Patents by Inventor Hiroaki Obata

Hiroaki Obata 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: 10330837
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a near-infrared shielding film having low initial haze and resistance to haze increase in weathering tests, to provide a method for producing such a near-infrared shielding film, and to provide a pressure-sensitive adhesive composition. The near-infrared shielding film of the present invention includes a transparent substrate and a component layer that is provided on at least one surface of the substrate and includes, as compounds, resin A shown below, at least one of resin B or C shown below, and oxide fine particles D shown below. Resin A: A resin having an acid value of less than 0.5 mgKOH/g and a hydroxy value of 5 to 60 mgKOH/g Resin B: A resin having an acid value of 1 to 60 mgKOH/g Resin C: A resin having an acid value of at least 1 mgKOH/g and a hydroxy value of 5 to 60 mgKOH/g Oxide fine particles D: Tungsten oxide fine particles or composite tungsten oxide fine particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Taro Konuma, Mitsunori Gotou, Hiroaki Obata
  • Patent number: 10108102
    Abstract: To provide a fixing solution and an image forming method in which faster fixing rate and faster drying rate can be achieved while the amount of fixing solution supplied is reduced and furthermore, a wet feeling in a formed image is reduced and an image having a high fixing strength can be formed. A fixing solution that softens a toner to fix a toner image constituted by the toner to an image support contains a hydroxyl group-containing ester compound expressed by general formula (1) below: R1—(CO)—O—R2??general formula (1): where R1 represents a linear or branched alkyl group having 6 to 11 carbon atoms, and R2 represents a linear or branched alkyl group having at least one hydroxyl group and 2 to 4 carbon atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Koji Shibata, Hiroaki Obata, Natsuko Fujisaki, Anju Hori, Kishio Tamura
  • Publication number: 20180081097
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a near-infrared shielding film having low initial haze and resistance to haze increase in weathering tests, to provide a method for producing such a near-infrared shielding film, and to provide a pressure-sensitive adhesive composition. The near-infrared shielding film of the present invention includes a transparent substrate and a component layer that is provided on at least one surface of the substrate and includes, as compounds, resin A shown below, at least one of resin B or C shown below, and oxide fine particles D shown below. Resin A: A resin having an acid value of less than 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Publication date: March 22, 2018
    Inventors: Taro KONUMA, Mitsunori GOTOU, Hiroaki OBATA
  • Publication number: 20160062000
    Abstract: To provide an optical reflective film capable of suppressing formation of a defect known as color bleeding, an optical reflective film which suppresses occurrence of curling and has excellent folding resistance, and an optical reflective film having excellent interlayer adhesion and external appearance after exposure to high humidity conditions. In an optical reflective film including at least one unit in which a low refractive index layer and a high refractive index layer are laminated on a substrate, at least one of the low refractive index layer and the high refractive index layer includes an ethylene-modified polyvinyl alcohol having a degree of ethylene modification of 1 to 10 mol % and inorganic oxide particles. Alternately, the high refractive index layer includes an ethylene-modified polyvinyl alcohol having a saponification degree of 95.0 to 99.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Inventors: Akiyoshi KIMURA, Hiroaki OBATA
  • Publication number: 20150331345
    Abstract: To provide a fixing solution and an image forming method in which faster fixing rate and faster drying rate can be achieved while the amount of fixing solution supplied is reduced and furthermore, a wet feeling in a formed image is reduced and an image having a high fixing strength can be formed. A fixing solution that softens a toner to fix a toner image constituted by the toner to an image support contains a hydroxyl group-containing ester compound expressed by general formula (1) below: R1—(CO)—O—R2??general formula (1): where R1 represents a linear or branched alkyl group having 6 to 11 carbon atoms, and R2 represents a linear or branched alkyl group having at least one hydroxyl group and 2 to 4 carbon atoms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Inventors: Koji SHIBATA, Hiroaki OBATA, Natsuko FUJISAKI, Anju HORI, Kishio TAMURA
  • Patent number: 9017911
    Abstract: In the present invention, provided is an electrophotographic toner in which low temperature fixing is achieved, and high storage stability is obtained without generating tacking with respect to fixed images to be formed. It is a feature that this electrophotographic toner possesses at least a binder resin, a colorant and a releasing agent, wherein the releasing agent comprises an ester compound and an aliphatic hydroxycarboxylic acid compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikio Kouyama, Yasuhiko Muramatsu, Kenji Hayashi, Hiroaki Obata, Noriyuki Kimpara, Hiroshi Nagasawa
  • Patent number: 8874019
    Abstract: In an image forming method of wet fixing system, the fixing solution contains an ester compound represented by at least one of general formula (1) and general formula (2) below: R11—(CO)—O—R12??General formula (1): where R11 represents a linear or branched alkyl group having at least one hydroxyl group and 2 to 11 carbon atoms, and R12 represents a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R21—O—(CO)—R22—(CO)—O—R23??General formula (2): where R21 represents a linear or branched aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R22 represents a linear or branched aliphatic hydrocarbon group having at least one hydroxyl group and 1 to 8 carbon atoms, and R23 represents a linear or branched aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Natsuko Fujisaki, Hiroaki Obata, Koji Shibata, Anju Hori, Kishio Tamura
  • Patent number: 8811879
    Abstract: An image forming method that can obtain a high fixing strength and reduce the occurrence of a document offset phenomenon is provided. In the image forming method the polyester resin forming the binder resin of the toner is obtained by condensing and polymerizing a carboxylic component containing at least one compound selected from chemical formula (1), (2) and (3) shown below that is an addition reactant of abietic acid and a carboxylic compound having an unsaturated double bond and an alcohol component, and the content of at least the one compound selected from the chemical formula (1), (2) and (3) in the carboxylic component is 5% by mass or more, and the fixing agent contains an alkylene carbonate which may have a substituent group or an aliphatic alkyl carboxylic acid ester which may have a substituent group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc
    Inventors: Hiroaki Obata, Natsuko Fujisaki, Koji Shibata, Anju Hori, Kishio Tamura
  • Patent number: 8669033
    Abstract: Provided is a toner containing toner particles containing a polyester resin which has a structure part represented by Formula (1): wherein, “A” represents a polyester structure unit having at least one linking group; R1 represents a hydrogen atom, or a chlorine atom; R2 represents a hydrogen atom, a chlorine atom, or a methoxy group; and “L” represents a divalent organic group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikio Kouyama, Ken Ohmura, Kenji Hayashi, Hiroaki Obata, Koji Shibata
  • Patent number: 8557492
    Abstract: In the present invention, provided is a toner suitable for fixing at low temperature, which exhibits excellent performance against thermal stress as well as mechanical stress with no generation of blocking even during storage for a long duration in an unused state, and also with no generation of tacking of toner images after fixing. Also disclosed is a toner comprising at least a binder resin, a colorant and a wax, the toner comprising a fatty acid ester wax comprising a hydroxyl group, and an aliphatic alcohol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Hayashi, Mikio Kouyama, Hiroaki Obata, Noriyuki Kimpara, Hiroshi Nagasawa
  • Publication number: 20130259550
    Abstract: To provide a fixing solution and an image forming method in which faster fixing rate and faster drying rate can be achieved while the amount of fixing solution supplied is reduced and furthermore, a wet feeling in a formed image is reduced and an image having a high fixing strength can be formed A fixing solution that softens a toner to fix a toner image constituted by the toner to an image support contains a hydroxyl group-containing ester compound expressed by general formula (1) below; R1—(CO)—O—R2 ??general formula (1) where R1 represents a linear or branched alkyl group having 6 to 11 carbon atoms, and R2 represents a linear or branched alkyl group having at least one hydroxyl group and 2 to 4 carbon atoms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Koji SHIBATA, Hiroaki OBATA, Natsuko FUJISAKI, Anju HORI, Kishio TAMURA
  • Publication number: 20130202336
    Abstract: In an image forming method of wet fixing system, the fixing solution contains an ester compound represented by at least one of general formula (1) and general formula (2) below: R11—(CO)—O—R12??General formula (1): where R11 represents a linear or branched alkyl group having at least one hydroxyl group and 2 to 11 carbon atoms, and R12 represents a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R21—O—(CO)—R22—(CO)—O—R23??General formula (2): where R21 represents a linear or branched aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R22 represents a linear or branched aliphatic hydrocarbon group having at least one hydroxyl group and 1 to 8 carbon atoms, and R23 represents a linear or branched aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Natsuko FUJISAKI, Hiroaki OBATA, Koji SHIBATA, Anju HORI, Kishio TAMURA
  • Patent number: 8486601
    Abstract: A toner for electrostatic latent image development is disclosed comprising colored particles containing a binder resin and a colorant and external-additive particles attached to the surfaces of the colored particles, wherein the external-additive particles comprise resin particles covered with an inorganic layer, and the resin particles are bound to the inorganic layer by a siloxane bond. A preparation method of the toner is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yukio Hosoya, Mikio Kouyama, Kenji Hayashi, Hiroaki Obata, Koji Shibata
  • Patent number: 8470508
    Abstract: Disclosed is a toner manufacturing method, comprising: dispersing a polyester resin prepared by condensing a polyol and a polycarboxylic acid into an aqueous medium and adjusting a polyester resin particle dispersion liquid, wherein the polyol includes an unsaturated polyol, or the polycarboxylic acid includes an unsaturated polycarboxylic acid; and adding a radical polymerization initiator to the polyester resin particle dispersion liquid to cause a radical polymerization reaction, and adjusting the obtained dispersion liquid of polyester resin particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Hayashi, Mikio Kouyama, Hiroaki Obata, Noriyuki Kinpara, Yasuhiko Muramatsu
  • Publication number: 20130142554
    Abstract: An image forming method that can obtain a high fixing strength and reduce the occurrence of a document offset phenomenon is provided. In the image forming method the polyester resin forming the binder resin of the toner is obtained by condensing and polymerizing a carboxylic component containing at least one compound selected from chemical formula (1), (2) and (3) shown below that is an addition reactant of abietic acid and a carboxylic compound having an unsaturated double bond and an alcohol component, and the content of at least the one compound selected from the chemical formula (1), (2) and (3) in the carboxylic component is 5% by mass or more, and the fixing agent contains an alkylene carbonate which may have a substituent group or an aliphatic alkyl carboxylic acid ester which may have a substituent group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2012
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Inventors: Hiroaki OBATA, Natsuko FUJISAKI, Koji SHIBATA, Anju HORI, Kishio TAMURA
  • Patent number: 8377619
    Abstract: Disclosed is a toner comprising at least a resin and a coloring agent, wherein the resin comprises toner particles in which a polyester resin unit is cross-linked by a diatomic cross-linking group expressed by a following general formula (1): —X1Y1X1— [wherein in the formula, X1 denotes a linking group; and Y1 denotes a radical polymer unit having a number average molecular weight Mn ranging from 5000 or more to 50000 or less, and a ratio Mw/Mn ranging from 1.0 or more to 1.2 or less, wherein Mw denotes a weight average molecular weight, and Mn denotes the number average molecular weight].
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Hayashi, Mikio Kouyama, Hiroaki Obata, Noriyuki Kinpara, Yasuhiko Muramatsu
  • Patent number: 8361688
    Abstract: Disclosed is a toner including: a resin; coloring agent and release agent including compound or compounds represented by the following general formula (1): R1—(COO—R2)n, wherein R1 is a linking group having carbon number of 2 to 8 which may be a cyclic structure and may have a hydroxy group or fatty acid ester group; and each R2 is an alkyl group having carbon number of N, (N-2) or (N-4) independently, N is a natural number from 10 to 30, and n is a natural number from 3 to 4, R2 with carbon number of N is 80 to 97 percent by mass, R2 with carbon number of (N-2) is 0.0 to 7.8 percent by mass, R2 with carbon number of (N-4) is 3.0 to 13.0 percent by mass, R2 with carbon number of (N-4) is included 1.5 percent by mass or more than R2 with carbon number of (N-2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikio Kouyama, Kenji Hayashi, Hiroaki Obata, Noriyuki Kinpara, Hiroshi Nagasawa, Yasuhiko Muramatsu
  • Patent number: 8304157
    Abstract: A toner for an electrophotography and its manufacturing method are disclosed. The toner comprises toner particles containing a cross-linked polymer having two-valent crosslinking group represented by Formula (1), wherein, R1 is a hydrogen atom or a chlorine atom, R2 is a hydrogen atom, a chlorine atom or a methoxy group. The toner satisfies storage durability against heat as well as sufficient low temperature fixing ability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikio Kouyama, Ken Ohmura, Kenji Hayashi, Yukio Hosoya, Hiroaki Obata, Koji Shibata
  • Patent number: 8283098
    Abstract: A preparation method of a toner comprising a binder resin and a colorant is disclosed, comprising forming resin particles containing a resin formed by allowing a styrene monomer, a (meth)acryl monomer and a polymer represented by the formula (1) to react, and mixing the resin particles with colorant particles which were dispersed and allowing the resin particles and the colorant particle to coagulate and fuse to form toner particles, X—(Y)n—X??formula (1) wherein X is at least one of an acryloyl group and a methacryloyl group, Y is a radical polymerizable monomer unit and n is an integer of 25 to 1000.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikio Kouyama, Kenji Hayashi, Hiroaki Obata, Noriyuki Kimpara, Hiroshi Nagasawa
  • Patent number: 8273518
    Abstract: An electrophotographic toner which is thermally stable in storage or as an image after being fixed and exhibits a sufficiently low melt viscosity and a high fluidity when heated during fixing is disclosed, comprising a colorant and a binder resin, wherein the binder resin contains a poly-branched resin composition in an amount of 0.5 to 20% by mass. There is also disclosed a method of producing the electrophotographic toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikio Kouyama, Kenji Hayashi, Hiroaki Obata