Patents by Inventor Hitoshi Shimbo

Hitoshi Shimbo 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: 20050137088
    Abstract: A reversible thermosensitive recording medium including a substrate, a reversible thermosensitive recording layer and an intermediate layer. The reversible thermosensitive recording layer is configured to reversibly record and erase an image therein and disposed overlying the substrate and includes a binder resin and a reversible thermosenstive coloring composition. The reversible thermosenstive coloring composition includes an electron donating coloring compound and an electron accepting compound. The intermediate layer includes another binder resin and a content of hollow particles having a hollow ratio not less than 70% and a ratio of a maximum particle diameter thereof to a 50% cumulative particle diameter of from 2.0 to 3.0. The reversible thermosensitive recording layer achieves a colored state when heated to a temperature not lower than a melting point thereof, and achieves a discolorization state when heated to a temperature lower than the melting point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Publication date: June 23, 2005
    Inventors: Kunio Hayakawa, Shinya Kawahara, Hitoshi Shimbo
  • Publication number: 20050014645
    Abstract: The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to the present invention comprises a support, a thermosensitive layer and a protective layer in order, the thermosensitive layer comprises an electron-donating coloring compound and an electron-accepting compound and reversibly changes the color depending on temperatures, and the protective layer comprises a reactive heterocyclic compound, and inorganic fine particles of which surface is at least partially treated into hydrophobic, alternatively the protective layer comprises inorganic fine particles of which number-average particle size is 100 nm or less and of which surface is at least partially coated with organic silane compounds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2004
    Publication date: January 20, 2005
    Inventors: Hitoshi Shimbo, Tadafumi Tatewaki, Shin Yamamoto, Kunio Hayakawa, Shinya Kawahara
  • Patent number: 6693061
    Abstract: A light-permeable thermosensitive recording material having a light permeable support and a thermosensitive recording layer formed thereon and including a leuco dye, a color developer for the leuco dye, and a binder resin, wherein the developer is a compound represented by the following formula (1): wherein R1 represents an alkyl group having 4-16 carbon atoms or an aminoalkyl group having 4-16 carbon atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2004
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Shimbo, Hideo Suzaki, Masafumi Torii, Masaru Shimada
  • Publication number: 20030073576
    Abstract: A light-permeable thermosensitive recording material having a light permeable support and a thermosensitive recording layer formed thereon and including a leuco dye, a color developer for the leuco dye, and a binder resin, wherein the developer is a compound represented by the following formula (1): 1
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2001
    Publication date: April 17, 2003
    Inventors: Hitoshi Shimbo, Hideo Suzaki, Masafumi Torii, Masaru Shimada, Mitsuko Shimada
  • Patent number: 6417137
    Abstract: A transparent thermosensitive recording material capable of producing an image therein has a transparent support and a thermosensitive recording layer formed thereon, the recording layer containing a colorless or light-colored leuco dye, a color developer capable of inducing coloring formation in the leuco dye, and a binder resin. The image obtained in the recording material exhibits an absorbance of 3.0 or more at 610 nm when the image has a maximum transmission density, and the ratio of the absorbance at 700 nm to the absorbance at 610 nm is in a range of 0.1 to 0.3 within the region from a transmission density of the image of 1.0 to the maximum transmission density thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: Ricoh Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Suzaki, Hitoshi Shimbo
  • Patent number: 6265344
    Abstract: A transparent thermosensitive recording material has a transparent support and a thermosensitive recording layer formed thereon, with a non-image area of the transparent thermosensitive recording material exhibiting an absorbance in a range from 0.5 to 1.2 when irradiated with light with a wavelength of 380 nm, and an absorbance of 0.7 or less when irradiated with light with a wavelength of 420 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Shimbo, Hideo Suzaki