Patents by Inventor Kunihiko Nakamura

Kunihiko Nakamura 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: 20180320670
    Abstract: The actuator device according to the present invention comprises an actuator and an AC power supply capable of applying a high-frequency voltage to the actuator. The actuator comprises a flexible tube formed of a polymer, an inner electrode, and an outer electrode. In a cross section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the flexible tube, the inner electrode is in contact with at least a part of an inner periphery of the flexible tube. In the cross section, a part of an outer periphery of the flexible tube is coated with the outer electrode. In operation, the AC power supply applies a high-frequency voltage having a frequency of not less than 1 MHz to the actuator to deform the actuator in a direction from the inner electrode toward the outer electrode in the cross section. The AC power supply stops the application of the high-frequency voltage to the actuator to return the actuator to the original position thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2018
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Inventors: YURIKO KANEKO, MAKI HIRAOKA, KUNIHIKO NAKAMURA
  • Patent number: 10088773
    Abstract: A developer supply kit detachably mountable to a developer supplying apparatus comprising a developer supply container and a developer accommodated therein, wherein the developer supply container includes, a developer accommodating portion accommodating the developer, a discharge opening for discharging the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion, a drive receiving portion to which a driving force is inputted from the developer supplying apparatus, and a pump portion operable so that an internal pressure of the developer accommodating portion alternately and repetitively changes between a pressure lower than a ambient pressure and a pressure higher than the ambient pressure, by the driving force received by the drive receiving portion, wherein the developer accommodated in the developer supply container includes toner containing binder resin material and a coloring material, the developer satisfies, 10?E(mJ)?80, 0.4?Ea(mJ)?2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masato Yamaoka, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Kunihiko Nakamura, Yusuke Yamada, Emi Watanabe, Nobuo Nakajima, Katsuya Murakami
  • Patent number: 9964872
    Abstract: A toner including toner particles containing a binder resin, a pigment, a crystalline resin and an amorphous resin. The adsorption rate A1 of the crystalline resin to the pigment is from 5% to 40%, and the adsorption rate A2 of the amorphous resin to the pigment is from 20% to 60%. The adsorption rates A1 and A2 satisfy relationship (1): A1<A2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenta Kamikura, Kunihiko Nakamura, Tsutomu Shimano
  • Patent number: 9952523
    Abstract: A toner including a toner particle containing a binder resin, a pigment, a pigment dispersant and an amorphous resin, in which the pigment dispersant has a rate of adsorption A1 (%) to the pigment of at least 80% and not more than 100%, the amorphous resin has a rate of adsorption A2 (%) to the pigment of at least 0% and not more than 60%, the binder resin has an Rf value (RfL) of at least 0.50 and not more than 1.00, and the amorphous resin has an Rf value (RfH) of at least 0.00 and not more than 0.35.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsutomu Shimano, Kunihiko Nakamura, Kenta Kamikura
  • Patent number: 9921501
    Abstract: A toner having a toner particle which contains a binder resin, a fatty acid metal salt, and a resin having an ionic functional group, in which the fatty acid metal salt is a fatty acid metal salt of a polyvalent metal with valency of 2 or higher and a fatty acid with carbon atom number of at least 8 and not more than 28, and the acid dissociation constant pKa of the resin having an ionic functional group is at least 6.0 and not more than 9.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinsuke Mochizuki, Kenichi Nakayama, Masashi Kawamura, Tsuneyoshi Tominaga, Kunihiko Nakamura, Tsutomu Shimano, Takayuki Toyoda, Shiro Kuroki
  • Patent number: 9880478
    Abstract: Provided is a method of producing a toner including a toner particle, the method including: a granulation step of mixing a polymerizable monomer composition containing a polymerizable monomer and an aqueous medium to form a suspension of particles of the polymerizable monomer composition; and a polymerization step of polymerizing the polymerizable monomer in each of the particles of the polymerizable monomer composition in the presence of a metal phosphate containing aluminum as a metal element to provide the toner particle, the content ratio of aluminum in the metal phosphate containing aluminum being 1.0 mol % or more and 95.0 mol % or less with respect to all metal elements, the metal phosphate containing aluminum being obtained by adding an aluminum compound to the aqueous medium and/or the suspension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsutomu Shimano, Kunihiko Nakamura, Kenta Kamikura, Yuichi Yajima, Kenji Ookubo, Dai Nozaki, Tohru Hiramatsu
  • Patent number: 9829820
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to providing a toner having no environmental difference in charging performance, and having high stability of images after output of a large number of copies under environments at high temperature and high humidity in a higher-speed one-component developing system, and a method for producing the toner, and the toner comprises a toner particle including a toner base particle containing a binder resin, a colorant and a releasing agent; and a resin particle adhering to the surface of the toner base particle, wherein the resin particle contains a resin A, and the resin A has an ionic functional group and an acid dissociation constant pKa of 7.0 or more and 9.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akane Masumoto, Kunihiko Nakamura, Tsuneyoshi Tominaga
  • Publication number: 20170307999
    Abstract: A developer supply kit detachably mountable to a developer supplying apparatus comprising a developer supply container and a developer accommodated therein, wherein the developer supply container includes, a developer accommodating portion accommodating the developer, a discharge opening for discharging the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion, a drive receiving portion to which a driving force is inputted from the developer supplying apparatus, and a pump portion operable so that an internal pressure of the developer accommodating portion alternately and repetitively changes between a pressure lower than a ambient pressure and a pressure higher than the ambient pressure, by the driving force received by the drive receiving portion, wherein the developer accommodated in the developer supply container includes toner containing binder resin material and a coloring material, the developer satisfies, 10?E(mJ)?80, 0.4?Ea(mJ)?2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Inventors: Masato Yamaoka, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Kunihiko Nakamura, Yusuke Yamada, Emi Watanabe, Nobuo Nakajima, Katsuya Murakami
  • Publication number: 20170269488
    Abstract: A toner having a toner particle which contains a binder resin, a fatty acid metal salt, and a resin having an ionic functional group, in which the fatty acid metal salt is a fatty acid metal salt of a polyvalent metal with valency of 2 or higher and a fatty acid with carbon atom number of at least 8 and not more than 28, and the acid dissociation constant pKa of the resin having an ionic functional group is at least 6.0 and not more than 9.0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Inventors: Shinsuke Mochizuki, Kenichi Nakayama, Masashi Kawamura, Tsuneyoshi Tominaga, Kunihiko Nakamura, Tsutomu Shimano, Takayuki Toyoda, Shiro Kuroki
  • Patent number: 9720349
    Abstract: A developer supply kit detachably mountable to a developer supplying apparatus comprising a developer supply container and a developer accommodated therein, wherein the developer supply container includes, a developer accommodating portion accommodating the developer, a discharge opening for discharging the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion, a drive receiving portion to which a driving force is inputted from the developer supplying apparatus, and a pump portion operable so that an internal pressure of the developer accommodating portion alternately and repetitively changes between a pressure lower than a ambient pressure and a pressure higher than the ambient pressure, by the driving force received by the drive receiving portion, wherein the developer accommodated in the developer supply container includes toner containing binder resin material and a coloring material, the developer satisfies, 10?E (mJ)?80, 0.4?Ea (mJ)?2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masato Yamaoka, Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Kunihiko Nakamura, Yusuke Yamada, Emi Watanabe, Nobuo Nakajima, Katsuya Murakami
  • Publication number: 20170199474
    Abstract: Provided is a method of producing a toner including a toner particle, the method including: a granulation step of mixing a polymerizable monomer composition containing a polymerizable monomer and an aqueous medium to form a suspension of particles of the polymerizable monomer composition; and a polymerization step of polymerizing the polymerizable monomer in each of the particles of the polymerizable monomer composition in the presence of a metal phosphate containing aluminum as a metal element to provide the toner particle, the content ratio of aluminum in the metal phosphate containing aluminum being 1.0 mol % or more and 95.0 mol % or less with respect to all metal elements, the metal phosphate containing aluminum being obtained by adding an aluminum compound to the aqueous medium and/or the suspension.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2016
    Publication date: July 13, 2017
    Inventors: Tsutomu Shimano, Kunihiko Nakamura, Kenta Kamikura, Yuichi Yajima, Kenji Ookubo, Dai Nozaki, Tohru Hiramatsu
  • Patent number: 9594323
    Abstract: A toner having toner particles, each of which contains a binder resin, a wax and inorganic fine particles, wherein the inorganic fine particles are fixed at the surface of the toner particles as a result of a surface treatment by hot air, and the degree of uneven distribution of wax in the toner is controlled in a depth direction of the toner, from the toner surface towards a toner central portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Kunihiko Nakamura, Nozomu Komatsu, Kosuke Fukudome, Yoshiaki Shiotari, Takayuki Itakura
  • Patent number: 9556300
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing resin particles, including the step of producing the resin particles by using a liquid which is prepared with a resin having an ionic functional group and a pKa of 6.0 to 9.0, an organic solvent, which can dissolve the resin and which has a solubility parameter of 12.0 or less, water, and a neutralizer, wherein the neutralizer contains an acid having a pKa of 3.0 or less or a base having a pKb of 3.0 or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kunihiko Nakamura, Akane Masumoto, Tsuneyoshi Tominaga
  • Patent number: 9541852
    Abstract: A toner contains toner particles. The toner particles are made of a resin containing an amorphous polyester resin, a releasing agent, an additive and a coloring agent. The additive has a polyester portion and a crystalline acrylic portion that are chemically bound to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kosuke Fukudome, Shuhei Moribe, Satoshi Mita, Kunihiko Nakamura, Noriyoshi Umeda, Yoshiaki Shiotari, Naoki Okamoto, Tetsuya Ida
  • Patent number: 9453817
    Abstract: In conventional non-destructive inspection devices using magnetism, the subject of inspection was limited to the surface layer of the test object as a result of the skin effect, and it was not possible to perform flaw detection inspection at the interior or reverse surface of thick-structured test objects. The effect of the surface effect was eliminated by imparting an external signal canceling the detection output of the test object surface layer from the detection output of a magnetic field resulting from eddy currents induced in the test object. As a result, it has become possible to extract the detection output of the test object interior that had been masked by the detection output of the test object surface layer, and it has become possible to perform thickness inspection and flaw detection of the reverse surface and interior or a test object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: DAINICHI Machine and Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunihiko Nakamura, Gijun Idei
  • Publication number: 20160246193
    Abstract: A toner including toner particles containing a binder resin, a pigment, a crystalline resin and an amorphous resin. The adsorption rate A1 of the crystalline resin to the pigment is from 5% to 40%, and the adsorption rate A2 of the amorphous resin to the pigment is from 20% to 60%. The adsorption rates A1 and A2 satisfy relationship (1): A1<A2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Publication date: August 25, 2016
    Inventors: Kenta Kamikura, Kunihiko Nakamura, Tsutomu Shimano
  • Publication number: 20160246195
    Abstract: A toner including a toner particle containing a binder resin, a pigment, a pigment dispersant and an amorphous resin, in which the pigment dispersant has a rate of adsorption A1(%) to the pigment of at least 80% and not more than 100%, the amorphous resin has a rate of adsorption A2(%) to the pigment of at least 0% and not more than 60%, the binder resin has an Rf value (RfL) of at least 0.50 and not more than 1.00, and the amorphous resin has an Rf value (RfH) of at least 0.00 and not more than 0.35.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Publication date: August 25, 2016
    Inventors: Tsutomu Shimano, Kunihiko Nakamura, Kenta Kamikura
  • Patent number: 9423708
    Abstract: A method for producing a toner particle having high charging stability and durability under environments at high temperature and high humidity is provided. A method for producing a toner particle including an step of adhering a resin particle to surface of a toner base particle containing a binder resin and a colorant in an aqueous medium, wherein the resin particle contain a resin having an ionic functional group and having an acid dissociation constant pKa of 6.0 or more and 9.0 or less, and the pH (hydrogen ion concentration) of the aqueous medium is equal to or greater than pKa of the resin particle?2.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsuneyoshi Tominaga, Kunihiko Nakamura, Akane Masumoto
  • Patent number: 9407172
    Abstract: A vibration power generator comprises: a fixed substrate; a vibrating body having a surface opposed to the fixed substrate, the vibrating body being vibratable to the fixed substrate; electret electrodes aligned in a vibration direction on one of the surface of the fixed substrate and the surface of the vibrating body; and first fixed electrodes and second fixed electrodes alternately aligned in the vibration direction on the other thereof, wherein when the vibrating body is at a resting position, each of the electret electrodes overlaps with both electrodes of a corresponding fixed electrode pair, the corresponding fixed electrode pair being one of the first fixed electrodes and one of the second fixed electrodes that are opposed to the electret electrode, and when the vibrating body is not at a resting position, each of the electret electrodes always overlaps with at least one electrode of the corresponding fixed electrode pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignees: Panasonic Corporation, Stichting IMEC Nederland
    Inventors: Takehiko Yamakawa, Yasuyuki Naito, Keiji Onishi, Kunihiko Nakamura, Hiroshi Nakatsuka, Michael Renaud, Robertus T. F. van Schaijk
  • Publication number: 20160139523
    Abstract: A toner having toner particles, each of which contains a binder resin, a wax and inorganic fine particles, wherein the inorganic fine particles are fixed at the surface of the toner particles as a result of a surface treatment by hot air, and the degree of uneven distribution of wax in the toner is controlled in a depth direction of the toner, from the toner surface towards a toner central portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2016
    Publication date: May 19, 2016
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Fujikawa, Kunihiko Nakamura, Nozomu Komatsu, Kosuke Fukudome, Yoshiaki Shiotari, Takayuki Itakura