Patents by Inventor Naohiro Watanabe

Naohiro Watanabe 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: 10274853
    Abstract: A toner includes a binder resin; a release agent; and two or more inorganic fine particles as external additives. At least one of the inorganic fine particles is silica. When an ultrasonic oscillation is applied to a dispersion including the toner and a dispersant and a rate of the silica releasing from the toner is 20% based on total silica, an application energy of the ultrasonic oscillation is from 8 to 14 kJ, and from 70 to 130 kJ when the rate of the silica releasing from the toner is 50%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takayuki Itoh, Naohiro Watanabe, Takahiro Honda, Shingo Sakashita, Daisuke Inoue, Rintaro Takahashi, Ayumi Satoh
  • Patent number: 9989869
    Abstract: A toner comprising a binder resin and a release agent, wherein the toner has a difference of 30 or less between a maximum value and a minimum value among peak intensities in a range of Molecular weight M±300 where Molecular weight M is a molecular weight selected from a range of from 300 through 5,000 in a molecular weight distribution of tetrahydrofuran (THF)-soluble components in the toner as measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and wherein the peak intensities are defined as relative values assuming a maximum peak value in molecular weights of 20,000 or less is 100, in a molecular weight distribution curve taking an intensity as a vertical axis and a molecular weight as a horizontal axis as measured by GPC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Daisuke Inoue, Naohiro Watanabe, Ryota Inoue, Masana Shiba, Junichi Awamura, Shingo Sakashita, Tomoki Murayama, Yoshitsugu Kimura, Rintaro Takahashi, Akio Takei
  • Publication number: 20180052403
    Abstract: A toner comprising a binder resin and a release agent, wherein the toner has a difference of 30 or less between a maximum value and a minimum value among peak intensities in a range of Molecular weight M±300 where Molecular weight M is a molecular weight selected from a range of from 300 through 5,000 in a molecular weight distribution of tetrahydrofuran (THF)-soluble components in the toner as measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and wherein the peak intensities are defined as relative values assuming a maximum peak value in molecular weights of 20,000 or less is 100, in a molecular weight distribution curve taking an intensity as a vertical axis and a molecular weight as a horizontal axis as measured by GPC.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Publication date: February 22, 2018
    Inventors: Daisuke INOUE, Naohiro WATANABE, Ryota INOUE, Masana SHIBA, Junichi AWAMURA, Shingo SAKASHITA, Tomoki MURAYAMA, Yoshitsugu KIMURA, Rintaro TAKAHASHI, Akio TAKEI
  • Patent number: 9857709
    Abstract: To provide a toner, containing: a binder resin; a colorant; a releasing agent; and a crystalline polyester resin, wherein the toner satisfies the following formulae (1) to (3): 40° C.?X?55° C. Formula (1) 85° C.?Y?92° C. Formula (2) 35° C.?Y?X?50° C. Formula (3) where X is an onset temperature and Y is an endset temperature of an endothermic peak on a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curve of the toner as measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naohiro Watanabe, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Mamoru Hozumi, Tomoyuki Sato, Shinya Hanatani
  • Publication number: 20160378006
    Abstract: A toner includes a binder resin; a release agent; and two or more inorganic fine particles as external additives. At least one of the inorganic fine particles is silica. When an ultrasonic oscillation is applied to a dispersion including the toner and a dispersant and a rate of the silica releasing from the toner is 20% based on total silica, an application energy of the ultrasonic oscillation is from 8 to 14 kJ, and from 70 to 130 kJ when the rate of the silica releasing from the toner is 50%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Inventors: Takayuki ITOH, Naohiro Watanabe, Takahiro Honda, Shingo Sakashita, Daisuke Inoue, Rintaro Takahashi, Ayumi Satoh
  • Publication number: 20160195828
    Abstract: Toner including binder resin; wherein the toner, as measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), has glass transition temperature in range of 40° C. through 70° C. at first temperature rising and has no glass transition temperature in range of X° C. through X?20° C. at second temperature rising where X° C. denotes the glass transition temperature at the first temperature rising, the toner has difference of 30 or less between maximum value and minimum value among peak intensities in range of Molecular weight M±300 where Molecular weight M is molecular weight selected from range of 300 through 5,000 in molecular weight distribution of THF-soluble components in the toner as measured by GPC, and the peak intensities are defined as relative values assuming the maximum peak value in molecular weights of 20,000 or less is 100, in molecular weight distribution curve taking intensity as vertical axis and molecular weight as horizontal axis as measured by GPC.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2016
    Publication date: July 7, 2016
    Inventors: Ayumi SATOH, Naohiro WATANABE, Masana SHIBA, Takahiro HONDA, Ryota INOUE, Daisuke INOUE, Shingo SAKASHITA, Rintaro TAKAHASHI
  • Patent number: 8999618
    Abstract: A toner set, including: at least one chromatic toner containing a colorant; and a transparent toner containing no colorant, wherein the chromatic toner and the transparent toner each include a releasing agent and a binder resin, and wherein an amount of a tetrahydrofuran insoluble matter in the transparent toner is smaller than an amount of a tetrahydrofuran insoluble matter in the chromatic toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuuta Yoshida, Satoshi Ogawa, Masaki Watanabe, Hyo Shu, Naohiro Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8932788
    Abstract: The present invention provides a toner containing at least a binder resin and a pigment, wherein the amount of the pigment in the toner is 3.0% by mass to 8.5% by mass, the volume average particle diameter of the toner is 2.0 ?m to 6.0 ?m, and a monochrome image, which has been fixed on a recording medium so that the amount of the toner adhered onto the recording medium is 0.25 mg/cm2, has a reflection density of 1.2 to 2.5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Wakamatsu, Hiroshi Yamashita, Naohiro Watanabe, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 8911924
    Abstract: A toner including base particles each containing a crystalline polyester and a non-crystalline polyester, wherein the toner has a glass transition temperature of 45° C. or higher where the glass transition temperature is determined from a DSC curve of the toner obtained in the first elevation of temperature thereof, and wherein the toner has a temperature width of 8° C. or lower where the temperature width is a temperature width at ? the height of an endothermic peak attributed to the crystalline polyester in the DSC curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Sato, Naohiro Watanabe, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Shinya Hanatani, Mamoru Hozumi
  • Patent number: 8835086
    Abstract: An electrostatic image developing toner including: a binder resin; a colorant; and a wax, wherein the intensity ratio of an absorbance at 2,850 cm?1 derived from the wax to an absorbance at 828 cm?1 derived from the binder resin, represented by “absorbance derived from the wax/absorbance derived from the binder resin”, is in the range of 0.1 to 0.5, where the absorbances are measured by FTIR-ATR, and the intensity ratio serves as a value for determining the amount of the wax present within 0.3 ?m in depth from surfaces of particles of the toner after the toner has been heated to 140° C. and then cooled, and wherein the toner has a storage elastic modulus of 5,000 Pa or greater at 140° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naohiro Watanabe, Naohito Shimota, Yasuaki Iwamoto, Masana Shiba, Satoshi Kojima
  • Patent number: 8758968
    Abstract: To provide a toner, containing: a binder resin; a crystalline polyester resin; a colorant; and wax, wherein the toner has a fluidized powder characteristic value of 35% to 45%, and a BET specific surface area of 2.8 m2/g to 4 m2/g, and wherein the toner has an intensity ratio P2850/P828 of 0.10 to 0.20, where P2850 is an intensity of a peak at 2850 cm?1 which is attributed from the wax and the crystalline polyester resin, and P828 is an intensity of a peak at 828 cm?1 which is attributed from the binder resin, as measured by total reflectance infrared spectroscopy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naohiro Watanabe, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Shinya Hanatani, Mamoru Hozumi, Osamu Uchinokura
  • Patent number: 8741521
    Abstract: A toner containing toner particles, each toner particle containing: a releasing agent; a colorant; and a binder resin containing at least a crystalline polyester resin and a non-crystalline polyester resin, wherein in the case where a volume average particle diameter of the toner is defined as Dv, the toner contains a group of the toner particles having 4/5 Dv, and a group of the toner particles having 6/5 Dv, and wherein an endothermic value A of the crystalline polyester resin at a first temperature increase in DSC of the toner, an endothermic value B of the crystalline polyester resin at a first temperature increase in DSC of the group of the toner particle having 4/5 Dv, and an endothermic value C of the crystalline polyester resin at a first temperature increase in DSC of the group of the toner particles having 6/5 Dv satisfy the relation represented by the following formulas: 50<(B/A)×100<90, and 110<(C/A)×100<150.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mamoru Hozumi, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Naohiro Watanabe, Tomoyuki Satoh, Shinya Hanatani, Osamu Uchinokura, Kiwako Hirohara
  • Publication number: 20140093820
    Abstract: To provide a toner containing toner base particles, in each of which a colorant and a releasing agent are encapsulated with a binder resin, where the toner base particles are obtained by the method containing: mixing and emulsifying a mixture containing the binder resin, the colorant, the releasing agent, and an organic solvent in an aqueous medium in the presence of resin particles, wherein the aqueous medium contains a surfactant and an inorganic salt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Publication date: April 3, 2014
    Inventors: Ayumi Satoh, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Akinori Saito, Daisuke Inoue, Naohiro Watanabe, Suzuka Amemori, Rintaro Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8673528
    Abstract: A toner including at least one polyester resin serving as a binder resin, a colorant, a releasing agent, and a fixing aid, wherein the fixing aid includes a fatty acid amide-based compound, and the fatty acid amide-based compound is at least one of a fatty acid amide compound having a mono- or higher valent amide bond and a fatty acid amide-based compound having a mono- or higher valent amino group or a hydroxyl group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Hiroshi Yamashita, Naohiro Watanabe, Shinichi Wakamatsu, Masaki Watanabe, Satoshi Ogawa, Masana Shiba, Junichi Awamura, Naohito Shimota
  • Publication number: 20130316280
    Abstract: A toner set, including: at least one chromatic toner containing a colorant; and a transparent toner containing no colorant, wherein the chromatic toner and the transparent toner each include a releasing agent and a binder resin, and wherein an amount of a tetrahydrofuran insoluble matter in the transparent toner is smaller than an amount of a tetrahydrofuran insoluble matter in the chromatic toner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2013
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Inventors: Ryuuta YOSHIDA, Satoshi OGAWA, Masaki WATANABE, Hyo SHU, Naohiro WATANABE
  • Patent number: 8557491
    Abstract: A toner according to the present invention contains at least a polyester resin as a binder resin, a colorant, a releasing agent, a fixing-assisting component, and a fatty acid, wherein the fixing-assisting component has a melting point of 60° C. to 120° C. and contains at least one of an esterified compound obtained by esterification of the fatty acid and an amide compound obtained by amidation of the fatty acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Naohito Shimota, Hiroshi Yamashita, Naohiro Watanabe, Shinichi Wakamatsu, Masaki Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20130209931
    Abstract: A toner including base particles each containing a crystalline polyester and a non-crystalline polyester, wherein the toner has a glass transition temperature of 45° C. or higher where the glass transition temperature is determined from a DSC curve of the toner obtained in the first elevation of temperature thereof, and wherein the toner has a temperature width of 8° C. or lower where the temperature width is a temperature width at ? the height of an endothermic peak attributed to the crystalline polyester in the DSC curve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Sato, Naohiro Watanabe, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Shinya Hanatani, Mamoru Hozumi
  • Patent number: 8486596
    Abstract: A toner produced by a method including dissolving or dispersing toner components comprising a colorant and at least one of a binder resin and a precursor thereof in an organic solvent to prepare a toner components liquid, dispersing the toner components liquid in an aqueous medium including a surfactant, a particulate resin A having the same polarity as the surfactant and a volume average particle diameter of from 5 to 50 nm, and a particulate resin B having a volume average particle diameter of from 10 to 500 nm to form liquid droplets, and removing the organic solvent from the liquid droplets. The particulate resin B is incompatible with the binder resin and swells in the organic solvent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Masaki Watanabe, Hiroshi Yamashita, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Naohiro Watanabe, Shinichi Wakamatsu
  • Publication number: 20130177846
    Abstract: To provide a toner, containing: a binder resin; a colorant; a releasing agent; and a crystalline polyester resin, wherein the toner satisfies the following formulae (1) to (3): 40° C.?X?55° C. Formula (1) 85° C.?Y?92° C. Formula (2) 35° C.?Y?X?50° C. Formula (3) where X is an onset temperature and Y is an endset temperature of an endothermic peak on a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curve of the toner as measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2011
    Publication date: July 11, 2013
    Inventors: Naohiro Watanabe, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Mamoru Hozumi, Tomoyuki Sato, Shinya Hanatani
  • Publication number: 20130171557
    Abstract: To provide a toner containing: a binder resin containing a non-crystalline polyester resin and a crystalline polyester resin; a colorant; and wax, wherein the toner satisfies the following formula 1, and has loss tangent of 1 or smaller at 80° C. or higher, B?A<20 Formula 1 where A represents a melting point of the crystalline polyester resin and B represents a temperature at which the toner has storage modulus G? of 20,000 Pa.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Publication date: July 4, 2013
    Inventors: Naohiro Watanabe, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Mamoru Hozumi, Osamu Uchinokura