Patents by Inventor Wakako Oshige

Wakako Oshige 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: 8073361
    Abstract: A developing apparatus has: a developer container including a developer transportation unit that transports, while mixing, a developer containing a toner and a carrier along an axis of rotation by a rotatable mixing transportation member; and a cover member provided in part of the developer transportation unit so as to cover an upper portion of the mixing transportation member. A preset case disposed on top of the developer transportation unit has: a developer feed port provided on that bottom surface of the preset case which lies on a side of the developer container; and a sealing member that seals a developer feed port, the sealing member being mounted so as to be removable, when putting the preset case to use, longitudinally of the mixing transportation member. The developer feed port is provided except for a position that lies opposite to the cover member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Wakako Oshige
  • Patent number: 7953331
    Abstract: A pressing wall is provided in a part of the entire area of the first carrying chamber in which a first screw member is housed. The area is opposed to a bottom wall of the first carrying chamber on the lower side in the gravity direction of the first screw member and opposed to the side walls of the first carrying chamber on both lateral sides orthogonal to a rotation axis direction of the first screw member. In the area, a toner concentration of a K developer being carried is detected by a K toner concentration sensor. The pressing wall comes into contact with, from above in the gravity direction, the K developer, which moves from a lower side to an upper side in the gravity direction according to the rotation of the first screw member, and presses the K developer downward in the gravity direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Wakako Oshige, Shinji Kato
  • Patent number: 7885581
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of reducing the number of toner concentration detection errors caused by variation in the volume of a toner includes a reverse vane for transferring developer in an opposite direction and protruding from the rotary shaft member in a region where a lower side faces a bottom wall of a first transfer chamber and two lateral sides that are orthogonal to the rotary axis direction face respective side walls of the first transfer chamber, and a toner concentration detection sensor is disposed to detect the toner concentration of the developer as the developer is transferred between the reverse transfer vane and a location of the screw vane adjacent to the reverse transfer vane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Wakako Oshige, Shinji Kato
  • Patent number: 7751730
    Abstract: A black developer is conveyed in a first conveyance chamber in a rotation axis direction while agitating with rotation of a first screw member. A black-toner-concentration detecting sensor detects a toner concentration of the black developer by having contact with the black developer conveyed inside the first conveyance chamber. An average of peak amounts of a pressing force on the black developer, which is conveyed inside the first conveyance chamber by the first screw member, with respect to the black toner-concentration detecting sensor is set within a range of 9.8 15 [N/m2] to 9.8 100 [N/m2].
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Shinji Kato, Wakako Oshige
  • Publication number: 20090257761
    Abstract: A black developer is conveyed in a first conveyance chamber in a rotation axis direction while agitating with rotation of a first screw member. A black-toner-concentration detecting sensor detects a toner concentration of the black developer by having contact with the black developer conveyed inside the first conveyance chamber. An average of peak amounts of a pressing force on the black developer, which is conveyed inside the first conveyance chamber by the first screw member, with respect to the black toner-concentration detecting sensor is set within a range of 9.8 15 [N/m2] to 9.8 100 [N/m2].
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Publication date: October 15, 2009
    Inventors: Shinji Kato, Wakako Oshige
  • Publication number: 20090214256
    Abstract: A developing apparatus has: a developer container including a developer transportation unit that transports, while mixing, a developer containing a toner and a carrier along an axis of rotation by a rotatable mixing transportation member; and a cover member provided in part of the developer transportation unit so as to cover an upper portion of the mixing transportation member. A preset case disposed on top of the developer transportation unit has: a developer feed port provided on that bottom surface of the preset case which lies on a side of the developer container; and a sealing member that seals a developer feed port, the sealing member being mounted so as to be removable, when putting the preset case to use, longitudinally of the mixing transportation member. The developer feed port is provided except for a position that lies opposite to the cover member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2009
    Publication date: August 27, 2009
    Inventor: Wakako Oshige
  • Publication number: 20090116861
    Abstract: A pressing wall is provided in a part of the entire area of the first carrying chamber in which a first screw member is housed. The area is opposed to a bottom wall of the first carrying chamber on the lower side in the gravity direction of the first screw member and opposed to the side walls of the first carrying chamber on both lateral sides orthogonal to a rotation axis direction of the first screw member. In the area, a toner concentration of a K developer being carried is detected by a K toner concentration sensor. The pressing wall comes into contact with, from above in the gravity direction, the K developer, which moves from a lower side to an upper side in the gravity direction according to the rotation of the first screw member, and presses the K developer downward in the gravity direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Inventors: Wakako Oshige, Shinji Kato
  • Publication number: 20080069580
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus capable of reducing the number of toner concentration detection errors caused by variation in the volume of a toner below that of the related art, a reverse vane for transferring K developer in an opposite direction to a screw vane as a rotary shaft member rotates protrudes from the rotary shaft member in a region of an entire rotary axis direction region of a first screw member where a gravitational direction lower side faces a bottom wall of a first transfer chamber and two lateral sides that are orthogonal to the rotary axis direction face respective side walls of the first transfer chamber, and a K toner concentration detection sensor is disposed to detect the toner concentration of the K developer as the K developer is transferred between the reverse transfer vane and a location of the screw vane adjacent to the reverse transfer vane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2007
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Inventors: Wakako Oshige, Shinji Kato