Patents by Inventor Minoru Rokutan

Minoru Rokutan 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: 9063452
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a charging roller including elastic and surface layers and a photoconductor drum. Initially, the surface layer has a surface roughness Rz of 3-6 ?m, and the layers have an impedance ratio of 0.81 or less in absolute value at a frequency of 800-3000 Hz. After a predetermined time, the surface roughness Rz is reduced by a decrement ?Rz of 0.1-4 ?m. The drum has a film thickness D initially ranging from 20-40 ?m and reduced by a decrement ?D of 5-25 ?m after the predetermined time. Herein, 0.005??Rz/?D?0.8 holds. The impedance ratio is represented as ZE/(ZE+ZS) wherein ZE and ZS represent the respective impedances of the elastic layer and the surface layer, and 100k A4-size recording media recorded with images with an area coverage of 7% are printed in the predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takuro Hagiwara, Yoshiki Shimodaira, Yuko Kawase, Satoru Tsuto, Minoru Rokutan, Satoya Sugiura
  • Publication number: 20150125183
    Abstract: A charging member includes a conductive elastic layer, and a conductive surface layer that is disposed on the conductive elastic layer, is in contact with an image holding member, and contains a resin, porous resin particles, and silicone oil, wherein a content of the porous resin particles is from 3 parts by weight to 25 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the resin, and a content of the silicone oil is from 0.1 part by weight to 10 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the resin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2014
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Minoru ROKUTAN, Hidemi NUKADA, Satoya SUGIURA, Akihiro NONAKA, Takuro HAGIWARA, Minoru OSHIMA
  • Publication number: 20140219680
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a charging roller including elastic and surface layers and a photoconductor drum. Initially, the surface layer has a surface roughness Rz of 3-6 ?m, and the layers have an impedance ratio of 0.81 or less in absolute value at a frequency of 800-3000 Hz. After a predetermined time, the surface roughness Rz is reduced by a decrement ?Rz of 0.1-4 ?m. The drum has a film thickness D initially ranging from 20-40 ?m and reduced by a decrement ?D of 5-25 ?m after the predetermined time. Herein, 0.005??Rz/?D?0.8 holds. The impedance ratio is represented as ZE/(ZE+ZS) wherein ZE and ZS represent the respective impedances of the elastic layer and the surface layer, and 100 k A4-size recording media recorded with images with an area coverage of 7% are printed in the predetermined time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takuro HAGIWARA, Yoshiki SHIMODAIRA, Yuko KAWASE, Satoru TSUTO, Minoru ROKUTAN, Satoya SUGIURA
  • Publication number: 20140219682
    Abstract: A charging roller includes a conductive core, a resistive elastic layer disposed on the conductive core, and a surface layer disposed on the resistive elastic layer. The impedances of the resistive elastic layer and the surface layer measured at an environmental temperature of about 10° C. and a humidity of about 15% RH in a range of alternating voltage frequencies of an image-forming apparatus used satisfy: |ZE/(ZE+ZS)|?0.81 where ZE is the impedance of the resistive elastic layer, and ZS is the impedance of the surface layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2013
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Satoru TSUTO, Takuro HAGIWARA, Minoru ROKUTAN, Masao OMORI
  • Patent number: 8452212
    Abstract: A charging member includes a conductive metal shaft and a conductive elastic layer. The conductive elastic layer comprises a rubber material containing 50% to 100% by weight of epichlorohydrin rubber containing 56 mol % or more of an ethylene oxide and a calcium oxide having an average particle size D50 of 18 ?m or smaller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Rokutan, Shogo Tomari
  • Publication number: 20120243909
    Abstract: Disclosed is a roll member including a core, and an elastic layer arranged on the core, the elastic layer containing a rubber material and polyalphaolefin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shogo TOMARI, Minoru ROKUTAN
  • Publication number: 20120070193
    Abstract: A charging member includes a conductive metal shaft and a conductive elastic layer. The conductive elastic layer comprises a rubber material containing 50% to 100% by weight of epichlorohydrin rubber containing 56 mol % or more of an ethylene oxide and a calcium oxide having an average particle size D50 of 18 ?m or smaller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Minoru ROKUTAN, Shogo TOMARI
  • Patent number: 8090298
    Abstract: An electrostatic charging member includes a base material; and an outermost layer that contains a porous filler and a resin and has a gel fraction of at least about 50% and a surface roughness Rz in a range of about 2 ?m to about 20 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuro Hoshio, Noboru Wada, Makoto Takemoto, Nagahito Ichijo, Naoki Ohta, Kenji Inoue, Hiroyuki Miura, Keiko Ono, Taketoshi Hoshizaki, Minoru Rokutan
  • Publication number: 20100104316
    Abstract: An electrostatic charging member includes a base material; and an outermost layer that contains a porous filler and a resin and has a gel fraction of at least about 50% and a surface roughness Rz in a range of about 2 ?m to about 20 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takuro HOSHIO, Noboru WADA, Makoto TAKEMOTO, Nagahito ICHIJO, Naoki OHTA, Kenji INOUE, Hiroyuki MIURA, Keiko ONO, Taketoshi HOSHIZAKI, Minoru ROKUTAN
  • Patent number: 7496318
    Abstract: The invention provides a charging device including a charging roll and a voltage application unit which is capable of applying to the charging roll a voltage in which an alternating current voltage is superimposed on a direct current voltage, the alternating current (Iac) which flows through the charging roll satisfying the following Equation (1), the charging roll satisfying the following conditions (a) to (c), and the charging roll contacting an image supporter to charge the image supporter: Iac/I(inflection)?1.2??Equation (1) (in the Equation (1), I (inflection) represents the flexion point of lac) (a) the fluctuation of the outside diameter is 0.1 mm or less (b) resistance (common logarithm) is 9.0 log·? or less (c) resistance variation (common logarithm) is 0.5 log·? or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Miura, Minoru Rokutan, Takanori Suga, Yukiko Oda
  • Publication number: 20070189790
    Abstract: The invention provides a charging device including a charging roll and a voltage application unit which is capable of applying to the charging roll a voltage in which an alternating current voltage is superimposed on a direct current voltage, the alternating current (Iac) which flows through the charging roll satisfying the following Equation (1), the charging roll satisfying the following conditions (a) to (c), and the charging roll contacting an image supporter to charge the image supporter: Iac/I(inflection)?1.2 ??Equation (1) (in the Equation (1), I(inflection) represents the flexion point of lac) (a) the fluctuation of the outside diameter is 0.1 mm or less (b) resistance (common logarithm) is 9.0 log·? or less (c) resistance variation (common logarithm) is 0.5 log·? or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2006
    Publication date: August 16, 2007
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Miura, Minoru Rokutan, Takanori Suga, Yukiko Oda
  • Patent number: 7072604
    Abstract: An electro-conductive roll is provided that makes contact with a body to be charged in a state in which a voltage is applied thereto, and charges the body to be charged, a surface of the electro-conductive roll satisfying the following conditions (a) and (b): (a) the surface of the electro-conductive roll has a 10-point average roughness of 5 ?m or less; and (b) the surface of the electro-conductive roll has a dynamic ultra-microhardness in the range of 0.04 to 0.5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Miura, Hiroshi Takayama, Minoru Rokutan, Ryusei Kouda, Takahiko Hattori, Ryuji Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20040247340
    Abstract: An electro-conductive roll is provided that makes contact with a body to be charged in a state in which a voltage is applied thereto, and charges the body to be charged, a surface of the electro-conductive roll satisfying the following conditions (a) and (b):
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2004
    Publication date: December 9, 2004
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Miura, Hiroshi Takayama, Minoru Rokutan, Ryusei Kouda, Takahiko Hattori, Ryuji Watanabe
  • Patent number: 6004669
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electrostatic charging member excellent in dispersibility of electrically-conducting agent and uniformity in resistance which causes no contamination of the material to be charged for a prolonged period of time. The present invention relates to an electrostatic charging member which electrostatically charging uniformly the surface of a material to be charged such as photoreceptor and dielectric material while pressing the material. An electrostatic charging member 1 has a two-layer structure comprising an electrically-conductive elastic material layer 1b formed on an electrically-conductive substrate 1a, and a resistance-controlling layer 1c covering the elastic material layer 1b. The resistance-controlling layer 1c comprises an electrically-conducting agent such as carbon black having a pH value of not more than 6 dispersed in an amine-modified polyurethane resin as a base polymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Rokutan, Michiaki Yasuno, Naoki Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 5925893
    Abstract: Semiconductive members such as charging members, copying members, pressure fixation rolls, electricity removing members and the like having a small environmental dependence are provided. The semiconductive member of the present invention contains a semiconductive substrate, a conductive rubber layer, an intermediate layer, a resistance control layer the constituent material of which is a polyurethane ionomer having an ionic segment in the molecule, and a surface layer. The ionic segment is selected from among a sulfonic acid group, a carboxyl group and a tertiary amino radical, or the salts thereof. In addition, the glass transition temperature of this polyurethane ionomer is 30.degree. C. or less, and the volume specific resistance value is in the range of 10.sup.6 to 10.sup.9 W cm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukihiro Ishii, Michiaki Yasuno, Minoru Rokutan, Mitsuo Fukuda, Jun Mihara, Yuzo Ozaki, Masato Takinami, Takeo Fusayama
  • Patent number: 5851657
    Abstract: A charging member is disclosed, which charges an electrifiable member, e.g., a photoreceptor, when a voltage is applied thereto while the charging member is kept being pressed against the electrifiable member. This charging member 1 comprises an electroconductive substrate 1a and, fixed thereto, an electroconductive elastomer layer 1b comprising at least a crosslinked silicone rubber, in which the content of uncrosslinked silicone polymer components having a number-average molecular weight of 10,000 or higher is not higher than 1% by weight. The crosslinked silicone rubber is preferably a reaction product obtained by reacting a liquid polymethylsiloxane containing at least two vinyl group substituents and having a viscosity of 3,000 cP or lower with a polyorganohydrogensiloxane as a crosslinking agent in the presence of a platinum catalyst. The charging member need not have an antifouling layer for inhibiting the migration of low-polymerization-degree components to an electrifiable member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1998
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Michiaki Yasuno, Minoru Rokutan