Patents by Inventor Satoru Nishioka

Satoru Nishioka 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: 9146482
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an electroconductive member for electrophotography capable of suppressing image density unevenness caused by the adhesion of foreign matter. Provided is an electroconductive member for electrophotography, including at least: an electroconductive support, and a surface layer formed on an outer side of the electroconductive support, in which the surface layer includes a porous body, and in which the porous body satisfies the following conditions (1) to (3): (1) the porous body has a co-continuous structure including at least a skeleton that is three-dimensionally continuous and a pore that is three-dimensionally continuous; (2) the porous body has electroconductivity; and (3) an average diameter of a maximum inscribed circle of an opening of the pore on a surface of the porous body is 3 ?m or more and 8 ?m or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro Watanabe, Yuichi Kikuchi, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Satoru Nishioka, Norifumi Muranaka, Mikio Shimada, Tetsuo Hino
  • Patent number: 9128403
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electrophotographic electrically conductive member in which conductivity needed for a charging member is secured, and defects in an image attributed to uneven discharging can be minimized independently of a long-term use and an environment of use. An electrophotographic electrically conductive member comprising an electrically conductive support and an electrically conductive layer, wherein the electrically conductive layer includes an ion conductive resin having a quaternary ammonium ion in a molecule structure as a binder resin, and a carrier molecule represented by the following formula (1) or (2): (wherein n1 and n2 each independently represent an integer of 1 to 4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Norifumi Muranaka, Satoru Nishioka, Yuichi Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 9086643
    Abstract: Provided is an electro-conductive member for electrophotography that stably shows high electro-conductivity even under a low-temperature, low-humidity environment. The electro-conductive member for electrophotography has an electro-conductive mandrel and an electro-conductive layer. The electro-conductive layer contains an ionic electro-conductive resin and an ion carrier. The ionic electro-conductive resin has at least one structure selected from the group consisting of structures represented by the following formulae (1), (2), (3), and (4), and a structure represented by the following formula (5) (in the formula (1) to the formula (5), R1, R2, R3, and R4 each represent a divalent organic group, X1, X2, X3, and X4 each independently represent a sulfonic group or a quaternary ammonium base, and 1 represents an integer of 1 or more and 23 or less).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuichi Kikuchi, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Norifumi Muranaka, Satoru Nishioka
  • Publication number: 20150198905
    Abstract: Provided is an electroconductive member configured to suppress a void image caused by abnormal discharge and a horizontal streak-like image caused by downstream discharge without depending on the thickness of a photosensitive layer of a photosensitive drum over a long period of time. The electroconductive member for electrophotography comprises at least an electroconductive support and a surface layer formed on an outer side of the electroconductive support. The surface layer includes a porous body and satisfies the predetermined (1), (2), and (3).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Publication date: July 16, 2015
    Inventors: Yuichi Kikuchi, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Mikio Shimada, Tetsuo Hino, Masahiro Watanabe, Norifumi Muranaka, Satoru Nishioka
  • Publication number: 20150132024
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an electroconductive member for electrophotography capable of suppressing image density unevenness caused by the adhesion of foreign matter. Provided is an electroconductive member for electrophotography, including at least: an electroconductive support, and a surface layer formed on an outer side of the electroconductive support, in which the surface layer includes a porous body, and in which the porous body satisfies the following conditions (1) to (3): (1) the porous body has a co-continuous structure including at least a skeleton that is three-dimensionally continuous and a pore that is three-dimensionally continuous; (2) the porous body has electroconductivity; and (3) an average diameter of a maximum inscribed circle of an opening of the pore on a surface of the porous body is 3 ?m or more and 8 ?m or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2015
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Inventors: Masahiro Watanabe, Yuichi Kikuchi, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Satoru Nishioka, Norifumi Muranaka, Mikio Shimada, Tetsuo Hino
  • Publication number: 20150093151
    Abstract: The electroconductive member has an electroconductive support and a surface layer formed on the electroconductive support, wherein the surface layer has a porous body having a continuous open pore, and the electroconductive member satisfies the following (1) and (2): (1) in a specific condition, a surface potential of the electroconductive member, after an elapse of 10 seconds since a completion of a discharge is 10 V or more; and (2) when applying a direct voltage between a polyethylene terephthalate film as a member to be charged and the electroconductive member, and charging the polyethylene terephtalate film, |Vd|?|Vin|?|Vth| is satisfied within a range of |Vin|>|Vth|, wherein, Vd represents a charge potential of the polyethylene terephtalate film, Vin represents a voltage applied between the electroconductive member and the polyethylene terephtalate film, Vth represents a discharge starting voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Inventors: Norifumi Muranaka, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Yuichi Kikuchi, Koji Otsuka, Masaki Imoto, Tetsuo Hino, Satoru Nishioka
  • Patent number: 8852743
    Abstract: An electro-conductive member for electrophotography, including an electro-conductive mandrel and an electro-conductive layer; and a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus using the same. The layer contains a binder resin having a sulfo or a quaternary ammonium group as an ion exchange group, and an ion opposite in polarity to the ion exchange group. The resin has any one of structures represented by formulas (1)-1 and (1)-2, and any one of structures represented by formulas (2)-1 to (2)-3; and the resin has a molecular structure preventing occurrence of a matrix-domain structure. M represents an integer of 2-20, n represents an integer of 5-50, p represents an integer of 1-25, q represents an integer of 1-15, and r represents an integer of 1-12.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuichi Kikuchi, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Satoru Nishioka, Norifumi Muranaka, Satoru Yamada, Masahiro Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20140287899
    Abstract: An electrophotographic member is provided in which conductivity barely reduces and sufficient conductivity is obtained even under a low temperature and low humidity environment, a reduction in resistance beyond necessity is readily suppressed even under a high temperature and high humidity environment, and the bleeding of the quaternary ammonium salt can be suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2014
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Inventors: Satoru Nishioka, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Masahiro Watanabe, Masaki Yamada, Hideya Arimura
  • Publication number: 20140221184
    Abstract: An electrophotographic member having a high conductivity and having high adhesiveness to other layer, and a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus using the electrophotographic member as a developer carrying member are provided. The electrophotographic member is an electrophotographic member including an electro-conductive mandrel and an electro-conductive layer, wherein the electro-conductive layer has a resin having a structure represented by the following structural formula (1), and an anion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2014
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideya Arimura, Masaki Yamada, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Satoru Nishioka
  • Patent number: 8771818
    Abstract: To provide an electrically conducting member for electrophotography that has made itself kept from increasing in electrical resistance with time even in a low temperature and low humidity environment and also has made any ion conducting agent kept from bleeding to its surface. To also provide a process cartridge, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, that can stably form high-grade electrophotographic images over a long period of time in a variety of environments. The conductive member for electrophotography has an electrically conducting substrate and an electrically conducting layer, and the electrically conducting layer contains a resin having in the molecule at least one structure selected from structures represented by the formula (1), formula (2) and formula (3) each defined in the specification. The process cartridge and the electrophotographic image forming apparatus each make use of the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoru Nishioka, Satoru Yamada, Masahiro Watanabe, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Norifumi Muranaka, Yuichi Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20140178096
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electrophotographic electrically conductive member in which conductivity needed for a charging member is secured, and defects in an image attributed to uneven discharging can be minimized independently of a long-term use and an environment of use. An electrophotographic electrically conductive member comprising an electrically conductive support and an electrically conductive layer, wherein the electrically conductive layer includes an ion conductive resin having a quaternary ammonium ion in a molecule structure as a binder resin, and a carrier molecule represented by the following formula (1) or (2): (wherein n1 and n2 each independently represent an integer of 1 to 4).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Norifumi Muranaka, Satoru Nishioka, Yuichi Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 8715830
    Abstract: To provide an electrically conducting member for electrophotography which can not easily come to change in electrical resistance value even upon application of direct current and also has made any ion conducting agent kept from bleeding. The electrically conducting member has an electrically conducting substrate and an electrically conducting layer; the electrically conducting layer containing an epichlorohydrin rubber having in the molecular structure at least an alkylene oxide (AO) unit, an epichlorohydrin (ECH) unit and a unit having a sulfonate ion; the AO unit being at least one unit of an ethylene oxide unit, a propylene oxide unit and a butylene oxide unit; and the AO unit(s) in the rubber being in a content of 5 to 60% by mass in total and the ECH unit in the rubber being in a content of 30% by mass or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoru Yamada, Norifumi Muranaka, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Satoru Nishioka
  • Patent number: 8668987
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electrophotographic electrically conductive member in which conductivity needed for a charging member is secured, and defects in an image attributed to uneven discharging can be minimized independently of a long-term use and an environment of use. An electrophotographic electrically conductive member comprising an electrically conductive support and an electrically conductive layer, wherein the electrically conductive layer includes an ion conductive resin having a quaternary ammonium ion in a molecule structure as a binder resin, and a carrier molecule represented by the following formula (1) or (2): (wherein n1 and n2 each independently represent an integer of 1 to 4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Norifumi Muranaka, Satoru Nishioka, Yuichi Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 8628854
    Abstract: To suppress an excessive reduction in resistance of an electro-conductive roller under an H/H environment and reduce a resistance value thereof under an L/L environment, provided is an electro-conductive member for electrophotography, comprising: an electro-conductive mandrel; and an electro-conductive layer provided on a periphery of the mandrel, wherein the electro-conductive layer contains a binder resin having an alkylene oxide structure, and a sulfo or a quaternary ammonium group as an ion exchange group, and an ion having polarity opposite to polarity of the ion exchange group, a water content of the electro-conductive layer under a temperature of 30° C. and a relative humidity of 80% is 10 mass % or less, and a spin-spin relaxation time of the electro-conductive layer, which is determined by pulse NMR measurement with a hydrogen core being a measurement core under a temperature of 15° C. and a relative humidity of 10%, is 200 ?sec or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Satoru Nishioka, Masahiro Watanabe, Yuichi Kikuchi, Satoru Yamada, Norifumi Muranaka
  • Publication number: 20130279936
    Abstract: To provide an electrically conducting member for electrophotography which can not easily come to change in electrical resistance value even upon application of direct current and also has made any ion conducting agent kept from bleeding. The electrically conducting member has an electrically conducting substrate and an electrically conducting layer; the electrically conducting layer containing an epichlorohydrin rubber having in the molecular structure at least an alkylene oxide (AO) unit, an epichlorohydrin (ECH) unit and a unit having a sulfonate ion; the AO unit being at least one unit of an ethylene oxide unit, a propylene oxide unit and a butylene oxide unit; and the AO unit(s) in the rubber being in a content of 5 to 60% by mass in total and the ECH unit in the rubber being in a content of 30% by mass or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Inventors: Satoru Yamada, Norifumi Muranaka, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Satoru Nishioka
  • Publication number: 20130281275
    Abstract: To provide an electrically conducting member for electrophotography that has made itself kept from increasing in electrical resistance with time even in a low temperature and low humidity environment and also has made any ion conducting agent kept from bleeding to its surface. To also provide a process cartridge, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, that can stably form high-grade electrophotographic images over a long period of time in a variety of environments. The conductive member for electrophotography has an electrically conducting substrate and an electrically conducting layer, and the electrically conducting layer contains a resin having in the molecule at least one structure selected from structures represented by the formula (1), formula (2) and formula (3) each defined in the specification. The process cartridge and the electrophotographic image forming apparatus each make use of the same.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Inventors: Satoru Nishioka, Satoru Yamada, Masahiro Watanabe, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Norifumi Muranaka, Yuichi Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20130281276
    Abstract: An electrically conductive member for electrophotography is provided which has an electrically conductive mandrel and an electrically conductive layer on the peripheral surface of the mandrel; the electrically conductive layer containing a binder resin having as an ion exchange group a sulfo group or a quaternary ammonium salt group in the molecule and an ion with a polarity opposite to that of the ion exchange group; the binder resin further having any structure selected from the group consisting of structures represented by formulas (1)-1 to (1)-3, and any structure selected from the group consisting of structures represented by formulas (2)-1 and (2)-2, and having a molecular structure that prevents any matrix-domain structure from being formed in the electrically conductive layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Inventors: Masahiro Watanabe, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Satoru Nishioka, Yuichi Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20130236213
    Abstract: To suppress an excessive reduction in resistance of an electro-conductive roller under an H/H environment and reduce a resistance value thereof under an L/L environment, provided is an electro-conductive member for electrophotography, comprising: an electro-conductive mandrel; and an electro-conductive layer provided on a periphery of the mandrel, wherein the electro-conductive layer contains a binder resin having an alkylene oxide structure, and a sulfo or a quaternary ammonium group as an ion exchange group, and an ion having polarity opposite to polarity of the ion exchange group, a water content of the electro-conductive layer under a temperature of 30° C. and a relative humidity of 80% is 10 mass % or less, and a spin-spin relaxation time of the electro-conductive layer, which is determined by pulse NMR measurement with a hydrogen core being a measurement core under a temperature of 15° C. and a relative humidity of 10%, is 200 ?sec or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2013
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Satoru Nishioka, Masahiro Watanabe, Yuichi Kikuchi, Satoru Yamada, Norifumi Muranaka
  • Publication number: 20120281998
    Abstract: Provided is an electro-conductive member for electrophotography that stably shows high electro-conductivity even under a low-temperature, low-humidity environment. The electro-conductive member for electrophotography has an electro-conductive mandrel and an electro-conductive layer. The electro-conductive layer contains an ionic electro-conductive resin and an ion carrier. The ionic electro-conductive resin has at least one structure selected from the group consisting of structures represented by the following formulae (1), (2), (3), and (4), and a structure represented by the following formula (5) (in the formula (1) to the formula (5), R1, R2, R3, and R4 each represent a divalent organic group, X1, X2, X3, and X4 each independently represent a sulfonic group or a quaternary ammonium base, and 1 represents an integer of 1 or more and 23 or less).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2012
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuichi Kikuchi, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Norifumi Muranaka, Satoru Nishioka
  • Publication number: 20120263499
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electrophotographic electrically conductive member in which conductivity needed for a charging member is secured, and defects in an image attributed to uneven discharging can be minimized independently of a long-term use and an environment of use. An electrophotographic electrically conductive member comprising an electrically conductive support and an electrically conductive layer, wherein the electrically conductive layer includes an ion conductive resin having a quaternary ammonium ion in a molecule structure as a binder resin, and a carrier molecule represented by the following formula (1) or (2): (wherein n1 and n2 each independently represent an integer of 1 to 4).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Norifumi Muranaka, Satoru Nishioka, Yuichi Kikuchi