Patents by Inventor Mikihiko Sukeno

Mikihiko Sukeno 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: 9389530
    Abstract: A liquid developer includes an insulating liquid and toner particles which are dispersed in the insulating liquid and contain a resin and a coloring agent. The resin contains a first resin which is a crystalline urethane-modified polyester resin resulting from increase in chain length of a component derived from a polyester resin by a compound containing an isocyanate group. The toner particles have a peak in a DSC curve in temperature increase at 55° C. or higher, have a peak in the DSC curve in temperature decrease at 30° C. or higher, and have a storage elastic modulus at 80° C., not lower than 1×105 Pa and not higher than 1×107 Pa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Chiaki Yamada, Mikihiko Sukeno, Yuya Iwagoe, Masaaki Oka
  • Patent number: 9164407
    Abstract: An electrostatic latent image developer of the present invention includes a resin, a colorant and a colorant dispersant, wherein the colorant dispersant contains a first polymer compound containing a constitutional unit derived from a monomer A, a constitutional unit derived from a monomer B and a constitutional unit derived from a monomer C, the monomer A is 4-vinylpyridine, the monomer B is CH2?CR1—COOR2 (where R1 represents hydrogen or a methyl group; and R2 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms), and the monomer C is CH2?CR3—COOR4 (where R3 represents hydrogen or a methyl group; R4 represents (CH2CH2O)nCH3 or (CH2CH2O)nCH2CH3; and n represents an integer of 12 to 18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Chiaki Yamada, Masahiro Anno, Mikihiko Sukeno
  • Publication number: 20150160577
    Abstract: A liquid developer includes an insulating liquid and toner particles which are dispersed in the insulating liquid and contain a resin and a coloring agent. The resin contains a first resin which is a crystalline urethane-modified polyester resin resulting from increase in chain length of a component derived from a polyester resin by a compound containing an isocyanate group. The toner particles have a peak in a DSC curve in temperature increase at 55° C. or higher, have a peak in the DSC curve in temperature decrease at 30° C. or higher, and have a storage elastic modulus at 80° C., not lower than 1×105 Pa and not higher than 1×107 Pa.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2014
    Publication date: June 11, 2015
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Chiaki Yamada, Mikihiko Sukeno, Yuya Iwagoe, Masaaki Oka
  • Publication number: 20140342281
    Abstract: An electrostatic latent image developer of the present invention includes a resin, a colorant and a colorant dispersant, wherein the colorant dispersant contains a first polymer compound containing a constitutional unit derived from a monomer A, a constitutional unit derived from a monomer B and a constitutional unit derived from a monomer C, the monomer A is 4-vinylpyridine, the monomer B is CH2?CR1—COOR2 (where R1 represents hydrogen or a methyl group; and R2 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms), and the monomer C is CH2?CR3—COOR4 (where R3 represents hydrogen or a methyl group; R4 represents (CH2CH2O)nCH3 or (CH2CH2O)nCH2CH3; and n represents an integer of 12 to 18).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: CHIAKI YAMADA, MASAHIRO ANNO, MIKIHIKO SUKENO
  • Patent number: 8871419
    Abstract: The toner for electrostatic image development has excellent charge properties, by which excellent toner particle size-controlling ability is achieved, and moreover the sharpening of a particle size distribution is achieved. The toner is composed of toner particles containing a binder resin. The process has an aggregating step of adding an aggregating agent containing a transition element into an aqueous medium of dispersed fine binder resin particles to aggregate the fine binder resin particles, and an aggregation-stopping step of adding an aggregation stopper composed on a sulfur atom-containing compound exhibiting a reducing action on the aggregating agent. The aggregating agent is a salt of a bivalent or higher metal selected from Sr, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Saburou Hiraoka, Tomomi Oshiba, Mikihiko Sukeno, Tomoko Mine, Hitomi Motani, Tatsuya Nagase, Ken Ohmura
  • Patent number: 8652728
    Abstract: A toner comprising toner particles containing a binder resin comprising a crystalline polyester resin, a non-crystalline polyester resin and an acryl resin having a cross-link structure, and the acryl resin having a cross-link structure has a cross-link site derived from a crosslinking agent represented by the following formula (1): CH2?CR1—C(?O)O—Z—OC(?O)—CR2?CH2??Formula (1) wherein R1 and R2 are each a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group of 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and Z is a hydrocarbon group of 2 to 90 carbon atoms, provided that the hydrocarbon group may include an ether linkage, an ester linkage, a heterocyclic ring or a substituent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tomoko Mine, Mikihiko Sukeno, Hajime Tadokoro, Ken Ohmura, Tatsuya Nagase, Tomomi Oshiba, Saburou Hiraoka
  • Patent number: 8642242
    Abstract: Provided is a method of manufacturing toner by which the toner capable of forming high quality images and reproducing high density gradation, which exhibits an excellent high-temperature offsetting property together with excellent low-temperature fixability, and provides appropriate gloss with respect to images to be formed, can be stably prepared; and also provided is the toner. After conducting a step in which particles made of at least a crystalline polyester resin are coagulated to form core coagulated particles, and an unsaturated amorphous polyester resin particle is attached onto the surface of each of the core coagulated particles to form core-shell type coagulated particles, radical polymerization reaction is conducted by acting a radical polymerization initiator on the foregoing core-shell type coagulated particles to conduct a step in which a layer made of a crosslinking amorphous polyester resin is formed on the surface of each of the core coagulated particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Saburou Hiraoka, Mikihiko Sukeno, Hajime Tadokoro, Ken Ohmura, Tatsuya Nagase, Tomomi Oshiba, Kenji Hayashi, Tomoko Mine
  • Patent number: 8586278
    Abstract: A method of producing an electrostatic image developing toner comprising toner particles comprising a binder resin containing at least a non-crystalline polyester resin having a crosslinking structure and a crystalline polyester resin, the method comprising the steps of (a-1) preparing a crystalline polyester resin particle aqueous dispersion liquid; (a-2) preparing a polymerizable unsaturated non-crystalline polyester resin aqueous dispersion liquid; (b) preparing crosslinking non-crystalline polyester resin particles by adding a radical polymerization initiator to the aqueous dispersion liquid of particles containing the non-crystalline polyester resin having a polymerizable unsaturated bond; (c) preparing core particles by aggregating at least the particles containing the crystalline polyester resin in an aqueous medium; and (d) preparing a shell layer containing the non-crystalline polyester resin having a crosslinking structure by fusing the particles containing the non-crystalline polyester resin having
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikihiko Sukeno, Hajime Tadokoro, Ken Ohmura, Tatsuya Nagase, Tomomi Oshiba, Kenji Hayashi, Saburou Hiraoka, Tomoko Mine
  • Patent number: 8507169
    Abstract: A two-component developer is disclosed, composing a toner comprising parent toner particles with an attached external additive and a carrier provided with a resin covering layer on a surface of a core particle, wherein the resin covering layer comprises a binder resin comprising an acrylic resin and when the resin covering layer is divided in half to a core particle side and a surface side, a nitrogen element content of the core particle side is larger than a nitrogen element content of the surface side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tomoko Mine, Mikihiko Sukeno, Tatsuya Nagase, Tomomi Oshiba, Hiroyuki Kozuru, Saburou Hiraoka, Yoshiyasu Matsumoto, Kosuke Nakamura, Hitomi Motani, Takanari Kayamori
  • Patent number: 8497059
    Abstract: A method of producing a toner comprising toner particles containing a binder resin composed of a non-crystalline polyester resin having a crosslinked structure and a crystalline polyester resin is disclosed, the method comparing steps of; a process to form an oil phase liquid by dissolving or dispersing a non-crystalline polyester resin having a polymerizable unsaturated double bond and a crystalline polyester resin in an organic solvent, a process to form an aqueous dispersion liquid of oil droplets of the oil phase liquid by dispersing the oil phase liquid in an aqueous medium, a process to form oil droplets containing the non-crystalline polyester resin having a crosslinked structure by adding a radical polymerization initiator to the aqueous dispersion liquid of oil droplets, and an organic solvent removing process to form toner particles by removing organic solvent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tomomi Oshiba, Mikihiko Sukeno, Hajime Tadokoro, Ken Ohmura, Tatsuya Nagase, Kenji Hayashi, Saburou Hiraoka, Tomoko Mine
  • Publication number: 20120328980
    Abstract: The toner for electrostatic image development has excellent charge properties, by which excellent toner particle size-controlling ability is achieved, and moreover the sharpening of a particle size distribution is achieved. The toner is composed of toner particles containing a binder resin. The process has an aggregating step of adding an aggregating agent containing a transition element into an aqueous medium of dispersed fine binder resin particles to aggregate the fine binder resin particles, and an aggregation-stopping step of adding an aggregation stopper composed on a sulfur atom-containing compound exhibiting a reducing action on the aggregating agent. The aggregating agent is a salt of a bivalent or higher metal selected from Sr, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2012
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Saburou HIRAOKA, Tomomi OSHIBA, Mikihiko SUKENO, Tomoko MINE, Hitomi MOTANI, Tatsuya NAGASE, Ken OHMURA
  • Publication number: 20120264050
    Abstract: Disclosed is a production process of a toner for electrostatic image development, by which excellent toner particle size-controlling ability is achieved, and moreover the sharpening of a particle size distribution is achieved. The production process is a production process of a toner for electrostatic image development, is composed of toner particles containing a binder resin. The process has the steps of adding a aggregating agent containing polysilicato-iron into an aqueous medium in which fine binder resin particles formed of the binder resin have been dispersed, thereby aggregating the fine binder resin particles, and adding an aggregation stopper composed of a salt whose cation is univalent or bivalent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2012
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Tomomi OSHIBA, Hitomi MOTANI, Tomoko MINE, Saburou HIRAOKA, Mikihiko SUKENO, Tatsuya NAGASE, Ken OHMURA
  • Publication number: 20120225379
    Abstract: A two-component developer is disclosed, composing a toner comprising parent toner particles with an attached external additive and a carrier provided with a resin covering layer on a surface of a core particle, wherein the resin covering layer comprises a binder resin comprising an acrylic resin and when the resin covering layer is divided in half to a core particle side and a surface side, a nitrogen element content of the core particle side is larger than a nitrogen element content of the surface side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Tomoko MINE, Mikihiko SUKENO, Tatsuya NAGASE, Tomomi OSHIBA, Hiroyuki KOZURU, Saburou HIRAOKA, Yoshiyasu MATSUMOTO, Kosuke NAKAMURA, Hitomi MOTANI, Takanari KAYAMORI
  • Publication number: 20120107741
    Abstract: Provided is a method of manufacturing toner by which the toner capable of forming high quality images and reproducing high density gradation, which exhibits an excellent high-temperature offsetting property together with excellent low-temperature fixability, and provides appropriate gloss with respect to images to be formed, can be stably prepared; and also provided is the toner. After conducting a step in which particles made of at least a crystalline polyester resin are coagulated to form core coagulated particles, and an unsaturated amorphous polyester resin particle is attached onto the surface of each of the core coagulated particles to form core-shell type coagulated particles, radical polymerization reaction is conducted by acting a radical polymerization initiator on the foregoing core-shell type coagulated particles to conduct a step in which a layer made of a crosslinking amorphous polyester resin is formed on the surface of each of the core coagulated particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Saburou HIRAOKA, Mikihiko SUKENO, Hajime TADOKORO, Ken OHMURA, Tatsuya NAGASE, Tomomi OSHIBA, Kenji HAYASHI, Tomoko MINE
  • Publication number: 20120100478
    Abstract: A method of producing an electrostatic image developing toner comprising toner particles comprising a binder resin containing at least a non-crystalline polyester resin having a crosslinking structure and a crystalline polyester resin, the method comprising the steps of (a-1) preparing a crystalline polyester resin particle aqueous dispersion liquid; (a-2) preparing a polymerizable unsaturated non-crystalline polyester resin aqueous dispersion liquid; (b) preparing crosslinking non-crystalline polyester resin particles by adding a radical polymerization initiator to the aqueous dispersion liquid of particles containing the non-crystalline polyester resin having a polymerizable unsaturated bond; (c) preparing core particles by aggregating at least the particles containing the crystalline polyester resin in an aqueous medium; and (d) preparing a shell layer containing the non-crystalline polyester resin having a crosslinking structure by fusing the particles containing the non-crystalline polyester resin having
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Publication date: April 26, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Mikihiko SUKENO, Hajime TADOKORO, Ken OHMURA, Tatsuya NAGASE, Tomomi OSHIBA, Kenji HAYASHI, Saburou HIRAOKA, Tomoko MINE
  • Publication number: 20120094229
    Abstract: A toner comprising toner particles containing a binder resin comprising a crystalline polyester resin, a non-crystalline polyester resin and an acryl resin having a cross-link structure, and the acryl resin having a cross-link structure has a cross-link site derived from a crosslinking agent represented by the following formula (1): CH2?CR1—C(?O)O—Z—OC(?O)—CR2?CH2??Formula (1) wherein R1 and R2 are each a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group of 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and Z is a hydrocarbon group of 2 to 90 carbon atoms, provided that the hydrocarbon group may include an ether linkage, an ester linkage, a heterocyclic ring or a substituent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Tomoko MINE, Mikihiko SUKENO, Hajime TADOKORO, Ken OHMURA, Tatsuya NAGASE, Tomomi OSHIBA, Saburou HIRAOKA
  • Publication number: 20120064454
    Abstract: A method of producing a toner comprising toner particles containing a binder resin composed of a non-crystalline polyester resin having a crosslinking structure and a crystalline polyester resin is disclosed, the method comparing steps of; a process to form an oil phase liquid by dissolving or dispersing a non-crystalline polyester resin having a polymerizable unsaturated double bond and a crystalline polyester resin in an organic solvent, a process to form an aqueous dispersion liquid of oil droplets of the oil phase liquid by dispersing the oil phase liquid in an aqueous medium, a process to form oil droplets containing the non-crystalline polyester resin having a crosslinking structure by adding a radical polymerization initiator to the aqueous dispersion liquid of oil droplets, and an organic solvent removing process to form toner particles by removing organic solvent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Tomomi OSHIBA, Mikihiko SUKENO, Hajime TADOKORO, Ken OHMURA, Tatsuya NAGASE, Kenji HAYASHI, Saburou HIRAOKA, Tomoko MINE
  • Patent number: 8081908
    Abstract: A toner bottle containing a cylindrical toner container having therein a toner comprising at least a resin, a colorant and an external additive, the toner container having a toner discharge port on an end thereof and a rotation axis along the cylindrical toner container, and the toner container being installable in an image forming apparatus, wherein the toner container has plural protrusions which are intermittently provided in an interior of the cylindrical container, the protrusions having a function to convey the toner toward the toner discharge port when the toner container is rotated around the rotation axis; an X-ray intensity ratio of titanium to silicon (Ti/Si) determined via X-ray fluorescence spectrometry of the toner is 1.0 to 3.0; and a conveyance index of the toner is 2.0 to 10.0 mg/sec.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikihiko Sukeno, Yoshiaki Kobayashi, Michiaki Ishikawa, Tsuyoshi Uchida, Masaharu Shiraishi
  • Publication number: 20100279223
    Abstract: Disclosed is a toner including: a toner particle including at least a resin, a coloring agent and a mold release agent, wherein an average value e of degree of circularity of the toner particle is within 0.935=e=0.982, a maximum endothermic peak temperature of the mold release agent exists within 85-98° C., the resin includes at least non-crystalline polyester and crystalline polyester, and a ratio a of multivalent carboxylic acid of trivalent or higher-valent and a ratio c of straight chain aliphatic dial are such that 12.5=a=46, 20=c=65, 0.25=a/c=1.52, the multivalent carboxylic acid of trivalent or higher-valent and/or the straight chain aliphatic dial constituting the non-crystalline polyester and/or the crystalline polyester.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Publication date: November 4, 2010
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Mikihiko SUKENO, Yasuko UCHINO, Tomomi OSHIBA, Nagayuki UEDA, Makoto KOBAYASHI, Ken OHMURA
  • Publication number: 20100151377
    Abstract: Disclosed is a toner, comprising: a noncrystalline polyester resin; a crystalline polyester resin; a release agent; and a coloring agent, wherein the toner has a domain matrix structure in which the matrix comprises the noncrystalline polyester resin and the domain comprises the crystalline polyester resin and the release agent, and wherein the crystalline polyester resin includes within the release agent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2009
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Yasuko UCHINO, Mikihiko SUKENO, Tomomi OSHIBA, Nagayuki UEDA, Makoto KOBAYASHI, Ken OHMURA