Xerox Corporation

Other

Henry R Till

Nero R Lindblad

Joseph Fantuzzo

David H Pan

Charles Anthony Radulski

Charles L Beatty

Santokh Singh Badesha

Chu-Heng Liu

Gary Allen Denton

Shu Chang

Paul Windsor Morehouse, Jr

Rasin Moser

Edwin R Monkelbaan

P Keith Watson

Fredrick A Warner

Vittorio R Castelli

Jeffrey J Folkins

Stephan V Drappel

Joseph C Mammino

William H Wayman

Edward L Schlueter, Jr

James R Larson

Nicholas K Sheridon

Christopher R Snelling

John F Knapp

Gerald A Domoto

Robert W Gundlach

Donald S Sypula

Melvin D Croucher

Werner E Haas

Richard G Crystal

Joseph Michael Crowley

Edward Blair Caruthers

Tab Alan Tress

John Christopher Knights

Christine J Tarnawskyj

Stephen T Chai

Anthony M Wallace

Harold M Anderson

Dexter A Dyer

James R Beachner

Edward F Bowler, Jr

Stewart W Volkers

Aron Sereny

John F Gardner

John M Lennon

Robert M Simms

Robert E Trott

Rodney B Proulx

Terry D Seim

Leroy M Nye

Robert K Waring

James Simpson

Thomas F Cassetta

Percy Keith Watson

Alfred M Loeb

Shahid Haque

Richard A Noujaim

Jessica B Dulmage

Method and apparatus for transferring a developed image from an image bearing member to a receiver substrate in a Contact Electrostatic Printing (CEP) system may be provided according to the present invention. The developed image is formed of a development material having a mixture of carrier fluid and pigmented polymeric particles, the composition of such mixture being selected for its characteristic behavior at an elevated temperature for transitioning to a substantially single phase. The method includes the steps of developing an image onto an image bearer using the aforementioned development material; concentrating the developed image; heating the developed image to a temperature at which the polymeric particles and the carrier fluid achieve a substantially single phase condition, so as to form a transferable image; and transferring the transferable image to a receiver substrate such as a paper sheet.

System and method for contact electrostatic printing

A system and method of applying a controlled amount of fluid to a moveable image carrying member of an electrographic printing system using a liquid toner before an image is transferred to a substrate. The amount of fluid applied may be controlled by a re-wet roller, located between the toner station and the transfer station, whose distance from the moveable image carrying member is varied along with the rotational speed and direction of the re-wet roller, according to either the roughness and porosity of the substrate or the print quality of the substrate. Alternatively, the fluid may be directly applied just to image areas of the moveable image carrying member to improve print quality.

Image preparation system for transfer to substrates

An imaging system and corresponding method for manipulating, regulating or adjusting the fluid concentration of a toner cake to enhance the resultant image quality, while concomitantly enhancing the development and separation of image portions of the toner cake from non-image or background portions of the toner cake. The imaging system includes a toner cake applicator for applying toner cake onto a toner cake receiving member, a charging device disposed so as to form an electrostatic latent image in the toner cake, a separation subsystem positioned relative to the receiving member so as to selectively separate at least a portion of the imaged toner cake from the receiving member, and a fluid regulating device for regulating the amount of fluid in the toner cake.

System and method for enhancing latent image development

In an electrophotographic printing machine, a layer of insulating fluid containing micelles is positioned over a photoreceptor. The micelles are migrated onto the surface of the photoreceptor. The photoreceptor is exposed to inject charge carriers into the insulating fluid and selectively neutralize micelles to form an electrostatic latent image. The latent image is transferred to a dielectric surface and developed.

Photo injection electrographic imaging

A method and apparatus for improving the quality of an image that has been developed by a liquid carrier is disclosed. Generally speaking, the invention is a blotter roll which includes an absorbing layer wrapped around a non-permeable rigid core. A vacuum system communicates with the exterior surface of the blotter roll to remove the excess fluid from the blotter roll and transport it out of the printing system.

Function-separated vacuum-assisted blotter for liquid development image

An image development method and apparatus, wherein a support member is provided with a layer of marking material thereon, and an electrostatic latent image is created in the layer of marking material via image-wise charging of the layer of marking material. A selectively controllable charging device for directing a charge stream toward the support member having the layer of marking material coated thereon. The image-wise charge stream corresponds to the latent image, which, in turn, leads to image-wise charging of the toner layer, such that the toner layer itself becomes the latent image carrier. The latent image carrying toner layer is subsequently developed and transferred to a copy substrate to produce an output document.

Image-wise toner layer charging for image development

A printing system including a moving intermediate transfer member for transporting a developed image from a moving image bearing member to a moving copy substrate. The moving intermediate member includes an elastic belt adapted to receive the developed image from the moving image bearing member at a first nip formed between the moving image bearing member and the moving intermediate member, and further adapted to transfer the developed image from the moving intermediate member to the moving copy substrate at a second nip formed between the moving intermediate member and the moving copy substrate, wherein the moving image bearing member and the moving intermediate member are transported at a substantiality equivalent first velocity in the first nip and a second velocity, substantially different from the first velocity, in the second nip. The combination of an elastic belt and differential velocities permits for the selective compression and stretching of the intermediate transfer member along a path of travel thereof.

Elastic intermediate belt and system particularly for use in

A method and apparatus for improving the quality of an image that has been developed by a liquid carrier is disclosed. Generally speaking, the invention includes conditioning an image that has been developed using a liquid carrier material to increase its strength. Thermal control is used to heat and cool the image in rapid succession, thereby increasing the cohesiveness of the solid particles contained in the liquid carrier.

Method and apparatus for increasing the mechanical strength of

An image drying and fixing apparatus for affixing an image to a copy substrate, wherein a drying oven defining a copy substrate inlet and outlet is provided with a conveyor for advancing the copy substrate through the drying oven, and an image impacting system disposed along the path of travel of the copy substrate for pressing the image onto the copy substrate in image configuration. The image impacting system includes a pair of cooperating roll members forming a nip through which the copy substrate having the image thereon passes, with the image impacting system being selectively positionable along the path of travel of the copy substrate for optimizing the process of affixing the image to the copy substrate. The image drying and fixing apparatus may also include a radiant heating device situated within the drying oven, positioned for radiating thermal energy in the direction of the copy substrate immediately prior to passage of the copy substrate through the copy substrate output.

Apparatus for drying and pressing an image to a copy sheet

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

A development system for developing a latent image so as to compensate for differences in the surface roughness of different types of copy papers receiving the developed image. The development system includes a development unit for each color of toner particles being used within the machine for latent image development. Each development unit has a first developer material supply source, and a second developer material supply source, containing respectively a first developer material and a second developer material of a same color. In order to more fully correct for hue and density differences in images of the same color developed and transferred onto rough versus smooth surface type copy papers, the first developer material importantly contains a higher level of pigmentation than the second developer material.

Liquid immersion development machine having a development system adapted

A multi-color imaging apparatus utilizing recharging between two image creation steps for recharging a charge retentive surface to a predetermined potential prior to forming a second of the two images. The two images are formed using toner particles which are subject to under color splatter (UCS). The UCS phenomena occurs when a developed image passes through a toner cloud created by a certain type of scavengeless development system. The forgoing problem is obviated by applying pressure to toner images in combination with recharging thereof prior to their passage through a developer housing.

Roller to press the image toner on the photoreceptor

A method and apparatus for compacting a liquid ink developed image on an image bearing surface in a multicolor electrostatographic printing machine of the type utilizing liquid developing material, particularly an image-on-image type liquid ink multicolor system. The image compacting apparatus includes a biased electrode situated proximate to the image on an image bearing surface, and a liquid applicator for depositing liquid insulating material in a conditioning gap defined by the electrode and the image bearing surface. A high electric potential is applied to the electrode for generating a large electric field in the gap to electrostatically compress toner particles into image areas on the image bearing surface. The liquid insulating material is deposited into the conditioning gap for avoiding the risk of air breakdown as may occur in an electrostatic device of this nature due to the small geometry of the apparatus and the tendency of air ionization in an air gap between electrically biased surfaces. Preferably, the liquid insulating material is the very same material utilized as the liquid carrier component of the liquid developing material.

Method and apparatus for compaction of a liquid ink developed image in a

A color printer having a photoconductive belt and employing liquid developer. A latent image is recorded on the photoconductive belt corresponding to the subtractive color of one of the colors of the appropriately colored toner particles at a first development station. An image conditioning system condition the developed image by reducing fluid content while inhibiting the departure of toner particles therefrom thereby increasing solids content of the developed image on the photoconductive belt. The photoconductive surface with the developed image thereon is recharged and re-exposed to record the latent image thereon corresponding to the subtractive primary of another color of the original. This latent image is developed with appropriately colored toner and conditioned. This process is repeated until all the different color toner layers are deposited in superimposed registration with one another on the photoconductive surface. The multi-layered toner image is transferred from the photoconductive surface to an intermediate belt for further conditioning and thereafter is transferred to a copy sheet.

Color printer using liquid developer

The present invention is a method and apparatus for printing using an intermediate member acting as a receptor for marking particles representing an image. The marking particles may be deposited directly or indirectly on the member, after which time the member is exposed, via an internal heat source, to an elevated temperature sufficient to cause the melting and coalescing of the marking particles. Subsequently, the intermediate member is advanced so as to place the tackified marking particles present on the outer surface thereof into intimate contact with the surface of a recording sheet.

Method and apparatus for imaging on a heated intermediate member

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East Rochester, NY, United States of America

Henry R Till