Patents Represented by Attorney Jordan B. Bierman
  • Patent number: 6198880
    Abstract: A lens-fitted film unit which includes a photographing film, pre-loaded in the lens-fitted film unit; a photographing lens; a shutter; an electronic flash emission portion; and an electronic flash circuit, connected with the electronic flash emission portion. That electronic flash emission portion further includes a capacitor for storing electric charges necessary for electronic flash emission; and a start-charge switch for causing the capacitor to start charging. The start-charge switch includes a touch sensor with which the start-charge switch is turned on when a photographer touches the touch sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Takao Hosaka, Takuro Masuda, Kozue Yogata, Hiroshi Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 6197381
    Abstract: A production method of a recording sheet characterized in that a void layer having a dry thickness of 25 to 60 &mgr;m is formed by coating, onto at least one surface of a support, a void layer-forming coating composition comprising fine inorganic particles having an average particle diameter of not more than 100 nm and a hydrophilic binder, as well as not more than 10 coarse particles per ml having a particle diameter greater the particle diameter R (in &mgr;m) represented by formula (1) described below. R=80000/L2  Formula (1) wherein L represents the total dry layer thickness (in &mgr;m) of said void layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichi Saito, Masaru Tsuchiya, Masaaki Okazaki
  • Patent number: 6197493
    Abstract: A silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material is disclosed. The light-sensitive material comprises a support having thereon a blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer containing a yellow dye-forming coupler represented by the following Formula I; Formula I wherein R, is an aliphatic group or an aromatic group, R2 is an anti-diffusion aliphatic group or aromatic group, R3 is a hydrogen atom or halogen atom, Z3 is >N—R2, in which R2, is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, an aryl group, a heterocyclic group, or —O—, Z4 is >N—R22 in which R22 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, an aryl group, a heterocyclic group, or >C(R23) (R24) in which R23 and R24 are each a hydrogen atom or a substituent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Satoru Ikesu, Katsuji Ota
  • Patent number: 6197379
    Abstract: A multilayer coating method is disclosed. The viscosity of an uppermost layer coating composition is adjusted to at least 0.1 Pa.s during coating, while the viscosity of the other layer coating composition is adjusted to at least 0.03 Pa.s, and a plurality of organic solvent-based coating compositions are coated onto a support employing wet on wet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventor: Daiki Minamino
  • Patent number: 6198561
    Abstract: There is described a light beam deflection apparatus in which the distortion of the polygon mirror is reduced, and the mounting accuracy of the polygon mirror is improved. The light beam deflection apparatus includes a base plate, a coil being stationary relative to the base plate and a mirror unit being rotatable with respect to the base plate. The mirror unit includes a polygon mirror, a rotating disk to mount the polygon mirror, a rotating yoke fixed to the rotating disk, a magnet attached to the rotating yoke and located opposite the coil and a buffer member inserted into a gap between the polygon mirror and the rotating yoke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kobayashi, Hiroyuki Horiai, Naoji Kamimura, Susumu Matsui
  • Patent number: 6194034
    Abstract: A method of coating a coating solution onto a base member by a coater while conveying the base member, wherein the base member has a coating starting point from which the coating solution is coated onto the base member, comprise steps of feeding the coating solution to the coater at a flow rate lower than a regular coating flow rate; and increasing the lower flow rate to the regular coating flow rate in accordance with the conveyed position of the coating starting point of the base member when the coating starting point of the base member is conveyed to the coater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuo Nishi, Tomohiko Sakai, Nobuhiro Ueno, Nobuyuki Kimura, Fumio Kimura
  • Patent number: 6190854
    Abstract: A thermally developable material comprising a support, an image forming layer containing organic silver salts, and a component layer provided on the image forming layer side, wherein a smooster value on the surface of said image forming layer side of said thermally developable material is not more than 40 mm Hg, and said image forming layer or said component layer contains a fluorine containing surfactant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventor: Takeshi Sampei
  • Patent number: 6187497
    Abstract: An electrophotographic toner comprising colored particles comprised of inorganic particles is disclosed. The inorganic particles have a saturated moisture content WL at ambient conditions of 10° C. and 20 percent RH of 1.0 to 2.0 percent by weight, a BET value of 70 to 120 m2/g, and a number average primary particle diameter of 10 to 50 nm. Further, the volume average particle diameter of said electrophotographic toner is between 3.0 and 9.0 &mgr;m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Sayuri Kushi, Tsuyoshi Uchida, Kenji Yamane
  • Patent number: 6183947
    Abstract: A method for preparing an organic silver salt dispersion is disclosed, comprising allowing silver nitrate is added to an aqueous solution or suspension of an alkali salt of an organic acid to react to form an organic silver salt dispersion, wherein the aqueous solution or suspension of an alkali salt of an organic acid is cooled at a mean cooling rate of not less than 0.5° C./min. to a temperature of 0° C. to 55° C., and then silver nitrate is added thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventor: Satoshi Ito
  • Patent number: 6183943
    Abstract: A processing method of a silver halide photographic material in an automatic processor is disclosed, comprising the steps of developing, followed by fixing, washing and drying, in which the silver halide photographic material exhibits an absorption maximum at a wavelength of 600 to 800 nm; the automatic processor comprises at least a roller provided after completing the step of washing, the roller is brought into contact with the silver halide photographic material, and the surface of the roller is covered with a material exhibiting a contact angle with water(&thgr;) within a range of 0°<&thgr;<60°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Junichi Tanabe, Takeo Arai
  • Patent number: 6183945
    Abstract: In a silver halide photographic light sensitive material having at least one emulsion layer provided on a support, a silver halide photographic light sensitive material characterized in that at least one of the silver halide emulsion layer comprises a magenta dye forming coupler represented by a formula (M-1) or (M-1′) described below, and a molar ratio MA/MC of silver halide and the magenta dye forming coupler in the silver halide emulsion layer containing the magenta dye forming coupler is 3.1 to 3.7 wherein MA is mols per unit area of silver halide in the silver halide emulsion layer, and MC is mols per unit area of the magenta dye forming coupler in the silver halide emulsion layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Hirokazu Sato, Takeshi Hakii
  • Patent number: 6177739
    Abstract: In an electric power supply for supplying electric power, after a power factor has been improved, to an equipment having a power saving mode which is transferred to the power saving mode when the equipment is not operated for a predetermined period of time, the electric power supply includes: a power factor improvement section for improving the power factor by a switching operation; and a switch provided between a power source and the power factor improvement section for switching the electric power to either the power factor improvement section or the equipment. When the equipment is transferred to the power saving mode, the electric power is supplied by the switch to the equipment without passing through the power factor improvement section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi Matsudaira, Masashi Sugano, Hiroshi Oyama, Masayuki Watanabe
  • Patent number: 6174646
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming method comprising the steps of imagewise heating or imagewise exposing to a laser with a wavelength of 700 to 1200 nm an image forming material; and continuously developing the exposed or heated material with a developer, while the developer is replenished with a developer replenisher, wherein the image forming material comprises a support and provided thereon, a radiation sensitive layer containing a dye having an absorption band in the wavelength region of from 700 nm to 1200 nm, an acid generating compound capable of generating an acid on irradiation of heat or actinic light, and an acid decomposable compound having a bond capable of being decomposed by an acid, the acid decomposable compound being decomposed by an acid to produce a diol compound containing an ethylene glycol component or a propylene glycol component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Katsura Hirai, Ryoji Hattori, Junko Honda
  • Patent number: 6174658
    Abstract: Disclosed is a silver halide photographic light sensitive material which has each of at least one silver halide photographic light sensitive emulsion layer and non-lightsensitive hydrophilic colloid layer, and solid fine particles of compound demonstrating fluorescent whitening effect in at least one of the silver halide photographic light sensitive emulsion layer and non-lightsensitive hydrophilic colloid layer. A silver halide photographic light sensitive material having an image excellent in sharpness and improved in whiteness and bright value of print is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventor: Katsumasa Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 6170638
    Abstract: A conveyor which includes one or more pocket assemblies which are adapted to be transported in a closed path. The assembly includes a pocket having two walls which are hinged to each other. In the closed position, the walls retain the product (newspaper) between them and, in their open position, they are spaced apart and can receive the product inserted therein. There is a pair of aligners mounted on the pocket which move from a retracted position to a forward position. If the product is misaligned in either direction transverse to the path of the pocket, one of the other of the aligners will contact the nearest edge of the product and push it into a central position in the pocket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Graphic Management Associates, Inc.
    Inventor: Gary Davenport
  • Patent number: 6171738
    Abstract: A method for preparing a silver halide emulsion is disclosed, wherein the method controls a mean intergrain distance in the process of growing silver halide grains contained in a silver halide emulsion, as defined below, over a period of from the start of growing silver halide grains to completion thereof: Mean intergrain distance=(Volume of the reaction mixture solution/number of grains in the reaction mixture solution)⅓.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takada, Sadayasu Ishikawa, Satoshi Ito
  • Patent number: 6172786
    Abstract: An optical deflection device includes: a rotor having reflection surfaces on a cirumferential surface thereof; a bearing for rotatably supporting the rotor; a magnet fixed on the rotor; a supporting member for supporting the bearing, on which a radiating fin is integrally formed; and a coil fixed on the supporting member at a position where the coil faces the magnet for forming a magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Fujita, Shinji Morita, Satoshi Shibuya, Masao Itoh, Naoji Kamimura
  • Patent number: 6171774
    Abstract: A silver halide photographic light sensitive material is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Kunimasa Hiyama, Kazuhiro Murai
  • Patent number: 6160960
    Abstract: An image pick-up apparatus includes: an image pick-up device for picking up an object image by converting the object image to an electric image signal; an image pick-up optical system having a variable aperture capable of changing an aperture value when an incident light beam on the image pick-up device is stopped down; a range-finder for measuring a distance to an object; an electronic flash mechanism for illuminating the object; and controller for determining an aperture value from the distance to the object measured by the range-finder and from a light emission capability of the electronic flash mechanism, and then for setting the variable aperture to the determined aperture value, when the controller makes the electronic flash mechanism to emit light so that the image pick-up device picks up the object image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Hironobu Mikoshiba, Haruki Nakayama, Hiroyuki Horiuchi
  • Patent number: 6157805
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus for fixing toner images on a transfer material by applying heat on the transfer material, the fixing apparatus includes: a roll-shaped rotary member for applying heat, including a cylindrical ray-transmitting base member, and a ray absorbing layer for generating heat, provided on an outer side of the ray-transmitting base member; a ray irradiating device for irradiating ray, provided inside the cylindrical ray-transmitting base member; and flange members provided on both ends of the ray-transmitting base member, and each of the flange members being joined with the ray-transmitting base member through a joining elastic layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Haneda, Kunio Shigeta, Hiroyuki Tokimatsu, Toshihide Miura