Patents by Inventor Toshihiro Yoshinuma

Toshihiro Yoshinuma 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: 11312156
    Abstract: A drying device includes a contact heater unit to contact and heat a medium. The contact heater unit includes a plurality of heating members each having a curved contact face to contact the medium among plural heating members of the plurality of heating members to contact a first surface of the medium opposite a second surface of the medium on which liquid is applied. The plurality of heating members includes a first heating member and a plurality of second heating members. The first heating member has a maximum contact distance to contact the medium. The plurality of second heating members is disposed upstream from the first heating member in a direction of conveyance of the medium. Two heating members of the plurality of second heating members immediately upstream from the first heating member in the direction of conveyance of the medium contact the first surface of the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Ken Onodera, Sho Sawahata, Junji Nakai, Toshihiro Yoshinuma, Yasuhisa Katoh, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Satoshi Kitaoka, Hideaki Nishimura
  • Patent number: 11198308
    Abstract: A heating device includes a heater to heat an object to be heated, a temperature detector to detect a surface temperature of the heater, a power calculator to calculate a power consumption of the heater, an abnormality detector to detect an abnormality of the temperature detector, and circuitry to cause the heater to increase the surface temperature of the heater from a first temperature to a second temperature higher than the first temperature; cause the power calculator to calculate the power consumption of the heater increased to the second temperature; cause the abnormality detector to compare the power consumption calculated by the power calculator and a predetermined threshold value; and cause the abnormality detector to determine that the temperature detector is abnormal when the power consumption calculated by the power calculator is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihiro Yoshinuma
  • Patent number: 11117393
    Abstract: A blower includes a blowout port configured to blow air outside the blower, a channel member connected to the blowout port, the channel member configured to guide the air to the blowout port, a first heat insulation member configured to cover an inner wall of the channel member, and a second heat insulation member configured to cover an outer wall of the channel member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideaki Nishimura, Toshihiro Yoshinuma, Ken Onodera
  • Patent number: 11090949
    Abstract: A dryer for conveying and drying an object to be dried, the dryer includes a conveyor including a first path and a second path along which the object to be dried is conveyed, a conveyance direction of the second path being different from a conveyance direction of the first path, and a blower to blow air onto the object to be dried. The blower includes a first air outlet that faces the first path and blows the air onto the object to be dried conveyed along the first path, and a second air outlet that faces the second path and blows the air onto the object to be dried conveyed along the second path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Kitaoka, Toshihiro Yoshinuma, Ken Onodera
  • Patent number: 11014379
    Abstract: A drying device includes a contact heater unit to contact and heat a medium. The contact heater unit includes a plurality of heating members each having a curved contact face to contact the medium among plural heating members of the plurality of heating members to contact a first surface of the medium opposite a second surface of the medium on which liquid is applied. The plurality of heating members includes a first heating member and a plurality of second heating members. The first heating member has a maximum contact distance to contact the medium. The plurality of second heating members is disposed upstream from the first heating member in a direction of conveyance of the medium. Two heating members of the plurality of second heating members immediately upstream from the first heating member in the direction of conveyance of the medium contact the first surface of the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ken Onodera, Sho Sawahata, Junji Nakai, Toshihiro Yoshinuma, Yasuhisa Katoh, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Satoshi Kitaoka, Hideaki Nishimura
  • Publication number: 20210053342
    Abstract: A heating device includes a heater to heat an object to be heated, a temperature detector to detect a surface temperature of the heater, a power calculator to calculate a power consumption of the heater, an abnormality detector to detect an abnormality of the temperature detector, and circuitry to cause the heater to increase the surface temperature of the heater from a first temperature to a second temperature higher than the first temperature; cause the power calculator to calculate the power consumption of the heater increased to the second temperature; cause the abnormality detector to compare the power consumption calculated by the power calculator and a predetermined threshold value; and cause the abnormality detector to determine that the temperature detector is abnormal when the power consumption calculated by the power calculator is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2020
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihiro Yoshinuma
  • Patent number: 10882339
    Abstract: A dryer includes a heater configured to heat an object to dry the object, a plurality of collection devices configured to collect a liquid generated by liquefication of condensed vapor in the dryer, a drainage tube configured to drain the liquid from each of the plurality of collection devices, a pump configured to feed the liquid through the drainage tube, a switch configured to switch a connection between the plurality of collection devices and the switch, and a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure between the switch and the pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihiro Yoshinuma
  • Patent number: 10801776
    Abstract: A drying device including multiple heating rollers to dry a recording medium wound around the heating rollers while conveying the recording medium is provided. The heating rollers include upstream heating rollers and downstream heating rollers, disposed on an upstream side and a downstream side, respectively, relative to a direction of conveyance of the recording medium. Each of the upstream heating rollers includes an upstream heat source. Each of the downstream heating rollers includes a downstream heat source. The upstream heat source and the downstream heat source have different configurations. The upstream heat source has a maximum amount of current greater than that of the downstream heat source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Kohki Asada, Kazuhiro Wakamatsu, Genichiro Kawamichi, Ken Onodera, Toshihiro Yoshinuma
  • Patent number: 10723119
    Abstract: A dryer for drying a drying object includes a hot air generator to generate hot air to be blown onto the drying object, a contact heater to contact and heat the drying object, and a controller to control a heating temperature of the contact heater and a temperature of the hot air. The controller controls the heating temperature of the contact heater to be above a first predetermined temperature from a start of generation of the hot air by the hot air generator until the temperature of the hot air reaches a second predetermined temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Hoshino, Ken Onodera, Toshihiro Yoshinuma
  • Publication number: 20200207120
    Abstract: A dryer includes a heater configured to heat an object to dry the object, a plurality of collection devices configured to collect a liquid generated by liquefication of condensed vapor in the dryer, a drainage tube configured to drain the liquid from each of the plurality of collection devices, a pump configured to feed the liquid through the drainage tube, a switch configured to switch a connection between the plurality of collection devices and the switch, and a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure between the switch and the pump.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihiro Yoshinuma
  • Patent number: 10688811
    Abstract: A gas blower includes a supply port, a chamber to which a gas is fed from the supply port, a nozzle communicating with an interior of the chamber to discharge the gas from the nozzle, a partition member disposed in the chamber to partition the interior of the chamber into a first space including the supply port and a second space not including the supply port, the partition member including at least one first opening through which the gas communicates between the first space and the second space, and an air flow guide including a plurality of second openings, disposed in the chamber between the second space and the nozzle. The supply port is disposed on one end in a longitudinal direction of the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideaki Nishimura, Toshihiro Yoshinuma
  • Publication number: 20200164663
    Abstract: A blower includes a blowout port configured to blow air outside the blower, a channel member connected to the blowout port, the channel member configured to guide the air to the blowout port, a first heat insulation member configured to cover an inner wall of the channel member, and a second heat insulation member configured to cover an outer wall of the channel member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Publication date: May 28, 2020
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideaki Nishimura, Toshihiro Yoshinuma, Ken Onodera
  • Patent number: 10603929
    Abstract: A drying device includes heaters disposed along the direction of conveyance of a recording medium to which liquid is applied, the heaters being configured to heat the recording medium, wherein the recording medium is conveyed in contact with the heaters on a conveyance path including a first path on which the recording medium is conveyed in contact with the heaters for the second time and a second path on which the recording medium is conveyed in contact with the heaters for the second time, wherein a dried film of the liquid formed by the following method has a Martens hardness of 30 N/mm2 or greater at 120 degrees C.: method: the liquid is applied to a glass plate to form a film and the film is dried with a reduced pressure at 100 degrees C. for three hours to obtain the dried film having an average thickness of 5 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryota Iwasaki, Hiromi Sakaguchi, Yoshiki Yanagawa, Kaori Toyama, Satoshi Takahashi, Toshihiro Yoshinuma, Ken Onodera, Sho Sawahata, Junji Nakai, Yasuhisa Katoh
  • Publication number: 20200001622
    Abstract: A dryer for conveying and drying an object to be dried, the dryer includes a conveyor including a first path and a second path along which the object to be dried is conveyed, a conveyance direction of the second path being different from a conveyance direction of the first path, and a blower to blow air onto the object to be dried. The blower includes a first air outlet that faces the first path and blows the air onto the object to be dried conveyed along the first path, and a second air outlet that faces the second path and blows the air onto the object to be dried conveyed along the second path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Kitaoka, Toshihiro Yoshinuma, Ken Onodera
  • Publication number: 20190344589
    Abstract: A drying device includes a contact heater unit to contact and heat a medium. The contact heater unit includes a plurality of heating members each having a curved contact face to contact the medium among plural heating members of the plurality of heating members to contact a first surface of the medium opposite a second surface of the medium on which liquid is applied. The plurality of heating members includes a first heating member and a plurality of second heating members. The first heating member has a maximum contact distance to contact the medium. The plurality of second heating members is disposed upstream from the first heating member in a direction of conveyance of the medium. Two heating members of the plurality of second heating members immediately upstream from the first heating member in the direction of conveyance of the medium contact the first surface of the medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Inventors: Ken ONODERA, Sho SAWAHATA, Juni NAKAI, Toshihiro YOSHINUMA, Yasuhisa KATOH, Hirokazu IKENOUE, Satoshi KITAOKA, Hideaki NISHIMURA
  • Publication number: 20190337307
    Abstract: A drying device includes a contact heater unit to contact and heat a medium. The contact heater unit includes a plurality of heating members each having a curved contact face to contact the medium among plural heating members of the plurality of heating members to contact a first surface of the medium opposite a second surface of the medium on which liquid is applied. The plurality of heating members includes a first heating member and a plurality of second heating members. The first heating member has a maximum contact distance to contact the medium. The plurality of second heating members is disposed upstream from the first heating member in a direction of conveyance of the medium. Two heating members of the plurality of second heating members immediately upstream from the first heating member in the direction of conveyance of the medium contact the first surface of the medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventors: Ken ONODERA, Sho SAWAHATA, Junji NAKAI, Toshihiro YOSHINUMA, Yasuhisa KATOH, Hirokazu IKENOUE, Satoshi KITAOKA, Hideaki NISHIMURA
  • Patent number: 10442213
    Abstract: A drying device includes a plurality of blowers to blow air onto an object to be dried, the plurality of blowers being disposed along a direction of conveyance of the object to be dried, and a plurality of heaters to heat air inside the plurality of blowers. Each of the plurality of blowers includes an elongated nozzle arranged along a nozzle direction perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of the object to be dried, and an airflow generator to generate airflow to be blown from the elongated nozzle. The plurality of blowers includes a first blower including the airflow generator at a first end of the first blower in the nozzle direction and a second blower including the airflow generator at a second end of the second blower opposite the first end in the nozzle direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideaki Nishimura, Toshihiro Yoshinuma, Wataru Sakamoto, Sho Sawahata, Ken Onodera
  • Patent number: 10434796
    Abstract: A dryer for conveying and drying an object to be dried, the dryer includes a conveyor including a first path and a second path along which the object to be dried is conveyed, a conveyance direction of the second path being different from a conveyance direction of the first path, and a blower to blow air onto the object to be dried. The blower includes a first air outlet that faces the first path and blows the air onto the object to be dried conveyed along the first path, and a second air outlet that faces the second path and blows the air onto the object to be dried conveyed along the second path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Kitaoka, Toshihiro Yoshinuma, Ken Onodera
  • Publication number: 20190263143
    Abstract: A gas blower includes a supply port, a chamber to which a gas is fed from the supply port, a nozzle communicating with an interior of the chamber to discharge the gas from the nozzle, a partition member disposed in the chamber to partition the interior of the chamber into a first space including the supply port and a second space not including the supply port, the partition member including at least one first opening through which the gas communicates between the first space and the second space, and an air flow guide including a plurality of second openings, disposed in the chamber between the second space and the nozzle. The supply port is disposed on one end in a longitudinal direction of the chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideaki Nishimura, Toshihiro Yoshinuma
  • Patent number: 10384472
    Abstract: A drying device includes a contact heater unit to contact and heat a medium. The contact heater unit includes a plurality of heating members each having a curved contact face to contact the medium among plural heating members of the plurality of heating members to contact a first surface of the medium opposite a second surface of the medium on which liquid is applied. The plurality of heating members includes a first heating member and a plurality of second heating members. The first heating member has a maximum contact distance to contact the medium. The plurality of second heating members is disposed upstream from the first heating member in a direction of conveyance of the medium. Two heating members of the plurality of second heating members immediately upstream from the first heating member in the direction of conveyance of the medium contact the first surface of the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ken Onodera, Sho Sawahata, Junji Nakai, Toshihiro Yoshinuma, Yasuhisa Katoh, Hirokazu Ikenoue, Satoshi Kitaoka, Hideaki Nishimura