Patents by Inventor Osamu Uchinokura

Osamu Uchinokura 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: 20130196260
    Abstract: A toner including: a binder resin containing a non-crystalline resin and a crystalline resin; a colorant; and, a releasing agent, wherein the releasing agent has a melting point of 55° C. to 80° C., and wherein the toner satisfies the following Expressions 1 and 2: (Expression 1): 20,000 Pa·s?G1?50,000 Pa·s; and (Expression 2): (G4/G2)/(G3/G1) 1.00, where G1 is a storage modulus, G2 is a loss modulus, G3 is a storage modulus and G4 is a loss modulus, and the storage modulus G1 and the loss modulus G2 are measured at 80° C. when the toner is heated from 70° C. to 150° C. and the storage modulus G3 and the loss modulus G4 are measured at 80° C. when the toner heated to 150° C. is cooled to 70° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Inventors: Ryuuta YOSHIDA, Takahiro HONDA, Junichi AWAMURA, Osamu UCHINOKURA, Masaki WATANABE, Daisuke INOUE, Tomoki MURAYAMA, Mamoru HOZUMI
  • Publication number: 20130196261
    Abstract: To provide a toner, which contains: toner base particles each containing a binder resin and a colorant; and an external additive containing inorganic particles and fatty acid metal salt particles, wherein the inorganic particles contain at least hydrophobic silica particles, wherein a liberation ratio Ya of the hydrophobic silica particles from the toner is 1% by mass to 20% by mass, and wherein a libration ratio Yb of the fatty acid metal salt particles from the toner is 30% by mass to 90% by mass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2013
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Inventors: Osamu UCHINOKURA, Tomoyuki Satoh, Takahiro Honda, Daisuke Inoue, Mamoru Hozumi
  • Patent number: 8492063
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a toner including forming a wax liquid dispersion in which a wax is dispersed in an organic solvent (A1), mixing an organic layer including the wax liquid dispersion, a binder resin and an organic solvent (A) to form an oil phase and dispersing and emulsifying the oil phase in an aqueous medium to obtain an emulsified liquid dispersion, wherein the aspect ratio average of the wax in the wax liquid dispersion is from 0.3 to 0.7 and the toner includes toner particles satisfying the following relationship (1) in an amount of 20% by number or smaller based on all toner particles: 0.5<D2/D1, relationship (1), where D1 represents the major diameter (D1) of the toner and D2 represents the major diameter of the wax.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Junichi Awamura, Akinori Saitoh, Masahide Yamada, Osamu Uchinokura, Tomomi Suzuki
  • 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
  • Patent number: 8455169
    Abstract: The toner includes a binder resin; a colorant; and a release agent. The first inter-particle force Fp(A) of the toner, which is measured under an environmental condition of 23° C. and 60% RH after the toner is pressed for 1 minute at 25° C. under a compression stress of 15 kg/cm2, is from 1.0×10?9 (N) to 1.0×10?6 (N). The difference (Fp(B)?Fp(A)) between the second inter-particle force Fp(B) of the toner, which is measured under the environmental condition of 23° C. and 60% RH after the toner is pressed for 1 minute at 50° C. under a compression stress of 15 kg/cm2, and the first inter-particle force Fp(A) is 0 (N) to 1.0×10?7 (N).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Daisuke Inoue, Fumihiro Sasaki, Osamu Uchinokura, Satoshi Kojima, Hideki Sugiura, Naoko Morisawa
  • Publication number: 20130130171
    Abstract: A toner including a core particle, an inner shell layer covering the core, and an outer shell layer covering the inner shell layer is provided. The core particle includes a resin P. The inner shell layer includes fine particles of a resin A. The outer shell layer includes fine particles of a resin B. The toner satisfies the following formulae (1) to (3): 4.5?T½(P)?Tfb(P)?14??(1) 20?T½(A)?Tfb(A)?40??(2) 23.5?T½(B)?Tfb(B)?40??(3) wherein T½(P), T½(A), and T½(B) represent ½ method temperatures of the resins P, A, and B, respectively, and Tfb(P), Tfb(A), and Tfb(B) represent flow beginning temperatures of the resins P, A, and B, respectively, and wherein the ½ method temperatures and the flow beginning temperatures are measured by a flowtester.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2012
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Inventors: Masaki Watanabe, Osamu Uchinokura, Junichi Awamura, Takahiro Honda, Satoshi Ogawa, Tsuneyasu Nagatomo, Hiroshi Yamashita
  • Patent number: 8435716
    Abstract: A method for producing a toner, including: dispersing toner particles containing at least a binder resin in a first aqueous medium so as to produce an aqueous dispersion; and subjecting the aqueous dispersion to heat treatment, wherein the electric conductivity of the aqueous dispersion after the heat treatment is higher than the electric conductivity of the aqueous dispersion before the heat treatment by 50 ?S/cm or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Watanabe, Osamu Uchinokura, Tsuneyasu Nagatomo, Takahiro Honda, Ryuta Chiba
  • Patent number: 8431304
    Abstract: A toner containing: a non-crystalline polyester resin; a crystalline polyester resin; a releasing agent; a graft-modified polymer; and a colorant, wherein the graft-modified polymer is a polymer having a glass transition temperature of higher than 40° C. but lower than 80° C., and obtained by grafting an acrylic resin onto at least one of a hydrocarbon wax and a crystalline polyester resin, and wherein a SP value of the non-crystalline polyester resin is defined as SP1, a SP value of the crystalline polyester resin is defined as SP2, a SP value of the releasing agent is defined as SP3, and a SP value of the graft-modified polymer is defined as SP4, and SP1, SP2, SP3 and SP4 satisfy relations represented by Formulas (1) to (3): SP1 > SP4 > SP2 >SP3 Formula (1), 0.1 < SP1 ? SP4 < 1.0 Formula (2), and 0.1 < SP4 ? SP2 < 1.0 Formula (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Naohiro Watanabe, Osamu Uchinokura, Tomoyuki Satoh, Shinya Hanatani, Mamoru Hozumi
  • Publication number: 20130022371
    Abstract: To provide a toner, which contains a binder resin, a colorant, and a releasing agent, wherein the binder resin contains a low molecular weight resin component, where the low molecular weight resin component has a resin softening coefficient (A), represented by the following formula (1), satisfying A>0.165, and has storage elastic modulus (dyne/cm2) G?(Tfb) satisfying G?(Tfb)?1×104 where Tfb is a flow onset temperature (° C.) of the low molecular weight resin component as measured by a capillary rheometer: A=|[ln G?(r1)?ln G?(r2)]/(T1?T2)|??Formula (1) (where T1 is temperature (° C.) at which storage elastic modulus G?(r1) is 1×105 (dyne/cm2) and T2 is temperature (° C.) at which storage elastic modulus G?(r2) is 1×103 (dyne/cm2) as measured by means of a viscoelasticity measuring device with measuring frequency of 1 Hz, and measuring distortion of 1 deg; and ? represents an absolute value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Teruki Kusahara, Junichi Awamura, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Hyo Shu, Tomomi Suzuki, Osamu Uchinokura, Takahiro Honda, Satoshi Kojima, Satoshi Ogawa, Daisuke Inoue, Koshi Sato, Daisuke Ito, Ryuuta Yoshida, Syouko Satoh
  • Publication number: 20120288299
    Abstract: A set of toners including yellow, cyan, magenta, and black toner, each of which containing a binder resin containing a crystalline resin and a non-crystalline resin, a releasing agent, and a corresponding coloring agent, wherein the following relationship is satisfied: 0.8<EBk/EFc<0.95, where EBk represents the amount of heat of melting (mJ/mg) for the black toner and EFc represents the average amount of heat of melting (mJ/mg) of the yellow toner, magenta toner, and cyan toner from 50° C. to 100° C. at the first temperature rising in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2012
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Inventors: Osamu UCHINOKURA, Satoshi Ogawa, Junichi Awamura, Teruki Kusahara, Daisuke Ito, Daisuke Inoue
  • Patent number: 8192911
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a toner including dispersing a binder resin, a coloring agent and a releasing agent in an organic solvent to obtain an oil phase; dispersing the oil phase in an aqueous medium with a shearing force to obtain a dispersion emulsion; wherein the shearing force is made by a screen or vessel that is situated around a rotor, the screen spinning in a direction opposite to the direction that the rotor spins. Toner produced. Method of using the toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Junichi Awamura, Akinori Saitoh, Osamu Uchinokura, Masahide Yamada, Tomomi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8187785
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing the toner comprising dispersing at least one of a binder resin or a precursor thereof, a coloring agent and a releasing agent in an organic solvent to obtain an oil phase, dispersing the oil phase in an aqueous medium with a shearing force to obtain a dispersion emulsion, wherein the dispersion emulsion process has plural stages and the shear speed A of the emulsification process of stage n is faster than the shear speed B of the emulsification process of stage n+1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Junichi Awamura, Akinori Saitoh, Osamu Uchinokura, Tomomi Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20120122027
    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: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2011
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Inventors: Naohiro WATANABE, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Shlnya Hanatanl, Mamru Hozumi, Osamu Uchinokura
  • Patent number: 8178276
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a toner including granulating mother toner particles in an aqueous medium to obtain a slurry containing the mother toner particles and adjusting a size distribution of the mother toner particles by screening coarse mother toner particles from the slurry with a screen to obtain the toner containing mother toner particulates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
    Inventors: Osamu Uchinokura, Akinori Saitoh, Junichi Awamura, Masahide Yamada, Hiroshi Yamada
  • Publication number: 20120064447
    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 4/5Dv, and a group of the toner particles having 6/5Dv, 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 4/5Dv, 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 6/5Dv satisfy the relation represented by the following formulas: 50<(B/A)×100<90, and 110<(C/A)×100<150.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2011
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Inventors: Mamoru Hozumi, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Naohiro Watanabe, Tomoyuki Satoh, Shinya Hanatani, Osamu Uchinokura, Kiwako Hirohara
  • Publication number: 20120064445
    Abstract: A toner which contains: toner base particles having Dv of 4.0-6.0 ?m; and two or more additives on surfaces of the toner base particles, where the additives contains Additives A and B, wherein the toner base particles are obtained by the method containing: dispersing, in an aqueous medium, an oil phase in which at least one of a crystalline polyester resin and a non-crystalline polyester resin is contained in an organic solvent, to prepare a dispersion liquid; and removing the organic solvent from the dispersion liquid, and wherein the Additive A has the largest average primary particle diameter in the additives and has CA of 5-10% where the CA is determined by the formula A, and the Additive B has the smallest average primary particle diameter in the additives and has CB of 45-100% where the CB is determined by the formula B.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2011
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Inventors: Satoshi KOJIMA, Syouko Satoh, Osamu Uchinokura, Satoshi Ogawa, Junichi Awamura, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Teruki Kusahara, Daisuke Ito, Daisuke Inoue, Mamoru Hozumi, Koshi Sato
  • Publication number: 20120052431
    Abstract: To provide a toner, containing: a crystalline polyester resin; and a non-crystalline polyester resin, wherein the crystalline polyester resin has a melting point of 60° C. to 80° C., and wherein the toner satisfies the relationship represented by the following formula: (W1?W1?)/W1<0.50, where W1 is a temperature width at a 1/3 height of a height of an endothermic peak of the crystalline polyester resin at the time of an initial temperature elevation on a DSC curve of the toner as measured by differential scanning calorimetry, and W1? is a temperature width at a 1/3 height of a height of an endothermic peak of the crystalline polyester resin after the toner has been heated at 50° C. for 24 hours.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Inventors: Mamoru HOZUMI, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Naohiro Watanabe, Tomoyuki Satoh, Shinya Hanatani, Osamu Uchinokura
  • Publication number: 20120052434
    Abstract: A toner containing: a non-crystalline polyester resin; a crystalline polyester resin; a releasing agent; a graft-modified polymer; and a colorant, wherein the graft-modified polymer is a polymer having a glass transition temperature of higher than 40° C. but lower than 80° C., and obtained by grafting an acrylic resin onto at least one of a hydrocarbon wax and a crystalline polyester resin, and wherein a SP value of the non-crystalline polyester resin is defined as SP1, a SP value of the crystalline polyester resin is defined as SP2, a SP value of the releasing agent is defined as SP3, and a SP value of the graft-modified polymer is defined as SP4, and SP1, SP2, SP3 and SP4 satisfy relations represented by Formulas (1) to (3): SP1>SP4>SP2>SP3??Formula (1), 0.1<SP1?SP4<1.0??Formula (2), and 0.1<SP4?SP2<1.0??Formula (3).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2011
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi SUGIMOTO, Naohiro Watanabe, Osamu Uchinokura, Tomoyuki Satoh, Shinya Hanatani, Mamoru Hozumi
  • Patent number: 8124308
    Abstract: Toner and a developer which are excellent in cleaning property and fixing property at low temperature, and capable of forming images with high quality are provided, along with a method for their production. A toner producing method involves dispersing and/or emulsifying an oil phase or a monomer phase containing a toner composition and/or a toner composition precursor in a water-based medium to granulate, wherein the toner has an average circularity of 0.925 to 0.970, and the toner composition and/or the toner composition precursor has a layered inorganic material in which at least a part of interlayer ions in the layered inorganic material has been exchanged with organic ions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company. Ltd.
    Inventors: Naohiro Watanabe, Shigeru Emoto, Yohichiroh Watanabe, Masahide Yamada, Tsunemi Sugiyama, Masahiro Ohki, Akinori Saitoh, Ryota Inoue, Osamu Uchinokura, Junichi Awamura
  • Publication number: 20110305986
    Abstract: A toner containing a binder resin, a colorant, and a releasing agent, wherein the colorant contains a mixed crystal of a C. I. PIGMENT YELLOW 185 and a C. I. PIGMENT YELLOW 139, and wherein a mass ratio of the C. I. PIGMENT YELLOW 185 to the C. I. PIGMENT YELLOW 139 (mass of the C. I. PIGMENT YELLOW 185/mass of the C. I. PIGMENT YELLOW 139) in the toner is 95/5 to 50/50.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Inventors: Satoshi OGAWA, Daisuke Inoue, Daisuke Ito, Osamu Uchinokura, Junichi Awamura, Teruki Kusahara, Satoshi Kojima, Mamoru Hozumi, Shoko Sato