Patents by Inventor Ken Ohmura

Ken Ohmura 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: 7186492
    Abstract: A toner includes at least a crystalline compound, a binding resin and coloring agent, wherein a differential heat quantity curve measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) has a clear endothermic peak at 50 to 100° C. in a first temperature rising process, and in a second temperature rising process, a peak area of the endothermic peak is reduced by ? or less with respect to the peak area of the endothermic peak in the first temperature rising process. An image forming method employs the toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Hayashi, Ken Ohmura, Mikio Kouyama
  • Patent number: 7186493
    Abstract: A toner for developing an electrostatic image is disclosed. The toner comprises toner particles comprising a resin and a colorant, and the toner comprises metal oxide particles have a domain-matrix structure comprising a domain and a matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Yamane, Ken Ohmura, Yasuko Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 7184683
    Abstract: A toner container for supplying and/or replenishing toner into a development apparatus of image forming apparatus, by being engaged with the rotation transfer member of the development apparatus and being rotated about a center axis of the toner container integrally with the rotation transfer member. The toner container is structured with a cylindrical body having a toner outlet on one end of the cylindrical body, nearby a center axis of the cylindrical body, a convex spiral flute formed on the inner periphery of the cylindrical body, and a concave spiral flute formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical body, wherein a ratio L/D of length L to diameter D of the cylindrical body is in a range of 1/2?L/D?10, a thickness of the cylindrical body t is 0.3 mm?t?5.0 mm; and a thickness deviation of the cylindrical body is ?t?20%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Masahiro Yoshino, Tatsuo Nakanishi, Ken Ohmura
  • Patent number: 7157198
    Abstract: Toner for electrostatic latent image development includes at least a resin, a coloring agent and a crystalline compound, wherein the toner particle has sea-island structure and the crystalline compound is n-paraffin of particular structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc
    Inventors: Ken Ohmura, Asao Matsushima, Shiro Hirano, Yoshiki Nishimori
  • Patent number: 7150952
    Abstract: A toner for developing an electrostatic image is disclosed. The toner particles containing a binder resin containing a polyester resin or a polyol resin and a colorant, and the toner particles contain aluminum in an amount of 0.007 to 0.140% by weight, chlorine in an amount of 0.002 to 0.412% by weight, and the toner particles have an average circular degree of 0.94 to 0.99 and an average circle equivalent diameter of from 2.6 to 7.4 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2006
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Asao Matsushima, Hiroshi Yamazaki, Ken Ohmura, Eiichi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 7125637
    Abstract: In a toner for developing electrostatic latent images, average circularity is 0.94–0.98, the average value of the equivalent circular diameter is 2.6–7.4 ?m and the gradient of the circularity to the equivalent circular diameter is from ?0.005 to ?0.001, and an image forming method using the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Ken Ohmura, Hiroshi Yamazaki, Asao Matsushima, Shiro Hirano
  • Publication number: 20060177752
    Abstract: A toner for developing an electrostatic image is disclosed. The toner contains an amount of not less than 0.1% by weight of an element selected from elements of the Groups of 1B, 2B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8, 3A and 4A of the fourth and fifth periodic of the long periodic table of the elements, and the isolation ratio of the element is not more than 10% by number.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2003
    Publication date: August 10, 2006
    Inventors: Tomomi Oshiba, Ken Ohmura, Shigenori Kouno, Hiroshi Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 7085518
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising: a photoreceptor; and a plurality of processing devices to form an image, wherein at least one of the processing devices include a portion assembled by an adhesive material including a volatile gas component in an amount of 0.1–9 ?g/cm2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuuko Yamaguchi, Shigeki Takenouchi, Ken Ohmura
  • Publication number: 20060160012
    Abstract: A toner production method includes the step of: controlling a shape of toner particles in a shape controlling region to control the shape of toner particles in a water based medium, wherein the shape controlling region has a toner channel for the toner particles and a temperature controller capable of controlling at least two zones.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2005
    Publication date: July 20, 2006
    Inventors: Naohiro Hirose, Ken Ohmura
  • Publication number: 20060104672
    Abstract: A toner container for supplying and/or replenishing toner into a development apparatus of image forming apparatus, by being engaged with the rotation transfer member of the development apparatus and being rotated about a center axis of the toner container integrally with the rotation transfer member. The toner container is structured with a cylindrical body having a toner outlet on one end of the cylindrical body, nearby a center axis of the cylindrical body, a convex spiral flute formed on the inner periphery of the cylindrical body, and a concave spiral flute formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical body, wherein a ratio L/D of length L to diameter D of the cylindrical body is in a range of 1/2?L/D?10, a thickness of the cylindrical body t is 0.3 mm?t?5.0 mm; and a thickness deviation of the cylindrical body is ?t?20%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2005
    Publication date: May 18, 2006
    Inventors: Masahiro Yoshino, Tatsuo Nakanishi, Ken Ohmura
  • Patent number: 7018763
    Abstract: The invention relates to a static latent image developing toner comprising toner particles, each of the toner particles comprising a toner intermediate particle having inorganic oxide particles on the surface, wherein a surface existence density of the inorganic oxide particle having a feret's diameter of 110 nm to 160 nm on the toner intermediate particle is 5 to 50 per ?m2, and relates to a developer comprising the toner and an image forming method utilizing the toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiyasu Matsumoto, Ken Ohmura, Tatsuya Nagase, Kaori Soeda
  • Publication number: 20060046175
    Abstract: A toner for electrostatic latent image development, in which the image quality is fine, toner blister would not occur, and furthermore, the image quality which can fulfill customer's satisfaction can be obtained regardless of the temperature humidity environment in the image forming. The toner for electrostatic latent image development is made by agglomeration of resin particles and colorant particles in an aqueous medium. The acid value of the toner is less than 20 mgKOH/g, and the hydroxyl value of the toner is 7 to 57 mgKOH/g.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2004
    Publication date: March 2, 2006
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Eiichi Yoshida, Asao Matsushima, Ken Ohmura, Hiroshi Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20050226661
    Abstract: An image forming method comprises: fixing an image formed by a toner on a record sheet in a nip member formed by a pressurizing member which is compressibly contacted against a heating fixing rotor having an elastic body layer formed on an endless periphery surface capable of orbitally moving and which creates locally a large distortion occurred in the elastic body layer in vicinity of outlet thereof, wherein the toner includes at least two metal salts having different valence and has a relationship given by the Formula (1) 2.0?a?0.1 1.0?b?0.01 7.5?a/b?1.1??Formula (1) wherein a (mass %) is defined as a content of a metal salt which is contained at a highest content in total toner mass and b (mass %) is defined as a content of a metal salt which is contained at a second-highest content in the total toner mass, and mass values of a and b represent anhydride reduced values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2004
    Publication date: October 13, 2005
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Ken Ohmura, Naohiro Hirose, Asao Matsushima, Shiro Hirano
  • Publication number: 20050214665
    Abstract: Toner for electrostatic latent image development includes at least a resin, a coloring agent and a crystalline compound, wherein the toner particle has sea-island structure and the crystalline compound is n-paraffin of particular structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2004
    Publication date: September 29, 2005
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Ken Ohmura, Asao Matsushima, Shiro Hirano, Yoshiki Nishimori
  • Publication number: 20050214024
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising: a photoreceptor; and a plurality of processing devices to form an image, wherein at least one of the processing devices include a portion assembled by an adhesive material including a volatile gas component in an amount of 0.1-9 ?g/cm2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2004
    Publication date: September 29, 2005
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuuko Yamaguchi, Shigeki Takenouchi, Ken Ohmura
  • Publication number: 20050208407
    Abstract: A toner for developing an electrostatic image, includes a toner particle containing a binder resin and a colorant, wherein a Feret's average horizontal diameter of the colorant is from 10 nm to 500 nm, a ratio of the colorant having the Feret's horizontal diameter of from 2 nm to 300 nm is 50% by number or more, and the colorant contains a compound or a lake of the compound.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2004
    Publication date: September 22, 2005
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Nagase, Asao Matsushima, Naohiro Hirose, Tomoe Kitani, Ken Ohmura
  • Publication number: 20050208398
    Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming method is disclosed, which includes the steps of developing an electrostatic image on a electrophotographic photoreceptor by a developer, transferring a toner image formed by the development, and fixing the toner image on a recording medium. It is disclosed that a toner has a volume particle diameter (Dv50) of about 4.4 to about 5.8 ?m and displays two or more endothermic peaks measured by DSC being within the rang of from about 50 to about 73° C. and the endothermic heat amount thereof is from 12.6 to 24.5 J/mg and a transferring member and/or a fixing member constituted by a belt containing a polyimide resin are employed in the method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2005
    Publication date: September 22, 2005
    Inventors: Ken Ohmura, Asao Matsushima
  • Publication number: 20050196693
    Abstract: A toner for an electrophotography comprising a resin and a colorant is disclosed. The toner is formed by a process including a step of aggregating resin particles, and the toner comprises a volatile ketone compound in an amount of 4-60 ppm and carnauba wax in toner particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2004
    Publication date: September 8, 2005
    Inventors: Ken Ohmura, Hiroshi Yamazaki, Asao Matsushima, Eiichi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 6936391
    Abstract: An electrostatic image developing toner is disclosed. The toner particle conrains a silanol compound represented by formula of RmSi(OH)n in an amount of 1 to 20 ppm which is measured based on a head space method: wherein R represents a hydrocarbon group containing an alkyl group, a vinyl group, a glycidyloxy group, or a methacrylic acid, m and n each represents an integer of 1 to 3, and when m is 2 or 3, R may be the same of different.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoe Kitani, Hiroshi Yamazaki, Ken Ohmura
  • Publication number: 20050175919
    Abstract: A toner includes at least a crystalline compound, a binding resin and coloring agent, wherein a differential heat quantity curve measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) has a clear endothermic peak at 50 to 100° C. in a first temperature rising process, and in a second temperature rising process, a peak area of the endothermic peak is reduced by ? or less with respect to the peak area of the endothermic peak in the first temperature rising process. An image forming method employs the toner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2004
    Publication date: August 11, 2005
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Hayashi, Ken Ohmura, Mikio Kouyama