Patents by Inventor Akiko Bannai

Akiko Bannai 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).

  • Publication number: 20100020142
    Abstract: A refill ink with which a used ink cartridge is to be refilled, including: a colorant, a wetting agent, and a surfactant, wherein in a mixed ink formed by mixing a residual ink remaining in the used ink cartridge and the refill ink at a volume ratio (residual ink:refill ink) of 1:1, the number A of coarse particles of 0.5 ?m or greater in diameter measured immediately after the mixing and the number B of coarse particles of 0.5 ?m or greater in diameter measured after the mixed ink has been left to stand at 25° C. and at RH of 50% for 24 hours satisfy the relationship B/A?2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2007
    Publication date: January 28, 2010
    Inventors: Akiko Bannai, Akihiko Gotoh
  • Publication number: 20080254228
    Abstract: There is provided a recording ink containing at least: water; a water-soluble organic solvent; a surfactant; and a carbon black having a hydrophilic group on a surface thereof, wherein the carbon black releases humic acid in an aqueous dispersion of the carbon black, which is recovered from the recording ink, a concentration of the humic acid released in the aqueous dispersion containing 20% by mass of the carbon black of is expressed with a maximum absorbance at a wavelength of 230 nm to 260 nm, and the recording ink has the maximum absorbance of 5.0 to 20.0 at the wavelength of 230 nm to 260 nm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2007
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Inventors: Mariko Kojima, Kiyofumi Nagai, Akihiko Gotoh, Akiko Bannai, Tomohiro Inoue
  • Publication number: 20080248260
    Abstract: The object of the invention to provide a recording ink with excellent discharge stability and storage stability, which rapidly penetrates into a recording medium and forms a coating, and which will never generate smearing upon high-speed printing or double-sided printing, and which excels in marker resistance, and which enables high quality image recording with less bleeding, and the ink cartridge, the ink record, the inkjet recording apparatus, and the inkjet recording method using the recording ink. The recording ink containing at least water, a colorant, a resin fine-particle, a water-soluble organic solvent and a penetrant, in which the penetrant is a diol compound whose carbon number is 7 to 11 and the resin fine-particle is a silicone modified acrylic resin not containing a hydrolyzable silyl group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2005
    Publication date: October 9, 2008
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Mariko Kojima, Tomohiro Inoue, Akihiko Gotoh, Michihiko Namba, Hisashi Habashi, Akiko Bannai, Kiyofumi Nagai
  • Publication number: 20080138519
    Abstract: The invention provides a recording ink containing a colorant, a wetting agent, a surfactant, a penetrating agent, and water, wherein when the specified moisture evaporation rate of the recording ink is less than 30% the specified viscosity elevating rate of the recording ink is 10 or less; when the moisture evaporation rate is 30% to 50%, there is a point at which the viscosity elevating rate is more than 500; and when the moisture evaporation rate is less than 30%, the average particle diameter of the colorant in the recording ink is two times or less the initial average particle diameter of the colorant before the moisture evaporation test of the recording ink.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2005
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD
    Inventors: Hisashi Habashi, Kiyofumi Nagai, Akiko Bannai
  • Publication number: 20080094458
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus is provided, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus comprises a recording head with a filter, an ink that comprises a colorant, a humectant, a surfactant, and a wetting agent is discharged from the recording head, the viscosity of the ink at 25° C. is 6 mPa·s to 13 mPa·s, and the fluid resistance of the filter against the ink is 4.4×109 Pa·s/m3 and 2.2×1010 Pa·s/m3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2005
    Publication date: April 24, 2008
    Inventors: Akiko Bannai, Eisuke Hori, Akihiko Gotoh, Kiyofumi Nagai
  • Patent number: 7284851
    Abstract: A recording ink including a colorant dispersible in water, a humectant, a surfactant, and a wetting agent, wherein the rate of viscosity increase associated with evaporation of moisture in the recording ink is 5.0 mPa·s/% or less while the evaporated moisture content is less than 30% by weight based on the whole weight of the recording ink, the rate of viscosity increase associated with evaporation of moisture exceeds 50 mPa·s/% while the evaporated moisture content is 30 to 45% by weight, and the average particle size of the colorant in the recording ink is less than five times the average particle size of the colorant in the initial recording ink, and is 0.8 ?m or less, at the stage of the recording ink when the rate of viscosity increase amounts to 50 mPa·s/%, wherein the rate of viscosity increase associated with evaporation of moisture (mPa·s/%) is defined as the increment of viscosity (mPa·s) versus the increment of evaporated moisture content (%).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akiko Bannai, Kiyofumi Nagai, Akihiko Gotoh, Mariko Kojima, Michihiko Namba, Tomohiro Inoue
  • Publication number: 20070221078
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a recording ink which is excellent in color developing properties, has a high delivery stability, can improve remarkably color saturation and can form a high-quality image, when the ink is used for printing a plain paper, further an ink cartridge, an ink record, an inkjet recording apparatus and an inkjet recording process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2005
    Publication date: September 27, 2007
    Inventors: Michihiko Namba, Hisashi Habashi, Mariko Kojima, Tomohiro Inoue, Akiko Bannai, Akihiko Gotoh, Kiyofumi Nagai
  • Publication number: 20060176349
    Abstract: Disclosed is a recording ink for ink-jet recording which contains a colorant, water, a humectant, a surfactant, and a wetting agent, wherein the recoding ink is applied to ink-jet recording apparatuses capable of recording on a second recording side of a recording medium following recording on a first recording side of the recording medium, and the infiltrating period of the recording ink into the first recording side of the recording medium is 5 seconds or less. Also, an ink cartridge, an ink-jet recording apparatus, an ink-jet recording process, and a recorded matter are disclosed that utilize the recording ink respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2006
    Publication date: August 10, 2006
    Inventors: Kiyofumi Nagai, Mariko Kojima, Akihiko Gotoh, Akiko Bannai
  • Patent number: 7033013
    Abstract: An image recording method including: applying a pretreatment liquid on a surface of a recording material; and discharging a recording ink according to image signals to form an ink image on the pretreatment liquid on the surface of the recording material before the pretreatment liquid applied to the recording material has dried, wherein the recording ink includes a solvent and a component dispersed or dissolved in the solvent, wherein the pretreatment liquid includes a compound depressing at least one of the dispersibility and solubility of the component in the recording ink in an amount of 10 to 80% by weight based on total weight, and wherein the pretreatment liquid has a viscosity of from 100 to 10,000 mPa·s at 25° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
    Inventors: Masayuki Koyano, Hitoshi Arita, Tetsuya Kaneko, Nobutaka Osada, Kakuji Murakami, Akihiko Gotoh, Akiko Bannai, Tomoko Maeda, Kiyofumi Nagai
  • Publication number: 20050231575
    Abstract: A recording ink comprising a colorant dispersible in water, a humectant, a surfactant, and a wetting agent, wherein the rate of viscosity increase associated with evaporation of moisture in the recording ink is 5.0 mPa·s/% or less while the evaporated moisture content is less than 30% by weight based on the whole weight of the recording ink, the rate of viscosity increase associated with evaporation of moisture exceeds 50 mPa·s/% while the evaporated moisture content is 30 to 45% by weight, and the average particle size of the colorant in the recording ink is less than five times the average particle size of the colorant in the initial recording ink, and is 0.8 ?m or less, at the stage of the recording ink when the rate of viscosity increase amounts to 50 mPa·s/%, wherein the rate of viscosity increase associated with evaporation of moisture (mPa·s/%) is defined as the increment of viscosity (mPa·s) versus the increment of evaporated moisture content (%).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2005
    Publication date: October 20, 2005
    Inventors: Akiko Bannai, Kiyofumi Nagai, Akihiko Gotoh, Mariko Kojima, Michihiko Namba, Tomohiro Inoue
  • Publication number: 20050007431
    Abstract: An image recording method including: applying a pretreatment liquid on a surface of a recording material; and discharging a recording ink according to image signals to form an ink image on the pretreatment liquid on the surface of the recording material before the pretreatment liquid applied to the recording material has dried, wherein the recording ink includes a solvent and a component dispersed or dissolved in the solvent, wherein the pretreatment liquid includes a compound depressing at least one of the dispersibility and solubility of the component in the recording ink in an amount of 10 to 80% by weight based on total weight, and wherein the pretreatment liquid has a viscosity of from 10 to 10,000 mPa·s at 25° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2004
    Publication date: January 13, 2005
    Inventors: Masayuki Koyano, Hitoshi Arita, Tetsuya Kaneko, Nobutaka Osada, Kakuji Murakami, Akihiko Gotoh, Akiko Bannai, Tomoko Maeda, Kiyofumi Nagai
  • Patent number: 6786588
    Abstract: An image recording method including: applying a pretreatment liquid on a surface of a recording material; and discharging a recording ink according to image signals to form an ink image on the pretreatment liquid on the surface of the recording material before the pretreatment liquid applied to the recording material has dried, wherein the recording ink includes a solvent and a component dispersed or dissolved in the solvent, wherein the pretreatment liquid includes a compound depressing at least one of the dispersibility and solubility of the component in the recording ink in an amount of 100 to 80% by weight based on total weight, and wherein the pretreatment liquid has a viscosity of from 10 to 10,000 mPa·s at 25° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
    Inventors: Masayuki Koyano, Hitoshi Arita, Tetsuya Kaneko, Nobutaka Osada, Kakuji Murakami, Akihiko Gotoh, Akiko Bannai, Tomoko Maeda, Kiyofumi Nagai
  • Patent number: 6730155
    Abstract: An aqueous ink composition contains at least one pigment selected from the group consisting of a condensed azo pigment, a condensed polycyclic pigment, a phthalocyanine pigment, and a nickel complex azo pigment, at least an anionic surfactant with ethylene oxide group or a nonionic surfactant with ethylene oxide group as a dispersant, a wetting agent, a penetrating agent, and water, with the ink composition having a surface tension of 20 mN/m or more and less than 35 mN/m. A yellow ink containing at least one pigment selected from the group consisting of C.I. Pigment Yellow 128, C.I. Pigment Yellow 138, C.I. Pigment Yellow 151, C.I. Pigment Yellow 97, and C.I. Pigment Yellow 150, a magenta ink containing at least one pigment of C.I. Pigment Red 122 or C.I. Pigment Violet 19, a cyan ink containing at least one pigment of C.I. Pigment Blue 15:3 or C.I. Pigment Blue 15:4, each color ink further containing a specific anionic surfactant and a water-soluble organic solvent, and a black ink containing C.I.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiko Gotoh, Tomoko Maeda, Akiko Bannai, Kiyofumi Nagai, Hitoshi Arita, Tetsuya Kaneko, Nobutaka Osada, Toshiroh Tokuno, Masayuki Koyano, Kakuji Murakami
  • Patent number: 6695443
    Abstract: An ink for ink jet recording and an ink jet recording method which realize an image quality of laser printer on a plain paper in a one-pass printing mode under conditions of a volume of an ink droplet ejected being 5 to 43 Pico liter, a velocity of an ink droplet being 6 to 20 m/sec, frequency of 1 kHz and resolution of 300 dpi or more. The ink for ink jet recording is a penetrating type ink which includes (1) at least one humectant selected from glycerin, 1,3-butandiol, triethyleneglycol, 1,6-hexanediol, propyleneglycol, 1,5-pentanediol, diethyleneglycol, dipropyleneglycol, trimethylolpropane and trimethylolethane, (2) colorant contained in the amount of 6% by weight or more, (3) a polyol having 8 to 11 carbon atoms and glycolether, and an anionic surfactants or non-ionic surfactants, the ink has viscosity of 5 mPa·s or more at 25° C. and a surface tension of 40 mN/m or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Arita, Kiyofumi Nagai, Akihiko Gotoh, Akiko Bannai, Tetsuya Kaneko, Nobutaka Osada, Tomoko Maeda, Masayuki Koyano, Kakuji Murakami, Toshiroh Tokuno
  • Patent number: 6613136
    Abstract: A recording ink composition having a colorant insoluble and dispersible in water, water, a water-soluble organic solvent, a wetting agent, 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, and at least one of surfactants of formulas (I) to (V): wherein R1, R2, R, R′, M−, m, k, n, p, and q are specified in the specification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Arita, Kiyofumi Nagai, Akiko Bannai, Masayuki Koyano
  • Patent number: 6578958
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus including (A) a recording head including: plural nozzles discharging an ink drop to form an image on a receiving material; and plural pressure generators applying a pressure to the corresponding nozzles; (B) an ink container containing the ink, wherein the ink includes a pigment and a volatile solvent, and wherein the ink has a pigment content decreasing property such that the pigment content decreases at a meniscus portion of the ink in the nozzles when the ink is allowed to settle; and (C) a driver selectively actuating the pressure generators to discharge the ink from the corresponding nozzles, wherein the driver selectively actuates at least one of the pressure generators at a predetermined timing such that the ink at the meniscus portion is vibrated to an extent such that the ink is not discharged from the corresponding nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2003
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiko Gotoh, Akiko Bannai
  • Publication number: 20030107632
    Abstract: An ink for ink jet recording and an ink jet recording method which realize an image quality of laser printer on a plain paper in a one-pass printing mode under conditions of a volume of an ink droplet ejected being 5 to 43 Pico liter, a velocity of an ink droplet being 6 to 20 m/sec, frequency of 1 kHz and resolution of 300 dpi or more. The ink for ink jet recording is a penetrating type ink which comprises (1) at least one humectant selected from glycerin, 1,3-butandiol, triethyleneglycol, 1,6-hexanediol, propyleneglycol, 1,5-pentanediol, diethyleneglycol, dipropyleneglycol, trimethylolpropane and trimethylolethane, (2) colorant contained in the amount of 6 % by weight or more, (3) a polyol having 8 to 11 carbon atoms and glycolether, and an anionic surfactants or non-ionic surfactants, the ink has viscosity of 5 mPa.s or more at 25° C. and a surface tension of 40 mN/m or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2002
    Publication date: June 12, 2003
    Inventors: Hitoshi Arita, Kiyofumi Nagai, Akihiko Gotoh, Akiko Bannai, Tetsuya Kaneko, Nobutaka Osada, Tomoko Maeda, Masayuki Koyano, Kakuji Murakami, Toshiroh Tokuno
  • Publication number: 20030076394
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus including (A) a recording head including: plural nozzles discharging an ink drop to form an image on a receiving material; and plural pressure generators applying a pressure to the corresponding nozzles; (B) an ink container containing the ink, wherein the ink includes a pigment and a volatile solvent, and wherein the ink has a pigment content decreasing property such that the pigment content decreases at a meniscus portion of the ink in the nozzles when the ink is allowed to settle; and (C) a driver selectively actuating the pressure generators to discharge the ink from the corresponding nozzles, wherein the driver selectively actuates at least one of the pressure generators at a predetermined timing such that the ink at the meniscus portion is vibrated to an extent such that the ink is not discharged from the corresponding nozzle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2002
    Publication date: April 24, 2003
    Inventors: Akihiko Gotoh, Akiko Bannai
  • Publication number: 20030064206
    Abstract: An image recording method including: applying a pretreatment liquid on a surface of a recording material; and discharging a recording ink according to image signals to form an ink image on the pretreatment liquid on the surface of the recording material before the pretreatment liquid applied to the recording material has dried, wherein the recording ink includes a solvent and a component dispersed or dissolved in the solvent, wherein the pretreatment liquid includes a compound depressing at least one of the dispersibility and solubility of the component in the recording ink in an amount of 10 to 80 % by weight based on total weight, and wherein the pretreatment liquid has a viscosity of from 10 to 10,000 mPa·s at 25 ° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2002
    Publication date: April 3, 2003
    Inventors: Masayuki Koyano, Hitoshi Arita, Tetsuya Kaneko, Nobutaka Osada, Kakuji Murakami, Akihiko Gotoh, Akiko Bannai, Tomoko Maeda, Kiyofumi Nagai
  • Publication number: 20020096085
    Abstract: An aqueous ink composition contains at least one pigment selected from the group consisting of a condensed azo pigment, a condensed polycyclic pigment, a phthalocyanine pigment, and a nickel complex azo pigment, at least an anionic surfactant with ethylene oxide group or a nonionic surfactant with ethylene oxide group as a dispersant, a wetting agent, a penetrating agent, and water, with the ink composition having a surface tension of 20 mN/m or more and less than 35 mN/m. A yellow ink containing at least one pigment selected from the group consisting of C.I. Pigment Yellow 128, C.I. Pigment Yellow 138, C.I. Pigment Yellow 151, C.I. Pigment Yellow 97, and C.I. Pigment Yellow 150, a magenta ink containing at least one pigment of C.I. Pigment Red 122 or C.I. Pigment Violet 19, a cyan ink containing at least one pigment of C.I. Pigment Blue 15:3 or C.I. Pigment Blue 15:4, each color ink further containing a specific anionic surfactant and a water-soluble organic solvent, and a black ink containing C.I.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Publication date: July 25, 2002
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiko Gotoh, Tomoko Maeda, Akiko Bannai, Kiyofumi Nagai, Hitoshi Arita, Tetsuya Kaneko, Nobutaka Osada, Toshiroh Tokuno, Masayuki Koyano, Kakuji Murakami