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).

  • Patent number: 7566521
    Abstract: To provide a toner that can provide long-term removability and high-definition images with reduced image layer thickness and densely-packed toner particles, a developer capable of forming high-quality images using the toner, a toner container for containing the toner, a process cartridge using the toner, an image forming apparatus using the toner, and an image forming method using the toner. The toner of the present invention is a toner having a substantially spherical shape with irregularities on its surface and containing at least a binder resin and a colorant, wherein a surface factor SF-1 that represents the sphericity of toner particles is 105 to 180, a surface factor SF-2 that represents the degree of surface irregularities of the toner particles is correlated with the volume-average diameter of the toner particles, and the toner particles have an inorganic oxide particle-containing layer within 1 ?m from their surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiro Kotsugai, Satoshi Mochizuki, Hisashi Nakajima, Yasuo Asahina, Osamu Uchinokura, Masayuki Ishii, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Shinya Nakayama, Koichi Sakata, Tomoko Utsumi, Hitoshi Iwatsuki, Yasuaki Iwamoto, Hideki Sugiura, Masami Tomita
  • Publication number: 20090155709
    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. A toner prepared by dispersing and/or emulsifying an oil phase or a monomer phase comprising 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: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2007
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Naohiro Watanabe, Shigeru Emoto, Yohichiroh Watanabe, Masahide Yamada, Tsunemi Sugiyama, Masahiro Ohki, Akinori Saitoh, Ryota Inoue, Osamu Uchinokura, Junichi Awamura
  • Patent number: 7547497
    Abstract: A toner which is negatively charged to develop an electrostatic latent image is provided that contains a colorant; and a binder resin, wherein the toner has an acid value of from 5 to 20 mg KOH/g and an amine value of from 0.5 to 10 mg KOH/g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Osamu Uchinokura, Masami Tomita, Hisashi Nakajima, Shinya Nakayama, Koichi Sakata, Akihiro Kotsugai, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Yasuo Asahina, Hideki Sugiura, Yasuaki Iwamoto, Satoshi Mochizuki
  • Publication number: 20090142682
    Abstract: A toner including a binder resin, a coloring agent, a releasing agent and a modified laminar inorganic mineral, wherein the toner is granulated by dispersing the coloring agent, the releasing agent, the modified laminar inorganic mineral and at least one of the binder resin and a precursor thereof in an organic solvent to form an oil phase, dispersing the oil phase in an aqueous medium to obtain a dispersion emulsion and removing solvents therefrom, and the toner satisfies the following relationship (1): 0.2?{1/Dv (?m)}×Sb (m2/g)?1.4, where Dv represents a volume average particle diameter of the toner, and Sb represents a BET specific surface area of the toner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2008
    Publication date: June 4, 2009
    Inventors: Akinori Saitoh, Osamu Uchinokura, Masahide Yamada, Tomomi Suzuki, Junichi Awamura
  • Publication number: 20090142690
    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: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2008
    Publication date: June 4, 2009
    Inventors: Junichi AWAMURA, Akinori Saitoh, Masahide Yamada, Osamu Uchinokura, Tomomi Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20090123186
    Abstract: A toner is provided that comprises a colorant and a binder resin, wherein the binder resin comprises a polyester resin that is prepared by a polycondensation reaction in the presence of at least a titanium-containing catalyst expressed by General Formula (II) or (II), the toner has a volume average particle diameter of 2.0 ?m to 10.0 ?m and a ratio Dv/Dn within a range of 1.00 to 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2006
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Inventors: Hideki Sugiura, Hiroyuki Fushimi, Osamu Uchinokura, Takahiro Honda, Masami Tomita, Hyo Shu, Ken Umehara
  • Patent number: 7521164
    Abstract: A toner which includes a toner material, wherein the toner satisfies the following formula: 0° C.??Tm?20° C. where ?Tm represents Tma (° C.)?Tmb (° C.), Tma (° C.) is ½ flown-out temperature of the toner by a capillary type flow tester, and Tmb (° C.) is ½ flown-out temperature of a melt kneaded mixture of the toner by the capillary type flow tester, and wherein Tma is from 130° C. to 200° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinya Nakayama, Satoshi Mochizuki, Yasuaki Iwamoto, Yasuo Asahina, Akihiro Kotsugai, Masayuki Ishii, Osamu Uchinokura, Hisashi Nakajima, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Tomoko Utsumi, Koichi Sakata, Hideki Sugiura, Shigeru Emoto, Junichi Awamura, Masami Tomita, Takahiro Honda, Shinichiro Yagi, Tomomi Suzuki, Hiroshi Yamada, Toshiki Nanya, Hiroto Higuchi, Fumihiro Sasaki, Naohito Shimota
  • Publication number: 20090061345
    Abstract: A toner including a binder resin, a colorant, and a release agent is provided. The difference in absorbance ratio between the toner heated for 1 minute in an atmosphere of 100° C. and the toner stored in an atmosphere of 23° C. is from 0.1 to 0.2. The absorbance ratio is a ratio of an absorbance specific to the release agent (such as at 2850 cm?1 for a wax) to an absorbance specific to the binder resin (such as at 828 cm?1 for a polyester based binder resin), as measured by a Fourier transform infrared-total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Inventors: Masahide YAMADA, Akinori Saitoh, Osamu Uchinokura, Junichi Awamura
  • Publication number: 20080311500
    Abstract: A toner including toner particles including a binder resin; a colorant, a release agent, and a modified layered inorganic material in which at least part of interlayer ions is modified with an organic ion, wherein the toner includes the release agent in an amount of from 3 to 6% by weight based on the total weight of the toner, and concentration of the modified layered inorganic material in a surface portion of the toner is greater than the average concentration thereof in the toner, and wherein the toner is subjected to FTIR-ATR, the ratio (P2850/P828) of the strength of the peak at 2850 cm?1 to that of the peak at 828 cm?1, is from 0.03 to 0.10. An image forming apparatus and a process cartridge which form a toner image using the toner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2008
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Inventors: Masahide YAMADA, Osamu Uchinokura, Akinori Saitoh, Junichi Awamura, Tomomi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7455942
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a toner that can sustain favorable transferability and cleaning ability for prolonged periods; prevent photoconductor filming; exhibit no variation in image nonuniformity or external additive immersion induced by developer agitation at the time of use; excels in stability with flowability and charge stability over prolonged periods. Therefore, provided is the toner of which the quantity of aggregate of residual external additives found on the sieve of 635-mesh and 452 cm2 of mesh area, after 0.2 g of the toner on the sieve is blasted with air at a blow pressure of 0.2 MPa from 160 mm above the sieve while being air-suctioned at a suction force of 5 mmHg, and then air-suctioned at a suction force of 20 mmHg, is 4,500 or less and 5 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuneyasu Nagatomo, Akihiro Kotsugai, Hiroshi Yamashita, Masayuki Ishii, Hiroto Higuchi, Osamu Uchinokura, Satoshi Mochizuki, Fumihiro Sasaki, Hisashi Nakajima, Hideki Sugiura, Yasuo Asahina, Shinya Nakayama, Koichi Sakata, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Takuya Saito, Sonoh Matsuoka
  • Publication number: 20080268366
    Abstract: A toner which includes a toner material, wherein the toner satisfies the following formula: 0° C.??Tm?20° C. where ?Tm represents Tma (° C.)?Tmb (° C.), Tma (° C.) is ½ flown-out temperature of the toner by a capillary type flow tester, and Tmb (° C.) is ½ flown-out temperature of a melt kneaded mixture of the toner by the capillary type flow tester, and wherein Tma is from 130° C. to 200° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Inventors: Shinya Nakayama, Satoshi Mochizuki, Yasuaki Iwamoto, Yasuo Asahina, Akihiro Kotsugai, Masayuki Ishii, Osamu Uchinokura, Hisashi Nakajima, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Tomoko Utsumi, Koichi Sakata, Hideki Sugiura, Shigeru Emoto, Junichi Awamura, Masami Tomita, Takahiro Honda, Shinichiro Yagi, Tomomi Suzuki, Hiroshi Yamada, Toshiki Nanya, Hiroto Higuchi, Fumihiro Sasaki, Naohito Shimota
  • Patent number: 7442484
    Abstract: An image forming method including: forming a toner image on a support using a toner including toner particles; and feeding the support bearing the toner image thereon through a nip between an endless toner heating member and a pressure roller to fix the toner image on the support, wherein the endless toner heating member is rotated while stretched by a fixing roller and a heat roller which includes a magnetic metal and which is heated by electromagnetic induction, and wherein the pressure roller presses the support to the endless toner heating member and the fixing roller at the nip, wherein the toner particles are prepared by a polymerizing method using a binder resin containing at least a modified polyester resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
    Inventors: Osamu Uchinokura, Akihiro Kotsugai, Yasuo Asahina, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Shinya Nakayama, Kohichi Sakata, Tomoko Utsumi, Hisashi Nakajima, Yasuaki Iwamoto, Hideki Sugiura, Satoshi Mochizuki
  • Publication number: 20080233505
    Abstract: A toner, including a parent particulate material including a colorant and a binder resin, and an external additive including particles having an average primary particle diameter from 80 to less than 150 nm in an amount of from 0.03 to 2% by number, particles having an average primary particle diameter from 5 nm to less than 15 nm in an amount of from 50 to 95% by number, and particles having an average primary particle diameter from 15 to less than 40 nm in an amount of from 5 to 40% by number, and the particles having an average primary particle diameter from 80 to less than 150 nm include particles having an average primary particle diameter not less than 200 nm in an amount of from 10 to 30% by number, and have a weight reduction rate not greater than 3.00% when heated from 30 to 250° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2008
    Publication date: September 25, 2008
    Inventors: Tsuneyasu NAGATOMO, Naohiro Watanabe, Osamu Uchinokura, Satoshi Kojima
  • Publication number: 20080227018
    Abstract: To provide a toner containing toner particles, wherein each toner particle contains at least: a releasing agent having an average dispersed particle diameter of 0.1 to 0.5 ?m; and a modified layered inorganic mineral in which at least a part of ions present in between layers of a layered inorganic mineral is replaced with an organic ion, wherein the toner has a ratio A/B of 0.2 to 2.0 where A denotes the average dispersed particle diameter of the releasing agent and B denotes an average dispersed particle diameter of the modified layered inorganic mineral, or a proportion of the dispersed particles of the releasing agent having a diameter of 1 ?m or more in the dispersed particles of the releasing agent having a diameter of 0.5 ?m or more is 20% by number or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2008
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Inventors: Junichi Awamura, Osamu Uchinokura, Akinori Saitoh, Masahide Yamada, Tomomi Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20080213682
    Abstract: Provided is a toner for developing electrostatic image, comprising particles of oil phase containing at least a toner composition and/or toner composition precursor in an aqueous medium, wherein the toner composition and/or toner composition precursor comprises an organic-modified layered inorganic mineral prepared by modifying at least partially an ion of a layered inorganic mineral into an organic ion, and the organic ion-modification ratio X satisfies the relation of 100<X(%)<150 in the organic-modified layered inorganic mineral.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2008
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Inventors: Akinori SAITOH, Masahide Yamada, Osamu Uchinokura, Junichi Awamura, Tomomi Suzuki, Shinichiro Yagi, Tomio Kondou, Masashi Nagayama, Hitoshi Iwatsuki
  • Patent number: 7374851
    Abstract: A toner which includes a toner material, wherein the toner satisfies the following formula: 0° C.??Tm?20° C. where ?Tm represents Tma (° C.)?Tmb (° C.), Tma (° C.) is ½ flown-out temperature of the toner by a capillary type flow tester, and Tmb (° C.) is ½ flown-out temperature of a melt kneaded mixture of the toner by the capillary type flow tester, and wherein Tma is from 130° C. to 200° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinya Nakayama, Satoshi Mochizuki, Yasuaki Iwamoto, Yasuo Asahina, Akihiro Kotsugai, Masayuki Ishii, Osamu Uchinokura, Hisashi Nakajima, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Tomoko Utsumi, Koichi Sakata, Hideki Sugiura, Shigeru Emoto, Junichi Awamura, Masami Tomita, Takahiro Honda, Shinichiro Yagi, Tomomi Suzuki, Hiroshi Yamada, Toshiki Nanya, Hiroto Higuchi, Fumihiro Sasaki, Naohito Shimota
  • Patent number: 7368213
    Abstract: A toner containing toner particles having a core-shell structure containing a binder resin, a colorant and a release agent. The toner particles are prepared by dissolving or dispersing at least one of the binder resin and a precursor thereof in an organic solvent or a polymeric monomer and reacting the resultant in an aqueous medium for reaction, wherein the toner satisfies the following relationship: ?Tm=Tm1?Tm2>10 ° C., wherein Tm1 represents half efflux temperature of the toner and Tm2 represents half efflux temperature of a toner which is prepared by melting and kneading the toner particles and wherein a content of the release agent existing close to the surface portion of the toner particles is from 7 to 30% by volume based on an entire portion close to the surface portion of the toner particles when the content is determined by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Attenuated Total Reflection (FTIR-ATR) method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Shinya Nakayama, Fumihiro Sasaki, Satoshi Mochizuki, Akihiro Kotsugai, Yasuo Asahina, Osamu Uchinokura, Hisashi Nakajima, Sonoh Matsuoka, Takuya Saito, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Koichi Sakata
  • Publication number: 20080069616
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member to bear a latent electrostatic image, a charging member to charge a surface of the image bearing member, an irradiation member to irradiate the image bearing member to write the latent electrostatic image, a development member to develop the latent electrostatic image with a toner to form a visualized image, a transfer device to transfer the visualized image directly or via an intermediate transfer body to a recording medium, a fixing device to fix the transferred image transferred on the recording medium and a cleaning device to remove residual toner remaining on the image bearing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2007
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Inventors: Satoshi Kojima, Naohiro Watanabe, Osamu Uchinokura, Tsuneyasu Nagatomo
  • Publication number: 20080070144
    Abstract: A toner including toner particles including a binder resin, and a modified layered inorganic material in which at least part of interlayer ions is replaced with an organic ion, and a fatty acid metal compound located on a surface of the toner particles; and an external additive located on the fatty acid metal compound, wherein the external additive is a material different from the fatty acid metal compound. An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member; a developing device configured to develop the electrostatic latent image with a developer including the toner; a transfer device; and a fixing device. A method for preparing the toner including dispersing or emulsifying a toner composition including a modified layered inorganic material to prepare toner particles; mixing a fatty acid metal compound with the toner particles; and second mixing the toner particles with an external additive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2007
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Inventors: Tsuneyasu Nagatomo, Naohiro Watanabe, Osamu Uchinokura, Satoshi Kojima
  • Publication number: 20080014527
    Abstract: To provide a toner that can provide long-term removability and high-definition images with reduced image layer thickness and densely-packed toner particles, a developer capable of forming high-quality images using the toner, a toner container for containing the toner, a process cartridge using the toner, an image forming apparatus using the toner, and an image forming method using the toner. The toner of the present invention is a toner having a substantially spherical shape with irregularities on its surface and containing at least a binder resin and a colorant, wherein a surface factor SF-1 that represents the sphericity of toner particles is 105 to 180, a surface factor SF-2 that represents the degree of surface irregularities of the toner particles is correlated with the volume-average diameter of the toner particles, and the toner particles have an inorganic oxide particle-containing layer within 1 ?m from their surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2007
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Inventors: Akihiro Kotsugai, Satoshi Mochizuki, Hisashi Nakajima, Yasuo Asahina, Osamu Uchinokura, Masayuki Ishii, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Shinya Nakayama, Koichi Sakata, Tomoko Utsumi, Hitoshi Iwatsuki, Yasuaki Iwamoto, Hideki Sugiura, Masami Tomita