Patents by Inventor Takashi Somete

Takashi Somete 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: 20240131846
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a conveyance belt, a control portion, an ink collector, and a suction portion. The ink collector includes a plurality of ink receivers that receives ink that has passed through openings of the conveyance belt during execution of flushing and a suction path leading from each of the ink receivers to the suction portion. The suction path includes a plurality of first flow paths each connected to each of the plurality of ink receivers and a merging chamber in which the plurality of first flow paths merges together and that is linked to the suction portion. As each of the first flow paths, the plurality of first flow paths is provided in parallel between each of the ink receivers and the merging chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2023
    Publication date: April 25, 2024
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Aiichiro OTANA, Takashi SOMETE
  • Publication number: 20240131847
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a conveyance belt, a control portion, an ink collector, and a suction portion. The ink collector includes a plurality of ink receivers that receives ink that has passed through openings of the conveyance belt during execution of flushing, a waste ink tank disposed below the ink receivers, a suction path that is formed in the waste ink tank and leads from each of the ink receivers to the suction portion, and an ink absorber that is filled in the waste ink tank and absorbs the ink sucked from the ink receivers. The suction path is formed by void spaces surrounded by the ink absorber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2023
    Publication date: April 25, 2024
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Aiichiro OTANA, Takashi SOMETE
  • Patent number: 11964489
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head including a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink, a conveyor belt that has a plurality of apertures and conveys recording media one by one, a control unit, an ink receiver, and a pipe-shaped ink discharge flow path. The control unit controls drive of the recording head and the conveyor belt to perform flushing, in which the ink is ejected from the nozzle of the recording head to pass through one of the apertures, at a timing different from a timing contributing to image recording. The ink receiver is disposed to face the recording head sandwiching the conveyor belt therebetween, to receive the ink after passing through the aperture when the flushing is performed. The ink discharge flow path is connected to the ink receiver. When the flushing is performed, a predetermined amount of liquid is stored in the ink receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Takashi Somete, Chikara Ishihara, Noriaki Furukawa, Takuma Araki, Jun Nakano, Hiroomi Nakatsuji, Issei Nakano
  • Publication number: 20230302815
    Abstract: Provided is an ink-replacement method for an inkjet recording apparatus that includes a recording head having an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink onto a recording medium is arranged, a sub-tank for temporarily retaining the ink supplied from an ink container, and an ink flow path along which the ink circulates from and to the sub-tank by passing through the recording head. In replacing a first ink present in the ink flow path with a second ink to be newly supplied to the recording head via the ink flow path, when the second ink is caused to flow from the sub-tank into the ink flow path, pulsation is generated in the ink flow path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Noriaki FURUKAWA, Takashi SOMETE, Takuma ARAKI
  • Patent number: 11554588
    Abstract: The inkjet recording apparatus includes a conveyance belt, a conveyance plate, a suction unit, an inkjet head, and a cleaning unit. The conveyance belt has a plurality of through holes. The conveyance plate includes a plurality of through holes formed in bottom portions of the plurality of recessed portions. The suction unit is configured to suck the sheet to the conveyance belt. The inkjet head includes a head main body and a head end portion adjacent to the head main body, and faces an upper surface of the conveyance plate via the conveyance belt. The cleaning unit removes ink adhering to a lower surface of the head main body. A depth of the recessed portion in a facing region facing the head end portion of the conveyance plate is shallower than a depth of the recessed portion in a region other than the facing region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Ueda, Chikara Ishihara, Takashi Somete, Issei Nakano, Jun Nakano, Hiroomi Nakatsuji, Aiichiro Otana, Takuma Araki, Noriaki Furukawa, Yasutaka Inui
  • Patent number: 11554587
    Abstract: The inkjet recording apparatus includes a conveyance belt, a conveyance plate, a suction unit, an inkjet head, and a cleaning unit. The conveyance belt has a plurality of through holes. The suction unit causes the conveyance belt to suck the sheet. The conveyance plate includes a plurality of through holes formed in bottom portions of the plurality of recessed portions. The inkjet head includes a head main body and a head end portion adjacent to the head main body, and faces an upper surface of the conveyance plate via the conveyance belt. The cleaning unit removes ink adhering to a lower surface of the head main body. A ratio of the recessed portions per unit area in a facing region of the conveyance plate facing the head end portion is smaller than a ratio of the recessed portions per unit area in a region other than the facing region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Ueda, Chikara Ishihara, Takashi Somete, Issei Nakano, Jun Nakano, Hiroomi Nakatsuji, Aiichiro Otana, Takuma Araki, Noriaki Furukawa, Yasutaka Inui
  • Publication number: 20220305791
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head including a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink, a conveyor belt that has a plurality of apertures and conveys recording media one by one, a control unit, an ink receiver, and a pipe-shaped ink discharge flow path. The control unit controls drive of the recording head and the conveyor belt to perform flushing, in which the ink is ejected from the nozzle of the recording head to pass through one of the apertures, at a timing different from a timing contributing to image recording. The ink receiver is disposed to face the recording head sandwiching the conveyor belt therebetween, to receive the ink after passing through the aperture when the flushing is performed. The ink discharge flow path is connected to the ink receiver. When the flushing is performed, a predetermined amount of liquid is stored in the ink receiver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2022
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Takashi SOMETE, Chikara ISHIHARA, Noriaki FURUKAWA, Takuma ARAKI, Jun NAKANO, Hiroomi NAKATSUJI, Issei NAKANO
  • Patent number: 11396184
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a wiper member, a cleaning liquid supply device, and a controller. The recording head includes an ink ejection surface having an ink ejection port from which ink is ejected. The cleaning liquid supply device includes a cleaning liquid supply surface having a cleaning liquid supply port from which cleaning liquid for wiping the ink ejection surface with the wiper member is supplied, and is located upstream of the ink ejection surface in a wiping direction. The controller controls a cleaning operation including squeezing out the cleaning liquid containing bubbles from the cleaning liquid supply port, and moving the wiper member carrying the cleaning liquid containing bubbles, in the wiping direction from a movement start position to an end position ahead of the ink ejection surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Issei Nakano, Takashi Somete, Chikara Ishihara, Hiroyuki Ueda, Hiroomi Nakatsuji, Noriaki Furukawa, Aiichiro Otana, Jun Nakano, Yasutaka Inui, Takuma Araki
  • Patent number: 11161345
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a wiper member, a cleaning liquid supply device, a cleaning liquid flow path, and a controller. The cleaning liquid flow path includes a vertical tubular member connected to the cleaning liquid supply device and extending upward, and a horizontal tubular member connected to an upper end of the vertical tubular member and extending in a horizontal direction. The controller extrudes a cleaning liquid in at least a part of the cleaning liquid flow path from a cleaning liquid supply port before control of a cleaning operation for wiping an ink ejection surface of the recording head, thereby performing control of an air bubble release operation of the cleaning liquid flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Noriaki Furukawa, Takashi Somete, Chikara Ishihara, Hiroyuki Ueda, Hiroomi Nakatsuji, Issei Nakano, Aiichiro Otana, Jun Nakano, Yasutaka Inui, Takuma Araki
  • Publication number: 20210300045
    Abstract: The inkjet recording apparatus includes a conveyance belt, a conveyance plate, a suction unit, an inkjet head, and a cleaning unit. The conveyance belt has a plurality of through holes. The conveyance plate includes a plurality of through holes formed in bottom portions of the plurality of recessed portions. The suction unit is configured to suck the sheet to the conveyance belt. The inkjet head includes a head main body and a head end portion adjacent to the head main body, and faces an upper surface of the conveyance plate via the conveyance belt. The cleaning unit removes ink adhering to a lower surface of the head main body. A depth of the recessed portion in a facing region facing the head end portion of the conveyance plate is shallower than a depth of the recessed portion in a region other than the facing region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Hiroyuki UEDA, Chikara Ishihara, Takashi Somete, Issei Nakano, Jun Nakano, Hiroomi Nakatsuji, Aiichiro Otana, Takuma Araki, Noriaki Furukawa, Yasutaka Inui
  • Publication number: 20210300044
    Abstract: The inkjet recording apparatus includes a conveyance belt, a conveyance plate, a suction unit, an inkjet head, and a cleaning unit. The conveyance belt has a plurality of through holes. The suction unit causes the conveyance belt to suck the sheet. The conveyance plate includes a plurality of through holes formed in bottom portions of the plurality of recessed portions. The inkjet head includes a head main body and a head end portion adjacent to the head main body, and faces an upper surface of the conveyance plate via the conveyance belt. The cleaning unit removes ink adhering to a lower surface of the head main body. A ratio of the recessed portions per unit area in a facing region of the conveyance plate facing the head end portion is smaller than a ratio of the recessed portions per unit area in a region other than the facing region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Hiroyuki UEDA, Chikara ISHIHARA, Takashi SOMETE, lssei NAKANO, Jun NAKANO, Hiroomi NAKATSUJI, Aiichiro OTANA, Takuma ARAKI, Noriaki FURUKAWA, Yasutaka INUI
  • Publication number: 20200376834
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a wiper member, a cleaning liquid supply device, and a controller. The recording head includes an ink ejection surface having an ink ejection port from which ink is ejected. The cleaning liquid supply device includes a cleaning liquid supply surface having a cleaning liquid supply port from which cleaning liquid for wiping the ink ejection surface with the wiper member is supplied, and is located upstream of the ink ejection surface in a wiping direction. The controller controls a cleaning operation including squeezing out the cleaning liquid containing bubbles from the cleaning liquid supply port, and moving the wiper member carrying the cleaning liquid containing bubbles, in the wiping direction from a movement start position to an end position ahead of the ink ejection surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Issei NAKANO, Takashi SOMETE, Chikara ISHIHARA, Hiroyuki UEDA, Hiroomi NAKATSUJI, Noriaki FURUKAWA, Aiichiro OTANA, Jun NAKANO, Yasutaka INUI, Takuma ARAKI
  • Publication number: 20200376845
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a wiper member, a cleaning liquid supply device, a cleaning liquid flow path, and a controller. The cleaning liquid flow path includes a vertical tubular member connected to the cleaning liquid supply device and extending upward, and a horizontal tubular member connected to an upper end of the vertical tubular member and extending in a horizontal direction. The controller extrudes a cleaning liquid in at least a part of the cleaning liquid flow path from a cleaning liquid supply port before control of a cleaning operation for wiping an ink ejection surface of the recording head, thereby performing control of an air bubble release operation of the cleaning liquid flow path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Noriaki FURUKAWA, Takashi SOMETE, Chikara ISHIHARA, Hiroyuki UEDA, Hiroomi NAKATSUJI, Issei NAKANO, Aiichiro OTANA, Jun NAKANO, Yasutaka INUI, Takuma ARAKI
  • Patent number: 10556434
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes an ink ejection surface, a washing liquid storage portion, a washing liquid nozzle, a mesh sheet, and a sponge member. The washing liquid storage portion includes a supply surface adjacent to the ink ejection surface. The washing liquid nozzle includes a communicating hole that is communicated from a supply port formed in the supply surface to an inside of the washing liquid storage portion, and forms a concave meniscus by a surface of the washing liquid in the communicating hole. The mesh sheet is provided in close contact with an opposite rear surface of the supply surface, and has an opening that is smaller in size than an inner diameter of the communicating hole. The sponge member is provided in a compressed state in the inside of the washing liquid storage portion, presses the mesh sheet toward the opposite rear surface of the supply surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Masanobu Maeshima, Noriaki Furukawa, Takashi Somete
  • Publication number: 20190358957
    Abstract: A wiping device wipes off ink attached to an ink discharge surface of a recording head. The wiping device includes a wiper. The wiper wipes off ink attached to the ink discharge surface of the recording head. The wiper is formed of a material having elasticity. The wiper includes a blade pressed to the ink discharge surface. The blade has a shape easily deformed in a direction perpendicular to the ink discharge surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2019
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Inventors: Takashi Somete, Noriaki Furukawa, Aiichiro Otana, Kenichi Satake, Takuma Araki, Yasutaka Inui, Chikara Ishihara, Yuzuru Yuasa
  • Patent number: 10336078
    Abstract: A recording head of the present disclosure includes an ink ejection surface where a plurality of ink ejection ports for ejecting ink onto a recording medium are disposed. A plurality of cleaning liquid supply ports for supplying a cleaning liquid are disposed on an upstream side with respect to the ink ejection ports in a wiping direction which is a direction in which a wiper wipes the ink ejection surface. The plurality of cleaning liquid supply ports each have a chamfer portion formed at a portion thereof that intersects a surface to be wiped by the wiper, the chamfer portion being R-shaped in section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Noriaki Furukawa, Takashi Somete, Masanobu Maeshima
  • Publication number: 20190092024
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes an ink ejection surface, a washing liquid storage portion, a washing liquid nozzle, a mesh sheet, and a sponge member. The washing liquid storage portion includes a supply surface adjacent to the ink ejection surface. The washing liquid nozzle includes a communicating hole that is communicated from a supply port formed in the supply surface to an inside of the washing liquid storage portion, and forms a concave meniscus by a surface of the washing liquid in the communicating hole. The mesh sheet is provided in close contact with an opposite rear surface of the supply surface, and has an opening that is smaller in size than an inner diameter of the communicating hole. The sponge member is provided in a compressed state in the inside of the washing liquid storage portion, presses the mesh sheet toward the opposite rear surface of the supply surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: Masanobu Maeshima, Noriaki Furukawa, Takashi Somete
  • Patent number: 10207507
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes an ink ejection surface and a cleaning liquid nozzle. The ink ejection surface has an ink ejection port through which ink is ejected. The cleaning liquid nozzle has a cleaning liquid supply port through which cleaning liquid for cleaning the ink ejection surface is supplied. In the cleaning liquid nozzle, a concave meniscus is formed on a surface of the cleaning liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Noriaki Furukawa, Takashi Somete, Yasutaka Inui, Masanobu Maeshima, Takuma Araki
  • Patent number: 10195859
    Abstract: In an inkjet recording apparatus, a recording head has an ink ejection port through which ink is ejected, a cleaning liquid supplying portion has a cleaning liquid supply port through which cleaning liquid for cleaning an ink ejection surface having the ink ejection port, is supplied, and a cleaning member cleans the ink ejection surface by the cleaning liquid by moving while in contact with the ink ejection surface. The cleaning liquid supplying portion includes a main body portion and a protruding portion. The main body portion is disposed on an upstream side of the recording head in a moving direction of the cleaning member. The protruding portion protrudes from the main body portion toward a downstream in the moving direction, and covers, from below, lower ends of side surfaces of the recording head and the main body portion that face each other in the moving direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Noriaki Furukawa, Takashi Somete, Yasutaka Inui, Masanobu Maeshima, Takuma Araki
  • Publication number: 20190016140
    Abstract: A recording head of the present disclosure includes an ink ejection surface where a plurality of ink ejection ports for ejecting ink onto a recording medium are disposed. A plurality of cleaning liquid supply ports for supplying a cleaning liquid are disposed on an upstream side with respect to the ink ejection ports in a wiping direction which is a direction in which a wiper wipes the ink ejection surface. The plurality of cleaning liquid supply ports each have a chamfer portion formed at a portion thereof that intersects a surface to be wiped by the wiper, the chamfer portion being R-shaped in section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2018
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Noriaki FURUKAWA, Takashi SOMETE, Masanobu MAESHIMA