tangent to the developer carrier that extends vertically on a side of the developer carrier opposite the image carrier. A distance between the two virtual tangents is shorter than a distance between the first virtual tangent and a developer container. A developer guiding member that guides a developer toward a downstream side in a direction of transport by the first transporting member is provided on a downstream side in a direction of rotation of the developer carrier with respect to the image carrier, with a gap provided with respect to the developer carrier.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2015Date of Patent: August 23, 2016Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Shigemi Murata, Shinichi Kuramoto, Yoshitaka Nakajima, Ryota Tomishi, Shigeru Inaba
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Publication number: 20160070205Abstract: A developing device is provided. A rotating shaft of a first transporting member is positioned exactly below a developer carrier. A second virtual tangent to the first transporting member that extends vertically on a side of the first transporting member opposite an image carrier is farther from the image carrier than a first virtual tangent to the developer carrier that extends vertically on a side of the developer carrier opposite the image carrier. A distance between the two virtual tangents is shorter than a distance between the first virtual tangent and a developer container. A developer guiding member that guides a developer toward a downstream side in a direction of transport by the first transporting member is provided on a downstream side in a direction of rotation of the developer carrier with respect to the image carrier, with a gap provided with respect to the developer carrier.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2015Publication date: March 10, 2016Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Shigemi MURATA, Shinichi KURAMOTO, Yoshitaka NAKAJIMA, Ryota TOMISHI, Shigeru INABA
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Patent number: 9244376Abstract: Provided is a developing device including a storage container that stores a developer, a rotating body that supplies the developer to an image holding member in a supply region by being rotated with holding the developer, an inflow portion that is provided with an inflow port placed on a downstream side of the supply region in a rotation direction of the rotating body, and flows air into the storage container, and an outflow portion that is provided with an outflow port and emits air in the storage container from the outflow port, wherein the outflow port and the inflow port are placed to be adjacent to each other.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2014Date of Patent: January 26, 2016Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTDInventors: Shinichi Kuramoto, Yasutomo Ishii, Ryota Tomishi, Shinji Okuyama
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Patent number: 9195168Abstract: A developing device includes a developer carrier that has a cylindrical shape and that rotates while carrying developer to supply the developer to an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a container that contains the developer carrier, and a discharge-path forming member that is provided along an outer peripheral surface of the developer carrier, that covers a top portion of a path along which the outer peripheral surface moves, the top portion being located at an uppermost position of the path, and that forms a discharge path, through which air is discharged from inside of the container to outside of the container, between the discharge-path forming member and an inner wall surface of the container, the discharge path having an outlet located closer to the developer carrier than the top portion.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2014Date of Patent: November 24, 2015Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Yasutomo Ishii, Shinichi Kuramoto, Hiroaki Okuma, Ryota Tomishi, Shinji Okuyama, Kiyohito Horii, Daisuke Nakai, Ryo Fukuno, Toshiaki Suzuki
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Publication number: 20150093139Abstract: Provided is a developing device including a storage container that stores a developer, a rotating body that supplies the developer to an image holding member in a supply region by being rotated with holding the developer, an inflow portion that is provided with an inflow port placed on a downstream side of the supply region in a rotation direction of the rotating body, and flows air into the storage container, and an outflow portion that is provided with an outflow port and emits air in the storage container from the outflow port, wherein the outflow port and the inflow port are placed to be adjacent to each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 19, 2014Publication date: April 2, 2015Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTDInventors: Shinichi KURAMOTO, Yasutomo ISHII, Ryota TOMISHI, Shinji OKUYAMA
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Publication number: 20150016848Abstract: A developing device includes a developer carrier that has a cylindrical shape and that rotates while carrying developer to supply the developer to an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a container that contains the developer carrier, and a discharge-path forming member that is provided along an outer peripheral surface of the developer carrier, that covers a top portion of a path along which the outer peripheral surface moves, the top portion being located at an uppermost position of the path, and that forms a discharge path, through which air is discharged from inside of the container to outside of the container, between the discharge-path forming member and an inner wall surface of the container, the discharge path having an outlet located closer to the developer carrier than the top portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 9, 2014Publication date: January 15, 2015Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Yasutomo ISHII, Shinichi KURAMOTO, Hiroaki OKUMA, Ryota TOMISHI, Shinji OKUYAMA, Kiyohito HORII, Daisuke NAKAI, Ryo FUKUNO, Toshiaki SUZUKI
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Patent number: 8923733Abstract: A developer supplying device includes an inflow path; a guide path having an inlet to which a lower end of the inflow path is connected, the guide path extending diagonally downward from the inlet, the guide path guiding the developer to a developing unit; and a transport unit disposed in the guide path, the transport unit including a helical screw blade and a holder that holds the helical screw blade, the transport unit transporting the developer to the developing unit by rotating. In at least a part of a region in the guide path facing the inlet, a pitch of the helical screw blade in a horizontal direction is greater than or equal to a width of the inlet, and the holder is located at a position displaced from the rotation axis of the transport unit.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 2013Date of Patent: December 30, 2014Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.Inventors: Shinichi Kuramoto, Satoru Yugeta, Hirokazu Murase
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Patent number: 8811863Abstract: A developing device includes: a developing member including a magnetism-generating member having plural magnetic poles polarized in a circumferential-direction thereof, and a rotating member that is rotated about the magnetism-generating member; a developer-pumping pole provided in the magnetism-generating member, and that pumps up the developer, which is supplied from a developer accommodating portion, to the rotating member surface; a developer-peeling-off pole provided in the magnetism-generating member below a rotation axis of the rotating member in a vertical direction on an upstream side of the developer-pumping pole in a rotational-direction of the rotating member, that peels off the developer from the rotating member surface; and a magnetic body provided in at least a portion between a facing position facing the developer-peeling-off pole in a circumferential-direction of the rotating member and an intermediate position between the developer-peeling-off pole and the developer-pumping pole in the circuType: GrantFiled: March 7, 2011Date of Patent: August 19, 2014Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.Inventors: Takashi Ochi, Shota Oba, Shigeru Inaba, Shinichi Kuramoto, Yoshitaka Nakajima
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Publication number: 20140147173Abstract: A developer supplying device includes an inflow path; a guide path having an inlet to which a lower end of the inflow path is connected, the guide path extending diagonally downward from the inlet, the guide path guiding the developer to a developing unit; and a transport unit disposed in the guide path, the transport unit including a helical screw blade and a holder that holds the helical screw blade, the transport unit transporting the developer to the developing unit by rotating. In at least a part of a region in the guide path facing the inlet, a pitch of the helical screw blade in a horizontal direction is greater than or equal to a width of the inlet, and the holder is located at a position displaced from the rotation axis of the transport unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 28, 2013Publication date: May 29, 2014Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Shinichi KURAMOTO, Satoru Yugeta, Hirokazu Murase
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Patent number: 8660470Abstract: A developing device includes first and second developer carriers facing each other in a facing region, a regulating member that regulates a layer thickness of developer, and a separation member. The first and second developer carriers respectively include first and second magnetic members that are respectively magnetized with first and second facing magnetic poles having opposite polarities. The separation member separates the developer so that the developer is supplied toward the first and second developer carriers. The separation member is disposed such that distances between the separation member and the first and second developer carriers are the smallest in a region in which a magnitude of a combined magnetic field of the first and second magnetic poles locally decreases as compared with a case where at least one of the first and second developer carriers is independently disposed due to interaction between the first and second facing magnetic poles.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2012Date of Patent: February 25, 2014Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yoichi Watanabe, Makoto Hirota, Tomoyuki Yoshii, Jun Abe, Yasuaki Watanabe, Shinichi Kuramoto, Kunihiko Sato
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Patent number: 8594536Abstract: A developing unit includes: a developing roller; a first conveying member provided in a first container, having a first shaft and a spiral blade, that agitates and conveys developer; a second conveying member provided in a second container connected to the first container via a hole, having a second shaft and a spiral blade, that agitates and conveys the developer; and a supplying member having a third shaft and a paddle blade, that supplies the developer conveyed by the first or the second conveying member to a developing roller, wherein: at least one of the first and second shafts includes a first portion that faces the hole and a second portion that does not face the hole; and a diameter of the at least one of the first and second shafts in at least a part of the first portion is smaller than a diameter in the second portion.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2011Date of Patent: November 26, 2013Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.Inventors: Shinichi Kuramoto, Taichi Yamada, Masahiro Uchida, Mutsumi Kikuchi
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Patent number: 8548364Abstract: A developing device includes: an magnetic field generating unit that generates an magnetic field; and a cylindrical developer holder, to which a voltage is applied, that surrounds the magnetic field generating unit and rotates, the cylindrical developer holder: having an outer circumferential surface having a plurality of grooves that extend in a direction of a rotational axis, the outer circumferential surface being capable of holding developer including a magnetic substance by using the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generation unit, an electrical resistance of an inner wall surface of each of the grooves being higher than an electrical resistance of the magnetic substance included in the developer; and supplying the developer to an image holder that holds an electrostatic latent image.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2010Date of Patent: October 1, 2013Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.Inventors: Shota Oba, Shigeru Inaba, Takashi Yamamuro, Takashi Ochi, Shinichi Kuramoto
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Publication number: 20130164042Abstract: A developing device includes first and second developer carriers facing each other in a facing region, a regulating member that regulates a layer thickness of developer, and a separation member. The first and second developer carriers respectively include first and second magnetic members that are respectively magnetized with first and second facing magnetic poles having opposite polarities. The separation member separates the developer so that the developer is supplied toward the first and second developer carriers. The separation member is disposed such that distances between the separation member and the first and second developer carriers are the smallest in a region in which a magnitude of a combined magnetic field of the first and second magnetic poles locally decreases as compared with a case where at least one of the first and second developer carriers is independently disposed due to interaction between the first and second facing magnetic poles.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 7, 2012Publication date: June 27, 2013Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Yoichi WATANABE, Makoto HIROTA, Tomoyuki YOSHII, Jun ABE, Yasuaki WATANABE, Shinichi KURAMOTO, Kunihiko SATO
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Patent number: 8447216Abstract: A development unit includes: a developing vessel in which a developing agent is received; a developing member as defined herein; a supply member which is supported in the developing vessel and disposed to be opposed to the developing member, the supply member rotating the developing agent in the developing vessel while holding the developing agent on a surface of the supply member to thereby supply the developing agent held on the surface to the developing member; and a thickness limiting member as defined herein, and the supply member is supported movably in a direction to expand or reduce a gap between the thickness limiting member and the supply member so that the gap between the thickness limiting member and the supply member can be adjusted.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2011Date of Patent: May 21, 2013Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.Inventors: Shota Oba, Shigeru Inaba, Takashi Ochi, Yoshitaka Nakajima, Shinichi Kuramoto
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Patent number: 8178273Abstract: To provide (1) a method for manufacturing a carrier, including: dissolving a coating material composed of a plurality of types of materials in a fluid containing at least one of a supercritical fluid and a subcritical fluid; and lowering the solubility of the solution by controlling at least one of pressure and temperature to form a coating layer on a core surface, or (2) a method for manufacturing a carrier, including: dispersing or dissolving a coating material in a fluid containing at least one of a supercritical fluid and a subcritical fluid; and lowering solubility of the solution by controlling at least one of pressure and temperature to form a coating layer on a core surface, wherein the coating material contains at least a silicone resin, and the silicone resin has a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of 800 to 5,000.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2007Date of Patent: May 15, 2012Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Ryota Inoue, Chiaki Tanaka, Shinichi Kuramoto
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Publication number: 20120099899Abstract: A developing unit includes: a developing roller; a first conveying member provided in a first container, having a first shaft and a spiral blade, that agitates and conveys developer; a second conveying member provided in a second container connected to the first container via a hole, having a second shaft and a spiral blade, that agitates and conveys the developer; and a supplying member having a third shaft and a paddle blade, that supplies the developer conveyed by the first or the second conveying member to a developing roller, wherein: at least one of the first and second shafts includes a first portion that faces the hole and a second portion that does not face the hole; and a diameter of the at least one of the first and second shafts in at least a part of the first portion is smaller than a diameter in the second portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 31, 2011Publication date: April 26, 2012Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Shinichi KURAMOTO, Taichi YAMADA, Masahiro UCHIDA, Mutsumi KIKUCHI
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Publication number: 20120051796Abstract: A development unit includes: a developing vessel in which a developing agent is received; a developing member as defined herein; a supply member which is supported in the developing vessel and disposed to be opposed to the developing member, the supply member rotating the developing agent in the developing vessel while holding the developing agent on a surface of the supply member to thereby supply the developing agent held on the surface to the developing member; and a thickness limiting member as defined herein, and the supply member is supported movably in a direction to expand or reduce a gap between the thickness limiting member and the supply member so that the gap between the thickness limiting member and the supply member can be adjusted.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 22, 2011Publication date: March 1, 2012Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Shota OBA, Shigeru INABA, Takashi OCHI, Yoshitaka NAKAJIMA, Shinichi KURAMOTO