Patents by Inventor Tokuya Ojimi

Tokuya Ojimi 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: 7333744
    Abstract: A charge apparatus charges by uniformly superimposing an alternate current bias voltage with a fixed frequency over a direct current bias voltage as the charge bias voltage on a photosensitive member. An exposure apparatus exposes the surface of the charged photosensitive member based on image data, and writes a latent image, and a developing apparatus supplies toner to and makes visible the latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive member. A transfer apparatus transfers the visible image on the photosensitive member to a transfer medium, and a cleaning apparatus cleans the surface of the photosensitive member after transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiji Shimojo, Haruji Mizuishi, Tokuya Ojimi, Masanori Kawasumi, Takuzi Yoneda, Ken Amemiya, Takatsugu Fujishiro, Hiroshi Ono, Toshio Koike, Masami Tomita, Yuji Arai, Takeshi Uchitani
  • Publication number: 20080013998
    Abstract: A powder transport unit for transporting powders includes a transport pipe, a powder transport member, and a regulating member. The transport pipe is curvingly extended. The powder transport member is disposed in an entire length of the transport pipe and rotates in the transport pipe to transport the powders. The regulating member is integrally formed with the transport pipe at a downstream end of the transport pipe, and regulates a length of the powder transport member disposed in the entire length of the transport pipe. The regulating member includes an exit hole to pass through the powders transported by the powder transport member in the transport pipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Inventors: Naohiro Kumagai, Masato Yanagida, Shuji Tanaka, Takatsugu Fujishiro, Hiroomi Harada, Takeshi Tabuchi, Tokuya Ojimi, Chohtaroh Kataoka, Takaaki Tawada, Shinichi Kawahara, Haruji Mizuishi
  • Patent number: 7313347
    Abstract: A cleaning device, a process cartridge, an image forming apparatus, and toner to maintain improved cleaning performance for a long time. The cleaning device includes a cleaning blade, a lubricant applying part, and a toner removing part. The cleaning blade is disposed in contact with a surface of an image bearing member. The lubricant applying part coats a solid lubricant on the surface of the image bearing member, and is disposed in an upstream side from the cleaning blade with respect to a rotational direction of the image bearing member. The toner removing part removes toner particles, and is disposed in an upstream side from the lubricant applying part with respect to the rotational direction of the image bearing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Ricoh Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Shintani, Takuzi Yoneda, Ken Amemiya, Takaaki Tawada, Tokuya Ojimi, Toshio Koike, Yuji Arai, Masanori Kawasumi, Masami Tomita, Hideyo Watanabe, Satoshi Takano, Haruji Mizuishi, Hiroshi Ono, Hiroshi Mizusawa, Satoshi Hatori, Takeshi Tabuchi, Akira Fujimori, Kaoru Yoshino
  • Patent number: 7292816
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member configured to bear an electrostatic latent image on a surface thereof, a developing mechanism configured to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image bearing member into a toner image with toner, a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the toner image from the image bearing member to an image receiver, and a cleaning mechanism including a cleaning blade configured to scrape a residual toner on the surface of the image bearing member after the toner image is transferred to the image receiver, the cleaning blade disposed in contact with the image bearing member and having a JIS-A hardness equal to or more than 70 and a repulsion elasticity equal to or less than 30%, and a friction reducing member configured to reduce a coefficient of friction on the surface of the image bearing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Ricoh Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tokuya Ojimi, Toshio Koike, Takaaki Tawada, Takeshi Shintani, Yuji Arai, Takuzi Yoneda, Masanori Kawasumi, Masami Tomita, Ken Amemiya, Shinichi Kawahara
  • Publication number: 20070196123
    Abstract: The present invention provides a charging device which comprises a charging roller (14a) and a cleaning component (14b). The charging roller charges a surface of an image-recording medium (11) with a voltage which is applied from an external source. The cleaning component cleans a surface of the charging roller. The charging roller includes a resistance adjustment layer which is made of a resin composite and formed on an outer periphery of a core metal. The hardness of the charging roller is 45 degrees or more in JIS D hardness. The cleaning component has a portion which is in contact with the charging roller This portion is made of resin foam which has a continuous foam structure. The density of the resin foam is 5 to 15 kg/m3 and its tensile strength is 1.7±0.5 kg/cm2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2005
    Publication date: August 23, 2007
    Inventors: Haruji Mizuishi, Tokuya Ojimi, Toshio Koike, Takeshi Shintani, Yuji Arai, Takuzi Yoneda, Ken Amemiya, Takaaki Tawada, Masami Tomita, Masanori Kawasumi, Takaya Muraishi, Hiroomi Harada, Hiromichi Ninomiya
  • Publication number: 20070183824
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, an area applied with a lubricant, i.e., an area of a lubricant layer having a uniform thickness, is obtained by spreading the lubricant by a lubricant smoothing blade. The area applied with a lubricant covers an area cleaned by a cleaning blade, i.e., a contact portion of the cleaning blade with a photoconductor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2005
    Publication date: August 9, 2007
    Inventors: Takeo Suda, Shinichi Kawahara, Takatsugu Fujishiro, Tokuya Ojimi, Takeshi Tabuchi, Masato Yanagida, Haruji Mizuishi, Teruyuki Kasuga, Hiroomi Harada, Shuji Tanaka, Takaaki Tawada, Hiroshi Ono, Ken Amemiya, Toshio Koike, Yuji Arai, Masanori Kawasumi, Takuzi Yoneda, Masami Tomita, Yutaka Takahashi, Yoshio Hattori, Keiichi Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20070059067
    Abstract: A process cartridge including an image bearing member; a lubricant applicator, which includes a lubricant application member configured to apply a solid lubricant to the surface of the image bearing member; and a smoothing member configured to smooth the applied solid lubricant, and at least one of a charging device, a developing device and a cleaning device, wherein the amount of the solid lubricant present on a portion of surface of the image bearing member, which is located between the lubricant application member and the smoothing blade, is from 0.11 to 1.2 mg/m2. The smoothing member is preferably a blade having a JIS-A hardness of not less than 79°. The process cartridge is preferably assembled by a method including setting the lubricant smoothing member, the lubricant and the lubricant application member to a housing of the process cartridge; and then setting the image bearing member to the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2006
    Publication date: March 15, 2007
    Inventors: Shuji Tanaka, Shinichi Kawahara, Yoshiyuki Kimura, Hiroshi Hosokawa, Yoshio Hattori, Takeo Suda, Yutaka Takahashi, Takatsugu Fujishiro, Teruyuki Kasuga, Hiroomi Harada, Tokuya Ojimi, Masato Yanagida, Takaaki Tawada, Takeshi Tabuchi, Naohiro Kumagai, Chohtaroh Kataoka, Hidemasa Sato
  • Publication number: 20060194662
    Abstract: A lubricant supplying device including a molded lubricant having a Martens hardness of approximately 40 N/mm2 to approximately 70 N/mm2 measured with a test force of 50 mN and a load-applying period of 30 seconds, a rotative member including a fibrous brush of a thickness of approximately 5 deniers to approximately 15 deniers in a circumference of a rotative supporting axis of the rotative member with a density of approximately 20,000 fibers to approximately 100,000 fibers per square inch, and configured to apply lubricant shavings of the molded lubricant to an image bearing member held in contact with a cleaning member and remove the lubricant shavings remaining on the surface of the image bearing member, and a pressing member configured to press contact the molded lubricant with the rotative member at a pressure force ranging from approximately 2 N/m to approximately 12 N/m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2005
    Publication date: August 31, 2006
    Inventors: Yoshiki Hozumi, Toshio Koike, Ken Amemiya, Masanori Kawasumi, Yuji Arai, Tokuya Ojimi, Takuzi Yoneda, Masami Tomita, Hiroshi Ono, Takatsugu Fujishiro, Haruji Mizuishi
  • Publication number: 20060133834
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, a charging member, and a measuring member. The image forming member is configured to bear an image. The charging member is configured to charge a surface of the image bearing member when a direct current bias voltage is added to at least an alternating bias voltage which is applied to the charging member, and has a frequency fc of the alternating bias voltage. The measuring member is configured to measure a potential of the surface of the image bearing member, and has a drive frequency fvsen. The relationship of the frequency fc and the drive frequency fvsen is expressed as fc?fvsen×n and fc×n?fvsen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2005
    Publication date: June 22, 2006
    Inventors: Takuzi Yoneda, Hiroshi Ono, Masanori Kawasumi, Yuji Arai, Toshio Koike, Ken Amemiya, Tokuya Ojimi, Takatsugu Fujishiro, Masami Tomita, Haruji Mizuishi, Hitoshi Ishibashi
  • Publication number: 20060133837
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus that can prevent the generation of filming with the simplest possible configuration even if a plurality of photosensitive member linear velocities are provided and the AC frequency of the charge apparatus is fixed. A charge apparatus that charges by uniformly superimposing on a photosensitive member an alternate current bias voltage with a fixed frequency over a direct current bias voltage as the charge bias voltage; an exposure apparatus that exposes the surface of the charged photosensitive member based on image data, and writes a latent image; a developing apparatus that supplies toner to and makes visible the latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive member; a transfer apparatus that transfers the visible image on the photosensitive member to a transfer medium; and a cleaning apparatus that cleans the surface of the photosensitive member after transfer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Publication date: June 22, 2006
    Inventors: Eiji Shimojo, Haruji Mizuishi, Tokuya Ojimi, Masanori Kawasumi, Takuzi Yoneda, Ken Amemiya, Takatsugu Fujishiro, Hiroshi Ono, Toshio Koike, Masami Tomita, Yuji Arai, Takeshi Uchitani
  • Publication number: 20060115286
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member configured to bear an electrostatic latent image; a charging device configured to charge the image bearing member by applying a DC voltage overlapped with an AC voltage to the image bearing member; an AC current detector configured to detect an AC current flowing through the image bearing member on a ground side of the image bearing member; a light irradiating device configured to irradiate the charged image bearing member with imagewise light to form the electrostatic latent image on the image bearing member; a developing device configured to develop the electrostatic latent image with a developer comprising a toner to form a toner image on the image bearing member; a transferring device configured to transfer the toner image onto a receiving material; and a cleaning device configured to clean a surface of the image bearing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2005
    Publication date: June 1, 2006
    Inventors: Takeshi Uchitani, Ken Amemiya, Toshio Koike, Hiroshi Ono, Takatsugu Fujishiro, Tokuya Ojimi, Yuji Arai, Masanori Kawasumi, Takuji Yoneda, Haruji Mizuishi, Masaharu Yokono, Masami Tomita
  • Publication number: 20060062594
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having an image support body configured to support a latent image, a charging member configured to provide a substantially uniform charge to a surface of the image support body and a spacer coupled to the charging member and configured to contact the image support body to maintain a gap between the image support body and the charging member. A cleaning part is configured to clean the surface of the image support body after developer is applied to the image support body and transferred to a recording medium. The cleaning part is configured to satisfy the relationship A+B?C, where A is a width of the effective charging area of the charging member that charges a surface of the image support body, B is a total width of the spacer that contacts the image support body, and C is a width of cleaning part that contacts the image support body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2005
    Publication date: March 23, 2006
    Inventors: Masanori Kawasumi, Haruji Mizuishi, Tokuya Ojimi, Toshio Koike, Takeshi Shintani, Yuji Arai, Takuzi Yoneda, Ken Amemiya, Takaaki Tawada, Masami Tomita, Takeshi Uchitani, Nobuo Kuwahara, Hiroyuki Nagashima, Masato Yanagida
  • Publication number: 20060039726
    Abstract: A cleaning device, a process cartridge, an image forming apparatus, and toner to maintain improved cleaning performance for a long time. The cleaning device includes a cleaning blade, a lubricant applying part, and a toner removing part. The cleaning blade is disposed in contact with a surface of an image bearing member. The lubricant applying part coats a solid lubricant on the surface of the image bearing member, and is disposed in an upstream side from the cleaning blade with respect to a rotational direction of the image bearing member. The toner removing part removes toner particles, and is disposed in an upstream side from the lubricant applying part with respect to the rotational direction of the image bearing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2005
    Publication date: February 23, 2006
    Inventors: Takeshi Shintani, Takuzi Yoneda, Ken Amemiya, Takaaki Tawada, Tokuya Ojimi, Toshio Koike, Yuji Arai, Masanori Kawasumi, Masami Tomita, Hideyo Watanabe, Satoshi Takano, Haruji Mizuishi, Hiroshi Ono, Hiroshi Mizusawa, Satoshi Hatori, Takeshi Tabuchi, Akira Fujimori, Kaoru Yoshino
  • Publication number: 20050271420
    Abstract: A charging apparatus, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus with which current fluctuation values in the charging current can be suppressed, and image defects caused by filming and the like can be prevented, by specifying a permissible gap fluctuation value by quantitatively ascertaining the relationship between the fluctuation value in charging current and the fluctuation value in the gap between the photosensitive body and the charging roller. In a charging apparatus equipped with a charging roller provided at a minute gap away from a photosensitive body, for performing charging, the relationship Gmax?Gmin?30 (?m) is satisfied when the gap (?m) between the charged side of the photosensitive body and the charging side of the charging roller has a maximum value Gmax (?m) and a minimum value Gmin (?m).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2005
    Publication date: December 8, 2005
    Inventors: Yuji Arai, Tokuya Ojimi, Takaaki Tawada, Toshio Koike, Ken Amemiya, Takeshi Shintani, Masanori Kawasumi, Takuzi Yoneda, Masami Tomita, Takeshi Uchitani, Nobuo Kuwabara, Hiroyuki Nagashima, Hiroshi Ono, Takatsugu Fujishiro, Haruji Mizuishi, Masaharu Yokono
  • Publication number: 20050232665
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided having an image carrier, a charging unit, an exposing unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, a cleaning mechanism, and an application mechanism, in which the developing unit supplies a toner, free from zinc and having an average circularity of at least 0.93, to the latent image to make visible the latent image, and wherein the cleaning mechanism cleans the image carrier, and the application mechanism applies a lubrication agent preferably formed of zinc stearate on the image carrier, such that the zinc amount on the surface of the image carrier after a cleaning process and an application process is from 0.4 to 2.5 atm %.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2005
    Publication date: October 20, 2005
    Inventors: Koike Toshio, Ken Amemiya, Masanori Kawasumi, Yuji Arai, Tokuya Ojimi, Takaaki Tawada, Takuzi Yoneda, Takeshi Shintani, Masami Tomita
  • Publication number: 20050232666
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member configured to bear an electrostatic latent image on a surface thereof, a developing mechanism configured to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image bearing member into a toner image with toner, a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the toner image from the image bearing member to an image receiver, and a cleaning mechanism including a cleaning blade configured to scrape a residual toner on the surface of the image bearing member after the toner image is transferred to the image receiver, the cleaning blade disposed in contact with the image bearing member and having a JIS-A hardness equal to or more than 70 and a repulsion elasticity equal to or less than 30%, and a friction reducing member configured to reduce a coefficient of friction on the surface of the image bearing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2005
    Publication date: October 20, 2005
    Inventors: Tokuya Ojimi, Toshio Koike, Takaaki Tawada, Takeshi Shintani, Yuji Arai, Takuzi Yoneda, Masanori Kawasumi, Masami Tomita, Ken Amemiya, Shinichi Kawahara
  • Publication number: 20050191574
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus performs electrophotographic image forming using a toner and includes an image bearing member configured to bear an electrostatic latent image on a surface thereof, a developing mechanism configured to develop the electrostatic latent image in to a toner image by using a toner, a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the toner image from the image bearing member to an image receiver, a cleaning mechanism including a cleaning blade and configured to remove a residual toner on the image bearing member after toner image is transferred to the image receiver. The toner includes a binder resin and a colorant, forms a toner powder layer, and satisfies an inequality Y??0.05X+0.029, in which “X” expresses a porosity of the toner powder layer after uniformly compressed at a constant force and “Y” expresses a torque value obtained by rotatably sticking a conical rotor into the toner powder layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2005
    Publication date: September 1, 2005
    Inventors: Toshio Koike, Tokuya Ojimi, Takaaki Tawada, Takeshi Shintani, Yuji Arai, Takuzu Yoneda, Masanori Kawasumi, Masami Tomita, Kazuhiko Umemura, Ken Amemiya
  • Publication number: 20050191081
    Abstract: There is provided a cleaning device for an image-forming device configured so as to be capable of preventing the image quality from deteriorating by being able to prevent the deterioration of the charging state caused by deposits of foreign matter without increasing costs. There is also provided a cleaning member that can make contact with the cleaning target-members. The cleaning member has a portion composed of melamine resin foam for making contact with at least the cleaning target members, and the melamine resin foam has an Asker F hardness of 5 to 25 points and a hardness variation of 5 points or less, and is used on the cleaning target members in a state obtained by heat compression from the original shape. The pressing member is furthermore disposed in contact with the cleaning member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2005
    Publication date: September 1, 2005
    Inventors: Takaya Muraishi, Hiromichi Ninomiya, Atsushi Sampe, Yoshiyuki Kimura, Hiroyuki Nagashima, Hiroshi Hosokawa, Ken Amemiya, Toshio Koike, Tokuya Ojimi, Takaaki Tawada, Takeshi Shintani, Yuji Arai, Takuji Yoneda, Masanori Kawasumi, Masami Tomita