Patents by Inventor Nobuyoshi Sugahara

Nobuyoshi Sugahara 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: 7396629
    Abstract: An image forming method and an image forming apparatus are disclosed in which an electrostatic latent image is formed on a photosensitive member surface by using a two-component developer including a toner and carrier. The photosensitive member surface has a specific modulus of elastic deformation and includes a charge transport layer with a specific thickness. The toner has a specific weight-average particle diameter. The carrier has a specific volume-average particle diameter and a specific circularity, and contains 20% by number or less of particles having a value of “average circularity?2?” where ? is standard deviation of carrier circularity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Baba, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Koh Ishigami, Naoki Okamoto, Takayuki Itakura
  • Patent number: 7381515
    Abstract: In an image forming method having primarily transferring step for transferring to an intermediate transfer member a toner image formed on a photosensitive member, secondarily transferring step for transferring to a transfer material the toner image held on the intermediate transfer member, and, after the secondary transferring step, cleaning step for removing the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer member by bringing a cleaning means into contact with the intermediate transfer member, the cleaning means is a fur brush or a charging roller, and the intermediate transfer member has a specific maximum displacement quantity (Sb) and has a specific elastic deformation percentage (Eb) (%); a toner which forms the toner image has a specific average circularity, has a specific maximum displacement quantity (St), and has a specific elastic deformation percentage (Et) (%); and the elastic deformation percentage of the intermediate transfer member and the elastic deformation percentage of the toner satisfy the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Koh Ishigami, Naoki Okamoto, Yoshinobu Baba, Takayuki Itakura
  • Publication number: 20080026313
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member and a toner. The photosensitive member has a universal hardness of 1.5×108 to 2.3×108 N/m2, the hardness being measured in an environment of 25° C. with a humidity of 50% using a Vickers diamond indenter having a quadrangular pyramid shape with a maximum load of 6 mN, and has an elastic deformation ratio of 46% to 65%. The toner has a weight average particle diameter of 4.0 to 8.0 ?m, the average circularity of the toner having an equivalent circle diameter of at least 2 ?m is 0.915 to 0.950, the toner has a storage modulus at 80° C. of 1×105 to 1×108 Pa, and a ratio of a loss modulus G? of the toner to the storage modulus G? of the toner (G?/G?=tan ?) is equal to 1 at a temperature in the range of 60° C. to 72° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Publication date: January 31, 2008
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Takayuki Itakura, Koh Ishigami, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Takakuni Kobori, Hirohide Tanikawa
  • Patent number: 7320850
    Abstract: A magenta toner is provided which contains at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a wax, in which a maximum heat-absorption peak temperature as measured using a differential scanning calorimeter, a reflectance at a predetermined wavelength when measured in a powder state by spectroscopic analysis, and lightness when measured in a powder form are in specific ranges. A full-color image is formed using the magenta toner as a pale magenta toner in combination with a deep magenta toner. According to the present invention, it becomes possible to form a vivid image which has reduced graininess and roughness from a low-density region to a high-density region, ensures a sufficient fixing temperature region, has a color reproduction range wider that the conventional one, and has high transparency on an OHP sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takayuki Itakura, Yuko Sato, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Hirohide Tanikawa
  • Patent number: 7300733
    Abstract: To provide a black toner having excellent charging property and transferring property against a severe environmental change. The black toner includes toner particle containing at least a binder resin, carbon black and a releasing agent, wherein: the toner particles have a weight-average particle diameter of 3.5 to 8.0 ?m; total amount of acid value and hydroxyl value of the toner is 30 to 75 mgKOH/g; average circularity of particles contained in the toner having circle-equivalent diameter of 2 ?m or more is 0.915 to 0.960; loss tangent tan? (103 to 104 Hz) of the toner is represented by the following expression: tan? (103 to 104 Hz)?0.0060 where the loss tangent tan? is represented by ??/?? where ?? denotes dielectric loss factor and ?? denotes dielectric constant, and tan? (103 to 104 Hz) denotes the loss tangent in a frequency range of 103 to 104 Hz; and a ratio of tan? (105 Hz) to tan? (5×104 Hz) is represented by the following expression: 1.05?tan? (105 Hz)/tan? (5×104 Hz)?1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Takaaki Kohtaki, Yasuhiro Ichikawa, Tetsuya Ida, Kazuhiko Hayami, Nozomu Komatsu
  • Patent number: 7297455
    Abstract: A toner is composed primarily of toner particles containing at least a binder resin, a colorant and a wax, and inorganic fine particles. The binder resin is one which has at least a polyester unit and is synthesized by using as a catalyst one or more compounds selected from titanium chelate compounds each having a specific structure and hydrates of the titanium chelate compounds. The toner has superior fixing performance and high-temperature anti-offset properties and is superior in charge stability even when used for a long time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Yuko Sato, Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Takayuki Itakura
  • Patent number: 7288348
    Abstract: In a color toner having toner particles which have toner base particles containing a binder resin, a colorant and a wax, and inorganic fine particles, (i) in the toner base particles, particles having a circle-equivalent diameter of 3.00 ?m or more as measured with a flow type particle image analyzer have an average circularity of from 0.920 or more to less than 0.950, (ii) in the particles having a circle-equivalent diameter of 3.00 ?m or more in the toner base particles, particles having a circularity of 0.960 or more are in a number frequency cumulative value of 40% or less; and (iii) in the particles having a circle-equivalent diameter of 3.00 ?m or more in the toner base particles, particles having a circularity of 0.920 or less are in a number frequency cumulative value of 30% or less. Also disclosed is a full-color image forming method making use of the toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Hayami, Tetsuya Ida, Nozomu Komatsu, Yasuhiro Ichikawa, Akira Hashimoto, Hirohide Tanikawa, Takakuni Kobori, Takayuki Itakura, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Koh Ishigami, Nobuyoshi Sugahara
  • Patent number: 7279262
    Abstract: A magnetic carrier composed of carrier particles is provided in which each carrier particle has a carrier core including magnetic fine particles and a binder resin with the carrier core surface being coated with a coat material containing a coat resin. In the magnetic carrier, Fatom/Catom and (Fatom/Catom)/(Fcalc/Ccalc) are respectively in specific ranges, wherein Fatom and Catom represent respectively a fluorine element abundance ratio and a carbon element abundance ratio at the magnetic carrier particle surface, and Fcalc and Ccalc represent respectively a fluorine element abundance ratio and a carbon element abundance ratio which are calculable from the molecular structure of the coat resin. In addition, a two-component developer is provoded including the magnetic carrier and a toner having a specific contact angle against water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Takayuki Itakura, Takakuni Kobori, Koh Ishigami, Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Yoshinobu Baba, Hirohide Tanikawa
  • Patent number: 7272348
    Abstract: A developing method using a developing device including at least: a first developer bearing member arranged to be opposed to an image bearing member; and a second developer bearing member arranged on a downstream side of a rotation direction of the image bearing member with respect to the first developer bearing member, the developing method including developing a latent image formed on the image bearing member with a developer, in which: the developer is a two-component developer having toner and a magnetic carrier; and the developer has a degree of compression C in the range of 20 to 32% and a shearing stress obtained by shearing stress measurement under a consolidation load of 4.0×10?4 N/mm2 in the range of 0.5×10?4 to 2.5×10?4 N/mm2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoki Okamoto, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Koh Ishigami, Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Yoshinobu Baba, Takayuki Itakura
  • Publication number: 20070184372
    Abstract: A magenta toner is provided which contains at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a wax, in which a maximum heat-absorption peak temperature as measured using a differential scanning calorimeter, a reflectance at a predetermined wavelength when measured in a powder state by spectroscopic analysis, and lightness when measured in a powder form are in specific ranges. A full-color image is formed using the magenta toner as a pale magenta toner in combination with a deep magenta toner. According to the present invention, it becomes possible to form a vivid image which has reduced graininess and roughness from a low-density region to a high-density region, ensures a sufficient fixing temperature region, has a color reproduction range wider that the conventional one, and has high transparency on an OHP sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Publication date: August 9, 2007
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takayuki Itakura, Yuko Sato, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Hirohide Tanikawa
  • Patent number: 7147980
    Abstract: A toner having toner particles each comprising at least a binder resin, a wax, and a colorant is used in an image forming apparatus which has a fixing means comprising a belt-shaped heating member and a pressurizing member. The binder resin contains a resin formed by a reaction between an epoxy group of a vinyl resin (A) having the epoxy group and a carboxyl group of a resin (B) having at least a polyester unit and the carboxyl group. The toner has a storage elastic modulus at a temperature of 80° C. (G? 80) in the range of 1×105 to 1×108 Pa and has a storage elastic modulus at a temperature of 160° C. (G? 160) in the range of 1×101 to 1×104 Pa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takayuki Itakura, Takaaki Kotaki, Yasuhiro Ichikawa, Takaaki Kaya, Wakashi Iida, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Kazuhiko Hayami, Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Yojiro Hotta
  • Patent number: 7144668
    Abstract: The present invention provides a toner: comprising a binder resin comprising a polyester unit, a colorant, a releasing agent, and inorganic fine particles; has a weight average particle diameter of 3.0–6.5 ?m; has an average circularity of particles in the toner each having a circle-equivalent diameter of 2 ?m or more of 0.920–0.945; has a BET specific surface area of 2.1–3.5 m2/g; and has a permeability of light of a wavelength of 600 nm in a liquid having dispersed the toner in a 45 vol % methanol aq. of 30–80%. The present invention also provides a two-component developer: comprising the toner and a magnetic carrier comprising magnetic core particles coated by a coating layer; and has a number average particle diameter of 15–80 ?m. Using the toner and the two-component developer enables a high-quality image to be formed at a high speed even in an oilless fixing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Baba, Yuko Sato, Ryoichi Fujita, Takaaki Kotaki, Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Kazuo Terauchi, Takayuki Itakura
  • Patent number: 7138213
    Abstract: The present invention provides a cyan toner including: one or plural heat-absorption peaks in a temperature range of 30 to 200° C. in a heat-absorption curve obtained by using a differential scanning calorimeter; a maximal value of a maximum heat-absorption peak temperature in the range of 65 to 150° C.; and a reflectance of 45 to 80% at a wavelength of 500 nm, a reflectance of 5 to 30% at a wavelength of 600 nm, and a brightness L* of 45 to 75, when measured in a powder form by spectroscopic analysis. The present invention thus provides a cyan toner capable of forming an image with reduced graininess and roughness from a low-density region to a high-density region and ensured a sufficient fixing temperature region, and a method for forming an image using the cyan toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takayuki Itakura, Yoshinobu Baba, Yuko Sato, Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Kazuo Terauchi, Takaaki Kotaki, Hirohide Tanikawa
  • Publication number: 20060251451
    Abstract: To provide a fixing method and a fixing device with each of which an image which has high gloss that is uniform irrespective of a toner mounting amount on a recording medium can be obtained at a relatively high recording medium conveying speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2005
    Publication date: November 9, 2006
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koh Ishigami, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Naoki Okamoto, Yoshinobu Baba, Takayuki Itakura
  • Patent number: 7022449
    Abstract: To provide a black toner having excellent charging property and transferring property against a severe environmental change. The black toner includes toner particle containing at least a binder resin, carbon black and a releasing agent, wherein: the toner particles have a weight-average particle diameter of 3.5 to 8.0 ?m; total amount of acid value and hydroxyl value of the toner is 30 to 75 mgKOH/g; average circularity of particles contained in the toner having circle-equivalent diameter of 2 ?m or more is 0.915 to 0.960; loss tangent tan ? (103 to 104 Hz) of the toner is represented by the following expression: tan ?(103 to 104 Hz)?0.0060 where the loss tangent tan ? is represented by ??/?? where ?? denotes dielectric loss factor and ?? denotes dielectric constant, and tan ? (103 to 104 Hz) denotes the loss tangent in a frequency range of 103 to 104 Hz; and a ratio of tan ? (105 Hz) to tan ? (5×104 Hz) is represented by the following expression: 1.05?tan ?(105 Hz)/tan ?(5×104 Hz)?1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Takaaki Kohtaki, Yasuhiro Ichikawa, Tetsuya Ida, Kazuhiko Hayami, Nozomu Komatsu
  • Publication number: 20060014095
    Abstract: To provide a black toner having excellent charging property and transferring property against a severe environmental change. The black toner includes toner particle containing at least a binder resin, carbon black and a releasing agent, wherein: the toner particles have a weight-average particle diameter of 3.5 to 8.0 ?m; total amount of acid value and hydroxyl value of the toner is 30 to 75 mgKOH/g; average circularity of particles contained in the toner having circle-equivalent diameter of 2 ?m or more is 0.915 to 0.960; loss tangent tan ? (103 to 104 Hz) of the toner is represented by the following expression: tan ? (103 to 104 Hz)?0.0060 where the loss tangent tan ? is represented by ??/?? where ?? denotes dielectric loss factor and ?? denotes dielectric constant, and tan ? (103 to 104 Hz) denotes the loss tangent in a frequency range of 103 to 104 Hz; and a ratio of tan ? (105 Hz) to tan ? (5×104 Hz) is represented by the following expression: 1.05?tan ? (105 Hz)/tan ? (5×104 Hz)?1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2005
    Publication date: January 19, 2006
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Takaaki Kohtaki, Yasuhiro Ichikawa, Tetsuya Ida, Kazuhiko Hayami, Nozomu Komatsu
  • Publication number: 20060008723
    Abstract: The present invention provides a toner improved in dispersibility of a colorant in the toner particles and excellent in the color reproducibility including color mixability and transparency. The toner is also excellent in the stability in long-term of the chargeability and capable of forming images maintaining high image quality. The present invention provides a toner for forming a full-color image which includes at least toner particles containing a binder resin, a colorant and a wax, and inorganic fine particles, wherein the binder resin comprises a resin having polyester units which is synthesized by use of an aromatic carboxylic acid titanium compound as a catalyst, and the inorganic fine particles comprise fine titanium oxide particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2005
    Publication date: January 12, 2006
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Takayuki Itakura, Naoki Okamoto, Koh Ishigami, Yoshinobu Baba, Hirohide Tanikawa
  • Publication number: 20050244737
    Abstract: An image forming method and an image forming apparatus are disclosed in which an electrostatic latent image is formed on a photosensitive member surface by using a two-component developer including a toner and carrier. The photosensitive member surface has a specific modulus of elastic deformation and includes a charge transport layer with a specific thickness. The toner has a specific weight-average particle diameter. The carrier has a specific volume-average particle diameter and a specific circularity, and contains 20% by number or less of particles having a value of “average circularity?2 ?” where ? is standard deviation of carrier circularity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2005
    Publication date: November 3, 2005
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Baba, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Koh Ishigami, Naoki Okamoto, Takayuki Itakura
  • Publication number: 20050238988
    Abstract: In an image forming method having primarily transferring step for transferring to an intermediate transfer member a toner image formed on a photosensitive member, secondarily transferring step for transferring to a transfer material the toner image held on the intermediate transfer member, and, after the secondary transferring step, cleaning step for removing the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer member by bringing a cleaning means into contact with the intermediate transfer member, the cleaning means is a fur brush or a charging roller, and the intermediate transfer member has a specific maximum displacement quantity (Sb) and has a specific elastic deformation percentage (Eb) (%); a toner which forms the toner image has a specific average circularity, has a specific maximum displacement quantity (St), and has a specific elastic deformation percentage (Et) (%); and the elastic deformation percentage of the intermediate transfer member and the elastic deformation percentage of the toner satisfy the
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2005
    Publication date: October 27, 2005
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Koh Ishigami, Naoki Okamoto, Yoshinobu Baba, Takayuki Itakura
  • Publication number: 20050238392
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a developing method using a developing device including at least: a first developer bearing member arranged to be opposed to an image bearing member; and a second developer bearing member arranged on a downstream side of a rotation direction of the image bearing member with respect to the first developer bearing member, the developing method including developing a latent image formed on the image bearing member with a developer, in which: the developer is a two-component developer having toner and a magnetic carrier; and the developer has a degree of compression C in the range of 20 to 32% and a shearing stress obtained by shearing stress measurement under a consolidation load of 4.0×10?4 N/mm2 in the range of 0.5×10?4 to 2.5×10?4 N/mm2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2005
    Publication date: October 27, 2005
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoki Okamoto, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Koh Ishigami, Nobuyoshi Sugahara, Yoshinobu Baba, Takayuki Itakura