Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Andrew J. Anderson
  • Patent number: 8351829
    Abstract: A method of preventing a registration error while printing at least one printing image, wherein, in order to control or adjust the correct length of the printing image, the start and/or the distance of the printing image lines of the printing image are controlled by determining the ratio of the number of rotary encoder signals of a transport web counted during a specific time interval to the number of rotary encoder signals of a cylinder of a printing and by taking into account a change of this ratio as a correction, said ratio being a function of a printing sheet located in a printing nip between the transport web and the printing unit, is characterized in that a changed printing material situation occurring in said printing nip between the transport web and the printing unit is used to achieve registration accuracy immediately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jan D. Boness, Heiko Hunold, Stefan Schrader, Matthias Wecker
  • Patent number: 8348411
    Abstract: An aqueous ink composition having at least one of dispersed pigments and anionic charged polymer, and further including a lower level, relative to the concentration of pigment and anionic charged polymer, of a polyvalent metal oxide particle dispersion, wherein the ink composition has a pH of greater than 4 and the polyvalent metal oxide particles have a negative zeta potential at the pH of the ink composition. These ink compositions are effective in reducing the damage and failure of silicon-based inkjet print heads caused by ink-induced dissolution and stress cracking of the silicon-based materials found in the print heads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas B. Brust, James W. Blease
  • Patent number: 8335464
    Abstract: A cleaning brush for use in an electrostatographic imaging apparatus, including a plurality of individual electrically conductive fibers secured to a brush core and having fiber tips relatively remote from the brush core, wherein the cleaning brush includes an electrically conductive plane at a surface of the brush core, or between a surface of the brush core and the electrically conductive fibers, effective for inducing an electrical potential to the conductive fibers when an electrical potential is applied to the electrically conductive plane, and at least one of a relatively non-conductive layer electrically insulating the conductive plane from the conductive fibers, or electrically insulating coatings on tips of the electrically conductive fibers remote from the brush core. The insulative, or non-conductive, layer between the fibers and the conductive plane of the brush prevent excessive current draw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jerry A. Pickering, Kurt E. Jones, Patrick M. Lambert, Peter S. Alexandrovich
  • Patent number: 8329783
    Abstract: The present invention is toner particle that includes a continuous phase of binder polymer and a second phase of hydrocolloid. The particle has a porosity of at least 10 percent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Mridula Nair, Xiqiang Yang, Tamara K. Jones, Jason Morgan
  • Patent number: 8318853
    Abstract: A thermally-responsive dispersant for an aqueous dispersion of positively- or negatively-charged or chargeable solid or liquid particulates, comprises a compound having an anchoring moiety linked to a thermally-responsive polymeric stabilizing moiety, other than a polyalkylene oxide, the polymeric moiety having a lower affinity for the surface than the anchoring group below the thermal transition temperature, the particulates being positively-charged or chargeable when the anchoring moiety contains an acid and/or hydroxy group and has a net acidity or neutrality and the particulates being negatively-charged or chargeable when the anchoring moiety has a basic group and has a net basicity, wherein the dispersion exhibits a change in sign from negative to positive and an increase in magnitude of a rheological property (viscosity at low shear and/or complex modulus at low amplitude oscillatory shear), on increasing the temperature from below to above the thermal transition temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Andrew M. Howe, Trevor J. Wear, Alan R. Pitt, Ian M. Newington, John H. Hone
  • Patent number: 8313808
    Abstract: An inkjet receiver comprising a support and one or more layers coated on the support, at least one of which comprises a particulate material and a binder, the particulate material comprising composite particles having an inner portion and an outer portion or core-shell arrangement, wherein the inner portion comprises a negatively-charged, positively-charged or functionalized latex, and the outer portion comprises an inorganic material having enhanced keeping properties and reduced ozone-induced dye fade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Gerard A. Friour, Stephanie V. Desrousseaux, Olivier J. Poncelet
  • Patent number: 8304155
    Abstract: Images produced by electrophotography are often subjected to harsh conditions, such as high temperature and high relative humidity conditions. Prints when subjected to face-to-face stacking under these conditions tend to stick and are difficult to separate without damage. Ethylene-bis-stearamide is incorporated in a protective toner formulation employing a toner binder having a higher glass transition temperature than that of the conventional CYMK colored image toners employed to provide a protective layer in fused images. Further, ethylene-bis-stearamide does not interfere with typical oil release additives used in fuser rollers. By combining ethylene-bis-stearamide with polyalkane waxes having a weight average molecular weight of equal to or greater than 2000 and a poly dispersity of less than 2.0, addition protection can be realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Dinesh Tyagi, Walter B. Sherwood, Louise Granica
  • Patent number: 8304016
    Abstract: A method of making a fuser member having an annealed outer surface comprising: providing an outer layer comprising compatible first and second fluorothermoplastics over an outer substrate surface, wherein the first fluorothermoplastic is a crosslinkable polymer and the second fluorothermoplastic is a linear polymer; curing the outer layer to crosslink the first fluorothermoplastic whereby the resulting crosslinked first fluorothermoplastic and the linear polymer second fluorothermoplastic form a semi-interpenetrating polymer network (SIPN); and annealing an outer surface of the outer layer by contacting the fuser member with applied pressure against a heated surface, without first sintering the second fluorothermoplastic linear polymer through application of heat alone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann-Hsing Chen, Jerry A. Pickering, Po-Jen Shih
  • Patent number: 8298634
    Abstract: An inkjet printing system contains an inkjet printer loaded with a recording element comprising a support and an ink receiving layer containing: a) fusible polymeric particles; and b) a water soluble block copolymer having ethylene oxide and propylene oxide segments, the copolymer exhibiting a Draves wetting coefficient, for a 0.1 wt % solution in water at 25° C., of not more than 360 seconds. An inkjet printing method and an inkjet recording medium are also contemplated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Kurt M. Schroeder, Lawrence P. DeMejo, Gregory E. Missell
  • Patent number: 8299140
    Abstract: The present invention is an ink comprising a solid phase and a liquid phase wherein the solid phase comprises a polymeric binder and the liquid phase comprises oil and a pigment, the solid phase and the liquid phase forming a discrete particle having multiple domains of the liquid phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Mridula Nair
  • Patent number: 8299141
    Abstract: The present invention is a method of manufacturing ink. The method includes providing a first organic phase of a solvent containing a dissolved polymer, an oil and a pigment. The organic solvent is dispersed in an aqueous phase containing a stabilizer to form an emulsion containing droplets of the organic phase. The solvent is removed from the droplets to form discrete particles having multiple domains of oil and pigment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Mridula Nair, Tamara K. Jones
  • Patent number: 8282202
    Abstract: An aqueous inkjet printing fluid composition for use in an inkjet printer comprising a silicon-based material which contacts the aqueous printing fluid composition, comprising in a concentration sufficient to inhibit corrosion of the silicon-based material when contacted by the aqueous printing fluid composition a soluble metal ligand complex of Formula (I): wherein M represents a divalent or a trivalent metal; Z represents OH or CO2H; n represents an integer from 1-4; each Y may independently be chosen from the group consisting of halogen, cyano, carboalkoxy, alkyl, alkoxy, aryl, hetaryl, carboxy, hydroxy, sulfo and phospho, or any two of Y on adjacent carbons may be combined together to form a 5-7 atom carbo- or heterocyclic ring; and the number of ligands y is 2 or 3; with the proviso that at least one Y comprises a solubilizing group capable of imparting water solubility to the complex. The useful lifetime of microelectromechanical fluidic devices based on silicon fabrication is extended.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Mark E. Irving, Steven Evans
  • Patent number: 8263683
    Abstract: The invention provides an aqueous inkjet ink composition comprises a polymeric compound comprising discrete particles responsive to an external stimulus, and a functional material, wherein the functional material may be incorporated as part of the polymeric particles, the particles causing the composition to have a first rheological state and a different second rheological state in response to a stimulated change in conditions, the first rheological state being associated with a first lower viscosity of the composition, wherein the particles have a first lower volume, enabling the composition to pass through an inkjet printhead orifice and the second rheological state being associated with a second higher viscosity of the composition, wherein the particles have a second higher volume, enabling immobilisation of droplets of the composition on a substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Danuta Gibson, John M. Higgins, Stephanie V. Desrousseaux, Andrew M. Howe, Andrew Clarke, Christian V. Nicholas, John H. Hone
  • Patent number: 8252414
    Abstract: Porous particles comprising a polymer binder and at least one additive distinct from any pore stabilizing compound present in the particle, wherein: the polymer binder comprises a solid compositionally continuous phase having an external particle surface; discrete pores are dispersed within the solid compositionally continuous phase, forming internal pore surfaces; and the at least one additive is present primarily in the discrete pores. The additive may further preferably not be present in the solid compositionally continuous phase, and be substantially absent from the external particle surface. A toner set for forming a color electrophotographic image comprising a plurality of different colored toners, where at least one of the different colored toners comprise such porous particles comprising additives, and in a particular embodiment wherein at least two different colored toners each comprise different pigments present primarily in the internal pores. A process of making such porous particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: David D. Putnam, Mridula Nair, Mary C. Brick, Tamara K. Jones
  • Patent number: 8246862
    Abstract: The invention provides semi-conductive, static dissipative polymeric compositions comprising: an insulating polymeric resin; a first antistatic particulate material having a relatively low threshold percolation wt % concentration, wherein the first antistatic particulate material is present in the composition at from 50-150% of its threshold percolation wt % concentration; and a second antistatic particulate material having a relatively higher threshold percolation wt % concentration, wherein the second antistatic particulate material is present in the composition at from 1-110% of its threshold percolation wt % concentration. The invention enables forming semi-conductive, static dissipative polymeric compositions having volume resistivity easily controllable within the range of from about 104 ohm-cm to about 1011 ohm-cm. The invention further provides castable semi-conductive, static dissipative polymeric compositions wherein the insulating polymeric resin is formed from castable compositions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Michel F. Molaire
  • Patent number: 8241828
    Abstract: The present invention is a method of manufacturing porous polymer particles comprising: forming a dispersion of porous polymer particles in an external aqueous phase, wherein individual porous particles each comprise a continuous polymer phase and internal pores containing an internal aqueous phase; and filtering the dispersion of porous polymer particles with a filter to remove the external aqueous phase, wherein the filtering is done while agitating the porous particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: James R. Bennett, Mridula Nair
  • Patent number: 8221947
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to surface treatment of toner particles and the toner developers used for the dry development of electrostatic charge images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Patrick M. Lambert, Bret M. Johnston
  • Patent number: 8206502
    Abstract: The invention is directed to mixtures of PcTiO and a minor amount of another, substituted titanyl phthalocyanine and the synthesis of mixtures of PcTiO and a minor amount of another, substituted titanyl phthalocyanine. The invention is further directed towards milled pigment compositions of such mixtures, and to use of such milled pigment compositions in an electrophotographic element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: William T. Gruenbaum
  • Patent number: 8186784
    Abstract: A continuous inkjet method in which liquid passes through a nozzle, the liquid being jetted comprising one or more dispersed or particulate components and where the particle Peclet number, Pe, defined by Pe = 1.25 ? ? T · d eff 3 ? ? S kT ? ? ? ? U 3 x is less than 500 and where the effective particle diameter, deff, is calculated as d eff = ( ? 0 ? ? d 3 ? ? ? ( d ) ? ? ? d ? 0 ? ? ? ? ( d ) ? ? ? d ) 1 / 3 where ?(d) is the volume fraction of the particles or components of diameter d (m) and where ?T is the total volume fraction of dispersed or particulate components, ?S is the viscosity of the liquid without particles (Pa·s), ? is the liquid density (kg/m3), U is the jet velocity (m/s), x is the length of the nozzle in the direction of flow (m), k is Boltzmann's constant (J/K) and T is temperature (K).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Andrew Clarke, Sarah Rieubland
  • Patent number: 8187371
    Abstract: An ink composition comprising (a) water, (b) pigment particles, (c) at least one humectant, (d) at least one polyurethane having an average molecular weight of at least about 10,000 and a sufficient number of acid groups to provide an acid number from 60 to about 130, and being present at a weight concentration of greater than 0.7%, and (e) at least one water soluble acrylic polymer comprising carboxylic acid groups, present at a weight concentration of greater than 0.6%, wherein the acid groups on the polyurethane and acrylic polymers are at least partially neutralized only with a monovalent inorganic base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas B. Brust, Michael J. Carmody, Robert H. Fehnel, Gary L. House, Mark E. Irving, Yongcai Wang, Paul D. Yacobucci