Patents by Inventor Mune Iwamoto

Mune Iwamoto 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: 6391965
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for the continuous production of an ABS resin. The polymerization step comprises at least two substeps, one being a first-stage substep of forming particles of the rubbery polymer and the other a second-stage substep of adjusting the particle sizes of the particles. The first-stage substep is conducted in a polymerization system making use of a plug flow reactor or a batch polymerization reactor, and conducts polymerization at least until the particles are formed in the polymerization mixture. The second-stage substep increases a converted amount of the monomer component into the polymer compared with that in the particle forming substep and makes the particles smaller. A polycarbonate-ABS resin composition is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Takashi Koura, Mune Iwamoto, Ryuichi Sugimoto, Takayasu Ikeda, Koji Kawano, Shiro Otsuzuki
  • Patent number: 6376605
    Abstract: A styrene resin is disclosed having excellent moldability and physical properties and is suited for recycling; and a thermoplastic polycarbonate composition with the styrene resin. The styrene resin contains 50 to 90 wt. % of a continuous phase component (S) composed of a copolymer of a styrene monomer, an unsaturated nitrile monomer; and 10 to 50 wt. % of a dispersed phase component on which said monomers have been grafted and which has occluded said copolymer. In the styrene resin, no triple chain unit AAA is detected from the unsaturated nitrite monomer component (A) in the continuous phase component (S) and a double chain unit AA amounts to 3% or less based on the whole units (A) detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryuichi Sugimoto, Kazu Shiba, Mune Iwamoto
  • Patent number: 6124426
    Abstract: A method for removing volatile materials, comprises adding a blowing aid to a polymer composition containing volatile materials, mixing them in a static mixing apparatus, and extruding the resultant mixture by an extruding apparatus into a devolatilizing tank, thereby the mixture is made to be blown, to cause removal of the volatile materials. First, the blowing aid (6) is discharged with an addition nozzle apparatus (2), in a direction opposite to the direction of the flow of the polymer composition (1), to be added, and the polymer composition is introduced into the static mixing apparatus (3), at a pressure at which the blowing does not take place, thereby mixing them. Then, using the extruding apparatus (11), the resultant mixture is extruded into the devolatilizing tank (4), so that the polymer is made into a blown product at such a temperature and a pressure that the blowing coefficient B is 1.4 or more, thereby causing the removal of volatile materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2000
    Assignees: Toyo Engineering Corporation, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryuichi Sugimoto, Koji Kawano, Hiroya Honda, Mune Iwamoto, Shiro Otsuzuki, Kenichiro Matsuba, Tetsuo Maeda, Yozo Maeda
  • Patent number: 6060564
    Abstract: A process for the (co)polymerization of a monomer material, which includes at least an acrylonitrile monomer as an essential component, at a temperature of 80.degree. C. or higher by bulk or solution polymerization while allowing said monomer material to evaporate. The (co)polymerization is conducted while providing a vapor phase over a polymerization mixture in a reaction tank. During the (co)polymerization, the temperature of the vapor phase is maintained in a range of from 30.degree. C. to 65.degree. C. so that the polymerization is conducted without substantially releasing vapor, which is evaporated from the polymerization mixture, to outside of the reaction tank. By cooling the vapor phase of the reaction tank and maintaining its temperature in the above specific range in accordance with the present invention, it is possible to avoid mixing of a gelled polymer in a product and also to effectively remove reaction heat at the time of the (co)polymerization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Mutsuko Uchida, Mune Iwamoto, Akihiko Nakajima, Masato Takaku, Hisato Morita, Koji Kawano
  • Patent number: 5891962
    Abstract: A transparent, rubber-modified styrene resin comprises 70 to 96 parts by weight of a copolymer formed of 20 to 70 wt. % of styrene monomer units and 30 to 80 wt. % of alkyl (meth)acrylate monomer units and 4 to 30 parts by weight of a rubbery polymer. The rubbery polymer is dispersed in the copolymer as particles having an average particle size of 0.1 to 2.0 .mu.m. At least 70 wt. % of the rubbery polymer is a styrene-butadiene block copolymer which is formed of 5 to 50 wt. % of styrene units and 50 to 95 wt. % of butadiene units, has a viscosity in a range of 3 to 60 cps when measured as a 5 wt. % styrene solution at 25.degree. C. and possesses a ratio (Mw/Mn) of a weight average molecular weight (Mw) to a number average molecular weight (Mn) in a range of 1.0 to 1.8. The copolymer and the rubbery polymer have substantially the same refractive index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1999
    Assignee: Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Shiro Otsuzuki, Mune Iwamoto, Akihiko Nakajima, Masato Takaku, Hisao Morita, Koji Kawano
  • Patent number: 5552494
    Abstract: A molding of an ABS-based resin is described. Rubber particles located at a depth of 0.5-1.5 .mu.m from a surface of the molding morphologically comprise at least the following two types of particles:(1) A particles having an a/b ratio not greater than 1.5, wherein a and b represent a major axis and a minor axis, respectively, and(2) B particles having an a/b ratio not smaller than 5, wherein a and b have the same meanings as defined abovewhen a section extending at the depth in parallel with the surface of the molding is observed in an electron micrograph taken by the ultrathin sectioning technique. Assuming that the total area of the rubber particles as observed in the electron micrograph is 100%, the total area of the A particles accounts for at least 10% and that of the B particles is in a range of 0.01-90%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1996
    Assignee: Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Mune Iwamoto, Akihiko Nakajima, Masato Takaku, Hisao Morita, Toshihiko Ando, Tomofumi Shirafuji, Mutsuko Uchida
  • Patent number: 5506304
    Abstract: A process for continuously preparing rubber modified styrene resins from styrene monomers and acrylonitryle monomers in the presence of a rubbery polymer in accordance with a continuous mass and/or solution polymerization method by the use of serial polymerization device comprising two or more reactors; said process comprising(1) a first step of feeding a polymeric materials to the first reactor to carry out the polymerization of monomers in a condition where the rubbery polymer is not inverted to the dispersed phase, and a second step of adding a polymeric materials to second reactors to carry out the polymerization of the monomers and to thus invert the rubbery polymer to the dispersed phase,(2) a ratio of the added materials to the materials used in the first step being in the range of from 10 to 220% by weight,whereby impact resistance and surface gloss can be remarkably improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 9, 1996
    Assignee: Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Shiro Otsuzuki, Mune Iwamoto, Akihiko Nakajima, Masato Takaku, Hisao Morita, Takao Kobayashi, Toshihiko Ando
  • Patent number: 5473014
    Abstract: A rubber modified styrenic resin composition which can be obtained by dispersing rubber-like polymer particles in a homopolymer or a copolymer of a styrenic monomer. The rubber modified styrenic resin composition has:(a) a volume-average particle size of the rubber-like polymer particles is in the range of from 0.2 to 0.8 .mu.m,(b) a particle size distribution curve on the basis of the volume of the rubber-like polymer particles has one peak,(c) a ratio of a 5% value to a 95% value of the cumulative distribution of the particle size on the basis of the volume of the rubber-like polymer particles is in the range of from 3 to 45.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 5, 1995
    Assignee: Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Incorporated
    Inventors: Toshihiko Ando, Mune Iwamoto, Masahiro Kaneko, Kouzou Ichikawa, Akihiko Nakajima, Masato Takaku
  • Patent number: 5434204
    Abstract: A colored styrenic resin composition comprises 100 parts by weight of a styrenic resin, 0.1 to 5 parts by weight of titanium oxide and 0.05 to 2.5 parts by weight of an organo-tin compound and in which the amount of the organo-tin compound is not less than 10% by weight on the basis of the amount of the titanium oxide. The resin composition ensures the production of injection-molded articles free of black streaks and, therefore, the articles formed from the resin composition of the invention have high commercial value. The colored styrenic resin composition is useful as a material for the production of housings of, for example, a variety of electric appliances and office machinery and equipment as well as miscellaneous goods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1995
    Assignee: Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Incorporated
    Inventors: Masato Takaku, Mune Iwamoto, Masaru Honma, Atsushi Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 5210132
    Abstract: A process for preparing rubber modified high impact resins by dissolving a rubbery polymer in a monomer containing an aromatic vinyl monomer or a mixture of an aromatic vinyl monomer and a vinyl cyanide monomer followed by polymerizing the monomer, the two steps being carried out in at least two polymerization reactors with a particle disperser placed between the first and second reactors. High impact resins having excellent surface properties are obtained with a savings in a power consumption by controlling:(1) the relationship between the concentration of the polymerized monomer and the content of the rubbery polymer in the first reactor;(2) the relationship between the volume occupied by the polymerizing liquid in the first reactor and the inner volume of the particle disperser; and(3) the peripheral linear velocity of a shearing stirrer in the particle disperser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1993
    Assignee: Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Tetsuyuki Matsubara, Norifumi Ito, Mune Iwamoto, Kazuo Sugazaki, Toshihiko Ando, Yasuo Furuta, Kouzo Ichikawa, Hitoshi Ozawa
  • Patent number: 5191023
    Abstract: The present invention relates to rubber-modified styrene copolymer that exhibits excellent rigidity, impact strength, external appearance and fluidity, while retaining rigidity, impact properties and external appearance, and when prepared by copolymerizing a maleimide monomer, has high heat resistance and therefore is suitable for materials for components of electric equipments, electronic equipments, automobiles and business machines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1993
    Assignee: Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Mune Iwamoto, Norifumi Ito, Tetsuyuki Matsubara, Kazuo Sugazaki, Toshihiko Ando
  • Patent number: 5191046
    Abstract: A transparent heat-resistant styrene-base copolymer comprising specific amounts of units derived respectively from (a) a styrene-type monomer, (b) a (meth)acrylonitrile monomer and/or (meth)acrylic ester type monomer and (c) a phenylmaleimide monomer, in which the weight ratio (b)/(c) and the ratio of the weight average molecular weight to the number average molecular weight fall within their respective specific ranges and the amount of the phenylmaleimide-type monomer still remaining in the copolymer is below a certain specific concentration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1993
    Assignee: Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Incorporated
    Inventors: Mune Iwamoto, Norifumi Ito, Tetsuyuki Matsubara, Toshihiko Ando
  • Patent number: 4972024
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a rubber-modified styrene copolymer which contains as an impact strength modifier a rubbery polymer having a viscosity of 2-250 centipoises as measured at 25.degree. C. as a 5 wt. % styrene solution and a styrene insoluble content lower than 0.1 wt. %, produced by anionic polymerization and dispersed in a continuous phase of a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer. The rubbery polymer contains small particles of the same styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer occluded in the form of cells. The areas of particles in each of which the maximum cell diameter is smaller than 0.1 .mu.m are at least 40% of the area of all the particles of the rubbery polymer and the volume average particle size of these particles is 0.1-0.4 .mu.m. The weight ratio of the monomers in the styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer is 90/10.gtoreq.styrene/acrylonitrile.gtoreq.55/45. Per 100 parts by weight of the copolymer, the proportions of polymers having a molecular weight greater than 1,000,000 is smaller than 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 20, 1990
    Assignee: Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Mune Iwamoto, Norifumi Ito, Kazuo Sugazaki, Tetsuyuki Matsubara, Toshihiko Ando, Yasuo Furuta
  • Patent number: 4954571
    Abstract: The invention provides a rubber dispersed copolymer resin having excellent heat resistance, impact strength and moldability and composed of (1) a dispersed phase formed of a rubbery polymer and copolymerized styrene-type, acrylonitrile-type and maleimide-type monomers, said rubbery polymer specificaly controlled occluding the copolymer of monomers, being grafted with the copolymer and/or forming a multicomponent gel together with copolymers, and (2) a continuous phase formed at least of a specifically controlled copolymer of the styrene-type, acrylonitrile-type and maleimide-type monomers. The resin is useful as a molding material for electric appliances, electronic equipment and cars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 4, 1990
    Assignee: Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Incorporated
    Inventors: Mune Iwamoto, Norifumi Ito, Sugazaki: Kazuo, Tetsuyuki Matsubara, Toshihiko Ando
  • Patent number: 4808661
    Abstract: The invention provides a rubber dispersed copolymer resin having excellent heat resistance, impact strength and moldability and composed of (1) a dispersed phase formed of a rubbery polymer and copolymerized styrene-type, acrylonitrile-type and maleimide-type monomers, said rubbery polymer specifically controlled occluding the copolymer of monomers, being grafted with the copolymer and/or forming a multicomponent gel together with copolymers, and (2) a continuous phase formed at least of a specifically controlled copolymer of the styrenetype, acrylonitrile-type and maleimide-type monomers. The resin is useful as a molding material for electric appliances, electronic equipment and cars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1986
    Date of Patent: February 28, 1989
    Assignee: Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Incorporated
    Inventors: Mune Iwamoto, Norifumi Ito, Kazuo Sugazaki, Tetsuyuki Matsubara, Toshihiko Ando
  • Patent number: 4789272
    Abstract: Upon transportation of synthetic rubber chips through a piping or by means of a conveyor, 2 wt. %-50 wt. % based on the weight of the synthetic rubber chips of steam of 160.degree. C. or lower, water or both steam of 160.degree. C. or lower and water is added to the synthetic rubber chips upon their transportation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1988
    Assignees: Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Incorporated, Toyo Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuyuki Matsubara, Norifumi Ito, Mune Iwamoto, Toshihiko Ando
  • Patent number: 4758644
    Abstract: A bromostyrene composition having overcome the unstability of bromostyrenes and being stable at the time of its storage and transportation is provided, which composition comprises 100 parts by weight of a styrene substituted with one, two or three bromine atoms on the benzene nucleus thereof or a mixture of the foregoing, 20 to 3,000 parts by weight of an aromatic vinyl compound such as styrene and 0.001 to 0.05 part by weight of a polymerization inhibitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1986
    Date of Patent: July 19, 1988
    Assignee: Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Mune Iwamoto, Norifumi Ito, Kazuo Sugazaki, Tetsuyuki Matsubara, Toshihiko Ando
  • Patent number: 4699976
    Abstract: Disclosed is a continuous treating process of a rubber modified styrenic polymer composition produced by bulk or solution polymerization and containing at least 1% by weight of a rubber component and at least 16% by weight of the total amount of an unreacted monomer and solvent which process comprises treating the polymer composition in two-step volatile component separation apparatuses, each of which comprises a multi-tube preheater and a volatilizer, to remove the unreacted monomer and other volatile components wherein the first treated composition contains 3-15% by weight of the unreacted monomer and solvent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1986
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1987
    Assignees: Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Inc., Toyo Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuyuki Matsubara, Norifumi Ito, Mune Iwamoto, Toshihiko Ando
  • Patent number: 4619959
    Abstract: A process for producing a styrene-base resin having improved moldability and a good hue by continuously adding a specific higher fatty acid amide in a dissolved or molten state, and/or a mixture of a specific higher fatty acid amide and a specific metallic soap in a molten state, to a styrene-base resin in the course of its production by continuous bulk or solution polymerization. The above process is particularly effective for rubber-modified styrene-acrylonitrile resins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1985
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1986
    Assignees: Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Incorporated, Toyo Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuyuki Matsubara, Norifumi Ito, Kazuo Sugazaki, Kouzo Ichikawa, Mune Iwamoto, Toshihiko Ando
  • Patent number: 4460278
    Abstract: Disclosed is a continuous bulk polymerization reactor comprising a cylindrical reaction vessel elongated in the direction of the reacting fluid and a shaft installed within the reaction vessel. A plurality of flow of double helical-ribbon agitators are attached to the shaft in such a way that they face in the same direction, and a plurality of baffles having a relative open area of 5 to 40% based on the cross-sectional area of the internal space of the reaction vessel, are disposed between any adjacent ones of the agitators. Thus the formation of stagnant fluid pockets is avoided and excellent piston flow properties are achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 17, 1984
    Assignees: Toyo Engineering Corporation, Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Incorporated
    Inventors: Tetsuyuki Matsubara, Norifumi Ito, Yuzuru Ishida, Mune Iwamoto, Tetsuo Maeda