Patents by Inventor Izumi MUKOYAMA

Izumi MUKOYAMA 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: 20200379379
    Abstract: Provided is a fixing apparatus including a fixing member, wherein the fixing member includes a thermoplastic resin layer as an outermost surface layer; and the fixing apparatus includes an indentation forming member having a protrusion structure with no angular part formed on a surface for forming U-shaped indentations on the outermost surface layer by applying pressure on the fixing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2020
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Inventors: Tomoo SAKIMURA, Izumi MUKOYAMA
  • Patent number: 10429785
    Abstract: A fixing belt having high separability is provided. The fixing belt includes a base layer made of a heat-resistant resin, an intermediate layer made of a heat-resistant elastic material disposed on the base layer, and a surface layer made of a fluororesin disposed on the intermediate layer. The surface layer contains 5 to 15 mass % of carbon black having a primary average particle diameter of 10 to 50 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Izumi Mukoyama, Naoko Uemura, Akiko Kawamura, Asao Matsushima
  • Publication number: 20190235427
    Abstract: A fixing belt having high separability is provided. The fixing belt includes a base layer made of a heat-resistant resin, an intermediate layer made of a heat-resistant elastic material disposed on the base layer, and a surface layer made of a fluororesin disposed on the intermediate layer. The surface layer contains 5 to 15 mass % of carbon black having a primary average particle diameter of 10 to 50 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Inventors: Izumi MUKOYAMA, Naoko UEMURA, Akiko KAWAMURA, Asao MATSUSHIMA
  • Patent number: 10289045
    Abstract: A fixing belt contains a base layer made of a heat-resistant resin, an elastic layer made of an elastic material, and a release layer, laminated in this order. The elastic layer has a linear thermal expansion coefficient of ?4.0×10?4 (1/K) or more and 1.0×10?4 (1/K) or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Izumi Mukoyama, Hirofumi Koga, Naoko Uemura, Asao Matsushima
  • Patent number: 10185260
    Abstract: A fixing belt includes: a base layer having heat resistance; an elastic layer disposed on the base layer and made of an elastic material; and a releasing layer disposed on the elastic layer, wherein a storage elastic modulus of the base layer is 3.8 to 4.8 GPa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Izumi Mukoyama, Hirofumi Koga, Naoko Uemura, Asao Matsushima
  • Patent number: 10139760
    Abstract: Provided is a fixing belt including a base layer, an elastic layer, and a release layer. The release layer has surface geometry including a first uneven profile and a second uneven profile formed on the surface of the first uneven profile. The first uneven profile is represented as a maximum height roughness, Rz, of 5.0 to 100 ?m. The second uneven profile is represented as Rz of 0.5 to 0.9 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Izumi Mukoyama, Naoko Uemura, Asao Matsushima
  • Publication number: 20180284665
    Abstract: Provided is a fixing belt including a base layer, an elastic layer, and a release layer. The release layer has surface geometry including a first uneven profile and a second uneven profile formed on the surface of the first uneven profile. The first uneven profile is represented as a maximum height roughness, Rz, of 5.0 to 100 ?m. The second uneven profile is represented as Rz of 0.5 to 0.9 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Izumi MUKOYAMA, Naoko UEMURA, Asao MATSUSHIMA
  • Patent number: 10031454
    Abstract: A fixing belt according to the present invention has an endless shape and includes a base layer made of a heat-resistant resin; an elastic layer made of an elastic material; and a releasing layer which are stacked on one another in this order in which: the loss tangent tan ? of the elastic material at 20 Hz is 0.1 or smaller; and the fixing belt is mounted in a fixing device in the state where the belt is rotatably supported by two or more rollers including a heating roller, whereby favorable fixation performance and favorable separativeness relative to a recording medium can be achieved even in high speed image formation of an electrophotographic process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Izumi Mukoyama, Hirofumi Koga, Go Yamaguchi, Asao Matsushima, Akira Ohira
  • Patent number: 10025245
    Abstract: A resistance heating element contains a heat-resistant resin and conductive stainless steel fiber coated with a film, and satisfies the following expression (1): 1?(r1/r0)?1.03, where r0 represents the initial resistance value of the resistance heating element, and r1 represents the resistance value of the resistance heating element after allowed to stand at 30° C. and a relative humidity of 80% for one week.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Izumi Mukoyama, Eiichi Yoshida, Susumu Sudo, Akira Ohira
  • Patent number: 9939764
    Abstract: A fixing belt includes a base layer, an elastic layer made of an elastic material, and a release layer. The elastic layer includes a first elastic layer disposed on a side of the base layer, and a second elastic layer disposed on a side of the release layer. The second elastic layer has a lower hardness than that of the first elastic layer. A Universal hardness of the second elastic layer is 3 to 7 N/mm2. A thickness ratio of the second elastic layer to the elastic layer is 5 to 15%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Koga, Izumi Mukoyama, Naoko Uemura
  • Patent number: 9931793
    Abstract: An endless-belt shaped heating element is produced by: dispersing annealed stainless-steel fibers in the heat-resistant resin or a precursor thereof; and, producing a molded article of the heat-resistant resin in which the annealed stainless-steel fibers are dispersed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Izumi Mukoyama, Junji Ujihara
  • Publication number: 20180088500
    Abstract: A fixing belt includes: a base layer having heat resistance; an elastic layer disposed on the base layer and made of an elastic material; and a releasing layer disposed on the elastic layer, wherein a storage elastic modulus of the base layer is 3.8 to 4.8 GPa.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Inventors: Izumi MUKOYAMA, Hirofumi KOGA, Naoko UEMURA, Asao MATSUSHIMA
  • Patent number: 9811032
    Abstract: A fixing belt includes a base layer made of a heat-resistant resin, an elastic layer made of an elastic material, and a releasing layer, which are laminated in this order, and the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of viscoelastic modulus within a range of 100 to 200° C. is 0.8% or less. Further, the viscoelastic modulus of the fixing belt within the range of 100 to 200° C. is within a range of 50 to 62%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Koga, Izumi Mukoyama, Naoko Uemura
  • Publication number: 20170308011
    Abstract: A fixing belt includes a base layer, an elastic layer made of an elastic material, and a release layer. The elastic layer includes a first elastic layer disposed on a side of the base layer, and a second elastic layer disposed on a side of the release layer. The second elastic layer has a lower hardness than that of the first elastic layer. A Universal hardness of the second elastic layer is 3 to 7 N/mm2. A thickness ratio of the second elastic layer to the elastic layer is 5 to 15%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Inventors: Hirofumi KOGA, Izumi MUKOYAMA, Naoko UEMURA
  • Publication number: 20170277090
    Abstract: Provided is a fixing belt wherein a base layer made of heat-resistant resin, an elastic layer made of an elastic material, and a release layer are laminated in this order, and the elastic layer has a linear thermal expansion coefficient of ?4.0×10?4 (1/K) or more and 1.0×10?4 (1/K) or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2017
    Publication date: September 28, 2017
    Inventors: Izumi MUKOYAMA, Hirofumi KOGA, Naoko UEMURA, Asao MATSUSHIMA
  • Publication number: 20160363897
    Abstract: A fixing belt includes a base layer made of a heat-resistant resin, an elastic layer made of an elastic material, and a releasing layer, which are laminated in this order, and the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of viscoelastic modulus within a range of 100 to 200° C. is 0.8% or less. Further, the viscoelastic modulus of the fixing belt within the range of 100 to 200° C. is within a range of 50 to 62%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Inventors: Hirofumi Koga, Izumi Mukoyama, Naoko Uemura
  • Publication number: 20160250811
    Abstract: An endless-belt shaped heating element is produced by: dispersing annealed stainless-steel fibers in the heat-resistant resin or a precursor thereof; and, producing a molded article of the heat-resistant resin in which the annealed stainless-steel fibers are dispersed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Publication date: September 1, 2016
    Inventors: Izumi MUKOYAMA, Junji UJIHARA
  • Publication number: 20160223967
    Abstract: A fixing belt according to the present invention has an endless shape and includes a base layer made of a heat-resistant resin; an elastic layer made of an elastic material; and a releasing layer which are stacked on one another in this order in which: the loss tangent tan ? of the elastic material at 20 Hz is 0.1 or smaller; and the fixing belt is mounted in a fixing device in the state where the belt is rotatably supported by two or more rollers including a heating roller, whereby favorable fixation performance and favorable separativeness relative to a recording medium can be achieved even in high speed image formation of an electrophotographic process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Publication date: August 4, 2016
    Inventors: IZUMI MUKOYAMA, HIROFUMI KOGA, GO YAMAGUCHI, ASAO MATSUSHIMA, AKIRA OHIRA
  • Publication number: 20160091847
    Abstract: An endless-belt shaped heating element made of a heat resisting resin in which stainless-steel fibers subjected to annealing treatment is dispersed is prepared. The heating element is adopted as a heating belt of a fixing device of an image forming apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Publication date: March 31, 2016
    Inventors: Izumi MUKOYAMA, Junji UJIHARA
  • Patent number: 9268272
    Abstract: An endless heat-generation belt 10 includes a heat-generation layer 11 and a pair of metal electrodes 12 and 12. The heat-generation layer 11 is composed of an electroconductive resin composition and the heat-generation layer 11 can be heated by supplying electricity. The metal electrode 12 is bonded to the heat-generation layer 11 with an electroconductive adhesive 13. The electroconductive adhesive 13 contains an adhesive matrix and an electroconductive filler. The adhesive matrix is a modified silicone resin or an epoxy resin. The heat-generation belt 10 has excellent heat resistance, durability, and resistance stability, and it can be used for a fixing device of an image forming apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Izumi Mukoyama, Eiichi Yoshida, Susumu Sudo, Akira Ohira