Patents by Inventor Shigeru Emoto

Shigeru Emoto 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: 20090155711
    Abstract: A toner composition including toner particles, wherein the toner particles are prepared by a method in which toner constituents including at least a binder resin and a colorant are kneaded upon application of heat to prepare a toner constituent mixture; the toner constituent mixture is dissolved or swelled in an organic solvent capable of dissolving or swelling at least the binder resin to prepare an oil phase liquid; the oil phase liquid is emulsified in an aqueous liquid to prepare an emulsion; the emulsion is coagulated; and then the coagulated emulsion is dried to prepare the toner particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2009
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Inventors: Hiroshi Yamashita, Masami Tomita, Shigeru Emoto, Tsunemi Sugiyama
  • 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: 7541128
    Abstract: A toner composition including toner particles including a binder resin including a modified polyester resin, and a second resin having a weight average molecular weight of from 2,000 to 10,000; a colorant; a release agent; and a particulate material which is present at least a surface portion of the toner particles while embedded into the surface portion, wherein the binder resin has a glass transition temperature not lower than 35° C. and lower than 55° C., and wherein the particulate material has an average particle diameter of from 0.002 to 0.2 times that of the toner particles. A developer including the toner composition and a carrier having a layer thereon which includes at least an acrylic resin and a silicone resin, and a method for fixing an image of the toner composition are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
    Inventors: Yohichiroh Watanabe, Masanori Suzuki, Tsunemi Sugiyama, Hiroshi Yamashita, Takuya Saito, Naohiro Watanabe, Masami Tomita, Shigeru Emoto, Shinichiro Yagi, Hiroshi Yamada, Toshiki Nanya, Tadao Takigawa
  • Patent number: 7531279
    Abstract: A toner manufacturing method is provided including emulsion-polymerizing monomers including an aromatic vinyl monomer, to prepare a particulate resin dispersion; mixing the particulate resin dispersion and a colorant dispersion including a black metallic material, to prepare an aggregation dispersion including aggregated resin particles including the colorant therein; heating the aggregation dispersion to a temperature of not less than a glass transition temperature of the particulate resin to unite each of the aggregated particles to prepare a toner dispersion; and washing the toner dispersion to obtain the toner; a toner manufactured by the above method, and a developer using the toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
    Inventors: Naohiro Watanabe, Shigeru Emoto, Chiaki Tanaka, Masahide Yamada, Akinori Saitoh, Masahiro Ohki, Ryota Inoue
  • Patent number: 7531281
    Abstract: A toner for developing a latent electrostatic image including a base of toner particle which contains a binder resin and a coloring agent, and an external additive. Herein, a plurality of the base of toner particle has a volume average particle diameter (Dv) of 3 ?m to 7 ?m, a ratio (Dv/Dn) of the volume average particle diameter (Dv) to a number average particle diameter (Dn) is 1.01 to 1.25, a plurality of the base of toner particle contains 15% by number or less of the base of toner particle having a particle diameter of 0.6 ?m to 2.0 ?m, a plurality of the base of toner particle has a circularity of 0.930 to 0.990 on average, the binder resin contains a modified polyester resin, and the toner contains 0.3 parts by weight to 5.0 parts by weight of the external additive, relative to 100 parts by weight of the base of toner particle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masami Tomita, Tadao Takikawa, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Fumihiro Sasaki, Toshiki Nanya, Hiroto Higuchi, Shigeru Emoto, Shinichiro Yagi, Naohito Shimota, Maiko Kondo
  • Publication number: 20090117480
    Abstract: To provide a toner containing an ethyl acetate-soluble polyester component and an ethyl acetate-insoluble polyester component, wherein the toner is granulated in an aqueous medium, the ethyl acetate-insoluble polyester component is obtained by elongating and/or cross-linking a modified polyester resin during granulating and/or after granulating, the modified polyester resin is produced by condensation polymerization of an acid component and at least one type of diol compound selected from aliphatic diol and alicyclic diol in the presence of a catalyst, and the mass average molecular weight of the modified polyester resin is 10,000 to 100,000.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 24, 2008
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Inventors: Masahide Yamada, Ryota Inoue, Naohiro Watanabe, Shigeru Emoto, Masahiro Ohki, Akinori Saitoh, Tsunemi Sugiyama, Shinichi Wakamatsu, Toshiki Nanya, Naohito Shimota, Hiroshi Yamada, Junichi Awamura, Tomomi Suzuki, Kazuyuki Hirai, Kazushige Yasumatsu
  • 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
  • Patent number: 7504188
    Abstract: To provide a toner containing an ethyl acetate-soluble polyester component and an ethyl acetate-insoluble polyester component, wherein the toner is granulated in an aqueous medium, the ethyl acetate-insoluble polyester component is obtained by elongating and/or cross-linking a modified polyester resin during granulating and/or after granulating, the modified polyester resin is produced by condensation polymerization of an acid component and at least one type of diol compound selected from aliphatic diol and alicyclic diol in the presence of a catalyst, and the mass average molecular weight of the modified polyester resin is 10,000 to 100,000.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahide Yamada, Ryota Inoue, Naohiro Watanabe, Shigeru Emoto, Masahiro Ohki, Akinori Saitoh, Tsunemi Sugiyama, Shinichi Wakamatsu, Toshiki Nanya, Naohito Shimota, Hiroshi Yamada, Junichi Awamura, Tomomi Suzuki, Kazuyuki Hirai, Kazushige Yasumatsu
  • Publication number: 20090017392
    Abstract: A toner composition including toner particles including at least a binder resin; and a colorant, wherein the toner composition satisfies at least one of the following relationships (1) and (2): B?14 when 155<A?180; and B?0.6A?79 when 145?A?155,??(1) wherein A represents a shape factor SF-1 of the toner composition and B represents a content of toner particles having a particle diameter not greater than 3 ?m; and B?14 when 0.920?A??0.950; and B?394?400A? when 0.950<A??0.965??(2) wherein A? represents an average circularity of the toner composition and B represents a content of toner particles having a particle diameter not greater than 3 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2008
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Inventors: Hiroto HIGUCHI, Fumihiro SASAKI, Shinichiro YAGI, Shigeru EMOTO, Junichi AWAMURA, Naohito SHIMOTA, Masami TOMITA, Toshiki NANYA, Takahiro HONDA, Maiko KONDO
  • Publication number: 20090010687
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member; a charger; a light irradiator; a developing device; a transfer device; an image bearing member's cleaner; and a fixing device, wherein the fixing device includes a fixing member configured to fix a toner image upon application of heat and pressure thereto; a pressing member configured to press the recording material toward the fixing member; and a cleaning member configured to clean a surface of the fixing member and/or the pressing member, wherein the cleaning member has an outermost layer including a reactive material which increases viscoelasticity of a binder resin of the toner by reacting with the binder resin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2008
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Inventors: Hiroshi YAMADA, Fumihiro Sasaki, Shigeru Emoto, Jun Okamoto, Shlnji Ohtani, Hiroto Higuchi, Naohito Shimota, Shinichiro Yagi, Junichi Awamura, Tomomi Suzuki, Masami Tomita, Toshiki Nanya, Yoshiki Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 7473508
    Abstract: A toner composition including toner particles including at least a binder resin; and a colorant, wherein the toner composition satisfies at least one of the following relationships (1) and (2): B?14 when 155<A?180; and B?0.6A?79 when 145?A?155,??(1) wherein A represents a shape factor SF-1 of the toner composition and B represents a content of toner particles having a particle diameter not greater than 3 ?m; and B?14 when 0.920?A??0.950; and B?394?400A? when 0.950<A??0.965??(2) wherein A? represents an average circularity of the toner composition and B represents a content of toner particles having a particle diameter not greater than 3 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroto Higuchi, Fumihiro Sasaki, Shinichiro Yagi, Shigeru Emoto, Junichi Awamura, Naohito Shimota, Masami Tomita, Toshiki Nanya, Takahiro Honda, Maiko Kondo
  • Patent number: 7459255
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a toner having small-sized and potato-shaped particles created from multiple coherent spherical particles for excellent cleaning ability and high image quality, an image-forming method that realizes high image quality using the toner, and the like. To this end, there is provided a toner, which is produced by granulating toner materials as an organic phase comprising at least a binder resin and a colorant in an aqueous medium and has potato-shaped particles created from multiple coherent primary oil droplets of the organic phase in the aqueous medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chiaki Tanaka, Naohiro Watanabe, Masahiro Ohki, Masahide Yamada, Akinori Saitoh, Sonoh Matsuoka, Ryota Inoue, Shigeru Emoto
  • 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: 7435521
    Abstract: A toner for developing an electrostatic image which has a small particle size essential for attaining a high-quality image, and can output a high-quality image excellent in frictional charging property and free from scumming. The toner for developing an electrostatic image has the volume average particle diameter of 2.0 ?m to 7.1 ?m and the surface condition of the toner is in scab form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichiro Yagi, Hiroshi Yamada, Hiroshi Yamashita, Naohiro Watanabe, Tsunemi Sugiyama, Shigeru Emoto, Masami Tomita, Toshiki Nanya, Tadao Takikawa
  • Patent number: 7437111
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member; a charger; a light irradiator; a developing device; a transfer device; an imagebearingmember's cleaner; and a fixing device, wherein the fixing device includes a fixing member configured to fix a toner image upon application of heat and pressure thereto; a pressing member configured to press the recording material toward the fixing member; and a cleaning member configured to clean a surface of the fixing member and/or the pressing member, wherein the cleaning member has an outermost layer including a reactive material which increases viscoelasticity of a binder resin of the toner by reacting with the binder resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
    Inventors: Hiroshi Yamada, Fumihiro Sasaki, Shigeru Emoto, Jun Okamoto, Shinji Ohtani, Hiroto Higuchi, Naohito Shimota, Shinichiro Yagi, Junichi Awamura, Tomomi Suzuki, Masami Tomita, Toshiki Nanya, Yoshiki Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 7429442
    Abstract: A toner is provided that contains a binder resin; a colorant; a release agent; and an external additive, wherein the toner has an average circularity of from 0.940 to 0.965 and a crater having a depth of from 0.02 to 0.1 ?m, and wherein the crater has an amount of the external additive larger than an average amount thereof on the toner, along with a two-component developer containing the toner and an image forming apparatus using the toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Honda, Masami Tomita, Toshiki Nanya, Fumihiro Sasaki, Shigeru Emoto, Hiroto Higuchi, Hiroshi Yamada, Shinichiro Yagi, Tomomi Suzuki, Junichi Awamura, Naohito Shimota
  • Patent number: 7419756
    Abstract: A dry toner contains fine particles having average sphericity of 0.93 to 0.99, a content of the fine particles having a particle diameter of 2 ?m or less in the dry toner is 20% by number or less. A method for manufacturing a dry toner includes a process for dispersing in an aqueous medium containing water and a water-soluble organic solvent, a toner composition contained in an organic solvent by using fine solid dispersing agent; and a process for contracting volume of the dispersed toner composition. Further, the image forming apparatus having a photoconductor; a charger for charging the photoconductor; a light irradiator for irradiating the electrophotographic photoconductor to form a latent electrostatic image; a developer for developing the latent electrostatic image to form a developed image; and a transfer for transferring the developed image to a recording material, and the developer contains the dry toner abovementioned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Yamashita, Chiaki Tanaka, Tsunemi Sugiyama, Hiroshi Yamada, Kazuhito Watanabe, Shigeru Emoto, Masami Tomita
  • Patent number: 7396630
    Abstract: A toner composition including toner particles including a binder resin including a modified polyester resin, and a second resin having a weight average molecular weight of from 2,000 to 10,000; a colorant; a release agent; and a particulate material which is present at least a surface portion of the toner particles while embedded into the surface portion, wherein the binder resin has a glass transition temperature not lower than 35° C. and lower than 55° C., and wherein the particulate material has an average particle diameter of from 0.002 to 0.2 times that of the toner particles. A developer including the toner composition and a carrier having a layer thereon which includes at least an acrylic resin and a silicone resin, and a method for fixing an image of the toner composition are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
    Inventors: Yohichiroh Watanabe, Masanori Suzuki, Tsunemi Sugiyama, Hiroshi Yamashita, Takuya Saito, Naohiro Watanabe, Masami Tomita, Shigeru Emoto, Shinichiro Yagi, Hiroshi Yamada, Toshiki Nanya, Tadao Takigawa
  • Publication number: 20080138735
    Abstract: A toner for developing a latent electrostatic image including a base of toner particle which contains a binder resin and a coloring agent, and an external additive. Herein, a plurality of the base of toner particle has a volume average particle diameter (Dv) of 3 ?m to 7 ?m, a ratio (Dv/Dn) of the volume average particle diameter (Dv) to a number average particle diameter (Dn) is 1.01 to 1.25, a plurality of the base of toner particle contains 15% by number or less of the base of toner particle having a particle diameter of 0.6 ?m to 2.0 ?m, a plurality of the base of toner particle has a circularity of 0.930 to 0.990 on average, the binder resin contains a modified polyester resin, and the toner contains 0.3 parts by weight to 5.0 parts by weight of the external additive, relative to 100 parts by weight of the base of toner particle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Inventors: Masami Tomita, Tadao Takikawa, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Fumihiro Sasaki, Toshiki Nanya, Hiroto Higuchi, Shigeru Emoto, Shinichiro Yagi, Naohito Shimota, Maiko Kondo
  • Patent number: 7384720
    Abstract: A toner for developing a latent electrostatic image including a base of toner particle which contains a binder resin and a coloring agent, and an external additive. Herein, a plurality of the base of toner particle has a volume average particle diameter (Dv) of 3 ?m to 7 ?m, a ratio (Dv/Dn) of the volume average particle diameter (Dv) to a number average particle diameter (Dn) is 1.01 to 1.25, a plurality of the base of toner particle contains 15% by number or less of the base of toner particle having a particle diameter of 0.6 ?m to 2.0 ?m, a plurality of the base of toner particle has a circularity of 0.930 to 0.990 on average, the binder resin contains a modified polyester resin, and the toner contains 0.3 parts by weight to 5.0 parts by weight of the external additive, relative to 100 parts by weight of the base of toner particle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masami Tomita, Tadao Takikawa, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Fumihiro Sasaki, Toshiki Nanya, Hiroto Higuchi, Shigeru Emoto, Shinichiro Yagi, Naohito Shimota, Maiko Kondo