Toner

• US 7,629,100 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ishigami, Koh, Okamoto, Naoki, Baba, Yoshinobu, Terauchi, Kazuo, Hotta, Yojiro, Itakura, Takayuki, Ida, Tetsuya, Umeda, Noriyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chapman; Mark A
• Application Number:
  US11/841,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20090047592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 430/111.4, 430/109.3, 430/109.4
• US Class Current: 430/111.4
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/08711 with esters of acrylic or methacrylic acid
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/08755 Polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/08793 Crosslinked polymers
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/08795 characterised by their chemical properties, e.g. acidity, molecular weight, sensitivity to reactants
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/08797 characterised by their physical properties, e.g. viscosity, solubility, melting temperature, softening temperature, glass transition temperature

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a toner which: is excellent in fixing ability such as low-temperature fixability, hot offset property, and separability even in a fixing system excellent in quick start property and energy saving property; has high gloss; and is excellent in development stability and transferability irrespective of environments. The toner of the present invention includes toner particles each containing at least a binder resin and a colorant, in which, in a case where a tetrahydrofuran (THF) insoluble matter of the binder resin in the toner when the toner is subjected to Soxhlet extraction with THF for 2 hours is represented by A (mass %), a THF insoluble matter of the binder resin in the toner when the toner is subjected to Soxhlet extraction with THF for 4 hours is represented by B (mass %), a THF insoluble matter of the binder resin in the toner when the toner is subjected to Soxhlet extraction with THF for 8 hours is represented by C (mass %), and a THF insoluble matter of the binder resin in the toner when the toner is subjected to Soxhlet extraction with THF for 16 hours is represented by D (mass %), A, B, C, and D satisfy the following expression: (A−B)/2>(B−C)/4>(C−D)/8 where 40<A≦75 (mass %) and 1.0<D<40 (mass %).

Claims

1. A toner comprising toner particles each containing at least a binder resin and a colorant,

wherein, in a case where a tetrahydrofuran (THF) insoluble matter of the binder resin in the toner when the toner is subjected to Soxhlet extraction with THF for 2 hours is represented by A (mass %), a THF insoluble matter of the binder resin in the toner when the toner is subjected to Soxhlet extraction with THF for 4 hours is represented by B (mass %), a THF insoluble matter of the binder resin in the toner when the toner is subjected to Soxhlet extraction with THF for 8 hours is represented by C (mass %), and a THF insoluble matter of the binder resin in the toner when the toner is subjected to Soxhlet extraction with THF for 16 hours is represented by D (mass %), A, B, C, and D satisfy the following expression (1):

(A−

B)/2>

(B−

C)/4>

(C−

D)/8 

 

(1)

where 40<

A≦

75 (mass %) and 1.0<

D<

40 (mass %).

2. A toner according to claim 1, wherein the toner has a highest endothermic peak at 50 to 110°

C. in an endothermic curve in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).

3. A toner according to claim 1, wherein the toner has a storage elastic modulus G′

(140°

C.) at 140°

C. of 1.0×

10³ dN/m² or more to less than 1.0×

10⁵ dN/m².

4. A toner according to claim 1, wherein the toner has an average circularity of 0.945 or more to 0.990 or less, the average circularity being obtained by dividing circularities measured with a flow-type particle image measuring device having an image processing resolution of 512×

512 pixels (0.37 μ

m×

0.37 μ

m per pixel) into 800 sections in a circularity range of 0.200 or more to 1.000 or less and by analyzing the circularities.

5. A toner according to claim 1, wherein the binder resin have a low-softening-point resin having a softening point of 80.0°

C. or higher to lower than 110.0°

C. and having a polyester unit and a vinyl-based copolymer unit, and a high-softening-point resin having a softening point of 110.0°

C. or higher to 145.0°

C. or lower and having a polyester unit and a vinyl-based copolymer unit.