IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,416,872
Granted Patent B2
US 12,416,872 · App. 17/517,359 · Granted Sep 16, 2025

Toner, developing agent, toner stored unit, and image forming apparatus

Inventors: Ryuuta Yoshida (Shizuoka, JP); Toma Takebayashi (Shizuoka, JP); Akio Takei (Shizuoka, JP); Yasuo Kamada (Shizuoka, JP)
Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
G03G9/08755C08L33/06G03G9/0823G03G9/1075G03G9/108B82Y40/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,416,872
App. No.
17/517,359
Granted
Sep 16, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure provides a toner having excellent low-temperature fixing, heat-resistant-storage property, cleaning performance, and filming resistance. A toner containing toner base particles having a crystalline polyester resin and an amorphous polyester resin includes a plurality of organic particles disposed at least partially embedded in a surface of the toner base particles. A percentage of the crystalline polyester resin occupying the surface of the toner base particles is 4% to 20%, a volume average particle size of the organic particles is 10 nm to 40 nm, and a standard deviation of a distance between adjacent particles of the organic particles that are not in contact is 500 nm or less.

Claims (29)

1. A toner, comprising toner base particles which comprise a crystalline polyester resin, an amorphous polyester resin and an amorphous hybrid resin, comprising:

a plurality of organic particles comprising resin particles comprising a styrene acrylic resin, disposed at least partially embedded in a surface of the toner base particles,

wherein a percentage of the crystalline polyester resin occupying the surface of the toner base particles is 4% to 20%,

a volume average particle size of the organic particles is 10 nm to 34.3 nm,

a standard deviation of a distance between adjacent particles of the organic particles that are not in contact is 500 nm or less,

said organic particles comprise:

organic particles (A) comprising styrene acrylic resin (a1) and styrene acrylic resin (a2); and

organic particles (B) comprising one type of styrene acrylic resin (a1), and

said amorphous hybrid resin comprises a polyester resin and a styrene resin which are partially chemically bonded.

2. The toner according claim 1 , wherein said styrene acrylic resin (a1) and (a2) each independently comprises a constitutional unit derived from a carboxylic acid.

3. The toner according to claim 1 , wherein a content of the organic particles with respect to a total mass of the toner base particles is 0.2% by mass to 5% by mass.

4. The toner according to claim 1 , wherein a percentage of the crystalline polyester resin occupying the surface of the toner base particles is 10% to 15%.

5. The toner according to claim 1 , wherein a glass transition temperature Tg 1st at the first temperature rise in a differential scanning calorimetry of the toner is 40° C. to 65° C.,

wherein a glass transition temperature Tg 1st of a tetrahydrofuran-insoluble content of the toner at the first temperature rise in DSC is −45° C. to 5° C., and

wherein a glass transition temperature Tg 2nd of a tetrahydrofuran-soluble content of the toner at the second temperature rise in DSC, is 20° C. to 65° C.

6. The toner according to claim 1 , wherein the amorphous polyester resin comprises a modified polyester.

7. The toner according to claim 6 , wherein the modified polyester contains a trivalent or tetravalent aliphatic polyhydric alcohol component with 3 to 10 carbon atoms.

8. The toner according to claim 6 , wherein the modified polyester contains a diol component, and the diol component has a carbon number of 3, 5, 7, or 9 in the main chain and an alkyl group in the side chain.

9. The toner according to claim 6 , wherein the modified polyester has a urethane bond, a urea bond, or both.

10. A developing agent comprising the toner of claim 1 , and a carrier.

11. A toner stored unit comprising the toner of claim 1 .

12. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an electrostatic latent image carrier;

an electrostatic latent image forming part that forms an electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic latent image carrier;

a developing part that develops the electrostatic latent image using a toner to form a visible image;

a transfer part that transfers the visible image to a recording medium; and

a fixing part that fixes the transferred image on the recording medium,

wherein the toner is the toner of claim 1 .

13. The toner according to claim 1 , wherein styrene acrylic resin (a1) comprises a styrene acrylic resin comprising a constitutional unit derived from a carboxylic acid.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: YOSHIDA, RYUUTA; TAKEBAYASHI, TOMA; TAKEI, AKIO; KAMADA, YASUO
To: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
Reel/Frame 057998/0035 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-184496 · Nov 4, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220137525A1 · May 5, 2022
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