Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3m Innovative Properties Company

Imation Corporation

Gay L Herman

James A Baker

Julie Y Qian

Charles W Simpson

Wu-Shyong Li

Jai Venkatesan

Gaye K Lehman

A Kristine Fordahl

Zbigniew Tokarski

Larry D Boardman

Claire A Jalbert

Ronald J Moudry

Kathryn R Bretscher

Leonard Stulc

Brian P Teschendorf

Mark C Berens

Terri L Butler

Truman Frank Kellie

Kent E Emerson

Eric Daniel Morrison

Kam Wah Law

Edward J Woo

Minyu Li

Valdis Mikelsons

Robert E Brenner

Jiayi Zhu

Stewart H Corn

Manuel Lozada

Susan E Hill

Eric D Dalzell

Bao Tran

Jai Venkateson

Dry electrographic toner compositions are provided comprising a plurality of dry toner particles, wherein the toner particles comprise polymeric binder comprising at least one amphipathic copolymer comprising one or more S material portions and one or more D material portions. The dry electrographic toner composition comprises a wax associated with the dry toner particles, wherein substantially all of the wax is associated with the toner particle at the surface thereof. Methods of making electrographic toner compositions are also provided comprising preparing polymeric binder particles comprising at least one amphipathic copolymer comprising one or more S material portions and one or more D material portions, preparing toner particles, drying the toner particles, and milling the dry toner particles in the presence of a wax component to provide a dry toner particle composition having the wax associated with the toner particles. These toner compositions provide images having excellent durability and erasure resistance properties at low fusion temperatures and with little undesired offset.

Dry toner blended with wax

Dry electrographic toner compositions are provided comprising a plurality of dry toner particles, wherein the toner particles comprise polymeric binder comprising at least one amphipathic copolymer comprising one or more S material portions and one or more D material portions. The dry electrographic toner composition comprises a wax associated with the dry toner particles that has been entrained in the toner particle during the formation of the amphipathic copolymer. Methods of making the electrographic toner compositions are also provided. These toner compositions provide images having excellent durability and erasure resistance properties at low fusion temperatures and with little undesired offset.

Dry toner comprising entrained wax

Dry electrographic toner compositions are provided comprising a plurality of dry toner particles, wherein the toner particles comprise polymeric binder comprising at least one amphipathic copolymer comprising one or more S material portions and one or more D material portions. The dry electrographic toner composition comprises a wax associated with the dry toner particles, wherein a substantial portion of the wax is entrained in the toner particle and a substantial portion of the wax is associated with the toner particle at the surface thereof. Methods of making electrographic toner compositions are also provided comprising preparing polymeric binder particles comprising at least one amphipathic copolymer comprising one or more S material portions and one or more D material portions, and milling the particles before or after formulation as toner particles with wax in the liquid carrier prior to drying to form the dry toner composition. These toner compositions provide images having excellent durability and erasure resistance properties at low fusion temperatures and with little undesired offset.

Dry toner comprising wax

The invention provides liquid electrographic toner compositions comprising a liquid carrier having toner particles and at least one soluble polymer dispersed in the liquid carrier. The liquid carrier has a Kauri-Butanol number less than about 30 mL. The toner particles comprise polymeric binder comprising at least one amphipathic copolymer comprising one or more S material portions and one or more D material portions. The soluble polymer is present in an amount of from about 1% to about 10% by weight based on toner particle weight. The absolute difference in Hildebrand solubility parameters between the soluble polymer and the liquid carrier is less than about 3.0 MPa. In one aspect of the invention, the soluble polymer that is incorporated in the toner composition has no more than about 30% weight ratio chemical constitution variance from the chemical constitution of the S material portion of the amphipathic copolymer.

Liquid toners comprising amphipathic copolymeric binder and soluble polymers for electrographic applications

A method of producing a composite image on a final image receptor from image data in a single pass electrophotographic system is provided. The method includes steps for applying liquid transfer assist material comprising charged particles of transfer assist material to at least a portion of an element of the electrophotographic system, along with charged toner particles, in order to provide a composite image layer on a final image receptor in a single pass of a photoreceptive element through transfer of the composite image layer from another element in the system.

Method and apparatus for using a transfer assist layer in a tandem electrophotographic process utilizing adhesive toner transfer

The invention provides liquid electrographic toner compositions comprising a liquid carrier having toner particles dispersed in the liquid carrier. The liquid carrier has a Kauri-Butanol number less than about 30 mL. The toner particles comprise polymeric binder comprising at least one amphipathic copolymer comprising one or more S material portions and one or more D material portions. The S material portion comprises at least one soluble component and at least one insoluble component, wherein the insoluble component is the reaction product of monomers having an absolute difference in Hildebrand solubility parameter from the liquid carrier of about 3.0 MPaor greater. These toner particles can exhibit excellent final image durability characteristics, and can also provide toner compositions that provide excellent images at low fusion temperatures on a final image receptor.

Liquid toners comprising amphipathic copolymeric binder having insoluble components in the shell portion thereof

The invention provides liquid toner compositions in which the polymeric binder is chemically grown in the form of copolymeric binder particles dispersed in a liquid carrier. The polymeric binder includes one amphipathic copolymer comprising one or more S material portions and one or more D material portions, wherein the D material portion has a Tgreater than about 55&#xb0; C. The toners as described herein surprisingly provide compositions that are particularly suitable for electrophotographic processes wherein the transfer of the image from the surface of a photoconductor to an intermediate transfer material or directly to a print medium is carried out without film formation on the photoconductor.

Organosol including high Tg amphipathic copolymeric binder and liquid toners for electrophotographic applications

The present invention relates to amphipathic copolymeric binder particles chemically grown in a substantially nonaqueous liquid carrier to form an organosol. The invention also pertains to dry particulate electrographic toners incorporating an organosol comprising an amphipathic copolymer wherein the amphipathic copolymer incorporates one or more S portions and one or more D portions. Methods of making dry electrophotographic toner particles, and methods of electrographically forming an image on a substrate using these toners, are also described. Preferably, fluidized drying techniques are used to form the dry toner particles from the organosol.

Organosol including amphipathic copolymeric binder and use of the organosol to make dry toners for electrographic applications

A system for printing a liquid toner is provided comprising a liquid electrographic toner composition comprising a liquid carrier having a Kauri-Butanol number less than about 30 mL and a plurality of charged toner particles dispersed in the liquid carrier, wherein the toner particles comprise a polymeric binder. The system also comprises a charge control adjuvant having limited solubility in the liquid carrier. The charge control adjuvant preferably is present in the liquid carrier in an amount in excess of the solubility of the adjuvant in the liquid carrier. Alternatively, the charge control adjuvant may be dispersed in a matrix having limited solubility in the liquid carrier or encapsulated within a matrix to form microcapsules having limited solubility in the liquid carrier. The charge control adjuvant in any of the above forms may be provided in a number of formats for release into the toner composition as needed. The charge control adjuvant is released into the toner composition as needed to provide charge control relative to the bulk conductivity of the toner composition and/or the charge per unit mass of the toner particles.

Charge adjuvant delivery system and methods

Liquid electrographic toners are derived from organosols incorporating amphipathic copolymeric binder particles that include polymerizable, crystallizable compounds chemically incorporated into the dispersed portion of the copolymer. The invention further provides organosols that include amphipathic copolymeric binder particles that include a dispersed (D) portion and a solvated (S) portion, wherein the D portion has a high glass transition temperature, and at least one polymerizable, crystallizable compound is chemically incorporated into the D portion, the S portion, or both the D and S portion of the copolymer. Methods of making and electrographically printing liquid toners derived from these organosols are also described. The invention is particularly suited for preparing liquid toners for electrophotographic printing.

Organosol liquid toner including amphipathic copolymeric binder having crystalline component

Positive liquid electrographic toner compositions are provided comprising a liquid carrier having a Kauri-Butanol number less than about 30 mL and a plurality of positively charged toner particles dispersed in the liquid carrier. The toner particles comprise a polymeric binder comprising at least one amphipathic graft copolymer comprising one or more S material portions and one or more D material portions. The toner composition additionally comprises a charge control adjuvant that is an acid or a base. These compositions have surprising bulk conductivity and charge per mass properties, particularly as the toner particles are depleted from the toner composition during printing operations.

Adjuvants for positively charged toners

Liquid toner compositions having utility in electrographic applications. Organosol liquid toner compositions comprise binder particles dispersed in a nonaqueous liquid carrier, wherein the particles are derived from ingredients comprising one or more crosslinkable amphipathic copolymer(s). The organosol is easily combined with additional ingredients, such as one or more visual enhancement additives and other desired ingredients, and subjected to mixing processes to form a liquid toner composition. Methods of making and electrographically printing liquid toners derived from these organosols are also described.

Organosol liquid toner including amphipathic copolymeric binder having crosslinkable functionality

The invention provides liquid toner compositions in which the polymeric binder is chemically grown in the form of copolymeric binder particles dispersed in a liquid carrier. The polymeric binder includes one amphipathic copolymer that comprises the residue of a Soluble High TMonomer. The toners described herein exhibit surprisingly low fusion temperatures, yet are surprisingly resistant to blocking, are non-tacky and are resistant to marring and undesired erasure.

Organosol including amphipathic copolymeric binder made with Soluble High Tg Monomer and liquid toners for electrophotographic applications

The present invention relates to amphipathic copolymeric binder particles that incorporate polymerizable crystallizable compounds chemically incorporated into a dispersible (D) portion and/or solvatable (S) portion of the copolymer. The invention also pertains to dry particulate electrophotographic toners incorporating an amphipathic copolymer comprising one or more polymerizable crystallizable compounds. Methods of making these dry electrophotographic toner particles, and methods of electrophotographically forming an image on a substrate using these toners, are also described.

Organosol including amphipathic copolymeric binder having crystalline material, and use of the organosol to make dry tones for electrographic applications

A liquid electrophotographic imaging apparatus contains at least one drying sheet for removing excess carrier liquid from an intermediate transfer member or an intermediate image on the intermediate transfer member. The drying sheet comprises a flexible substrate having a first surface and second surface, at least one carrier liquid absorptive layer on the first surface of the flexible substrate, and the first surface facing the intermediate transfer member or image. A method of drying a toner image or intermediate transfer material comprises a) providing a plurality of absorbent drying sheets in a cartridge, wherein the sheets are stacked such that there is a top of the stack and a bottom of the stack; b) providing an electrophotographic apparatus comprising at least i) an intermediate transfer member, and ii) a cartridge of stacked drying sheets; c) providing a toned image on the intermediate transfer member; d) contacting an absorbent drying sheet from the cartridge to the intermediate transfer member or to the toned image on the intermediate transfer member, the drying sheet on absorbing liquid carrier becoming a used drying sheet; and e) replacing the used drying sheet at the top of the stack in the absorbent drying sheet cartridge for re-supply or discard.

Apparatus and method for removing carrier liquid from an intermediate transfer member surface or from a toned imaged on an intermediate transfer member

Growing community of inventors

Cottage Grove, MN, United States of America

Gay L Herman