Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.

Shin-etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.

Dai Nippon Insatsu Kabushiki Kaisha

Hiroyuki Obata

Minoru Utsumi

Masayuki Iijima

Makoto Matsuo

Seiji Take

Hironori Kamiyama

Masato Okabe

Takashi Aono

Hiroshi Mohri

Shunsuke Mukasa

Yoshiaki Kudo

Chihaya Ogusu

Norikazu Saito

Masato Koike

Hideaki Amano

Kohji Ichimura

Yukio Taniguchi

Atsushi Takano

Yoshio Inoue

Minoru Takamizawa

Satoru Horiguchi

Takashi Uchiyama

Yuji Homma

Mikizo Mizuno

Tetsuya Sakamoto

Kyoji Dantani

Daigo Aoki

Atsumi Noshiro

In the information recording an reproducing method and apparatus according to the present invention, a piece of picture image information is recorded as an analog quantity or a digital quantity an information carrying medium in a planar manner at a high density, charge potential is read for outputting electric signals to correspond to the recorded picture image information and then the outputted signals are printed out by means of various display unit or output device, with high quality and high resolution as well as ease processing of the information. The information carrying medium provides a long period of storage of information and enables stored picture image information to be repeatedly reproduced with a picture quality according to need. Particularly, it is, according to the present invention, possible to read and output local potential of an information carrying medium with predetermined scanning density at a desired time, and so pictures of high quality may be output as a silver salt photograph is taken and reproduced by optically scanning the film. Thus, the present invention may be applied to a wide field including photographing, copying and printing.

Method for recording and reproducing information, apparatus therefor and recording medium

A photosensitive member which has an electrode provided on the front side and a photoconductive layer stacked on the electrode, the photosensitive member being disposed face-to-face with an electrostatic information recording medium that includes a charge retaining layer having an electrode provided on the rear side, either in or out of contact with each other, to carry out exposure with a voltage being applied between the two electrodes, thereby forming an electrostatic charge pattern on the electrostatic information recording medium in accordance with an exposure light pattern. The layer arrangements of the photosensitive member and the photoconductive layer as well as the method of forming the photoconductive layer are improved so that electrostatic information can be recorded on the electrostatic information recording medium with high sensitivity and it is also possible to improve the contrast ratio of the information charge at the exposed region to that at the unexposed region.

Photosensitive member and electrostatic information recording method

Color imaging system with selectively openable optical shutter

The present invention relates to an electrostatic information recording medium in which a charge retaining layer having high insulating properties is laminated on an electrode, and an electrostatic information recording/reproducing process wherein, while said electrostatic information recording medium is positioned in opposition to a photosensitive member on which a photoconductive layer is laminated, the recording medium is subjected to information exposure with the application of voltage between both electrodes to accumulate electrostatic charges thereon depending upon the dosage of said information exposure, and the electrostatic information thus accumulated is reproduced by potential reading. The present electrostatic information recording medium has an information density as expressed in terms of a high recording capacity of the order of 8.times.10.sup.8 bits/cm.sup.2, and makes it possible to process information in a planar state so that analog or digital information such as characters, line pictures, images, (0.1) information and sounds can be accumulated in the form of electrostatic charges. Due to its high charge retainability, it is further possible to store information permanently.

Electrostatic information recording medium and electrostatic information

Electric discharge between a photosensitive member and a charge retaining medium is ON/OFF controlled by changing the gas pressure between these two members, so that it is possible to effect image recording in a state where a DC voltage is applied. An electric charge which is opposite in polarity to an image forming charge is uniformly formed on the charge retaining medium in advance of the image exposure, and thereafter image exposure is carried out, thereby reducing the background potential at the unexposed region and increasing the contrast potential of the electrostatic latent image formed on the charge retaining medium. In addition, it is possible to increase the voltage distribution to the photosensitive member. As a result, it is possible to improve the photosensitivity of image exposure.

Image recording method

The present invention relates to an electrostatic information recording medium in which a charge retaining layer having high insulating properties is laminated on an electrode, and an electrostatic information recording/reproducing process wherein, while said electrostatic information recording medium is positioned in opposition to a photosensitive member on which a photoconductive layer is laminated, the recording medium is subjected to information exposure with the application of voltage between both electrodes to accumulate electrostatic charges thereon depending upon the dosage of said information exposure, and the electrostatic information thus accumulated is reproduced by potential reading. The present electrostatic information recording medium has an information density as expressed in terms of a high recording capacity of the order of 8.times.10.sup.8 bits/cm.sup.2, and makes it possible to process information in a planar state so that analog or digital information such as characters, line pictures, images, (0.multidot.1) information and sounds can be accumulated in the form of electrostatic charges. With the present electrostatic information recording medium, it is possible to obtain information of high quality and resolving power because of the information being accumulatable in electrostatic charge units. Due to its high charge retainability, it is further possible to store information permanently. Still further, it is possible to make inexpensive and simple recording/reproducing systems, since information can be output by reading local potentials of electrostatic latent images at any time and any scanning density.

The electrostatic information recording medium according to the present invention comprises an electrode layer and an electric charge retaining layer. By improving the laminating method of electric charge retaining layer or by improving the layer arrangement or by converting electrostatic information to the visible information or position information, high information retaining property can be obtained and the accumulated electrostatic information can be maintained for long period. In the electrostatic information recording method according to the present invention, an electrostatic information recording medium is placed face-to-face to a photosensitive member having photoconductive layer on an electrode. The image exposure is performed by applying voltage between two electrodes, and the electrostatic information corresponding to the image exposure is recorded on the electrostatic information recording medium. The electrostatic information recorded in the electric charge retaining layer is easily reproduced by reading surface potential and by amplifying and outputting, or by electro-optical reading method, and further, by toner development. The electrostatic information recording medium according to the present invention has excellent memory capacity with information density of 8.times.10.sup.8 bits/cm.sup.2. For example, it is possible to record the information by electrostatic information recording method using a photosensitive member, to record analog, digital, image, sound and (0.1) information, and to apply for electrostatic recording card and the like.

Information recording media enable images to be recorded and reproduced with high resolution, wherein oozing of liquid crystal material thereof is prevented and the information is recorded without unevenness. A first recording medium has an information recording layer comprising a liquid crystal phase and an ultraviolet curing resin phase. The information recording layer is stacked on an electrode layer provided on a substrate by coating a mixed solution of liquid crystal and ultraviolet curing resin material on the surface of the electrode layer and then irradiating the coating by irradiation with ultraviolet rays, thereby forming a cured skin layer of the resin material on the outer surface of the information recording layer. A second recording medium has a transparent electrode layer additionally provided on the information recording layer of the first recording medium. A third recording medium has an electrode layer, a photoconductive layer, an information recording layer, and an electrode layer, in successive order. A fourth recording medium has a transparent insulating layer or semiconductor layer interposed between the photoconductive layer and the information recording layer of the third recording medium. According to an information recording and reproducing method employing the first recording medium, a gradually increasing voltage is applied between a photosensitive member and the recording medium. As a result, the effective voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer can be raised, enabling increased modulation, improved contrast and responsiveness.

Method of producing information recording medium

An electrode 2c and a pinene polymer recording layer 2a with a molecular weight of 500 to 10000 are successively stacked on a substrate 2c, as shown in FIG. 3. By carrying out thermal development, information electric charge that is formed on the resin surface is formed into a thermally stable frost image without decay of the information electric charge. Since no photoconductive layer is needed, when transmitted or reflected light is used to reproduce the frost image, there is no effect of the coloring of a photoconductive layer. If exposure is effected under the application of a voltage, since the depth of dimple patterns of a frost image varies in accordance with the quantity of exposure energy, tonal reproducibility is obtained. In addition, it is possible to obtain high resolution and make an original for OHP, a microfilm, a slidefilm, etc. which is of good quality and has high fidelty to the original document.

Frost image recording medium and method of and apparatus for forming and

Electric discharge between a photosensitive member and a charge retaining medium is ON/OFF controlled by changing the gas pressure between these two members, so that it is possible to effect image recording in a state where a DC voltage is applied. Accordingly, it is possible to effect image recording on the charge retaining medium without the need for precise control for obtaining a high-voltage pulse and without employing an optical shutter. In addition, an electric charge that is emitted by a field is attracted to the charge retaining medium and accumulated on the surface thereof, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image, and thus making it possible to attain image recording of extremely high resolution.

Information recording media enable images to be recorded and reproduced with high resolution, wherein oozing of liquid crystal material thereof is prevented and the information recorded without unevenness. A first recording medium has an information recording layer comprising a liquid crystal phase and an ultraviolet curing resin phase. The information recording layer is stacked on an electrode layer provided on a substrate by coating a mixed solution of liquid crystal and ultraviolet curing resin material on the surface of the electrode layer and then irradiating the coating by irradiation with ultraviolet rays, thereby forming a cured skin layer of the resin material on the outer surface of the information recording layer. A second recording medium has a transparent electrode layer additionally provided on the information recording layer of the first recording medium. A third recording medium has an electrode layer, a photoconductive layer, an information recording layer, and an electrode layer, in successive order. A fourth recording medium has a transparent insulating layer or semiconductor layer interposed between the photoconductive layer and the information recording layer of the third recording medium. According to an information recording and reproducing method employing the first recording medium, a gradually increasing voltage is applied between a photosensitive member and the recording medium. As a result, the effective voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer can be raised, enabling increased modulation, improved contrast and responsiveness.

Information recording medium, and information recording and reproducing

In the information recording an reproducing method and apparatus according to the present invention, picture image information is recorded as an analog quantity or a digital quantity on an information carrying medium in a planar manner at a high density, charge potential is read for outputting electric signals to correspond to the recorded picture image information and then the outputted signals are printed out by means of various display unit or output device, with high quality and high resolution as well as ease processing of the information. The information carrying medium provides a long period of storage of information and enables stored picture image information to be repeatedly reproduced with a picture quality according to need. Particularly, it is, according to the present invention, possible to read and output local potential of an information carrying medium with predetermined scanning density at a desired time, and so pictures of high quality may be output as a silver salt photograph is taken and reproduced by optically scanning the film. Thus, the present invention may be applied to a wide field including photographing, copying and printing.

Method for recording and reproducing information, apparatus therefor and

The present invention provides an electrostatic information-recording medium including an electrode layer (13) and a charge-retaining layer, in which said charge-retaining layer is formed of a laminate of a resin layer (11a) having a low glass transition temperature with a heat-resistant, insulating layer (11b), or an electrostatic information-recording medium comprising at least an electrode layer (13) and a charge-retaining layer (11) in which said charge-retaining layer (11) is formed of a polymer layer (12) containing pentafluorostyrene as a monomer component and having a weight-average molecular weight of 10,000 to 2,000,000, or which includes a photoconductive layer (44) and a charge-retaining layer (43) between a pair of electrodes (42) and (45) and is designed to carry out exposure with the application of voltage between both said electrodes (42) and (45) or apply voltage between both said electrodes (42) and (45) while exposure is carried out, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image, which is then carried on said charge-regaining layer (43) by releasing said charge-retaining layer (43) from said electrode 42, or which includes a charge transport layer (51) on an electrode (52) and is designed to record information on the surface of said charge-transport layer (51) by toner development and then apply electrostatic charges on the surface of said charge transport layer (51) to inject said electrostatic charges into said charge-transport layer through an electrically conductive layer of the toner, thereby forming electrostatic information corresponding to the toner information on said charge transport layer. Thus, the electrostatic information-recording medium can thus be improved in terms of the capability to retain electrostatic information. The electrostatic information retained in this electrostatic information-recording medium is very stable because of being accumulated in the charge-carrying layer. Also, the information can be easily reproduced in the form of information of high quality and resolution by detecting a potential difference between the electrode and the surface potential.

Electrostatic information-recording media and process for recording and

A high-resistance compound semiconductor 12 is epitaxially grown on a low-resistance compound semiconductor 11 and a dielectric reflecting film 13 is formed thereon, thereby forming a monolithic sensor 10. As the low-resistance compound semiconductor 11, a compound semiconductor is used which has a large bandgap so as to enable probe light to pass therethrough without being absorbed and which has a lattice constant and a thermal expansion coefficient, which are close to those of the high-resistance compound semiconductor. In addition, since the low-resistance compound semiconductor 11 also serves as an electrode, a compound semiconductor which has a resistivity of 10.sup.+1 .OMEGA.cm or less is used. Since the shorter the wavelength of the probe light used, the larger the retardation change and the larger the signal output, a compound semiconductor which has a large bandgap is used as the high-resistance compound semiconductor 12 so that light of short wavelength can be used. The high-resistance compound semiconductor 12 is also required to have a large electrooptic constant and a resistivity of 10.sup.5 .OMEGA.cm or more.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Hiroyuki Obata