Patents by Inventor Yu Yoshioka

Yu Yoshioka 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: 10908552
    Abstract: An image forming device includes a photoconductor, a motor, a charging member, a cleaning blade, and an abnormality determining unit. The motor is configured to drive the photoconductor to rotate. The charging member is configured to charge the photoconductor. The cleaning blade is configured to contact the photoconductor and remove residual toner from a surface of the photoconductor. The abnormality determining unit is configured to determine abnormality of the cleaning blade based on a motor current flowing in the motor and a gap between the photoconductor and the charging member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yu Yoshioka
  • Patent number: 9188903
    Abstract: An image forming device includes a charging power supply used in applying, to a charging unit, a charging voltage for the purpose of electrostatic latent image formation and a charging bias voltage during a cleaning operation; a developing power supply that is capable of outputting a developing bias voltage of positive polarity and negative polarity to a developing unit; a constant-voltage generating-holding unit that is used in generating and holding a constant potential difference between the charging unit and the developing unit; a developing power control unit that performs output control of a developing bias voltage with respect to the developing unit; and a charging power control unit that, when the developing power control unit performs control to output a developing bias voltage of reverse polarity to the charging unit, performs output control of the charging bias voltage of a predetermined level with respect to the charging power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventor: Yu Yoshioka
  • Patent number: 9100529
    Abstract: A power supply unit includes a first power supply configured to supply electric power to a load using electric power supplied from an external power source; a second power supply configured to store the electric power supplied from the external power source and supply the stored electric power to the load; a no-power detecting unit configured to monitor a voltage of the external power source and detect no electric power from the external power source; and an output switching unit configured to switch the electric power to be supplied to the load to the electric power supplied from the second power supply when the no-power detecting unit detects no electric power. A first setting value that is a target output voltage of the first power supply is larger than a second setting value that is a target output voltage of the second power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Yu Yoshioka, Tetsuya Yano
  • Patent number: 9048687
    Abstract: A power supply device includes: a main power supply configured to feed power to a load with constant-voltage output using an external power supply; an auxiliary power supply configured to feed power to the load using an internal power storage unit; a constant-current/constant-voltage switching power supply configured to feed a part of current flowing through the load by which part the current exceeds an upper limit value of output current of the main power supply instructed by a current upper-limit instruction unit, with the constant-current output from the auxiliary power supply; and an output switching unit switching the constant-current/constant-voltage switching power supply from the constant-current output to the constant-voltage output when a power cut monitoring unit determines stop of power supply from the external power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Mikio Nakajima, Tetsuya Yano, Hideo Nakagawa, Yu Yoshioka
  • Publication number: 20150071663
    Abstract: An image forming device includes a charging power supply used in applying, to a charging unit, a charging voltage for the purpose of electrostatic latent image formation and a charging bias voltage during a cleaning operation; a developing power supply that is capable of outputting a developing bias voltage of positive polarity and negative polarity to a developing unit; a constant-voltage generating-holding unit that is used in generating and holding a constant potential difference between the charging unit and the developing unit; a developing power control unit that performs output control of a developing bias voltage with respect to the developing unit; and a charging power control unit that, when the developing power control unit performs control to output a developing bias voltage of reverse polarity to the charging unit, performs output control of the charging bias voltage of a predetermined level with respect to the charging power supply.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Inventor: Yu YOSHIOKA
  • Publication number: 20130294794
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heating unit, a storage unit, and a setting unit. The heating unit uses electric power and performs a heating operation in accordance with a print condition specified in a print job to thermally fix a developer onto a recording medium. The storage unit stores therein output priorities, which are determined for different print conditions based on power consumption in a heating operation, so as to be associated with their corresponding print conditions. In outputting a plurality of print jobs having different print conditions successively, the setting unit sets output order of the print jobs to be output in accordance with the output priorities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Publication date: November 7, 2013
    Inventors: Yu YOSHIOKA, Norikazu Okada, Tetsuya Yano
  • Publication number: 20130169990
    Abstract: A power supply unit includes a first power supply configured to supply electric power to a load using electric power supplied from an external power source; a second power supply configured to store the electric power supplied from the external power source and supply the stored electric power to the load; a no-power detecting unit configured to monitor a voltage of the external power source and detect no electric power from the external power source; and an output switching unit configured to switch the electric power to be supplied to the load to the electric power supplied from the second power supply when the no-power detecting unit detects no electric power. A first setting value that is a target output voltage of the first power supply is larger than a second setting value that is a target output voltage of the second power supply.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2012
    Publication date: July 4, 2013
    Inventors: Yu YOSHIOKA, Tetsuya Yano
  • Publication number: 20130099573
    Abstract: A power supply device includes: a main power supply configured to feed power to a load with constant-voltage output using an external power supply; an auxiliary power supply configured to feed power to the load using an internal power storage unit; a constant-current/constant-voltage switching power supply configured to feed a part of current flowing through the load by which part the current exceeds an upper limit value of output current of the main power supply instructed by a current upper-limit instruction unit, with the constant-current output from the auxiliary power supply; and an output switching unit switching the constant-current/constant-voltage switching power supply from the constant-current output to the constant-voltage output when a power cut monitoring unit determines stop of power supply from the external power supply.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2012
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Inventors: Mikio Nakajima, Tetsuya Yano, Hideo Nakagawa, Yu Yoshioka
  • Patent number: 4241855
    Abstract: A flow controlling pouring spout has a hollow body portion provided with structure to facilitate attachment to the lip about a pouring opening of a container. A spout portion extending normally generally horizontally communicates with the interior of the container through the hollow body portion and has a baffle separating a lower pouring passage and an upper displacement air passage which extends from adjacent to the discharge opening of the spout to the inner end of the spout and has a displacement air opening from the inner end of the air passage to the inner end of the pouring passage. A hinged closure plug is mounted on the discharge end of the pouring spout. Swivel structure connects the pouring spout with the base portion to permit turning the spout from pouring orientation to non-pouring orientation. Stabilizing and flow controlling slidably cooperating flanges are provided on the swivelly related base portion and spout.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1979
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1980
    Assignee: Kikkoman Foods, Inc.
    Inventor: Yu Yoshioka