Patents by Inventor Shinji Ohtani

Shinji Ohtani 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: 8105742
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a toner, including periodically forming liquid droplets of a toner constituent liquid comprising a resin and a colorant by vibrating a thin film having a plurality of holes provided on a retention part thereof to discharge the liquid droplets of the toner constituent liquid from the plurality of holes and forming toner particles by solidifying the liquid droplets discharged from the plurality of holes. In periodically forming the liquid droplets of the toner constituent liquid, a flow of gas in a direction of discharge of the liquid droplets is formed by a gas flow generation unit provided downstream from the thin film relative to the direction of discharge of the liquid droplets, including a tapered part forming an aperture corresponding to a hole formation area of the thin film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Norikane, Shinji Ohtani, Yohichiroh Watanabe, Kazumi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8105741
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing toner includes steps of supplying, periodically dispensing, and solidifying. The supply step supplies a liquid to be atomized, which includes at least a resin and a colorant. The periodic dispensation step periodically dispenses droplets of the liquid through an atomizing unit. The solidification step solidifies the dispensed droplets into toner particles. The atomizing unit includes a thin film, a vibration actuator, and multiple holes. The thin film has a relatively stiff portion and a relatively elastic portion, and is configured to contact the liquid. The vibration actuator is connected to and supports a periphery of the thin film, and is configured to induce vibration of the thin film. The multiple holes are formed in the relatively stiff portion, and are configured to discharge droplets therethrough when the thin film vibrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Norikane, Shinji Ohtani
  • Patent number: 8034526
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a toner, including: dissolving or dispersing toner constituents including a resin, a colorant, a release agent, and a graft polymer including a polyolefin resin unit and a vinyl resin unit in a solvent, to prepare a toner constituent liquid; supplying the toner constituent liquid to a retention part configured to retain the toner constituent liquid; discharging the toner constituent liquid from the retention part to a granulation space through plural holes arranged on the retention part, while exciting the toner constituent liquid by a vibration means in contact with a part of the retention part, so that the discharged columnar toner constituent liquid is constricted to form liquid droplets; and converting the liquid droplets into solid toner particles; together with a toner manufactured by the above method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
    Inventors: Yohichiroh Watanabe, Shinji Ohtani, Yoshihiro Norikane, Yasuaki Iwamoto, Yasutada Shitara, Kazumi Suzuki, Takahiro Honda
  • Patent number: 8034521
    Abstract: To provide a toner for developing an electrostatic charge image, the toner containing at least a colorant obtained by reacting a polymer with a basic dye, wherein the polymer contains 10 mol % or more of a monomer unit having any one of a sulfonic acid group, a sulfonic acid salt group, a sulfuric acid group and a sulfuric acid salt group as a constitutional unit, and the toner is obtained by forming a toner composition liquid containing at least the colorant into oil droplets in an aqueous medium, and solidifying the oil droplets into solid particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Kuramoto, Shinji Ohtani
  • Patent number: 8029961
    Abstract: There is provided a toner for developing a latent electrostatic image, obtained by a method containing: ejecting a toner composition fluid from an ejection hole so as to make the toner composition fluid into droplets; and solidifying the droplets in an atomizing space so as to form solid particles, wherein the toner composition fluid contains at least a colorant formed by reacting a polymer containing 10 mol % or more of a monomer unit having a sulfonic acid group or a salt thereof, or a monomer unit having a sulfuric acid group or a salt thereof as a constitutional unit, and a basic dye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Kuramoto, Shinji Ohtani, Yoshihiro Norikane
  • Publication number: 20110033203
    Abstract: An image forming method including forming an electrostatic latent image on an image bearing member; developing the electrostatic latent image with a developer including a toner to prepare a toner image on the image bearing member; transferring the toner image onto a receiving material; and cleaning the surface of the image bearing member with a cleaning blade; wherein a surface of the image bearing member has a friction coefficient of from 0.10 to 0.40, and wherein the toner has an average circularity of from 0.97 to 1.00 and includes toner particles and a particulate material having an average particle diameter of from 0.03 to 1 ?m, wherein the particulate material is externally added to the toner particles by a wet method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2010
    Publication date: February 10, 2011
    Inventors: Yohichiroh WATANABE, Hiroshi Yamashita, Tsunemi Sugiyama, Shinji Ohtani, Takuya Saito, Hidetoshi Kami
  • Publication number: 20100310982
    Abstract: A method for producing a carrier, including a step of periodically forming and discharging liquid droplets of a carrier core composition liquid from a plurality of nozzles formed in a thin film, using a liquid droplet forming unit having the thin film and a ring-shaped vibration generating unit disposed in a deformable area of the thin film so as to be along a circumference of the area and to vibrate the thin film, a step of forming carrier core particles by solidifying the discharged liquid droplets, and a step of coating the carrier core particles with a resin layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Inventors: Shinji Ohtani, Ryota Inoue, Yoshihiro Norikane
  • Patent number: 7709175
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a toner which includes ejecting a toner composition fluid containing a toner composition which contains a toner and a colorant, from a nozzle vibrated at a constant frequency to make the toner composition fluid into droplets, and solidifying the droplets to be made into particles, in which the toner composition fluid comprises a toner composition, and the toner composition contains a resin, and a colorant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinji Ohtani
  • Patent number: 7702271
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member; a charger; a light irradiator; a developing device; a transfer device; an image bearing member's cleaner; and a fixing device, wherein the fixing device includes a fixing member configured to fix a toner image upon application of heat and pressure thereto; a pressing member configured to press the recording material toward the fixing member; and a cleaning member configured to clean a surface of the fixing member and/or the pressing member, wherein the cleaning member has an outermost layer including a reactive material which increases viscoelasticity of a binder resin of the toner by reacting with the binder resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
    Inventors: Hiroshi Yamada, Fumihiro Sasaki, Shigeru Emoto, Jun Okamoto, Shinji Ohtani, Hiroto Higuchi, Naohito Shimota, Shinichiro Yagi, Junichi Awamura, Tomomi Suzuki, Masami Tomita, Toshiki Nanya, Yoshiki Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 7666566
    Abstract: A method of preparing a toner in an aqueous medium, including: preparing a dispersion or an emulsion of a toner composition comprising a resin including a carboxyl group and a colorant; and mixing an aromatic compound having a carboxyl group with the dispersion or emulsion, such that the carboxyl group on a surface of the toner is connected with the carboxyl group of the aromatic compound by hydrogen bonding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinji Ohtani, Hiroshi Yamashita, Yohichiroh Watanabe, Tsunemi Sugiyama, Takuya Saito
  • Publication number: 20100021209
    Abstract: A toner produced by dissolving or dispersing toner components comprising a binder resin, a colorant, and a charge controlling agent in an organic solvent to prepare a toner components liquid, forming liquid droplets of the toner components liquid in a gas phase, and solidifying the liquid droplets into toner particles of the toner. The charge controlling agent includes a polycondensation reaction product of a phenol with an aldehyde.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2009
    Publication date: January 28, 2010
    Inventors: Yohichiro WATANABE, Kazumi Suzuki, Takahiro Honda, Shinji Ohtani, Yoshihiro Norikane
  • Publication number: 20100003613
    Abstract: A toner produced by a method including dissolving or dispersing toner components comprising a resin, a colorant, and a release agent in a solvent to prepare a toner components liquid, discharging the toner components liquid from multiple nozzles provided on a thin film by vibrating the thin film by a mechanical vibration unit to form liquid droplets, and drying the liquid droplets into solid particles of the toner. The particle diameter distribution that is a ratio of a weight average particle diameter to a number average particle diameter of the toner is between 1.00 and 1.15, and a weight average particle diameter of the release agent in the toner is between 1% and 30% of an aperture diameter of the nozzle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2009
    Publication date: January 7, 2010
    Inventors: Takahiro Honda, Yohichiroh Watanabe, Yoshihiro Norikane, Shinji Ohtani
  • Publication number: 20090325100
    Abstract: The present invention provides a toner containing at least two binder resins composed of at least a resin A and a resin B which are incompatible with each other, and a colorant, wherein the toner has an average circularity of 0.93 to 0.98 and is produced by atomizing a toner composition liquid in a vapor phase to form liquid droplets and solidifying the liquid droplets, and the toner composition liquid is prepared by dissolving or dispersing the at least two binder resins and the colorant in an organic solvent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2008
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Inventors: Yohichiroh Watanabe, Kazumi Suzuki, Shinji Ohtani, Takahiro Honda, Yoshihiro Norikane
  • Publication number: 20090317735
    Abstract: A toner manufacturing method, a toner manufacturing apparatus, and a toner are disclosed. The toner manufacturing apparatus includes a droplet generating unit that includes a thin film in which plural nozzles are formed, and an annular vibrating unit that is arranged at a perimeter of a deformable domain of the thin film for vibrating the thin film; a storage unit for storing a toner-containing liquid that includes at least a resin and a colorant, and for supplying the toner-containing liquid 10 to the droplet generating unit; and a granulating unit for solidifying droplets that are periodically breathed out from the nozzles of the droplet generating unit to form toner particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2008
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Inventors: Shinji Ohtani, Yoshihiro Norikane, Seichin Kinuta
  • Publication number: 20090317738
    Abstract: A method for producing a toner, including ejecting a toner composition liquid containing at least a resin and a colorant periodically from a plurality of nozzles into a chamber using a vibration unit, so as to form droplets in a gas phase; and solidifying the droplets, wherein the droplets are transported by transport air flow selected from at least one of vertical downward air flow and rotational air flow, and the method can prevent toner particles from aggregation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2009
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Inventors: Takahiro HONDA, Yukio Tabata, Yohichiroh Watanabe, Kazumi Suzuki, Shinji Ohtani, Yoshihiro Norikane
  • Publication number: 20090239170
    Abstract: A method for producing a toner, the method including discharging a toner composition liquid from a plurality of nozzles to form liquid droplets thereof, the toner composition liquid being prepared by dissolving or dispersing in a solvent a toner composition containing at least a binder resin, a colorant, an acid-modified hydrocarbon wax and an unmodified hydrocarbon wax, the waxes serving as a releasing agent, and solidifying the liquid droplets so as to form solid particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Publication date: September 24, 2009
    Inventors: Takahiro Honda, Yohichiroh Watanabe, Kazumi Suzuki, Shinji Ohtani, Yoshihiro Norikane
  • Publication number: 20090170019
    Abstract: To provide a toner for developing an electrostatic charge image, the toner containing at least a colorant obtained by reacting a polymer with a basic dye, wherein the polymer contains 10 mol % or more of a monomer unit having any one of a sulfonic acid group, a sulfonic acid salt group, a sulfuric acid group and a sulfuric acid salt group as a constitutional unit, and the toner is obtained by forming a toner composition liquid containing at least the colorant into oil droplets in an aqueous medium, and solidifying the oil droplets into solid particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventors: Shinichi Kuramoto, Shinji Ohtani
  • Publication number: 20090170018
    Abstract: There is provided a toner for developing a latent electrostatic image, obtained by a method containing: ejecting a toner composition fluid from an ejection hole so as to make the toner composition fluid into droplets; and solidifying the droplets in an atomizing space so as to form solid particles, wherein the toner composition fluid contains at least a colorant formed by reacting a polymer containing 10 mol % or more of a monomer unit having a sulfonic acid group or a salt thereof, or a monomer unit having a sulfuric acid group or a salt thereof as a constitutional unit, and a basic dye.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventors: Shinichi KURAMOTO, Shinji OHTANI, Yoshihiro NORIKANE
  • Patent number: 7553599
    Abstract: A toner, a method of and an apparatus for preparing a permanently-charged electret toner, including discharging a solution or dispersion including a resin and a colorant through a nozzle vibrating at a constant frequency to form a droplet; applying a direct potential to an electrode facing the nozzle to positively or negatively charge the droplet by an induction phenomenon to form a charged droplet; and drying and solidifying the charged droplet to be permanently charged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinji Ohtani
  • Publication number: 20090117486
    Abstract: A method of preparing a toner, including periodically discharging a toner constituent liquid from plural nozzles having the same aperture diameter with a mechanical oscillator, wherein the toner constituent liquid includes: a binder resin, a colorant, and an organic solvent, wherein the binder resin and the colorant are dissolved or dispersed in the organic solvent; forming a droplet of the toner constituent liquid in a gas phase; and solidifying the droplet, wherein the aperture diameter is from 3 to 30 ?m, and the binder resin has a ratio (Mw/Mn) of a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) to a number-average molecular weight (Mn) of THF (tetrahydrofuran)-soluble components therein of from 1.5 to 15 in a molecular weight distribution measured by GPC (gel permeation chromatography), and a ½ flow temperature (Tm) of from 114 to 149° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2008
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Inventors: Yohichiroh Watanabe, Kazumi Suzuki, Takahiro Honda, Shinji Ohtani, Yoshihiro Norikane