Patents by Inventor Akihiro Imai

Akihiro Imai 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: 6335307
    Abstract: The medium for thermal transfer recording of the invention includes (a) a base material having a first surface and a second surface, (b) a transfer medium layer placed at the first surface side, and (c) a heat resistant lubricating layer placed at the second surface side, in which the heat resistant lubricating layer is composed of (1) a resin containing a hydroxyl group, (2) a crosslinking agent, and (3) a thermoplastic resin. The thermoplastic resin having at least one of thermal deformation temperature and glass transition temperature of 70° C. or more is preferably used. The heat resistant lubricating layer can contain an adhesive. The heat resistant lubricating layer has a crosslink structure formed by crosslinking reaction between the crosslinking agent and the resin containing a hydroxyl group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiro Imai, Nobuyoshi Taguchi
  • Patent number: 6316577
    Abstract: An electrophotographic photoconductor includes an electroconductive support, and a photoconductive layer formed thereon containing as an effective component an aromatic polycarbonate resin having a structural unit of formula (I), two structural units of formulae (I) and (II), or a repeat unit of formula (III): wherein Ar1 to Ar7, Y, X, and n are as specified in the specification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Shimada, Masaomi Sasaki, Masafumi Ohta, Akihiro Imai, Mitsutoshi Anzai, Tamotsu Aruga, Kazukiyo Nagai, Katsuhiro Morooka
  • Patent number: 6069224
    Abstract: An electrophotographic photoconductor includes an electroconductive support, and a photoconductive layer formed thereon containing as an effective component an aromatic polycarbonate resin having a repeat unit of formula (I), or two repeat units of formulae (II) and (III): ##STR1## wherein Ar.sup.1 to Ar.sup.6, X, n, k and j are as specified in the specification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd., Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chihaya Adachi, Masaomi Sasaki, Kazukiyo Nagai, Tomoyuki Shimada, Chiaki Tanaka, Nozomu Tamoto, Akira Katayama, Mitsutoshi Anzai, Akihiro Imai, Katsuhiro Morooka
  • Patent number: 6057265
    Abstract: The invention provides ink sheets for thermal transfer recording including a heat resistant lubricating layer, having sufficient lubricating characteristic on the surface of heat resistant lubricating layer, excellent in running stability in recording, and showing favorable storage characteristic hardly lowered in the lubricating characteristic after storage in the condition of high temperature and high humidity, and also ink sheets and image-receiving sheets for sublimation type thermal transfer recording, excellent in thermal fusion preventing characteristic between the ink sheet and image-receiving sheet, showing favorable storage characteristic less contaminated by dye by re-transfer of dye after storage in the condition of high temperature and high humidity, reusable in paint, and hence economical.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akihiro Imai
  • Patent number: 6027846
    Abstract: An electrophotographic photoconductor includes an electroconductive support, and a photoconductive layer formed thereon containing as an effective component an aromatic polycarbonate resin having a structural unit of formula (I), two structural units of formulae (I) and (II), or a repeat unit of formula (III): ##STR1## wherein Ar.sup.1 to Ar.sup.7, Y, X, and n are as specified in the specification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2000
    Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd., Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Shimada, Masaomi Sasaki, Masafumi Ohta, Akihiro Imai, Mitsutoshi Anzai, Tamotsu Aruga, Kazukiyo Nagai, Katsuhiro Morooka
  • Patent number: 6018014
    Abstract: An aromatic polycarbonate containing a structural unit of the formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 is a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, Ar.sup.1 is a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group and Ar.sup.2 and Ar.sup.3 are independently a substituted or unsubstituted arylene group. The aromatic polycarbonate is capable of transferring charges and is used for forming a photosensitive layer of an electrophotographic photosensitive medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2000
    Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd., Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazukiyo Nagai, Masaomi Sasaki, Hiroshi Tamura, Tetsuro Suzuki, Tomoyuki Shimada, Chihaya Adachi, Chiaki Tanaka, Nozomu Tamoto, Kouji Kishida, Akira Katayama, Mitsutoshi Anzai, Akihiro Imai
  • Patent number: 5999205
    Abstract: A transfer member includes a dyeing layer transfer member, which has a lubricating heat-resistant layer on the reverse surface of a first base material and laminated layers of a parting layer and a dyeing layer on the obverse surface, an ink transfer member, having a lubricating heat-resistant layer on the reverse surface of a second base material and the laminated layers of an adhesive layer and an ink layer, an intermediate member having a functional layer on a third base material, and an image-receptor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Taguchi, Akihiro Imai, Atsushi Sogami, Yasuo Fukui, Masanori Yoshikawa, Hiroyuki Matsuo
  • Patent number: 5920335
    Abstract: A transfer member includes a dyeing layer transfer member, which has a lubricating heat-resistant layer on the reverse surface of a first base material and laminated layers of a parting layer and a dyeing layer on the obverse surface, an ink transfer member, having a lubricating heat-resistant layer on the reverse surface of a second base material and the laminated layers of an adhesive layer and an ink layer, an intermediate member having a functional layer on a third base material, and an image-receptor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Taguchi, Akihiro Imai, Atsushi Sogami, Yasuo Fukui, Masanori Yoshikawa, Hiroyuki Matsuo
  • Patent number: 5910561
    Abstract: An electrophotographic photoconductor includes an electroconductive support, and a photoconductive layer formed thereon containing as an effective component an aromatic polycarbonate resin having a repeat unit of formula (I), or two repeat units of formulae (II) and (III): ##STR1## wherein Ar.sup.1 to Ar.sup.6, X, n, k and j are as specified in the specification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 8, 1999
    Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd., Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chihaya Adachi, Masaomi Sasaki, Kazukiyo Nagai, Tomoyuki Shimada, Chiaki Tanaka, Nozomu Tamoto, Akira Katayama, Mitsutoshi Anzai, Akihiro Imai, Katsuhiro Morooka
  • Patent number: 5846680
    Abstract: An electrophotographic photoconductor includes an electroconductive support, and a photoconductive layer formed thereon containing as an effective component an aromatic polycarbonate resin having a repeat unit of formula (I), or two repeat units of formulae (II) and (III): ##STR1## wherein Ar.sup.1 to Ar.sup.6, X, n, k and j are as specified in the specification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1998
    Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd., Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chihaya Adachi, Masaomi Sasaki, Kazukiyo Nagai, Tomoyuki Shimada, Chiaki Tanaka, Nozomu Tamoto, Akira Katayama, Mitsutoshi Anzai, Akihiro Imai, Katsuhiro Morooka
  • Patent number: 5841462
    Abstract: A thermal transfer printing method using a color developing layer transfer sheet having color developing layer at least on either side of its substrate, a dye layer transfer sheet having at least on either side of its substrate and an intermediate medium and including the steps of first transferring partly or entirely the color developing layers on the color developing layer transfer sheet onto the intermediate medium by means of heat and/or pressure as color developing layer transfer means, then laying the color developing layer and the dye layer one upon the other and causing the dye to migrate to the color developing layer on the intermediate medium by means of heat and pressure for formation of pictorial image thereon and further transferring the formed pictorial image from the intermediate medium onto the color receiving sheet again by means of heat and pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Matsuo, Yasuo Fukui, Akihiro Imai, Nobuyoshi Taguchi, Atsushi Sogami, Masanori Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 5840454
    Abstract: An aromatic polycarbonate containing a structural unit of the formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 is a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, Ar.sup.1 is a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group and Ar.sup.2 and Ar.sup.3 are independently a substituted or unsubstituted arylene group. The aromatic polycarbonate is capable of transferring charges and is used for forming a photosensitive layer of an electrophotographic photosensitive medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd., Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazukiyo Nagai, Masaomi Sasaki, Hiroshi Tamura, Tetsuro Suzuki, Tomoyuki Shimada, Chihaya Adachi, Chiaki Tanaka, Nozomu Tamoto, Kouji Kishida, Akira Katayama, Mitsutoshi Anzai, Akihiro Imai
  • Patent number: 5830980
    Abstract: An electrophotographic photoconductor includes an electroconductive support, and a photoconductive layer formed thereon, containing a novel aromatic polycarbonate resin having a repeat unit of formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 each is an alkyl group which may have a substituent, or a halogen atom; R.sup.4 is a hydrogen atom, or an alkyl group which may have a substituent; Ar.sup.1 and Ar.sup.2 each is an aromatic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent; l, m and n each is an integer of 0 to 4; k is an integer of 5 to 5,000; and X is a bivalent aliphatic group, a bivalent cyclic aliphatic group, or ##STR2## in which R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 each is an alkyl group which may have a substituent, a halogen atom, or an aromatic hydrocarbon group; p and q each is an integer of 0 to 4; and r is 0 or 1, and when r is 1, Y is a straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkylene group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, --O--, --S--, --SO--, --SO.sub.2 --, or --C(O)--.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd., Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsutoshi Anzai, Akihiro Imai, Masaomi Sasaki, Hiroshi Tamura, Tomoyuki Shimada, Tetsuro Suzuki, Masafumi Ohta
  • Patent number: 5789128
    Abstract: An electrophotographic photoconductor includes an electroconductive support, and a photoconductive layer formed thereon containing as an effective component an aromatic polycarbonate resin having a repeat unit of formula (I), or two repeat units of formulae (II) and (III): ##STR1## wherein Ar.sup.1 to Ar.sup.6, X, n, k and j are as specified in the specification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1998
    Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd., Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chihaya Adachi, Masaomi Sasaki, Kazukiyo Nagai, Tomoyuki Shimada, Chiaki Tanaka, Nozomu Tamoto, Akira Katayama, Mitsutoshi Anzai, Akihiro Imai, Katsuhiro Morooka
  • Patent number: 5759954
    Abstract: A transfer member includes a dyeing layer transfer member, which has a lubricating heat-resistant layer on the reverse surface of a first base material and laminated layers of a parting layer and a dyeing layer on the obverse surface, an ink transfer member, having a lubricating heat-resistant layer on the reverse surface of a second base material and the laminated layers of an adhesive layer and an ink layer, an intermediate member having a functional layer on a third base material, and an image-receptor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1998
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Taguchi, Akihiro Imai, Atsushi Sogami, Yasuo Fukui, Masanori Yoshikawa, Hiroyuki Matsuo
  • Patent number: 5747204
    Abstract: An electrophotographic photoconductor includes an electroconductive support, and a photoconductive layer formed thereon, containing a novel aromatic polycarbonate resin having a repeat unit of formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 each is an alkyl group which may have a substituent, or a halogen atom; R.sup.4 is a hydrogen atom, or an alkyl group which may have a substituent; Ar.sup.1 and Ar.sup.2 each is an aromatic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent; l, m and n each is an integer of 0 to 4; k is an integer of 5 to 5,000; and X is a bivalent aliphatic group, a bivalent cyclic aliphatic group, or ##STR2## in which R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 each is an alkyl group which may have a substituent, a halogen atom, or an aromatic hydrocarbon group; p and q each is an integer of 0 to 4; and r is 0 or 1, and when r is 1, Y is a straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkylene group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, --O--, --S--, --SO--, --SO.sub.2 --, or --C(O)--.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1998
    Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd., Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsutoshi Anzai, Akihiro Imai, Masaomi Sasaki, Hiroshi Tamura, Tomoyuki Shimada, Tetsuro Suzuki, Masafumi Ohta
  • Patent number: 5723243
    Abstract: An electrophotographic photoconductor includes an electroconductive support, and a photoconductive layer formed thereon containing as an effective component an aromatic polycarbonate resin having a repeat unit of formula (I), or two repeat units of formula (II) and formula (III): ##STR1## wherein n, Ar.sup.1, Ar.sup.2, Ar.sup.3, R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and X are as specified in the specification, ##STR2## wherein k and j are also as specified in the specification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd., Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaomi Sasaki, Hiroshi Tamura, Tomoyuki Shimada, Tetsuro Suzuki, Chiaki Tanaka, Kouji Kishida, Akira Katayama, Kazukiyo Nagai, Chihaya Adachi, Nozomu Tamoto, Mitsutoshi Anzai, Akihiro Imai
  • Patent number: 5694160
    Abstract: Thermal transfer printing apparatus essentially made of a drum-shaped recording intermediate member composed of a base material and an elastic layer disposed on the outer surface of the base material, a dyeing layer transfer member which is mounted adjacent to the drum-shaped recording intermediate layer and comprising a base material and a dyeing layer disposed on the base material of the dyeing layer transfer member, a dye transfer member mounted adjacent to the drum-shaped recording intermediate layer and comprising a base material and a dye layer disposed on the base material and an image receptor mounted adjacent to the drum-shaped recording intermediate layer, whereby the separating strength between the base material of the dyeing layer of the dyeing layer transfer member is more than 5 g/25 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1997
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyoshi Taguchi, Akihiro Imai, Yasuo Fukui
  • Patent number: 5672756
    Abstract: An electrophotographic photoconductor includes an electroconductive substrate, and a photoconductive layer formed thereon containing at least one tertiary amine compound of formula (I) as an effective component: ##STR1## wherein Ar.sup.1 and Ar.sup.3 each is an aryl group which may have a substituent; Ar.sup.2 is a bivalent group of a carboxylic aromatic compound or a bivalent group of a heterocyclic compound; R.sup.1 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent or an alkoxy group which may have a substituent; and R.sup.2 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent or an aryl group which may have a substituent. A novel triphenylamine compound for use in the electrophotographic photoconductor is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd., Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Shimada, Masaomi Sasaki, Tamotsu Aruga, Masafumi Ohta, Mitsutoshi Anzai, Akihiro Imai
  • Patent number: 5656570
    Abstract: A thermal transfer printing method, in a combination of a transfer medium including a support on which at least a dyeing layer and a dye anti-diffusion layer (and a protecting layer) are provided separately from color layers, an intermediate medium, and an image-receiving medium, comprising steps of: transferring at least the dye anti-diffusion layer and the dyeing layer (and the protecting layer) onto the intermediate medium, thereby forming a sequential laminate on the intermediate medium; printing a thermal transfer image in the dyeing layer of the laminate formed on the intermediate medium; and transferring the laminate carrying the thermal transfer image thereon from the intermediate medium onto the image-receiving medium (and fixing it simultaneously, or after transferring), thereby finally forming a print image on the image-receiving medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 12, 1997
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiro Imai, Yasuo Fukui, Hiroyuki Matsuo