Patents by Inventor Ryota Inoue

Ryota Inoue 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: 20140242514
    Abstract: A particulate material production method is provided. The particulate material production method includes ejecting a particulate material composition liquid, which includes an organic solvent and a particulate material composition including at least a resin and dissolved or dispersed in the organic solvent, from at least one nozzle to form droplets of the particulate material composition liquid in a gas phase; and solidifying the droplets of the particulate material composition liquid to prepare particles of the particulate material composition. The droplet solidifying step includes contacting the droplets with a poor solvent for the particulate material composition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Inventors: Ryota Inoue, Yoshihiro Moriya, Hiroshi Yamada, Tatsuru Moritani, Minoru Masuda, Akinori Saito, Yasutada Shitara, Kiyotada Katoh, Satoshi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8691486
    Abstract: An electrostatic image developing toner including a toner particle (C), wherein the toner particle (C) has a structure in which a resin particle (A) containing at least a first resin (a) or a coated film (P) containing the first resin (a) is attached to a surface of a resin-containing particle (B) containing a second resin (b), and wherein the resin (b) includes a polyhydroxycarboxylic acid skeleton, and the resin (a) is a polyester resin containing a polybasic acid and a polyhydric alcohol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryota Inoue, Akihiro Kotsugai, Akiyoshi Sabu, Shingo Sakashita, Yukiko Nakajima, Keiko Osaka
  • Patent number: 8679714
    Abstract: A toner including: a first binder resin; a colorant; a releasing agent; and a crystalline organic compound, wherein the first binder resin contains an amorphous polyester resin (a) having a polyhydroxycarboxylic acid skeleton derived from optically active monomers in a part of a main chain of the amorphous polyester resin, and the polyhydroxycarboxylic acid skeleton has an optical purity X, calculated on the monomer basis, of 80% or less, and the optical purity X is determined from the equation, Optical Purity X (%)=|X(L-form)?X(D-form)| wherein the crystalline organic compound is any one of a crystalline polyester resin (b) and a crystalline low molecular compound having a melting point of 60° C. to 100° C., and being selected from a group consisting of fatty acid having 16 to 24 carbon atoms, alcohol having 16 to 24 carbon atoms, a fatty acid ester compound, and aliphatic carboxylic acid amide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryota Inoue, Akihiro Kotsugai, Yoshihiro Moriya, Akiyoshi Sabu, Shingo Sakashita, Keiko Osaka, Yukiko Nakajima, Yoshitaka Yamauchi, Daiki Yamashita
  • Patent number: 8663888
    Abstract: The present invention provides a toner including: a colorant, and a binder resin, wherein the toner is fixed on a recording medium using a fixing liquid containing a softening agent for softening the toner, and wherein a weight average molecular weight of a THF soluble fraction of the toner in a molecular weight distribution measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) is 3,000 to 8,300; and a glass transition temperature of the toner measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is 50° C. to 70° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasutada Shitara, Yohichiroh Watanabe, Yasuo Katano, Shinya Nakayama, Ryota Inoue, Yoshihiro Moriya, Akiyoshi Sabu, Shingo Sakashita, Yukiko Nakajima
  • Patent number: 8658340
    Abstract: A toner containing a binder resin comprising a first binder resin A and a second binder resin B, a coloring agent, and a releasing agent, wherein the first binder resin A is formed by reacting a compound A1 having an active hydrogen group with a resin A2 having a portion reactive with the compound A1 in an organic solvent and the resin A2 is formed by reacting a non-crystalline polyester resin “a” having a polyhydroxy carboxylic acid skeleton in the main chain with a compound having the portion reactive with the compound A1 having an active hydrogen group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shingo Sakashita, Shinya Nakayama, Ryota Inoue, Yoshihiro Moriya, Akiyoshi Sabu, Yukiko Nakajima, Daiki Yamashita
  • Patent number: 8632932
    Abstract: A toner including a binder resin comprising a resin (a) comprising a polyhydroxycarboxylic acid skeleton formed from an optically-active monomer. The polyhydroxycarboxylic acid skeleton has a weight average molecular weight of from 7,000 to 60,000. The binder resin comprises the polyhydroxycarboxylic acid skeleton in an amount of from 10 to 90% by weight. The optical purity X (%) of the polyhydroxycarboxylic acid skeleton represented by the following formula is 80% or less: X(%)=|X(L-isomer)?X(D-isomer)| wherein X(L-isomer) and X(D-isomer) represent molar ratio (%) of L-isomer and D-isomer of the optically-active monomer, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Akiyoshi Sabu, Akihiro Kotsugai, Ryota Inoue, Keiko Osaka, Shingo Sakashita, Yukiko Nakajima, Satoshi Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 8623580
    Abstract: To provide a toner including: a resin particle (C) containing a first resin (a1), a second resin (a2), and a resin particle (B) to a surface of which the first resin (a1) and the second resin (a2) are attached, wherein the first resin (a1) and the second resin (a2) have mutually different glass transition temperatures, and wherein the resin particle (B) contains a third resin (b) having an amorphous polyhydroxycarboxylic acid skeleton.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukiko Nakajima, Akihiro Kotsugai, Ryota Inoue, Akiyoshi Sabu, Shingo Sakashita, Keiko Osaka
  • Patent number: 8603713
    Abstract: A toner including a colorant, a thermoplastic resin (a) comprising an amorphous polyester resin having a main chain having a polyhydroxycarboxylic acid skeleton, and a thermoplastic resin (b) is provided. The toner is manufactured by a method including mixing the colorant with the thermoplastic resin (a) to prepare a preliminary mixture, and mixing the preliminary mixture with the thermoplastic resin (b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Akihiro Kotsugai, Toyoshi Sawada, Ryota Inoue, Akiyoshi Sabu, Shingo Sakashita, Keiko Osaka, Yukiko Nakajima
  • Publication number: 20130244157
    Abstract: A toner, including: a binder resin; releasing agent-encapsulating capsules; and a colorant, wherein the releasing agent-encapsulating capsules each include: a capsule formed of a resin (I) which is different from the binder resin; and a releasing agent (RA) which is encapsulated in the capsule, and the releasing agent-encapsulating capsules exist in the binder resin, and wherein 50% to 100% of the releasing agent-encapsulating capsules exist in a region from a surface of the toner to a depth of 0.10 times a volume-average particle diameter of the toner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Inventors: Ryota INOUE, Hiroaki Katoh, Masahiro Seki, Shun Saito, Yoshitaka Sekiguchi, Yoshihiro Mikuriya, Kazuoki Fuwa, Satoshi Ogawa, Tomohiro Fukao, Takayuki Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20130095422
    Abstract: A toner, including a crystalline resin as a binder resin, wherein the toner comprises a THF-soluble component in a weight-average molecular weight not less than 20,000, and has a 50% wettability not less than 20% by volume when subjected to a methanol wettability test.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2012
    Publication date: April 18, 2013
    Inventors: Atsushi YAMAMOTO, Shinya Nakayama, Masahide Yamada, Hideyuki Santo, Daiki Yamashita, Ryota Inoue
  • Patent number: 8383307
    Abstract: The toner includes a binder resin; a release agent; a colorant; and a dispersing resin configured to disperse the release agent. The dispersing resin includes a polyhydroxycarboxylic acid unit obtained from an optically active monomer. The polyhydroxycarboxylic acid unit has an optical purity of not greater than 80%, wherein the optical purity is defined as the absolute value of difference between the mole percentage of a L-monomer in the optically active monomer and the mole percentage of a D-monomer in the optically active monomer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Ryota Inoue, Akihiro Kotsugai, Toyoshi Sawada, Akiyoshi Sabu
  • Patent number: 8367293
    Abstract: A method for producing a carrier, including a step of periodically forming and discharging liquid droplets of a carrier core composition liquid from a plurality of nozzles formed in a thin film, using a liquid droplet forming unit having the thin film and a ring-shaped vibration generating unit disposed in a deformable area of the thin film so as to be along a circumference of the area and to vibrate the thin film, a step of forming carrier core particles by solidifying the discharged liquid droplets, and a step of coating the carrier core particles with a resin layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinji Ohtani, Ryota Inoue, Yoshihiro Norikane
  • Publication number: 20120328976
    Abstract: A toner including: a base resin; and charge-controlling resin particles contained in the base resin, wherein the toner is in shape of particles, and the charge-controlling resin particles are present in a region of each toner particle which is 500 nm in depth from a surface of the toner particle and an average of amounts of the charge-controlling resin particles present in the regions of the toner particles is 20% by volume to 70% by volume, wherein an average of embedment rates of the charge-controlling resin particles in the toner particles is 90% or higher, where each embedment rate is an average of embedment rates of the charge-controlling resin particles in each toner particle, and wherein the charge-controlling resin particles have a charge amount of 60 ?C/m2 or more as measured by a blow-off method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2012
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Inventors: Masahiro Seki, Yoshitaka Sekiguchi, Ryota Inoue, Kazuoki Fuwa
  • Publication number: 20120322005
    Abstract: A method for producing particles, including: bringing a compressive fluid into contact with a pressure plastic material, so as to plasticize the pressure plastic material; applying a shear force to the compressive fluid and the plasticized pressure plastic material, between which an interface exists, in the presence of a surfactant to granulate the pressure plastic material in the compressive fluid, so as to produce particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Inventors: Chiaki Tanaka, Ryota Inoue, Taichi Nemoto, Yoshitaka Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 8329374
    Abstract: There is provided a method for producing a carrier, which includes depositing a resin coating layer on the surface of a magnetic material; adding a treatment agent for a conductor precursor to the resin coating layer so as to treat the resin coating layer with the treatment agent; and exposing the treatment agent-added resin coating layer to a conductor precursor in a supercritical or subcritical fluid so as to form a conductor in the resin coating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryota Inoue, Akihiro Kotsugai, Yoshihiro Moriya, Shingo Sakashita
  • Patent number: 8299190
    Abstract: A method for producing colored polymer particles, including adding a colorant-containing composition containing a radically polymerizable monomer and a colorant in a supercritical fluid or a subcritical fluid and polymerizing the radically polymerizable monomer, so as to produce colored polymer particles which are insoluble in the supercritical fluid or subcritical fluid, wherein the supercritical fluid or subcritical fluid is a supercritical fluid or subcritical fluid in which at least the radically polymerizable monomer is soluble, but polymer particles resulted from polymerization of the radically polymerizable monomer are insoluble, and wherein the colorant is at least one selected from the group consisting of a pigment, a dye and a polymer dye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignees: National University Corporation Shizuoka University, Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Sako, Idzumi Okajima, Takahiro Yamashita, Satoyuki Sekiguchi, Chiaki Tanaka, Shogo Suzuki, Ryota Inoue
  • Patent number: 8263302
    Abstract: A carrier for electrophotographic developer, including a core material; and a layer comprising a binder resin, located overlying the core material, wherein the binder resin includes a segment including one or more polymerizable vinyl monomers as a structural unit; and another segment including a partial cleavage structure of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane and/or another partial cleavage structure of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane as a structural unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Moriya, Akihiro Kotsugai, Toyoshi Sawada, Ryota Inoue, Akiyoshi Sabu, Shingo Sakashita
  • Patent number: 8178273
    Abstract: To provide (1) a method for manufacturing a carrier, including: dissolving a coating material composed of a plurality of types of materials in a fluid containing at least one of a supercritical fluid and a subcritical fluid; and lowering the solubility of the solution by controlling at least one of pressure and temperature to form a coating layer on a core surface, or (2) a method for manufacturing a carrier, including: dispersing or dissolving a coating material in a fluid containing at least one of a supercritical fluid and a subcritical fluid; and lowering solubility of the solution by controlling at least one of pressure and temperature to form a coating layer on a core surface, wherein the coating material contains at least a silicone resin, and the silicone resin has a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of 800 to 5,000.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryota Inoue, Chiaki Tanaka, Shinichi Kuramoto
  • Patent number: 8137883
    Abstract: A toner is provided including a binder resin and a wax having primarily C—H and C—C bonds, and having a melting point of 50 to 90° C., wherein the wax is present in a surface portion of the toner in an amount of from 0.1 to 4.0% by weight, wherein the amount of the wax is determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR); and the use of the toner in an image forming method, image forming apparatus, developer and toner cartridge containing the toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
    Inventors: Ryota Inoue, Shigeru Emoto, Naohiro Watanabe, Masahide Yamada, Akinori Saitoh, Masahiro Ohki, Tsunemi Sugiyama, Shinichi Wakamatsu, Takayuki Yoshii, Eiji Sawamura
  • 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