Patents by Inventor Shinji Asami

Shinji Asami 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).

  • Publication number: 20130153571
    Abstract: A casing, a heating chamber that is provided in the casing and that has an opening on a front face thereof, an exhaust tube for guiding exhaust from inside of the heating chamber to front face side of the casing, a cooling fan that is provided in the casing, and an exhaust duct having an exhaust inlet to which the other end of the exhaust tube is connected are provided. Position along height direction of a cooling air inlet into which cooling air flows from under the exhaust duct is lower than position along the height direction of the discharge ports of the exhaust duct, and the position along the height direction of the cooling air inlet of the exhaust duct is lower than position along the height direction of the exhaust inlet of the exhaust duct. A heating cooker is provided that prevents the exhaust from the inside of the heating chamber from flowing into a main body thereof even if a fan for supplying air that is to be mixed with the exhaust breaks down.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2011
    Publication date: June 20, 2013
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinji Asami, Hiroyuki Katoh
  • Publication number: 20120269601
    Abstract: A conveying device that conveys a sheet bundle with a flattened back-face portion includes a first conveying unit, a driving unit, and a second conveying unit. The first conveying unit retracts to a position where no driving force is exerted on the sheet bundle before a leading end of the sheet bundle formed in a flat spine shape enters, and abuts on the sheet bundle to exert conveying force after the leading end of the sheet bundle passes a conveying position. The driving unit moves the first conveying unit to retract to the position and to abut on the sheet bundle. The second conveying unit is positioned on an upstream side of the first conveying unit in a sheet bundle conveying direction and conveys the sheet bundle towards the first conveying unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Inventors: Shinji Asami, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Naohiro Kikkawa, Kazuhiro Kobayashi, Tomohiro Furuhashi, Kiichiroh Gotoh
  • Patent number: 8286958
    Abstract: An spine formation device includes a sheet conveyer that conveys the bundle of folded sheets in a sheet conveyance direction with a folded portion of the bundle forming front end portion thereof, first and second sandwiching units disposed downstream from the sheet conveyer, a contact member disposed downstream from the second sandwiching unit, against which the folded portion of a bundle of folded sheets is pressed, and a controller. The controller stops the sheet conveyer after the bundle is transported a predetermined distance from a contact position between the contact member and the folded portion of the bundle, causing the bundle to bulge, and causes the first and second sandwiching units to squeeze the bulging of the bundle of folded sheets in a thickness direction sequentially with the folded portion of the bundle pressed against the contact member to form a spine of the bundle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Shinji Asami, Naohiro Kikkawa
  • Patent number: 8282091
    Abstract: A spine formation device includes a sheet conveyer, a clamping unit disposed downstream from the sheet conveyer in a sheet conveyance direction, for squeezing a folded portion of a bundle of folded sheets, a contact member against which the folded portion of the bundle is pressed, disposed downstream from the clamping unit, and a controller to cause the bundle of folded sheets to bulge by stopping the sheet conveyer after the bundle of folded sheets is transported a predetermined conveyance distance from a contact position between the contact member and the folded portion of the bundle and to cause the clamping unit to squeeze a bulging portion of the bundle created between the sheet conveyer and the contact member with the folded portion pressed against the contact member. The predetermined distance is set in accordance with a predetermined sheet-related variable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Furuhashi, Shinji Asami, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Naohiro Kikkawa, Kazuhiro Kobayashi, Kiichiroh Gotoh
  • Patent number: 8256758
    Abstract: A bookbinding system that includes: a center folding unit configured to perform center folding on an integrated sheet bundle; an additionally folding unit configured to additionally perform folding of a folded portion of the center-folded sheet bundle; a back surface forming unit configured to form a back surface on the sheet bundle by pressing a front end of the folded portion of the center-folded sheet bundle and both surfaces of the sheet bundle; and a control unit configured to change the content of additionally folding according to whether to perform the back surface forming or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Kobayashi, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Shinji Asami, Naohiro Kikkawa, Tomohiro Furuhashi, Kiichiroh Gotoh
  • Patent number: 8240654
    Abstract: An spine formation device includes a sheet conveyer to transport a bundle of folded sheets with a folded portion of the bundle of folded sheets forming a front end portion, a sandwiching member to sandwich and squeeze the bundle of folded sheets in a direction of thickness of the bundle of folded sheets, and a spine formation unit disposed downstream from the sandwiching member in the sheet conveyance direction, to flatten the folded portion of the bundle of folded sheets held by the sandwiching member. The spine formation unit presses the folded portion of the bundle of folded sheets projecting a predetermined length from the sandwiching member in the sheet conveyance direction in a reverse direction of the sheet conveyance direction while moving in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the folded portion of the bundle of folded sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinji Asami, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Naohiro Kikkawa
  • Patent number: 8220791
    Abstract: An spine formation device includes a sheet conveyer that conveys the bundle of folded sheets with a folded portion of the bundle of folded sheets forming a front end portion of the bundle of folded sheets, a spine formation unit disposed downstream from the sheet conveyer in a sheet conveyance direction for forming the spine of the bundle of folded sheets by squeezing the folded portion of the bundle from a folded leading side, a front side, and a back side of the bundle, a discharge unit to discharge the bundle of folded sheets outside the spine formation device, disposed downstream form the spine formation unit in the sheet conveyance direction, and a controller to cause the spine formation unit to operate in one of multiple selectable control modes for controlling the spine formation unit in accordance with at least one of multiple predetermined sheet-related variables.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Shinji Asami, Naohiro Kikkawa, Kazuhiro Kobayashi, Tomohiro Furuhashi, Kiichiroh Gotoh
  • Patent number: 8191882
    Abstract: A spine formation device includes a sheet conveyer to transport a bundle of folded sheets, a pressing unit including a first pressing member movable according to a pressing load in a pressing direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction to press opposed sides of the front end portion of the folded sheets and a second pressing member attached to the first pressing member, to press the front end portion of the folded sheets, and a spine formation member disposed at a predetermined distance from the pressing unit. The second moves in the sheet conveyance direction in conjunction with the first pressing member moving in the pressing direction and presses the folded portion of the bundle of sheets with a predetermined spine-forming load against a contact surface of the spine formation member, thereby forming a spine of the bundle of sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naohiro Kikkawa, Shinji Asami, Nobuyoshi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8186663
    Abstract: A spine formation device includes a sheet conveyer, a presser, and a spine formation member. The sheet conveyer conveys a bundle of folded sheets with a folded portion of the bundle of sheets forming a front end portion of the bundle of sheets. The presser is disposed downstream from the sheet conveyer in a sheet conveyance direction in which the sheet conveyer conveys the bundle of sheets. The presser is movable to press opposed sides of the front end portion of the bundle of sheets. The spine formation member is movably disposed downstream from the presser in the sheet conveyance direction. The spine formation member includes a groove portion that contacts and positions the bundle of sheets to define an amount by which the bundle of sheets protrudes from the presser and a spine formation face that forms a spine at the folded portion of the bundle of sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Shinji Asami, Naohiro Kikkawa
  • Publication number: 20120118169
    Abstract: A cooking device has an exhaust duct (19) configured and arranged to mix together exhaust air discharged from an opening (61a) at a tip of a nozzle part (61) and part of cooling air discharged from a cooling fan and guide the mixed exhaust air to discharge it outside of a casing, and an exhaust duct temperature sensor (70) placed within the exhaust duct (19) to detect a temperature of an atmosphere inside the exhaust duct at a portion upper than the opening (61a) of the nozzle (61). A fan abnormal-stop detection part detects an abnormal stop of the fan when an increment per unit time of an atmosphere temperature inside the exhaust duct (19) detected by the temperature sensor (70) during cooking becomes equal to or higher than a first threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Inventors: Seiichi Hirano, Mitsuo Ohuchi, Masayuki Iwamoto, Hiroshi Hirano, Shinji Asami
  • Publication number: 20120118279
    Abstract: A cooking device has a casing 1, a heating chamber 8 provided in the casing 1, an exhaust tube 18 for guiding exhaust from inside of the heating chamber 8 through an electric component chamber 9 in the casing 1 to front face side, and a dew receiving container 4 that is provided on front face side of the casing 1 and that receives and diffuses the exhaust from the exhaust tube 18 to outside of the casing 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Inventors: Shinji Asami, Takashi Utsumi, Shinya Ueda, Hiroyuki Kato
  • Patent number: 8109495
    Abstract: An spine formation device includes a sheet conveyer, a contact member including a first row of grooves provided in a contact surface thereof to house a projection projecting from a folded portion of a bundle of folded sheets, a driving unit to move the contact member, first and second sandwiching units to squeeze the bundle, a discharge unit, and a controller. The first row of grooves extends in parallel to the folded portion of the bundle and includes at least a first pair of grooves inclined in different directions with an interval therebetween varying in size with location of the grooves in a first direction perpendicular to a sheet conveyance direction. The contact member is moved to change the size of interval between the first pair of grooves at a position aligned with the projection projecting from the folded portion of the bundle of folded sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Naohiro Kikkawa, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Shinji Asami, Kazuhiro Kobayashi, Tomohiro Furuhashi, Kiichiroh Gotoh
  • Publication number: 20110103863
    Abstract: A conveying device that conveys a sheet bundle with a flattened back-face portion includes a first conveying unit, a driving unit, and a second conveying unit. The first conveying unit retracts to a position where no driving force is exerted on the sheet bundle before a leading end of the sheet bundle formed in a flat spine shape enters, and abuts on the sheet bundle to exert conveying force after the leading end of the sheet bundle passes a conveying position. The driving unit moves the first conveying unit to retract to the position and to abut on the sheet bundle. The second conveying unit is positioned on an upstream side of the first conveying unit in a sheet bundle conveying direction and conveys the sheet bundle towards the first conveying unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2010
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Inventors: Shinji Asami, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Naohiro Kikkawa, Kazuhiro Kobayashi, Tomohiro Furuhashi, Kiichiroh Gotoh
  • Publication number: 20110103921
    Abstract: An spine formation device includes a sheet conveyer that conveys the bundle of folded sheets with a folded portion of the bundle of folded sheets forming a front end portion of the bundle of folded sheets, a spine formation unit disposed downstream from the sheet conveyer in a sheet conveyance direction for forming the spine of the bundle of folded sheets by squeezing the folded portion of the bundle from a folded leading side, a front side, and a back side of the bundle, a discharge unit to discharge the bundle of folded sheets outside the spine formation device, disposed downstream form the spine formation unit in the sheet conveyance direction, and a controller to cause the spine formation unit to operate in one of multiple selectable control modes for controlling the spine formation unit in accordance with at least one of multiple predetermined sheet-related variables.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2010
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Shinji Asami, Naohiro Kikkawa, Kazuhiro Kobayashi, Tomohiro Furuhashi, Kiichiroh Gotoh
  • Publication number: 20110103919
    Abstract: A spine formation device includes a sheet conveyer, a clamping unit disposed downstream from the sheet conveyer in a sheet conveyance direction, for squeezing a folded portion of a bundle of folded sheets, a contact member against which the folded portion of the bundle is pressed, disposed downstream from the clamping unit, and a controller to cause the bundle of folded sheets to bulge by stopping the sheet conveyer after the bundle of folded sheets is transported a predetermined conveyance distance from a contact position between the contact member and the folded portion of the bundle and to cause the clamping unit to squeeze a bulging portion of the bundle created between the sheet conveyer and the contact member with the folded portion pressed against the contact member. The predetermined distance is set in accordance with a predetermined sheet-related variable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Inventors: Tomohiro Furuhashi, Shinji Asami, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Naohiro Kikkawa, Kazuhiro Kobayashi, Kiichiroh Gotoh
  • Publication number: 20110091259
    Abstract: A bookbinding system that includes: a center folding unit configured to perform center folding on an integrated sheet bundle; an additionally folding unit configured to additionally perform folding of a folded portion of the center-folded sheet bundle; a back surface forming unit configured to form a back surface on the sheet bundle by pressing a front end of the folded portion of the center-folded sheet bundle and both surfaces of the sheet bundle; and a control unit configured to change the content of additionally folding according to whether to perform the back surface forming or not.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2010
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Kobayashi, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Shinji Asami, Naohiro Kikkawa, Tomohiro Furuhashi, Kiichiroh Gotoh
  • Publication number: 20110064541
    Abstract: An spine formation device includes a sheet conveyer, a contact member including a first row of grooves provided in a contact surface thereof to house a projection projecting from a folded portion of a bundle of folded sheets, a driving unit to move the contact member, first and second sandwiching units to squeeze the bundle, a discharge unit, and a controller. The first row of grooves extends in parallel to the folded portion of the bundle and includes at least a first pair of grooves inclined in different directions with an interval therebetween varying in size with location of the grooves in a first direction perpendicular to a sheet conveyance direction. The contact member is moved to change the size of interval between the first pair of grooves at a position aligned with the projection projecting from the folded portion of the bundle of folded sheets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2010
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Inventors: Naohiro Kikkawa, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Shinji Asami, Kazuhiro Kobayashi, Tomohiro Furuhashi, Kiichiroh Gotoh
  • Publication number: 20100310340
    Abstract: An spine formation device includes a sheet conveyer that conveys the bundle of folded sheets in a sheet conveyance direction with a folded portion of the bundle forming front end portion thereof, first and second sandwiching units disposed downstream from the sheet conveyer, a contact member disposed downstream from the second sandwiching unit, against which the folded portion of a bundle of folded sheets is pressed, and a controller. The controller stops the sheet conveyer after the bundle is transported a predetermined distance from a contact position between the contact member and the folded portion of the bundle, causing the bundle to bulge, and causes the first and second sandwiching units to squeeze the bulging of the bundle of folded sheets in a thickness direction sequentially with the folded portion of the bundle pressed against the contact member to form a spine of the bundle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Shinji Asami, Naohiro Kikkawa
  • Publication number: 20100303585
    Abstract: An spine formation device includes a sheet conveyer to transport a bundle of folded sheets with a folded portion of the bundle of folded sheets forming a front end portion, a sandwiching member to sandwich and squeeze the bundle of folded sheets in a direction of thickness of the bundle of folded sheets, and a spine formation unit disposed downstream from the sandwiching member in the sheet conveyance direction, to flatten the folded portion of the bundle of folded sheets held by the sandwiching member. The spine formation unit presses the folded portion of the bundle of folded sheets projecting a predetermined length from the sandwiching member in the sheet conveyance direction in a reverse direction of the sheet conveyance direction while moving in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the folded portion of the bundle of folded sheets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Inventors: Shinji Asami, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Naohiro Kikkawa
  • Publication number: 20100258994
    Abstract: A spine formation device includes a sheet conveyer to transport a bundle of folded sheets, a pressing unit including a first pressing member movable according to a pressing load in a pressing direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction to press opposed sides of the front end portion of the folded sheets and a second pressing member attached to the first pressing member, to press the front end portion of the folded sheets, and a spine formation member disposed at a predetermined distance from the pressing unit. The second moves in the sheet conveyance direction in conjunction with the first pressing member moving in the pressing direction and presses the folded portion of the bundle of sheets with a predetermined spine-forming load against a contact surface of the spine formation member, thereby forming a spine of the bundle of sheets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2010
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Inventors: Naohiro Kikkawa, Shinji Asami, Nobuyoshi Suzuki