Patents by Inventor Shinya Nakayama

Shinya Nakayama 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: 20080280218
    Abstract: To provide a toner produced by emulsifying or dispersing in an aqueous medium particles containing at least polyester resin particles and by aggregating the polyester resin particles, wherein the polyester resin particles contain a polyester resin, the polyester resin is produced by condensation polymerization of an alcohol component containing 65 mol % or more 1,2-propanediol in a dihydroxy alcohol component and a carboxylic acid component containing purified rosin, and the softening point of the polyester resin is 80° C. or more and less than 120° C., and wherein the toner comprises a colorant and a releasing agent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Publication date: November 13, 2008
    Inventors: Akiyoshi Sabu, Akihiro Kotsugai, Shinya Nakayama, Hiroshi Yamashita, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Hiroshi Yamada, Junichi Awamura
  • 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: 20080261131
    Abstract: A toner that is excellent in low-temperature fixing property, offset resistance, storage stability, charge rising property, charge stability with time and pulverizability and allows for forming high-quality images over a long period of time. The toner contains at least a binder resin, a colorant and a charge controlling agent, wherein the charge controlling agent contains an aromatic oxycarboxylic acid metal compound having a trivalent or more central metal, the binder resin comprises a polyester resin (A) having a softening point Tm (A) of 120° C. to 160° C. and a polyester resin (B) having a softening point Tm (B) of 80° C. to less than 120° C., and at least any one of the polyester resins (A) and (B) contains 1,2-propane diol at 65 mol % or more in a divalent alcohol component and can be obtained by condensation polymerizing an alcohol component substantially composed of only an aliphatic alcohol with a carboxylic acid component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2007
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Inventors: Shinya NAKAYAMA, Akihiro KOTSUGAI, Yasuaki IWAMOTO, Yasutada SHITARA
  • Publication number: 20080227002
    Abstract: To provide a toner including a binder resin and colorant and is granulated in aqueous medium, wherein the binder resin is a polymer having a polyester skeleton, the polyester skeleton is obtained by block copolymerization of a polyester skeleton A in which at least a constituent unit in which CH3—C*—H(—OH)(COOH) is dehydration condensed is contained in a repeated structure and a polyester skeleton B in which a constituent unit in which CH3—C*—H(—OH)(COOH) is dehydration condensed is not contained in a repeated structure, and an optical isomer ratio X (%) (monomer equivalent) is 80% or less, where the optical isomer ratio X (%)=|X (L-type)?X (D?type)| where X (L-type) denotes a ratio (%) of L-type (lactic acid monomer equivalent) and X (D-type) denotes a ratio (%) of D-type (lactic acid monomer equivalent)) in the constituent unit where CH3—C*—H(—OH)(COOH) is dehydration condensed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Moriya, Hiroshi Yamashita, Akihiro Kotsugai, Shinya Nakayama, Tsuyoshi Sugimoto, Akiyoshi Sabu
  • Publication number: 20080118855
    Abstract: Provided is a toner that comprises a binder resin, a releasing agent, and a colorant, wherein the mass average particle diameter of the toner is 3 ?m to 8 ?m, the content of particles having a particle diameter of no more than 5 ?m is from 60% by number to 90% by number, the binder resin comprises a polyester resin (A) having a softening temperature Tm(A) from no lower than 120° C. to no higher than 160° C. and a polyester resin (B) having a softening temperature Tm(B) from no lower than 80° C. to lower than 120° C., and at least one of the polyester resins (A) and (B) is prepared by condensation polymerization between an alcohol component and a carboxylic acid component, and the alcohol component comprises divalent alcohol of 1,2-propanediol in a content of no less than 65% by mole and consists substantially of aliphatic alcohol; and also provided is a developer that comprises the toner and a carrier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2007
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Inventors: Shinya Nakayama, Akihiro Kotsugai, Yasuaki Iwamoto, Yasutada Shitara, Yohichiroh Watanabe
  • 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
  • Patent number: 7368212
    Abstract: A toner for developing an electrostatic image, includes: a colorant; and a binder resin. The toner has a particle including at least one pore having a diameter of 10 nm or over, and a porosity thereof is in a range from 0.01 to 0.60.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideki Sugiura, Satoshi Mochizuki, Yasuaki Iwamoto, Yasuo Asahina, Akihiro Kotsugai, Shinya Nakayama, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Koichi Sakata, Tomoko Utsumi, Hisashi Nakajima
  • Publication number: 20080096116
    Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide a toner enabling excellent transferring properties, cleanability, and fixability and forming a high-precision image without substantially degraded image quality even after printed on a number of sheets of paper. The invention also provides the toner-production method, an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a process cartridge. To this end, the present invention provides a toner which comprises toner-base particles containing a binder resin and a filler, and inorganic fine particles, in which the filler is included in a filler-layer in the vicinity of surfaces of the toner-base particles, the number average particle diameter of the primary particles of the inorganic fine particles is 90 nm to 300 nm, and the average circularity of the toner is 0.95.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2005
    Publication date: April 24, 2008
    Inventors: Tomoko Utsumi, Satoshi Mochizuki, Hideki Sugiura, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Minoru Masuda, Shinya Nakayama
  • 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
  • Patent number: 7318989
    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: August 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2008
    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: 20070275318
    Abstract: A toner including toner particles including a binder resin, a colorant, and an inorganic particulate material present on a surface of the toner particles. The toner particles have a surface roughness (Ra) of from 1 to 30 nm, a standard deviation of the surface roughness of from 10 to 90 nm and include 1 to 20 convexities per 1 ?m, which have a height not less than 10 nm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2007
    Publication date: November 29, 2007
    Inventors: Hideki Sugiura, Satoshi Mochizuki, Yasuaki Iwamoto, Yasuo Asahina, Kazuhiko Umemura, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Shinya Nakayama, Koichi Sakata, Tomoko Utsumi
  • Publication number: 20070269241
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, an endless belt whose front surface contacts the image carrier to form a transfer nip, and a bias applying roller configured to apply a transfer bias to a back surface of the endless belt. An image is formed of a toner having an additive embedded rate of not less than 40 percent and including a mother particle having a binder resin and a colorant, and an external additive. The bias applying roller is located so as to satisfy a relationship, L>(A/2)+(B/2)+C, where A is a diameter of the image carrier, B is a diameter of the bias applying roller, C is a thickness of the endless belt, and L is a distance between centers of the image carrier and the bias applying roller on a virtual plane perpendicular to an axis direction of the image carrier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Publication date: November 22, 2007
    Inventors: Yuuji SAWAI, Shinya Nakayama
  • Patent number: 7288353
    Abstract: A toner including toner particles including a binder resin, a colorant, and an inorganic particulate material present on a surface of the toner particles. The toner particles have a surface roughness (Ra) of from 1 to 30 nm, a standard deviation of the surface roughness of from 10 to 90 nm and include 1 to 20 convexities per 1 ?m, which have a height not less than 10 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideki Sugiura, Satoshi Mochizuki, Yasuaki Iwamoto, Yasuo Asahina, Kazuhiko Umemura, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Shinya Nakayama, Koichi Sakata, Tomoko Utsumi
  • Patent number: 7261989
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a toner which has sufficiently high chargeability and less toner spent to a carrier or the like even when several tens of thousands of image sheets are output, is capable of keeping high-charge property and flowability without causing substantial background smear or toner fogging, excels in low-temperature fixing property and hot-offset property, and has a wide range of fixing temperature as well as to provide a developer, an image forming apparatus, a process cartridge, and an image forming method using the toner for developing electrostatic images. The toner of the present invention comprises a colorant, and a resin, and a fluoride compound, in which the fluoride compound exists on the surfaces of toner particles, and the atomic number ratio (F/C) of fluoride atoms to carbon atoms existing on the surfaces of the toner particles is 0.010 to 0.054.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideki Sugiura, Satoshi Mochizuki, Yasuaki Iwamoto, Yasuo Asahina, Hisashi Nakajima, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Shinya Nakayama, Masayuki Ishii, Tomoko Utsumi, Koichi Sakata
  • Patent number: 7258959
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a developer having a sharp charge amount distribution and bringing out high-quality image without substantially smearing a charging unit, developing units, a photoconductor, and an intermediate transferring member by the developer, namely, a developer capable of providing an appropriate image density and exhibiting extremely little background smear even when used over a long period of time and repeatedly used for a number of sheets of paper as well as to provide an image forming apparatus for electrophotography using the developer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinya Nakayama, Satoshi Mochizuki, Yasuaki Iwamoto, Yasuo Asahina, Kazuhiko Umemura, Hideki Sugiura, Hisashi Nakajima, Tomoyuki Ichikawa, Tomoko Utsumi, Koichi Sakata, Akihiro Kotsugai, Osamu Uchinokura, Masayuki Ishii
  • Publication number: 20070190444
    Abstract: Toners, developers, toner-containing containers, process cartridges, image forming apparatuses and image forming processes are provided that may maintain proper transfer ability and cleaning property for long period, exhibit less image fluctuation, and represent less embedding of external additives even under stirring the developer at use, and also afford stable flowability and charging ability for long period. The toner of the present invention comprises toner base particles and secondary agglomerates, wherein the toner base particles comprise a toner material that comprises a colorant and a binding resin, and the secondary agglomerates, which being formed of fine particles, each have a secondary particle diameter of no less than 10 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2007
    Publication date: August 16, 2007
    Inventors: Akihiro Kotsugai, Fumihiro Sasaki, Shinya Nakayama, Koichi Sakata
  • Publication number: 20070059063
    Abstract: To provide an image forming method including forming a latent electrostatic image on a latent electrostatic image bearing member, developing the latent electrostatic image using a toner to form a visible image, transferring the visible image to a recording medium, and fixing a transfer image transferred on the recording medium, wherein the toner includes a toner base particle containing at least a binder resin, a colorant and an inorganic fine particle, and a charge control agent; and wherein the condition Xsurf>Xtotal is satisfied (where Xsurf is an average proportion of the inorganic fine particles in a near-surface region of the toner base particle, Xtotal is an average proportion of inorganic fine particles in the whole toner base particle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2006
    Publication date: March 15, 2007
    Inventors: Shinya Nakayama, Hisashi Nakajima, Hideki Sugiura, Fumihiro Sasaki, Akihiro Kotsugai, Satoshi Mochizuki
  • Publication number: 20070031748
    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: August 3, 2006
    Publication date: February 8, 2007
    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