Xerox Corporation

Anthony M Wallace

James R Larson

John F Knapp

R Enrique Viturro

Santokh Singh Badesha

Ian D Morrison

John F Oliver

Edward Anczurowski

Chu-Heng Liu

William H Wayman

John W Spiewak

Donald S Sypula

Dennis A Abramsohn

Henry R Till

Werner E Haas

Paul Windsor Morehouse, Jr

Rasin Moser

Clifford H Griffiths

Rodney B Proulx

John Chinnici

Enrique R Viturro

A development system is provided that extends the functionality of liquid developer to produce custom colors and combines it with a powder development engine to enable custom color printing. This invention provides a apparatus and method, control scheme, hardware, and software, necessary for enabling custom color printing using an electrophotograpic hybrid technology.

Hybrid electrophotographic apparatus for custom color printing

A development system is provided that extends the functionality of liquid developer to produce custom colors and combines it with a powder development engine to enable custom color printing. An apparatus for developing an image on an imaging surface, including: a first developer unit having dry marking particles therein for developing a first portion of the image; and a second developer unit having a solution of marking particles and liquid carrier therein for developing a second portion of the image.

Disclosed is a process for forming images which comprises (a) generating an electrostatic latent image; (b) contacting the latent image with a developer comprising a colorant and a substantial amount of a vehicle with a melting point of at least about 25&deg; C., said developer having a melting point of at least about 25&deg; C., said contact occurring while the developer is maintained at a temperature at or above its melting point, said developer having a viscosity of no more than about 500 centipoise and a resistivity of no less than about 10,ohm-cm at the temperature maintained while the developer is in contact with the latent image; and (c) cooling the developed image to a temperature below its melting point subsequent to development. Specific processes disclosed include electrophoretic development processes, polarizable liquid development processes, and photoelectrophoretic development processes. Optionally, the developed image is transferred to a substrate subsequent to development.

Development processes

The present invention provides an apparatus for forming a uniform layer of liquid developer which apparatus includes, for example, a coater for depositing liquid developer on a first movable substrate to form a first toner layer; a second movable substrate for contacting the first toner layer on the first substrate to form a uniformly thin second toner layer on the first substrate, wherein the directional movement of the first movable substrate surface is contrary to the directional movement of the second movable substrate surface, and wherein at least one of the first substrate surface and the second substrate surface conforms to an opposing surface; and a photoactive member for receipt and formation of latent image thereon and for receipt of a toner layer for development of the latent image by the toner layer.

Method and apparatus for forming a uniform layer of liquid developer

Disclosed is a process for forming images which comprises (a) generating an electrostatic latent image; (b) contacting the latent image with a developer comprising a colorant and a substantial amount of a vehicle with a melting point of at least about 25.degree. C., said developer having a melting point of at least about 25.degree. C., said contact occurring while the developer is maintained at a temperature at or above its melting point, said developer having a viscosity of no more than about 500 centipoise and a resistivity of no less than about 10.sup.8 ohm-cm at the temperature maintained while the developer is in contact with the latent image; and (c) cooling the developed image to a temperature below its melting point subsequent to development. Specific processes disclosed include electrophoretic development processes, polarizable liquid development processes, and photoelectrophoretic development processes. Optionally, the developed image is transferred to a substrate subsequent to development.

Printing machines which incorporate a transfusing station having a transfusing member with a resistive heater layer, a substrate, and a release layer. The transfusing station is entrained between at least two electrically conductive contact members, such as rollers, which electrically contact the heater layer. An electrical source sends current through the conductive rollers and the heater layer, heating that layer, the substrate, the release layer, and any toner on the release layer. A backup roller adjacent the transfusing member and the conductive rollers induces pressure on marking substrates which pass between the backup roller and the transfusing member. The combination of heat from the heater layer and pressure induced by the backup roller causes any toner image on the transfusing member to fuse onto the marking substrate. The release layer assists in transferring the toner onto the marking substrate.

Transfuser

An intermediate transfer member achieves substantially 100% toner transfer by containing a fluorocarbon elastomer containing less than 60 mole % vulnerable sites in the fluorocarbon chain. A high resolution image can be produced in an image developing system containing such a fluorocarbon elastomer. The fluorocarbon elastomer reduces the charge exchange between toner particles and the intermediate transfer member, and also reduces charge exchange between charge directors in liquid developers and the intermediate transfer member.

Method for transferring a toner image

A liquid ink development (LID) reproduction machine for producing a stabilized liquid toner image having clean-background areas. The reproduction machine includes a movable image bearing member having a photoconductive surface, and latent image forming devices for forming a latent image on the photoconductive surface such that the latent image has image areas and background areas. The reproduction machine also includes a development apparatus containing liquid toner developer material for developing the latent image. The liquid toner developer material includes a carrier liquid having a relatively low conductivity for preventing shorting of image conditioning electric fields through a layer of the liquid toner developer material forming the image. The liquid toner developer material also includes charged toner particles dispersed within the carrier liquid and having a relatively high charge level per toner particle for making the toner particles more sensitive to a low voltage image conditioning electric field. More importantly, the reproduction machine includes an image stabilization roller having a relatively low voltage biasing field for image conditioning so as to achieve effective image stabilization as well as clean developed image background areas.

Lid machine capable of producing clean-background stabilized liquid

An apparatus for breaking aggregated toner in a liquid carrier into smaller pieces is provided. The apparatus includes a screen defining a plurality of apertures therein with the smaller pieces of toner being passable therethrough and a member. The member and the screen have a movable relation therebetween which is parallel to a surface of the screen to urge at least a portion of the toner through the screen.

High solids toner redispersion

A liquid developer comprised of thermoplastic resin particles, and a charge director comprised of an ammonium AB diblock copolymer of the formula ##STR1## wherein X.sup.- is a conjugate base or anion of a strong acid, R is hydrogen or alkyl, R' is alkyl, R' is an alkyl group containing from about 6 to about 20 carbon atoms, and y and x represent the number average degree of polymerization (DP) wherein the ratio of y to x is in the range of from about 10 to 2 to about 100 to 20.

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Penfield, NY, United States of America

Anthony M Wallace