Patents by Inventor Minoru Utsumi

Minoru Utsumi 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: 5492783
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electrostatic information-recording medium including an electrode layer (13) and a charge-retaining layer, in which said charge-retaining layer is formed of a laminate of a resin layer (11a) having a low glass transition temperature with a heat-resistant, insulating layer (11b), or an electrostatic information-recording medium comprising at least an electrode layer (13) and a charge-retaining layer (11) in which said charge-retaining layer (11) is formed of a polymer layer (12) containing pentafluorostyrene as a monomer component and having a weight-average molecular weight of 10,000 to 2,000,000, or which includes a photoconductive layer (44) and a charge-retaining layer (43) between a pair of electrodes (42) and (45) and is designed to carry out exposure with the application of voltage between both said electrodes (42) and (45) or apply voltage between both said electrodes (42) and (45) while exposure is carried out, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image, which is t
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1996
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Utsumi, Hiroyuki Obata, Seiji Take, Masayuki Iijima, Hironori Kamiyama
  • Patent number: 5488601
    Abstract: An information recording system including a photoelectric sensor being semiconductive and having a photoconductive layer stacked on an electrode, and an information recording medium having an information recording layer stacked on an electrode so that information can be recorded on the information recording layer by an electric field or electric charge. The photoelectric sensor and the information recording medium are disposed to face each other, and information exposure is carried out with a voltage being applied between the two electrodes, thereby enabling information to be recorded on the information recording medium. The photoconductive layer of the photoelectric sensor is capable of amplifying an electric field or electric charge given to the information recording medium, so that the intensity of electric field or the amount of electric charge given to the information recording medium can be increased to a level higher than the light energy actually applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 30, 1996
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Sakano, Daigo Aoki, Minoru Utsumi, Masanori Akada, Osamu Shimizu
  • Patent number: 5450168
    Abstract: A charge carrier medium (41) is successively fed to a rotating (or reciprocating) photosensitive material (40) in opposite relation thereto. Making use of a beam or linear slit scanning exposure system or a planar exposure system enabling one frame to be scanned every 1/60 sec., for instance, the exposure timing is allowed to synchronize with the movement of the photosensitive material (40) and the feed of the charge carrier medium (14) to record images successively on the medium by either voltage-applied exposure or short-circuit exposure in which the charge carrier medium is pre-charged, whereby the images can be picked up as moving images. At the same time, the photosensitive material (40) is irradiated with light from the charge-clearing light source (45) to clear it of a residual charged image. Alternatively, such leakage of charges may be achieved by bringing an electrically conductive member into contact with the photosensitive material, charging it uniformly as by d.c. or a.c.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1995
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Utsumi, Hiroyuki Obata, Atsushi Takano, Takashi Aono
  • Patent number: 5439768
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an electrostatic information recording medium in which a charge retaining layer having high insulating properties is laminated on an electrode, and an electrostatic information recording/reproducing process wherein, while said electrostatic information recording medium is positioned in opposition to a photosensitive member on which a photoconductive layer is laminated, the recording medium is subjected to information exposure with the application of voltage between both electrodes to accumulate electrostatic charges thereon depending upon the dosage of said information exposure, and the electrostatic information thus accumulated is reproduced by potential reading.The present electrostatic information recording medium has an information density as expressed in terms of a high recording capacity of the order of 8.times.10.sup.8 bits/cm.sup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1995
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Matsuo, Minoru Utsumi, Masayuki Iijima, Yukio Taniguchi, Hiroyuki Obata, Seiji Take
  • Patent number: 5434698
    Abstract: A high-resistance compound semiconductor 12 is epitaxially grown on a low-resistance compound semiconductor 11 and a dielectric reflecting film 13 is formed thereon, thereby forming a monolithic sensor 10. As the low-resistance compound semiconductor 11, a compound semiconductor is used which has a large bandgap so as to enable probe light to pass therethrough without being absorbed and which has a lattice constant and a thermal expansion coefficient, which are close to those of the high-resistance compound semiconductor. In addition, since the low-resistance compound semiconductor 11 also serves as an electrode, a compound semiconductor which has a resistivity of 10.sup.+1 .OMEGA.cm or less is used. Since the shorter the wavelength of the probe light used, the larger the retardation change and the larger the signal output, a compound semiconductor which has a large bandgap is used as the high-resistance compound semiconductor 12 so that light of short wavelength can be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1995
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Takano, Minoru Utsumi, Hiroyuki Obata
  • Patent number: 5424156
    Abstract: An electrostatic information recording medium according to this invention includes an inorganic oxide layer 3 and a photoconductive layer comprising a charge-generating layer 4 and a charge-transport layer 5 laminated onto an electrode 2 in this sequence, as illustrated in FIG. 1. To record information, the information is exposed to light while voltage is being applied between the electrode 3 and another opposite electrode, or alternatively voltage is applied therebetween while the information is being exposed to light.After information recording, the electrostatic information recording medium is uniformly electrified on its surface as by corona charging, whereby the information can be easily reproduced in the form of electrostatic information. This recording medium, if tone-developed, can be used as an original plate for electrostatic printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 13, 1995
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daigo Aoki, Minoru Utsumi, Hiroyuki Obata
  • Patent number: 5378565
    Abstract: An electrode 2c and a pinene polymer recording layer 2a with a molecular weight of 500 to 10000 are successively stacked on a substrate 2c, as shown in FIG. 3 . By carrying out thermal development, information electric charge that is formed on the resin surface is formed into a thermally stable frost image without decay of the information electric charge. Since no photoconductive layer is needed, when transmitted or reflected light is used to reproduce the frost image, there is no effect of the coloring of a photoconductive layer. If exposure is effected under the application of a voltage, since the depth of dimple patterns of a frost image varies in accordance with the quantity of exposure energy, tonal reproducibility is obtained. In addition, it is possible to obtain high resolution and make an original for OHP, a microfilm, a slidefilm, etc. which is of good quality and has high fidelty to the original document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 3, 1995
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Obata, Minoru Utsumi, Masayuki Iijima, Masato Okabe, Hironori Kamiyama
  • Patent number: 5373348
    Abstract: A converting device, and recording and detecting methods using the same, wherein the converting device includes a converting layer containing a variable electroconductivity material exhibiting electronic charge conduction. The variable electroconductivity material includes: (a) an electroconductivity variation imparting agent which changes its ionic structure when exposed to one of light and heat energy, between nonionic and ionic structures, the electroconductivity variation imparting agent including at least one component selected from spiropyrane compounds, diazonium compounds, derivatives thereof, a mixture of a leuco dye and a halide compound, and an ionic dye; and (b) a charge transport substance, the electroconductivity of which varies in relation to the ionic structural change of the electroconductivity variation imparting agent, the charge transport substance including at least one component selected from an organic or inorganic charge transport material, a .pi.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1994
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Insatsu Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eiichi Inoue, Atsumi Noshiro, Minoru Utsumi
  • Patent number: 5298947
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image-recording process wherein the voltage applied between a photosensitive member 2 and electrostatic information recording medium 1 is put off after the lapse of a given time from the closing of an exposure shutter 13. It is thus possible to move all the generated carriers onto electrostatic information recording medium 1 and accumulate them as charges in an amount corresponding to the quantity of exposure irrespective of a voltage shutter time. It is also possible to electrically charge electrostatic information recording medium 1 or the photosensitive member 2 in advance and put on-off an electrical connection between the electrodes of the photosensitive member 2 and electrostatic information recording medium 1 to control image exposure, thereby dispensing with any external high voltage power source and obtaining a positive image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1994
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Aono, Minoru Utsumi, Hiroyuki Obata, Kohji Ichimura, Masayuki Iijima
  • Patent number: 5224090
    Abstract: The optical recording member according to the present invention includes an information recording pattern consisting of high reflectance portions and low reflectance portions formed on a substrate. During reading of information, discrimination of recording information is done by detecting the difference in light reflectance between the above respective portions. In this case, the low reflectance portions are roughened on their surface and have light scattering property, and therefore the difference in light reflectance can be well detected. Further, the method for preparing the optical recording member according to the present invention can be practiced according to relatively simple means of the surface roughening step of the above low reflectance portions and yet according to a precise and rapid method, and therefore it is suitable for bulk production on an industrial scale.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1993
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Insatsu Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuo Umeda, Masaaki Asano, Minoru Utsumi, Takuya Hamaguchi, Takeshi Matsumoto, Yuji Kondo
  • Patent number: 5213922
    Abstract: An electrostatic printing method, wherein a photosensitive member has a photoconductive layer formed on a support member with a conductive layer therebetween is placed face to face with a drum of electrostatic information recording medium, which has an insulating layer formed on a cylindrical conductive layer. Voltage is applied between the photosensitive member and the conductive layer of the electrostatic information recording medium drum. Electric charge is accumulated in the shape of an image on the surface of the electrostatic information recording medium drum, by performing image exposure from the direction of the photosensitive member. Recording film is supplied at the same speed as the rotating speed of the drum on contact or non-contact basis with the drum, and toner development is performed by a developing machine which is installed face to face to the drum with the recording film therebetween. A conductive roller may be provided at a position where the recording medium is separated from the drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1993
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Matsuo, Hiroyuki Obata, Minoru Utsumi
  • Patent number: 5192634
    Abstract: The a-selenium-tellurium photosensitive member according to the present invention comprises an electric charge injection preventive layer, an a-selenium-tellurium mixed vacuum evaporation layer of 0.03-0.2 .mu.m thick having tellurium concentration within the range of 20-50 wt % with uniform concentration on the deposited surface, and an electric charge transport layer, and these three layers are sequentially laminated on a transparent electrode layer. Thus, a-selenium-tellurium layer is formed in thin film, and thermal excitation carrier and injection carrier can be reduced to very low level even when tellurium concentration is increased. The increase of dark current is not very high. Panchromatic property can be provided in visible light region, and the sensitivity can be improved even in short wavelength region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1993
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohji Ichimura, Minoru Utsumi
  • Patent number: 5192631
    Abstract: A variable electroconductivity material characterized by being obtained by formulating (a) an electroconductivity variation imparting agent comprising a substance which is caused by light or heat energy to undergo structural change, reversibly or irreversibly, between nonionic and ionic structures and (b) a charge transport substance the electroconductivity of which is varied by said structural change of said electroconductivity variation imparting agent, and an information recording medium obtained by the use of this material has excellent memory stability, and also a light (heat) converting device having conversion characteristics can be obtained by the use of this material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1993
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Insatsu Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eiichi Inoue, Atsumi Noshiro, Minoru Utsumi
  • Patent number: 5165343
    Abstract: A printing plate including a printing plate member, an easily deformable elastic layer laminated on the printing plate member, a surface layer having a higher elasticity than that of the elastic layer, laminated on the elastic layer, and a printing surface layer formed on the surface layer. The printing surface layer has an image area having an affinity with an ink and a non-image area having an ink repellancy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1992
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Insatsu Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eiichi Inoue, Mitsuru Takeda, Hitoshi Fujii, Minoru Utsumi, Noritaka Egashira, Satoru Kuramochi
  • Patent number: 5161233
    Abstract: In the information recording an reproducing method and apparatus according to the present invention, a piece of picture image information is recorded as an analog quantity or a digital quantity an information carrying medium in a planar manner at a high density, charge potential is read for outputting electric signals to correspond to the recorded picture image information and then the outputted signals are printed out by means of various display unit or output device, with high quality and high resolution as well as ease processing of the information. The information carrying medium provides a long period of storage of information and enables stored picture image information to be repeatedly reproduced with a picture quality according to need.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1992
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Matsuo, Minoru Utsumi, Chihaya Ogusu, Shunsuke Mukasa, Yoshiaki Kudo, Hiroyuki Obata, Takashi Aono, Hiroshi Mohri, Masato Koike, Hideaki Amano, Norikazu Saito
  • Patent number: 4997593
    Abstract: A variable electroconductivity material characterized by being obtaine by formulating (a) an electroconductivity variation imparting agent comprising a substance which is caused by light or heat energy to undergo structural change, reversibly or irreversibly, between nonionic and ionic structures and (b) a charge transport substance the electroconductivity of which is varied by said structural change of said electroconductivity variation imparting agent, and an information recording medium obtained by the use of this material has excellent memory stability, and also a light (heat) converting device having conversion characteristics can be obtained by the use of this material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 5, 1991
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Insatsu Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eiichi Inoue, Atsumi Noshiro, Minoru Utsumi