Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Masakazu Nakada

Hideo Ichikawa

Nobuyasu Makino

Masanori Rimoto

Seiji Terazawa

Kazuhiko Umemura

Sunao Ikeda

Yasushi Akiba

Masumi Ikesue

Seiji Oka

Nobuhiro Makita

Tohru Suganuma

Fumitoshi Murakami

Hideyuki Ueda

Hiroyasu Itou

Michiharu Narushima

An external additive including titanium dioxide having a water-soluble component of at least 0.2% by weight and a fluorosilane compound, wherein the titanium dioxide is surface-reformed by the fluorosilane compound.

External additive, method of manufacturing same and toner

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing particles, where a viscous material is sprayed with a high-pressure gas for atomization while the viscous material is being discharged in a chamber, and cooling air is introduced in the chamber for granulation. The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a toner, where a mixture containing at least a binding resin and a colorant is melt mixed under pressure or melt mixed with an injection of a supercritical fluid, the obtained melt-mixed substance is sprayed with a high-pressure gas for atomization while the melt-mixed substance is being discharged in a chamber, and cooling air is introduced in the chamber from an air inlet formed on the chamber.

Particles and manufacturing method thereof, toner and manufacturing method thereof, and developer, toner container, process cartridge, image forming method and image forming apparatus

A toner includes toner particles which have a binder resin and a colorant. The toner has a weight average particle diameter of from 4 to 7 &#x3bc;m and includes toner particles having a circle equivalent diameter of from 0.6 to 2.0 &#x3bc;m in an amount not greater than 5% by quantity, toner particles having a particle diameter of from 3.17 to 4.00 &#x3bc;m in an amount of from 10 to 40% by quantity, toner particles having a diameter of from 4.00 to 5.04 &#x3bc;m in an amount of from 20 to 40% by quantity, and toner particles having a diameter not less than 12.7 &#x3bc;m in an amount of from 0 to 1.0% by weight. The toner satisfies the following relationship: 1.04&#x2266;D/D&#x2266;1.30, wherein Drepresents the weight average particle diameter and Drepresents a number average particle diameter of the toner.

Toner, developer, image forming method, image forming apparatus and toner manufacturing method

A powder filling apparatus includes a first container configured to contain a powder. A weighing tank is configured to receive the powder from the first container and discharge a predetermined amount of the powder to a second container, which includes an opening configured to discharge the powder into the second container and a regulator configured to open and close the opening to discharge the predetermined amount of the powder into the second container. A connector is configured to feed the powder from the first container into the weighing tank.

Apparatus and method of filling microscopic powder

A recyclable toner container having a hollow cylindrical body, a toner outlet at one end of the container, and a removable cap fitted in the toner outlet. The cap have a plurality of circumferential protuberances on an outer periphery thereof and contacting the inner periphery of the toner outlet. The diameters of the plurality of protuberances are sequentially increased from a downstream side toward an upstream side in a direction in which the cap is inserted into the toner outlet.

Recyclable toner container for an image forming apparatus

A toner container densely packed with toner to be replenished into a developing unit included in an image forming apparatus, and a method of producing the same. The toner is packed in the container with a ratio of a packing density to a saturation bulk density greater than 1.0, a mean penetration greater than 5.0 mm inclusive, and a standard deviation of penetration not exceeding one-fifth of the mean penetration. The toner can be smoothly and continuously replenished into the developing unit so as to form a number of images matching the amount thereof.

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Numazu, Japan

Masakazu Nakada