Patents by Inventor Tetsurou Sasamoto

Tetsurou Sasamoto 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).

  • Belt device and unit device including belt device and image forming apparatus using the belt device and unit device
    Patent number: 6556802
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus suppresses several kinds of inconveniences caused by unnecessary contact of a belt-formed member with opposing members and drives the belt-formed member accurately even when the belt-formed member separated from a part of a plurality of opposing members. In an image forming apparatus having a belt-formed member supported by a plurality of supporting rollers and a plurality of opposing members located side by side in a line to oppose and contact the belt-formed member, a pivot mechanism is employed to temporarily separate the belt-formed member from a part of the opposing members for color image formation. The image forming apparatus also includes a tension roller dive mechanism to increase a relative distance between the tension roller and other supporting rollers to suppress a decrease in a tension of the belt-formed member during the above-described separation of the belt-formed member from the plurality of opposing members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsurou Sasamoto, Katsuaki Miyawaki, Makoto Obu, Minoru Suzuki, Yuichi Aoyama
  • Belt device and unit device including belt device and image forming apparatus using the belt device and unit device
    Publication number: 20020044799
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus suppresses several kinds of inconveniences caused by unnecessary contact of a belt-formed member with opposing members and drives the belt-formed member accurately even when the belt-formed member separated from a part of a plurality of opposing members. In an image forming apparatus having a belt-formed member supported by a plurality of supporting rollers and a plurality of opposing members located side by side in a line to oppose and contact the belt-formed member, a pivot mechanism is employed to temporarily separate the belt-formed member from a part of the opposing members for color image formation. The image forming apparatus also includes a tension roller dive mechanism to increase a relative distance between the tension roller and other supporting rollers to suppress a decrease in a tension of the belt-formed member during the above-described separation of the belt-formed member from the plurality of opposing members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Publication date: April 18, 2002
    Inventors: Tetsurou Sasamoto, Katsuaki Miyawaki, Makoto Obu, Minoru Suzuki, Yuichi Aoyama
  • Belt device and unit device including belt device and image forming apparatus using the belt device and unit device
    Patent number: 6324374
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus suppresses several kinds of inconveniences caused by unnecessary contact of a belt-formed member with opposing members and drives the belt-formed member accurately even when the belt-formed member separated from a part of a plurality of opposing members. In an image forming apparatus having a belt-formed member supported by a plurality of supporting rollers and a plurality of opposing members located side by side in a line to oppose and contact the belt-formed member, a pivot mechanism is employed to temporarily separate the belt-formed member from a part of the opposing members for color image formation. The image forming apparatus also includes a tension roller dive mechanism to increase a relative distance between the tension roller and other supporting rollers to suppress a decrease in a tension of the belt-formed member during the above-described separation of the belt-formed member from the plurality of opposing members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsurou Sasamoto, Katsuaki Miyawaki, Makoto Obu, Minoru Suzuki, Yuichi Aoyama
  • Method and system for saving toner developer in image duplicating devices
    Patent number: 6144816
    Abstract: Conserving a resource in an image-forming device is accomplished by reducing a wasteful or unused portion in a thin layer of liquid toner developer. Based upon the size of an image-carrying medium, the thin layer of the liquid toner developer is variably formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2000
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Tetsurou Sasamoto