Patents Represented by Attorney Jordan B. Bierman
  • Patent number: 6295426
    Abstract: Disclosed is a toner cartridge comprising: a container body for storing toner, said container body having an opening through which said toner is discharged, wherein said container body is made of a resin having an Izod impact value of 0.1 to 30, and a melt flow index of 0.1 to 30 g/10 min.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Yoshino, Hiroshi Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 6291147
    Abstract: A method for processing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material comprising the following steps, a step for developing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material in a developing solution, a step for fixing said silver halide photographic light-sensitive material which is developed in a fixing solution containing thiosulfate salt and alminum salt, a step for washing said silver halide photographic light-sensitive material which is fixed in a washing water, wherein said fixing solution does not substantially contain a boron compound but contains at least a precipitation restraining agent and said washing water contains oxidizing agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventor: Shoji Nishio
  • Patent number: 6287740
    Abstract: A toner for electrophotography is disclosed. The toner comprises a binder resin and a colorant and a wax in amount of 0.5 to 8 percent by weight, and adhesion power index of wax particles to toner particles is between 0.7 and 2.2. The toner improves the durability of the developer material and a photoreceptor, minimizes image smear at high temperature and humidity, and exhibits excellent fixation as well as offsetting resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Ken Ohmura, Tomomi Oshiba
  • Patent number: 6287755
    Abstract: A thermally developable photosensitive material comprising photosensitive silver halide grains, an organic silver salt, a reducing agent and a binder, characterized in that a dispersibility ((standard deviation of circle equivalent diameter of cell)/(average value); cell centering each grain is obtained by processing an electron microscope image employing an extension method) of said photosensitive silver halide grains having grain size of not less than 0.02 &mgr;m, measured from an expopsing side of said thermally developable photosensitive material, is not more than 80%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Shima, Tadahiro Nagasawa
  • Patent number: 6284449
    Abstract: A silver halide emulsion comprising silver halide grains is disclosed, in which at least 50% of total grain projected area is accounted for by silver halide regular crystal grains exhibiting a proportion of a (100) face per grain of not less than 50% and having an average iodide content of not more than 5 mol %; the silver halide grains having an internal high iodide phase having an average iodide content of not less than 7 mol % and accounting for 0.1 to 15% of the grain volume; the high iodide phase being in the region at a depth of from 7 to 27% from the (100) face, based on the distance between the center of a grain and the (100) face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Nakayama, Tadahiro Nagasawa, Rieko Ren
  • Patent number: 6268118
    Abstract: Disclosed is a thermally developable photosensitive material having a photosensitive layer comprising a photosensitive silver halide, an organic silver salt, a reducing agent, and a binder, a thermally developable photosensitive material the organic silver salt comprises tabular organic silver salt grains having an aspect ratio of at least 3, and average of needle ratio of the tabular organic silver salt grains measured from principal plane direction is not less than 1.1 and less than 10. The thermally developable photosensitive material exhibits high sensitivity as well as low fog and an image forming method employing the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Keiko Iwasaki, Tetsuo Shima
  • Patent number: 6268097
    Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor is disclosed. The photoreceptor comprises pigment particles obtained by incorporating one or more metal atom into polycyclic anhydride-aromatic diamine condensation compound particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Hirofumi Hayata, Kazumasa Watanabe, Kenichi Yasuda
  • Patent number: 6265122
    Abstract: In an electrophotographic photoreceptor which comprises an electrically conductive support having thereon a multilayer composed of a photosensitive layer and a protective surface layer in said order, an electrophotographic photoreceptor characterized in that said protective surface layer comprised of a layer comprising structural units having charge transportability, as well as siloxane based resins having a cross linking structure, and said photosensitive layer comprises titanyl phthalocyanine having a maximum peak of Bragg angle (2&thgr;±0.2)° at 27.2° with respect to Cu-K&agr; ray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiko Itami, Tomoo Sakimura, Takeo Oshiba, Yohko Kitahara, Masahiko Kurachi, Kazuhisa Shida
  • Patent number: 6265146
    Abstract: A thermally developable photosensitive material of enhanced sensitivity, reduced variation in sensitivity following pre-exposure storage and improved silver image tone is disclosed, comprising a support having thereon an organic silver salt, a binder, a photosensitive silver halide, an infrared-sensitizing dye and a heteroatom containing macrocyclic compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Kashiwagi
  • Patent number: 6261748
    Abstract: A method for recovering a resin support from an image forming material comprising a resin support having thereon an image forming layer is disclosed, in which the image forming material is immersed into a dipolar aprotic solvent or an alkaline alcohol and the image forming layer is dissolved with stirring under heat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Yasunori Wada, Kiyoshi Goto
  • Patent number: 6263186
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet feeding member for feeding a recording material; an image recording member for recording an image on the recording material; a conveyance path connecting the sheet feeding member and the image recording member, along which the recording material is conveyed; a registration member which is provided in the conveyance path located at the upstream side of the image recording member in the conveyance direction for the recording material, and stops the leading edge of the recording material when being hit by the leading edge, and then, starts conveyance of the recording material; a loop forming member which is provided in the conveyance path located at the upstream side of the registration member in the conveyance direction for the recording material, and forms a loop on the recording material which is stopped by the registration member; a first driving source for driving the registration member; a second driving source for driving the loop forming member; and a drive co
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Okamoto, Norio Joichi, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Hideo Yamane, Youbao Peng
  • Patent number: 6258499
    Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor is disclosed. The photoreceptor comprises an electrically conductive support having thereon a photosensitive layer in which the glass transition temperature of the surface layer of said photosensitive layer is at least 105° C. and the contact angle of said surface layer with respect to deionized water is at least 90°. An image forming method, an apparatus and a unit employing the photoreceptor are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Itami
  • Patent number: 6255029
    Abstract: A process for preparing a color toner for developing an electrostatic image comprising a step of polymerizing monomers to obtain resin particles, wherein the color toner comprises primary particles or secondary particles of resin particles, and a metal complex dye represented by the following formula (1) or formula (2), wherein, X1 and X3 each are a group of atoms bonding with each other which can form at least bidentate coordination bond with a metal ion; Y1 represents an aromatic hydrocarbon ring, a 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic ring or —L4═Y2; Y2 and Y3 each represent an aromatic hydrocarbon ring or a 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic ring; L1 and L4 each represent a substituted or an unsubstituted methine group or a nitrogen atom; L2 and L3 each represent a substituted or an unsubstituted methine group; M represents a metal ion which can form at least a bidentate coordination bond with said group of atoms bonding with each other represented by X1 and X3; m represents an integer of
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Naohiro Hirose, Mikio Kohyama, Kenji Hayashi, Tomoe Kitani, Yoshiki Nishimori
  • Patent number: 6249664
    Abstract: A developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor having an A-side and a B-side, the latter being located closer to the photoreceptor than the former. There is a developing cylinder at the B-side in close proximity to the photoreceptor to convey the developer toward the photoreceptor. A first agitating conveying rotator is at the A-side and for agitating developer, and a second agitating conveying rotator is between the developing sleeve and the first conveying rotator. The second rotator receives the developer from the first rotator, agitates the developer, and conveys the developer to the developing sleeve. Both rotate in the same direction to form a rotation locus, wherein the direction of the velocity vector tangent to the top of rotation locus is directed from the B-side toward the A-side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuhiko Sato
  • Patent number: 6248494
    Abstract: A toner for developing an electrostatic image is disclosed. The toner comprises colored particles containing a resin and a colorant, the volume average particle diameter of said colored particles is 3 to 9 &mgr;m, the shape coefficient of said colored particles, which is described by the formula below, is 1.3 to 2.2, and the ratio of toner particles having a shape coefficient of 1.5 to 2.0 is at least 80 percent by number. Shape coefficient=[(maximum diameter/2)2×&pgr;]/(projection area) A developer and image forming method employing the toner are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Yamazaki, Ken Ohmura, Tomomi Oshiba, Meizo Shirose, Shigenori Kouno
  • Patent number: 6248406
    Abstract: A coating apparatus for coating a conveyed support with an emulsion for a photographic light-sensitive material by letting the emulsion flow down between a pair of edge guides so as to form a curtain layer of the emulsion. The apparatus includes a slide surface, having a slit and inclined for a predetermined angle to the horizontal axis, for supplying the emulsion; side plates provided on both edges of the slide surface; the pair of edge guides each provided on respective one of the edges; and plural solution injecting outlets, each provided on respective one of the side plates, for supplying auxiliary solution; in which a coating operation of the conveyed support with the emulsion is conducted while the auxiliary solution is being flowed down along the edge guides at a flow rate between 0.3 cc/min. and 3.0 cc/min. from each of the solution injecting outlets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Kondo, Koji Fukazawa, Akira Nishiwaki
  • Patent number: 6248512
    Abstract: An image forming method for a thermally processable photosensitive material is disclosed, comprising exposing a thermally processable photosensitive material to light using a laser light source, and subjecting the exposed photosensitive material to thermal processing, wherein the thermally processable photosensitive material comprises a support having thereon an organic silver salt, a binder, a photosensitive silver halide, and a compound containing nitrogen covalently bonded to halogen represented by the following formula or a nitrogen-containing acyclic compound associated with a pair of halogen atoms represented by the following formula
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Norio Miura, Keiko Ishidai
  • Patent number: 6245500
    Abstract: A method of cooling a photographic coating composition in a sol state is disclosed. The composition that includes photographic emulsion, an emulsified material or gelatin solution, or comprising combinations thereof is continuously cooled by employing heat exchanger, and after being transformed into a gel state, the resulting product is placed into a storage vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuo Nishi
  • Patent number: 6242609
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a color coupler used in a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material using an ammonium trihalide. Said method for manufacturing the color coupler comprising the following step: a step for halogenating a coupling position of a four equivalent coupler using a halogenating agent, wherein said halogenating agent is said ammonium trihalide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventor: Fumio Ishii
  • Patent number: D448207
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2001
    Inventor: Michael Milbaum