Patents by Inventor Tomoyasu Hirasawa
Tomoyasu Hirasawa 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: 20150010338Abstract: A liquid type cooling device, which is incorporated in an image forming apparatus, includes a heat releasing unit to release heat of a coolant that passes therethrough, and multiple air blowing fans disposed facing the heat releasing unit to blow air to the heat releasing unit. A cooling capacity of the liquid type cooling device varies according to a type of a recording medium on which an image is formed.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2014Publication date: January 8, 2015Inventors: Hiroaki MIYAGAWA, Satoshi Aizawa, Susumu Tateyama, Tomoyasu Hirasawa
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Publication number: 20140334858Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a cooling conveyor to cool a recording material having an image fixed by heat while sandwiching and conveying the recording material. The cooling conveyor includes a conveyance belt, a cooling member, and a cooling unit. The conveyance belt sandwiches and conveys the recording material. The cooling member absorbs heat of the recording material via the conveyance belt. The cooling unit maintains the cooling member at low temperature. The cooling conveyor performs control of stopping the cooling unit in a standby state of the image forming apparatus, activating the cooling unit and performing a preliminary cooling operation to decrease temperature of the cooling member after a shift from the standby state to image forming operation, and then bringing the recording material into contact with the conveyance belt.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 13, 2014Publication date: November 13, 2014Inventors: Hiroaki MIYAGAWA, Tomoyasu HIRASAWA, Keisuke IKEDA, Susumu TATEYAMA, Kenji ISHII
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Patent number: 8879945Abstract: A cooling device includes a heat receiving unit arranged to contact with a cooling target to receive heat of the cooling target; a heat radiating unit configured to radiate heat of coolant; a tank configured to store therein the coolant; a circulating path configured to circulate the coolant through the heat receiving unit, the heat radiating unit, and the tank; a pump configured to transfer the coolant in the circulating path; and a liquid transfer detecting unit configured to detect liquid transfer of the coolant. The liquid transfer detecting unit includes a detector arranged above a liquid level of the coolant stored in the tank at a position where the coolant having flowed into the tank is hit when the coolant is transferred. The detector is arranged so as to be visible from the outside of the tank.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2012Date of Patent: November 4, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, LimitedInventors: Hiomitsu Fujiya, Satoshi Okano, Tomoyasu Hirasawa, Masanori Saitoh, Keisuke Ikeda, Kenichi Takehara, Yasuaki Iijima, Keisuke Yuasa
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Publication number: 20140308058Abstract: A recording-material cooling device is disposed downstream from a fixing device in a transport direction of a recording material. The fixing device includes a fixing member and a pressing member to fix an unfixed toner image on the recording material. The recording-material cooling device includes a first cooling unit disposed at a same side as the pressing member relative to the recording material, a second cooling unit disposed at a same side as the fixing member relative to the recording material, and a third cooling unit disposed at the same side as the pressing member relative to the recording material. The first cooling unit, the second cooling unit, and the third cooling unit are arranged in an order of the first cooling unit, the second cooling unit, and the third cooling unit from upstream to downstream in the transport direction of the recording material.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 9, 2014Publication date: October 16, 2014Inventors: Keisuke IKEDA, Tomoyasu HIRASAWA, Yutaka SHOJI, Kenji ISHII, Takeshi WATANABE, Susumu TATEYAMA, Hiroaki MIYAGAWA, Hiromitsu FUJIYA
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Publication number: 20140233996Abstract: A cooling device includes a cooling member to cool a recording material. The cooling member includes a cooling surface member, a heat exchanging member, and a fastening member. The cooling surface member has a cooling surface to directly or indirectly contact the recording material and absorb heat of the recording material to cool the recording material. The heat exchanging member is directly or indirectly joined to the cooling surface member to radiate heat absorbed by the cooling surface member directly or indirectly via a radiation member. The fastening member fastens the cooling surface member and the heat exchanging member to retain a joined state in which the cooling surface member and the heat exchanging member are directly or indirectly joined to each other. The cooling surface member and the heat exchanging member are separable from the joined state to a separated state without damaging the fastening member.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 18, 2014Publication date: August 21, 2014Inventors: Keisuke IKEDA, Makoto NAKURA, Susumu TATEYAMA, Hiroaki MIYAGAWA, Yasuaki TODA, Yutaka SHOJI, Kenji ISHII, Kenichi TAKEHARA, Hiromitsu FUJIYA, Keisuke YUASA, Shinji KATO, Tomoyasu HIRASAWA
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Patent number: 8805231Abstract: Of a cooling device that is for use in an image forming apparatus and that includes: a heat receiving unit that receives heat from a cooling target and that is disposed to come into and away from contact with the cooling target; a heat radiating unit that radiates the heat received by the heat receiving unit; a heat conductive member disposed on at least one of a surface of the heat receiving unit on the side facing the cooling target and a surface of the cooling target on the side facing the heat receiving unit; and a protection member that is disposed on the heat conductive member to protect the heat conductive member, the protection member is substantially incompatible with binder resin of toner for use in the image forming apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 2011Date of Patent: August 12, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, LimitedInventors: Shingo Suzuki, Satoshi Okano, Masanori Saitoh, Tomoyasu Hirasawa, Keisuke Ikeda, Kenichi Takehara, Yasuaki Iijima, Hiromitsu Fujiya, Keisuke Yuasa
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Publication number: 20140219677Abstract: A cooling device including at least two cooling members to cool a recording medium passing thereover, a coolant circulation unit to circulate a coolant, and tubing that connects the coolant circulation unit to the cooling members and through which the coolant circulates. Each of the cooling members includes a heat-absorbing surface that directly contacts the recording medium or indirectly contacts the recording medium via a thermal transmission member, an internal channel provided within each of the cooling members through which the coolant circulates, and a channel inlet and outlet formed at downstream and upstream ends of each of the cooling members in a direction of conveyance of the recording medium, respectively. One of an interval and a thermal insulator is provided between the cooling members.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 2, 2014Publication date: August 7, 2014Inventors: Keisuke IKEDA, Satoshi OKANO, Tomoyasu HIRASAWA, Masanori SAITOH, Takehara KENICHI, Hiromitsu FUJIYA
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Patent number: 8792800Abstract: A cooling device using a liquid coolant, including a heat receiving part separatably contactable to a target to be cooled detachably installable in an image forming apparatus, a heat releasing part to release heat from the liquid coolant, a circulation channel through which the liquid coolant is circulated between the heat receiving part and the heat releasing part, and a pump operatively connected to the circulation channel to convey the liquid coolant through the circulation channel. The circulation channel has a flexible part and a metal part continuous with the flexible part.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2012Date of Patent: July 29, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Hiromitsu Fujiya, Satoshi Okano, Masanori Saitoh, Tomoyasu Hirasawa, Keisuke Ikeda, Kenichi Takehara
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Publication number: 20140186081Abstract: A recording-material cooling device includes a first belt, a first cooling unit, and a second cooling unit. The first belt is disposed at a first face side of a recording material. The first cooling unit has a first heat absorbing surface to contact the first belt to absorb heat of the recording material. The second cooling unit has a second heat absorbing surface to directly or indirectly contact the recording material to absorb heat of the recording material. The second cooling unit is disposed at a second face side of the recording material. The first and second cooling units are offset from each other in a transport direction of the recording material. Each of the first and second surfaces has a shape in which an inner area protrudes beyond opposed ends in the transport direction. The first and second surfaces overlap each other in a direction crossing the transport direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 26, 2013Publication date: July 3, 2014Inventors: Tomoyasu Hirasawa, Kenichi Takehara, Hiromitsu Fujiya, Keisuke Yuasa, Yasuaki Toda, Yutaka Shoji, Kenji Ishii, Makoto Nakura, Susumu Tateyama, Hiroaki Miyagawa, Keisuke Ikeda, Takeshi Watanabe
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Publication number: 20140186080Abstract: A recording-material cooling device includes a first cooling member, a second cooling member, an approach-and-separation member, and a positioning member. The first cooling member is disposed at a first face side of a recording material to absorb heat of the recording material. The second cooling member is disposed at a second face side of the recording material to absorb heat of the recording material. The approach-and-separation member brings the first cooling member and the second cooling member close to and away from each other. The positioning member positions the first cooling member and the second cooling member relatively brought close to each other by the approach-and-separation member.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 26, 2013Publication date: July 3, 2014Inventors: Keisuke Ikeda, Tomoyasu Hirasawa, Kenichi Takehara, Hiromitsu Fujiya, Keisuke Yuasa, Yasuaki Toda, Susumu Tateyama, Hiroaki Miyagawa, Kenji Ishii, Takeshi Watanabe
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Patent number: 8737899Abstract: Disclosed is a fixing liquid containing a softening agent that softens resin-containing fine particles by dissolving or swelling at least a part of the resin; a C12-C18 fatty acid; and a C12-C18 fatty acid salt. The fixing liquid is mixed with water serving as a dilution solvent.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 2009Date of Patent: May 27, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Yasuo Katano, Tsuneo Kurotori, Tomoyasu Hirasawa, Tomoaki Sugawara, Takuma Nakamura, Yuko Arizumi
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Patent number: 8725026Abstract: A cooling device including at least two cooling members to cool a recording medium passing thereover, a coolant circulation unit to circulate a coolant, and tubing that connects the coolant circulation unit to the cooling members and through which the coolant circulates. Each of the cooling members includes a heat-absorbing surface that directly contacts the recording medium or indirectly contacts the recording medium via a thermal transmission member, an internal channel provided within each of the cooling members through which the coolant circulates, and a channel inlet and outlet formed at downstream and upstream ends of each of the cooling members in a direction of conveyance of the recording medium, respectively. One of an interval and a thermal insulator is provided between the cooling members.Type: GrantFiled: May 3, 2012Date of Patent: May 13, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Keisuke Ikeda, Satoshi Okano, Tomoyasu Hirasawa, Masanori Saitoh, Takehara Kenichi, Hiromitsu Fujiya
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Publication number: 20140093269Abstract: An air-conditioning unit includes an air conditioner to control air temperature, a first channel to guide air supplied from the air conditioner to a conditioning target, a heat exchange channel through which the air supplied from the air conditioner exchanges heat with the conditioning target, a second channel to guide air from the conditioning target either outside the air-conditioning unit or to the air conditioner, and a channel switching unit to cause the air conditioner to suck in either external air or the air guided from the conditioning target.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 12, 2013Publication date: April 3, 2014Inventors: Tomoyasu HIRASAWA, Kenichi Takehara, Hiromitsu Fujiya, Keisuke Yuasa, Yasuaki Toda, Keisuke Ikeda
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Patent number: 8687999Abstract: A liquid-cooling-type cooling device includes a circulatory path for coolant that cools a temperature rise portion; a heat absorbing unit that absorbs a heat from the temperature rise portion by the coolant; a heat radiating unit that radiate the heat from the coolant; a pump that circulates the coolant; and a plurality of liquid-contacting metal portions that comes into contact with the coolant, each of the liquid-contacting metal portions being made of a metal material. At least one of the liquid-contacting metal portions is grounded.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2011Date of Patent: April 1, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, LimitedInventors: Satoshi Okano, Kenichi Takehara, Yasuaki Iijima, Hiromitsu Fujiya, Keisuke Yuasa, Tomoyasu Hirasawa, Masanori Saitoh, Shingo Suzuki, Keisuke Ikeda
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Patent number: 8682205Abstract: A cooling device to cool an apparatus includes a heat receiver to receive heat from a hot portion of the apparatus using a coolant while contacting the hot portion, a heat releaser to cool the heat-received coolant to release the heat from the hot portion to outside the apparatus, the heat releaser having a variable-speed fan of multiple operation speed modes including an off mode, a coolant circulation system through which the coolant is circulated between the heat receiver and the heat releaser, a variable-speed pump to move the coolant through the coolant circulation system, whose operation speed modes include an off mode and relate to a coolant flow rate of the pump, a temperature sensor to detect a temperature in the hot portion, and a controller to control the operation modes of the fan and the pump in accordance with the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2011Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Yasuaki Iijima, Satoshi Okano, Tomoyasu Hirasawa, Masanori Saitoh, Shingo Suzuki, Keisuke Ikeda, Kenichi Takehara, Hiromitsu Fujiya, Keisuke Yuasa
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Patent number: 8682204Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that creates an image and a liquid cooling unit. The liquid cooling unit includes a heat receiving disposed in contact with a temperature rising portion, in the image forming unit, in which a temperature rises due to an image forming operation by the image forming unit, a heat radiating unit that radiates heat of a cooling liquid, a flow passage forming member that allows the cooling liquid to circulate between the heat receiving unit and the heat radiating unit, and a conveying unit that conveys the cooling liquid through the flow passage forming member. The heat radiating unit includes a radiator, and the radiator is disposed at a downstream side of the conveying unit in a cooling liquid flow direction and at an upstream side of the heat receiving unit in the cooling liquid flow direction.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2010Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, LimitedInventors: Hiromitsu Fujiya, Kenichi Takehara, Yasuaki Iijima, Keisuke Yuasa, Satoshi Okano, Masanori Saitoh, Shingo Suzuki, Tomoyasu Hirasawa
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Publication number: 20140060782Abstract: A cooling device includes a rotatable belt extended by a plurality of extending members that transfers a sheet in contact with the surface of the belt, and a plurality of cooling members to cool the sheet via the belt. A cooling surface of the cooling members contacts an internal surface of the transport belt. The cooling members are detachable. The cooling device also includes an adjuster to adjust a contact condition between the cooling surface and the internal surface according to the number of cooling members installed.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2013Publication date: March 6, 2014Inventors: Keisuke IKEDA, Tomoyasu Hirasawa, Kenichi Takehara, Hiromitsu Fujiya, Keisuke Yuasa
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Publication number: 20140064775Abstract: In a cooling device that includes a cooling roller that comprises a hollow tubular member and a cooling medium transport unit for transporting a cooling liquid to the inside of the cooling roller and contacts a sheet-like member to cool down the paper, a turbulence generating unit that generates turbulence in a cooling liquid is disposed near an inner wall of the outer tube.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 8, 2013Publication date: March 6, 2014Inventors: Satoshi Okano, Takayuki Nishimura, Kenichi Takehara, Yasuaki Iijima, Hiromitsu Fujiya, Tomoyasu Hirasawa, Masanori Saitoh, Shingo Suzuki, Keisuke Yuasa, Keisuke Ikeda
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Publication number: 20140044462Abstract: A cooling device for use in an image forming apparatus, disposed downstream within the apparatus in a direction of conveyance of a sheet from a fixing device that fixes an image onto the sheet at a temperature corresponding to a sheet type, includes a conveyance part to convey the sheet, a cooling member to absorb heat by thermal conduction from the sheet being conveyed by the conveyance part, a temperature controller to control a temperature of the cooling member, a temperature detector to detect the temperature of the cooling member, and a control unit connected to the temperature controller and the temperature detector to control the cooling member, using the temperature controller, to a target temperature corresponding to the sheet type based on the temperature of the cooling member detected by the temperature detector.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 25, 2013Publication date: February 13, 2014Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventors: Keisuke IKEDA, Tomoyasu HIRASAWA, Kenichi TAKEHARA, Hiromitsu FUJIYA, Keisuke YUASA, Yasuaki TODA
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Patent number: 8606138Abstract: In a cooling device that includes a cooling roller that comprises a hollow tubular member and a cooling medium transport unit for transporting a cooling liquid to the inside of the cooling roller and contacts a sheet-like member to cool down the paper, a turbulence generating unit that generates turbulence in a cooling liquid is disposed near an inner wall of the outer tube.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2010Date of Patent: December 10, 2013Assignee: Ricoh Company, LimitedInventors: Satoshi Okano, Takayuki Nishimura, Kenichi Takehara, Yasuaki Iijima, Hiromitsu Fujiya, Tomoyasu Hirasawa, Masanori Saitoh, Shingo Suzuki, Keisuke Yuasa, Keisuke Ikeda