Patents by Inventor Erika Umeki

Erika Umeki 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: 20130330109
    Abstract: This invention provides a process for producing a conductive rubber roller having small aspect ratios of inner and outer diameters, having a stable measure of its inner diameter, having uniform cell distribution and being free from non-uniformity of hardness and electrical resistance in the peripheral direction. The process has a step of continuously extruding a tube composed of a specific unvulcanized rubber composition from a rubber extruder in a microwave vulcanizing unit, and a step of foaming and vulcanizing the tube by using a microwave irradiator having a microwave irradiation zone 4 m or less in length while being transported at given speed. The foamed rubber tube has an inner diameter 20 to 35% smaller than the outer diameter of the conductive core material over the whole region in the lengthwise direction, and the conductive core material is press-fitted into the foamed rubber tube without using any adhesive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2013
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KASEI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Imasaka, Satoshi Fukuzawa, Mitsuru Okuda, Erika Umeki
  • Patent number: 8594552
    Abstract: To provide a blade for electrophotographic apparatus that can have much superior durability as being made low frictional at its touching part and also improved in bonding force between the touching part and the blade member, a blade for electrophotographic apparatus is provided which has a blade member having a touching part which is to come into touch with an object member, and a support member which holds the blade member; the touching part being formed of a material which is different from that for the blade member; the touching part having a touching face having a coefficient of static friction which is smaller than that of a surface of the blade member; and the touching part having a joint surface at which the touching part is joined with the blade member which joint surface has a center line average roughness Ra of from 0.5 ?m to 10.0 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Arihiro Yamamoto, Erika Umeki, Syouji Inoue
  • Patent number: 8533953
    Abstract: This invention provides a process for producing a conductive rubber roller having small aspect ratios of inner and outer diameters, having a stable measure of its inner diameter, having uniform cell distribution and being free from non-uniformity of hardness and electrical resistance in the peripheral direction. The process has a step of continuously extruding a tube composed of a specific unvulcanized rubber composition from a rubber extruder in a microwave vulcanizing unit, and a step of foaming and vulcanizing the tube by using a microwave irradiator having a microwave irradiation zone 4 m or less in length while being transported at given speed. The foamed rubber tube has an inner diameter 20 to 35% smaller than the outer diameter of the conductive core material over the whole region in the lengthwise direction, and the conductive core material is press-fitted into the foamed rubber tube without using any adhesive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Imasaka, Satoshi Fukuzawa, Mitsuru Okuda, Erika Umeki
  • Publication number: 20120008992
    Abstract: This invention provides a process for producing a conductive rubber roller having small aspect ratios of inner and outer diameters, having a stable measure of its inner diameter, having uniform cell distribution and being free from non-uniformity of hardness and electrical resistance in the peripheral direction. The process has a step of continuously extruding a tube composed of a specific unvulcanized rubber composition from a rubber extruder in a microwave vulcanizing unit, and a step of foaming and vulcanizing the tube by using a microwave irradiator having a microwave irradiation zone 4 m or less in length while being transported at given speed. The foamed rubber tube has an inner diameter 20 to 35% smaller than the outer diameter of the conductive core material over the whole region in the lengthwise direction, and the conductive core material is press-fitted into the foamed rubber tube without using any adhesive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KASEI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Imasaka, Satoshi Fukuzawa, Mitsuru Okuda, Erika Umeki
  • Patent number: 8037607
    Abstract: A process for producing a conductive rubber roller having a conductive core material and a rubber layer provided thereon. The rubber layer contains at least acrylonitrile rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber and a blowing agent, and has a gas generation rate of from 2 ml/g·min to 4 ml/g·min at 170° C. to 230° C. The process has a vulcanizing and foaming step of vulcanizing and foaming the rubber layer by using a microwave vulcanizing furnace which provides hot air and irradiation with microwaves. A temperature of a heating atmosphere in the microwave vulcanizing furnace in the vulcanizing and foaming step is so controlled that a ratio of initial vulcanizing time T10 to initial foaming time Tp10, T10/Tp10, of the rubber layer is from 1 or more to less than 3 and the T10 is within 90 seconds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Imasaka, Satoshi Fukuzawa, Mitsuru Okuda, Erika Umeki
  • Publication number: 20110243624
    Abstract: To provide a blade for electrophotographic apparatus that can have much superior durability as being made low frictional at its touching part and also improved in bonding force between the touching part and the blade member, a blade for electrophotographic apparatus is provided which has a blade member having a touching part which is to come into touch with an object member, and a support member which holds the blade member; the touching part being formed of a material which is different from that for the blade member; the touching part having a touching face having a coefficient of static friction which is smaller than that of a surface of the blade member; and the touching part having a joint surface at which the touching part is joined with the blade member which joint surface has a center line average roughness Ra of from 0.5 ?m to 10.0 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KASEI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Arihiro Yamamoto, Erika Umeki, Syouji Inoue
  • Patent number: 7727135
    Abstract: A conductive rubber roller comprising a conductive core material and provided thereon a rubber layer; the rubber layer being formed by using a rubber composition containing as rubber components at least a polar rubber and an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-allyl glycidyl ether terpolymer; the ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-allyl glycidyl ether terpolymer having a melt peak temperature of from 20 to 30° C. and a melt enthalpy change ?H of from 40 to 70 mJ/mg as measured with a differential scanning calorimeter; and the allyl glycidyl ether in the ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-allyl glycidyl ether terpolymer being in a copolymerization ratio of from more than 10 mol % to 20 mol % or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryuta Urano, Erika Umeki, Naoki Koyama
  • Publication number: 20090182065
    Abstract: This invention provides a process for producing a conductive rubber roller having small aspect ratios of inner and outer diameters, having a stable measure of its inner diameter, having uniform cell distribution and being free from non-uniformity of hardness and electrical resistance in the peripheral direction. The process has a step of continuously extruding a tube composed of a specific unvulcanized rubber composition from a rubber extruder in a microwave vulcanizing unit, and a step of foaming and vulcanizing the tube by using a microwave irradiator having a microwave irradiation zone 4 m or less in length while being transported at given speed. The foamed rubber tube has an inner diameter 20 to 35% smaller than the outer diameter of the conductive core material over the whole region in the lengthwise direction, and the conductive core material is press-fitted into the foamed rubber tube without using any adhesive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Publication date: July 16, 2009
    Applicant: CANON KASEI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Imasaka, Satoshi Fukuzawa, Mitsuru Okuda, Erika Umeki
  • Publication number: 20090162109
    Abstract: A conductive rubber roller and transfer roller whose resistance value is easily controlled and which lowers contamination of a charged member and has excellent electric variability and compressive permanent set is provided at low cost. There is provided a conductive rubber roller for use in an electrophotographic process, wherein a rubber component of the conductive rubber roller has at least acrylonitrile butadiene rubber whose acrylonitrile content is 15% by mass to 25% by mass (both inclusive) and weight average molecular weight (Mw) is 500,000 to 1,000,000 (both inclusive), and epichlorohydrin type rubber whose ethylene oxide content is not less than 70% by mole to less than 90% by mole; and the acrylonitrile butadiene rubber is contained in an amount of 5 parts by mass to 80 parts by mass (both inclusive) in 100 parts by mass of the rubber component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Applicant: CANON KASEI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoki Koyama, Erika Umeki, Satoshi Fukuzawa
  • Patent number: 7520057
    Abstract: A process produces a conductive rubber roller having small aspect ratios of inner and outer diameters, having a stable measure of its inner diameter, having uniform cell distribution and being free from non uniformity of hardness and electrical resistance in the peripheral direction. The process has a step of continuously extruding a tube composed of a specific unvulcanized rubber composition from a rubber extruder in a microwave vulcanizing unit, and a step of foaming and vulcanizing the tube by using a microwave irradiator having a microwave irradiation zone 4 m or less in length while being transported at given speed. The foamed rubber tube has an inner diameter 20 to 35% smaller than the outer diameter of the conductive core material over the whole region in the lengthwise direction, and the conductive core material is press fitted into the foamed rubber tube without using any adhesive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Imasaka, Satoshi Fukuzawa, Mitsuru Okuda, Erika Umeki
  • Publication number: 20060280928
    Abstract: This invention provides a process for producing a conductive rubber roller having small aspect ratios of inner and outer diameters, having a stable measure of its inner diameter, having uniform cell distribution and being free from non-uniformity of hardness and electrical resistance in the peripheral direction. The process has a step of continuously extruding a tube composed of a specific unvulcanized rubber composition from a rubber extruder in a microwave vulcanizing unit, and a step of foaming and vulcanizing the tube by using a microwave irradiator having a microwave irradiation zone 4 m or less in length while being transported at given speed. The foamed rubber tube has an inner diameter 20 to 35% smaller than the outer diameter of the conductive core material over the whole region in the lengthwise direction, and the conductive core material is press-fitted into the foamed rubber tube without using any adhesive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2006
    Publication date: December 14, 2006
    Applicant: CANON KASEI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Imasaka, Satoshi Fukuzawa, Mitsuru Okuda, Erika Umeki
  • Publication number: 20060252620
    Abstract: A conductive rubber roller comprising a conductive core material and provided thereon a rubber layer; the rubber layer being formed by using a rubber composition containing as rubber components at least a polar rubber and an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-allyl glycidyl ether terpolymer; the ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-allyl glycidyl ether terpolymer having a melt peak temperature of from 20 to 30° C. and a melt enthalpy change ?H of from 40 to 70 mJ/mg as measured with a differential scanning calorimeter; and the allyl glycidyl ether in the ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-allyl glycidyl ether terpolymer being in a copolymerization ratio of from more than 10 mol % to 20 mol % or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2006
    Publication date: November 9, 2006
    Applicant: CANON KASEI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryuta Urano, Erika Umeki, Naoki Koyama