Patents Examined by Janis L. Dote
  • Patent number: 9753389
    Abstract: A liquid developer contains an insulating liquid and toner particles dispersed in the insulating liquid. The toner particles have a resin and a coloring agent. The resin contains at least 10 mass % and at most 40 mass % of an aliphatic polyester resin and at least 60 mass % and at most 90 mass % of an aromatic polyester resin. The resin has an acid value not less than 20 mgKOH/g and not more than 100 mgKOH/g. A difference in acid value between the aliphatic polyester resin and the aromatic polyester resin is not less than 0 mgKOH/g and not more than 10 mgKOH/g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Keiko Momotani, Masahiro Anno, Naoki Yoshie
  • Patent number: 9740118
    Abstract: Provided is a method of producing a liquid developer containing a dispersing agent, an insulating liquid (a), and a toner particle that contains a colorant and a binder resin, the method including a step (1) of preparing a mixture containing the colorant, the binder resin, the insulating liquid (a), a solvent (b), and the dispersing agent, and a step (2) of distillatively removing the solvent (b) from the mixture, wherein the binder resin dissolves in the solvent (b) and does not dissolve in the insulating liquid (a), the dispersing agent dissolves in both the insulating liquid (a) and the solvent (b), and the binder resin contains a polymer A that has an alkali metal sulfonate group or an alkaline-earth metal sulfonate group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Waka Hasegawa, Ryo Natori, Ayano Mashida, Junji Ito, Yasuhiro Aichi, Jun Shirakawa
  • Patent number: 9740123
    Abstract: A toner for developing electrostatic latent images contains a particulate toner which at least includes a colorant, a binder resin, a mold release agent, and a crystalline polyester resin. The binder resin contains a styrene-acrylic resin. The toner has a storage modulus G?, a difference (X) between the maximum value and the minimum value of the storage modulus G?, and a difference (Y) between the maximum value and the minimum value of a loss modulus G? within the range of 140 to 180° C. satisfying relationships expressed by Conditional expressions (1) 1.0×102?G??1.0×103, (2) 0?X?3.0×102, and (3) 0?Y?6.0×102.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Junichi Furukawa, Shiro Hirano, Junya Onishi, Tatsuya Fujisaki, Hidehito Haruki
  • Patent number: 9740117
    Abstract: Provided are an electrophotographic photosensitive member which satisfies wear resistance and electrical characteristics, and in which image deletion is satisfactorily suppressed, and a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus each including the electrophotographic photosensitive member. The electrophotographic photosensitive member comprises a surface layer which includes a polymerized product of a hole transporting substance having a reactive functional group, in which a structure other than the reactive functional group of the hole transporting substance is one of: a structure consisting of a carbon atom and a hydrogen atom; and a structure consisting of a carbon atom, a hydrogen atom and an oxygen atom, and the structure other than the reactive functional group of the hole transporting substance comprises a specific conjugate structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nobuo Kosaka, Koichi Nakata, Shinji Takagi
  • Patent number: 9726998
    Abstract: An electrostatic charge image developer includes an electrostatic charge image developing toner that includes toner particles, and an external additive which is added to the toner particles and which includes silica particles whose compression aggregation degree is from 60% to 95% and particle compression ratio is from 0.20 to 0.40, and a carrier for developing an electrostatic charge image that has a core including a magnetic member in a binder resin for a core and a coating layer which coders a surface or the core and which includes a resin for a coating layer and has a surface roughness Ra of from 0.25 ?m to 0.4 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuhisa Morooka, Hiroyoshi Okuno, Satoshi Inoue, Yoshifumi Iida, Tomohito Nakajima, Yuka Zenitani, Yoshifumi Eri, Takeshi Iwanaga, Sakae Takeuchi, Shunsuke Nozaki, Yasuo Kadokura
  • Patent number: 9726995
    Abstract: A brilliant toner includes toner particles that include a binder resin having a ratio (Mz/Mn) of a Z average molecular weight (Mz) to a number average molecular weight (Mn) of 5 to 20 and a peak top molecular weight (Mp) of 3,000 to 10,000, and a flake-shaped brilliant pigment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinya Sakamoto, Kazuhiko Nakamura, Masaru Takahashi
  • Patent number: 9720340
    Abstract: Provided is a toner that has satisfactory chargeability and hardly causes a reduction in image density, fogging, and density unevenness in various environments ranging from a low-temperature and low-humidity environment to a high-temperature and high-humidity environment. The toner includes toner particles obtained by fixing resin particles to toner base particles each containing resins, in which: the resins contain 50.0 mass % or more of a styrene-acrylic resin and 1.0 to 40.0 mass % of a polyester resin A; the polyester resin A contains 0.10 to 30.00 number % of an isosorbide unit; the fixing amount of the resin particles to the toner base particles is from 0.1 to 5.0 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the toner base particles; and the glass transition temperature of the resin particles is higher than the glass transition temperature of the toner base particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsuneyoshi Tominaga, Yasushi Katsuta, Katsuyuki Nonaka, Taiji Katsura, Akane Masumoto, Harumi Takada, Kohei Mizushima
  • Patent number: 9709915
    Abstract: Herein is disclosed an electrostatic ink composition comprising: a) chargeable particles comprising a resin; b) a charge director comprising a sulfosuccinate salt of the general formula M?Am, wherein M? is a metal, m is the valence of M?, and A is an ion of the general formula (I): (I) [R3—O—C(O)CH2CH(SO3)C(O)—O—R4]? wherein each of R3 and R4 is an alkyl group; and c) an optionally substituted naphthalene-sulfonate moiety. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing an electrostatic ink composition and a printed medium having printed thereon an electrostatic ink composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Hewlett-Parkard Indigo B.V.
    Inventors: Emad Masoud, Yael Kowal-Blau, Albert Teishev, Nurit Carmel-Barnea
  • Patent number: 9709908
    Abstract: An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes an undercoat layer, the undercoat layer having a volume resistivity of from 1×1010 ?·cm to 1×1013 ?·cm, the undercoat layer contains (A) a zinc oxide particle and (B) at least one particle selected from titanium oxide particles coated with tin oxide doped with any one of zinc, aluminum, fluorine, tungsten, niobium, tantalum, and phosphorus and a titanium oxide particle coated with oxygen deficient tin oxide, and the content of the particle (B) in the undercoat layer is from 3% by mass to 20% by mass based on the content of the particle (A).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daisuke Tanaka, Kazumichi Sugiyama, Takeshi Murakami, Daisuke Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 9703223
    Abstract: The present invention provides a toner that includes a charge control agent containing one or two or more resorcin derivatives represented by the following formula (1), a colorant, and a binder resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: HODOGAYA CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Okubo, Motonori Tsuji, Masami Ito, Masaya Tojo, Masafumi Asakai, Tetsuya Yoshida
  • Patent number: 9690223
    Abstract: A toner includes a plurality of toner particles each including a core and a shell layer residing on a surface of the core. The shell layer has a plurality of cavities each exposing the core. Each of the toner particles has a distribution of surface hardness, as measured by a scanning probe microscope in a state where no external additive adheres to the toner particle, satisfying that the surface hardness is at least 1.10 times a surface hardness Ss in at least 75% and no greater than 95% by area ratio of a surface of the toner particle, where Ss denotes the surface hardness at a location where the core is exposed through any of the cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Noriaki Sakamoto, Takatoshi Nozaki
  • Patent number: 9678451
    Abstract: Provided is a toner that has a plurality of toner particles. Each toner particle can include a binder resin core and a shell disposed about the binder resin core. The binder resin core can include at least one binder resin. The shell can include a plurality of metal nanoparticles. The binder resin core can be prepared by forming an aggregate of the binder resin in which metallic nanoparticles are not present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Valerie M. Farrugia
  • Patent number: 9665022
    Abstract: A method of producing an electrophotographic toner is disclosed in an embodiment. A colorant dispersion liquid that contains colorant particles having an average particle diameter of 6 ?m or greater is formed. A resin dispersion liquid that contains resin particles is formed. A wax dispersion liquid that contains wax particles is formed. In a first aggregation, the resin dispersion liquid and the wax dispersion liquid are added to the colorant dispersion liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi Araki, Maiko Yoshida, Taishi Takano, Takashi Urabe
  • Patent number: 9658543
    Abstract: Provided is a method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member including an undercoat layer, the method including preparing a coating liquid for an undercoat layer containing: a titanium oxide particle; a polyol resin; a blocked isocyanate compound in which a structure represented by the formula (1) or the formula (2) is bonded to an isocyanate group; and a monohydric alcohol represented by the formula (3): where R11 and R12 each independently represent an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and * represents a bonding site capable of being bonded to the isocyanate group; where R21 and R22 each independently represent an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and * represents a bonding site capable of being bonded to the isocyanate group; and HO—R3??(3) where R3 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeshi Murakami, Kazumichi Sugiyama, Daisuke Kawaguchi, Daisuke Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9658551
    Abstract: The present invention provides a toner having a toner particle that contains a binder resin, wherein the binder resin contains a vinylic resin and a polyester resin, the vinylic resin contains an organic silicon polymer having a specific structure, the organic silicon polymer is contained in the surface layer of the toner particle, the proportion of a silicon atom in the organic silicon polymer having a specific structure is at least 5%, the polyester resin is a specific polymer, and the toner particle contains a specific amount of the polyester resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuhei Terui, Katsuyuki Nonaka, Koji Abe, Harumi Takada
  • Patent number: 9581926
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides processes for producing images with toner particles. In embodiments, toner particles of a certain diameter in size are applied to a substrate as an incomplete monolayer, and then fused to form an image that is a complete monolayer and possesses a thickness less than the diameter of the particles utilized to form the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard P. N. Veregin, Eric Rotberg, Edward Graham Zwartz, Suxia Yang, Daryl W. Vanbesien, Cuong Vong, Karen Ann Moffat
  • Patent number: 9563140
    Abstract: A toner is prepared by wet granulation methods, including a monoester wax having carbon atoms of from 36 to 46 on average as a release agent. The toner has a DSC endothermic energy amount (?H1) originating from the wax of from 10 to 12 mJ/mg and a DSC endothermic energy amount (?H2) originating from the wax of from 0.6 to 0.9 times as much as ?H1 after a part of the wax is separated by hexane extraction from the toner. The hexane extraction includes mixing 1 g of the toner in 7 ml of n-hexane to prepare a mixture; stirring the mixture at 120 rpm for 1 min by a pot mill to prepare a dispersion; and subjecting the dispersion to suction filtration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Nozaki, Takuya Kadota, Yoshihiro Mikuriya, Yoshimichi Ishikawa, Kazuoki Fuwa, Tomohiro Fukao, Tomoharu Miki
  • Patent number: 9563142
    Abstract: A toner having good development durability, storage stability, environmental stability, and low-temperature fixability is provided. The toner contains toner particles each including a surface layer that contains an organic silicon polymer. The organic silicon polymer contains a specific unit. In a chart obtained by 29Si-NMR measurement of THF insoluble components of the toner particles, the ratio of a peak area attributable to a specific structure to the total peak area of the organic silicon polymer is 0.40 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koji Abe, Naoya Isono, Taiji Katsura, Yuhei Terui, Katsuyuki Nonaka
  • Patent number: 9557665
    Abstract: A toner includes a polymeric resin, a colorant, and a small molecule crystalline aromatic monoester having a molecular weight less than 1,000 g/mol. The polymeric resin may be an amorphous resin and a mixture of the amorphous resin and the crystalline aromatic monoester may be characterized by a reduction in glass transition temperature from that of the resin and by the lack of a melting point for the crystalline aromatic monoester as determined by differential scanning calorimetry, the enthalpy of fusion for the crystalline aromatic monoester in the mixture being measured to be less than 10% of the enthalpy of fusion of the crystalline aromatic monoester in pure form. Furthermore, the toner may be configured to have a crease fix minimum fusing temperature (MFT) less than or equal to the crease fix MFT of a benchmark ultra-low-melt emulsion aggregation toner. Suitable crystalline aromatic monoesters may include 2-Naphthyl benzoate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ke Zhou, Jordan H. Wosnick, Kentaro Morimitsu, Edward G. Zwartz, Valerie M. Farrugia
  • Patent number: 9557670
    Abstract: A toner, including: a binder resin; and a colorant, wherein the toner has a storage modulus of 1.0×107 Pa or more at 50° C., a loss modulus of 8.0×104 Pa to 2.0×105 Pa at 80° C., and a loss modulus of 2.0×102 Pa to 1.0×103 Pa at 160° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masana Shiba, Hiroshi Yamashita, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Daisuke Asahina, Yukari Fukuda, Rintaro Takahashi, Satoyuki Sekiguchi