IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,429,788
Granted Patent B2
US 12,429,788 · App. 17/936,943 · Granted Sep 30, 2025

Process cartridge

Inventors: Kozue Uratani (Shizuoka, JP); Takashi Kenmoku (Shizuoka, JP); Koki Inoue (Shizuoka, JP); Tatsuya Saeki (Shizuoka, JP); Kunihiko Sekido (Shizuoka, JP)
Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
G03G5/14704G03G9/08782G03G21/1814
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,429,788
App. No.
17/936,943
Granted
Sep 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A process cartridge that is detachable from a main body of an electrophotographic apparatus, in which a surface protective layer of an electrophotographic photosensitive member contains an electroconductive particle; the content of the electroconductive particle is 20.0 to 70.0% by volume of the surface protective layer; the surface protective layer has a volume resistivity of 1.0×10 9 to 1.0×10 14 Ω·cm; a toner particle has at least one multivalent metal element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, calcium, and iron; and a total content of the multivalent metal elements in the toner particle, as measured by coupled induction plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), is 0.10 to 1.25 μmol/g.

Claims (21)

1. A process cartridge that is detachable from a main body of an electrophotographic apparatus, the process cartridge comprising:

an electrophotographic photosensitive member; and

a development unit that comprises a toner storage portion accommodating toner and is configured to supply the toner to a surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member;

the electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising an electroconductive support, with a photosensitive layer and a surface protective layer formed thereon in this order;

the toner comprising an external additive, and a toner particle comprising a binder resin and at least one multivalent metal element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, calcium and iron; and

the surface protective layer comprising an electroconductive particle, the electroconductive particle comprising a niobium atoms-containing titanium oxide particle, wherein

the niobium atoms-containing titanium oxide particle comprises 2.6 to 10.0% by mass of niobium atoms,

a content of the electroconductive particle is 20.0 to 70.0% by volume of a total volume of the surface protective layer,

the surface protective layer has a volume resistivity of 1.0×10 9 to 1.0×10 14 Ω·cm, and

a total content of the multivalent metal elements in the toner particle is 0.10 to 1.25 μmol/g as measured by coupled induction plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES).

2. The process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein, with respect to the multivalent metal elements contained in the toner particle,

a content of aluminum is 0.50 μmol/g or less;

a content of magnesium is 0.80 μmol/g or less;

a content of calcium is 0.90 μmol/g or less and

a content of iron is 1.25 μmol/g or less.

3. The process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the toner particle comprises 0.10 to 0.32 μmol/g of aluminum as the multivalent metal element.

4. The process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the toner particle comprises a wax that is an ester compound.

5. The process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein a carboxy group is present in a molecular chain constituting the binder resin, and the carboxy group and the multivalent metal element form a coordination bond and are present in the toner particle.

6. The process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the toner particle is an emulsion aggregation toner particle.

7. The process cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein in the electrophotographic photosensitive member, a content of the electroconductive particle is 40.0 to 70.0% by volume of the surface protective layer, and

the surface protective layer has a volume resistivity of 1.0×10 10 1.0×10 14 Ω·cm.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 9, 2022
From: URATANI, KOZUE; KENMOKU, TAKASHI; INOUE, KOKI; SAEKI, TATSUYA; SEKIDO, KUNIHIKO
To: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 061713/0678 →
Priority Claims (3)
JP 2021-166513 · Oct 8, 2021 · national
JP 2022-129340 · Aug 15, 2022 · national
JP 2022-146705 · Sep 15, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230116451A1 · Apr 13, 2023
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