Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Kiyoshi Tanikawa

Tadashi Saitoh

Tadashi Saito

Kakuji Murakami

Aino Noguchi

Sadao Takahashi

Yoshiyuki Kimura

Shinichi Kuramoto

Yoshiaki Miyashita

Kazuhiro Ando

Youichi Asaba

Yasuo Katano

Tomoko Takahashi

Nobuyuki Yanagawa

Mitsuo Hasebe

Eiichi Kawamura

Satoshi Shinguryo

Shigeru Fujita

Toshiaki Tokita

Satoru Tomita

Toshiyuki Kawanishi

Toshio Kawakubo

Mitsuru Ohminato

Tsutomu Sato

Chiaki Tanaka

Yasuhiro Takahashi

Kiyofumi Nagai

Hidetoshi Yano

Michiharu Abe

Hiromitsu Takagaki

Yasuo Miyoshi

Masao Yoshikawa

Masaakira Umehara

Masato Igarashi

Akiko Konishi

Masatoshi Saitoh

Hideaki Oba

Makoto Kunikane

Iwao Takahashi

Satoshi Shinguryou

Satoshi Singuryo

Masaru Nakano

Kakuzi Murakami

An apparatus and method for recording an image using a transfer-type recording mechanism are such that a layer of an intermediate transfer element is removably formed on a surface of an intermediate transfer medium. The intermediate transfer element includes an ultraviolet stabilizer and a powder mixture. The intermediate transfer layer is capable of being dissolved and swelled by applying an ink liquid on the intermediate transfer medium and enables a viscosity of the ink liquid residing thereon to be increased. An image is produced on the intermediate transfer medium by supplying the ink liquid thereon. The image is then transferred to the recording medium, so that a high quality image is produced without any blurring, mixing or penetration of the ink liquid.

Recording method and apparatus with an intermediate transfer medium based on transfer-type recording mechanism

Images formed by a liquid are transferred onto both sides of a sheet-like recording medium without the liquid running on or penetrating into the recording medium. A layer of absorbing powder is formed on an intermediate transfer member. The liquid is applied to the powder layer formed on the intermediate transfer member so as to form a first visible image. The first visible image is transferred onto the front side of the recording medium. Thereafter, another layer of the absorbing powder is formed on the intermediate transfer member, and the liquid is applied to the powder layer so as to form a second visible image. The second visible image is transferred onto the back side of the recording medium.

Method and apparatus for recording images on both sides of a recording sheet

A device included in an image forming apparatus for removing a substance that disfigures an image. The device includes an adsorbent support that supports an adsorbent. The absorbent has a molecular structure including voids that have a diameter great enough to pass molecules of the disfiguring substance which is deposited on the surface of an image carrier and contain water.

Device for removing image disfiguring substances and image forming apparatus using the same

A method of forming an image includes causing a material, that increases a viscosity of liquid drops by contact with the liquid drops, to adhere to a transfer medium, causing a liquid drop to contact the material according to an image signal such that an image is formed with the liquid drop having been increased in viscosity by contact with the material, and transferring the image to a recording medium. The viscosity of the liquid drop when increased on the transfer medium by contact with the material is set such that the liquid drop adheres to the recording medium without being divided into a part remaining on the transfer medium and another part being transferred to the recording medium. By the above-described image forming method, good image transfer is realized and thereby an image having no blotting is obtained.

Image forming method and apparatus that form and transfer image of liquid drops of increased viscosity

A powder composition containing a powder of a modified polymer having a recurring unit containing at least one carboxyl group, the carboxyl groups of part of the recurring units being in the form of a salt with an aliphatic amine having at least 6 carbon atoms, and a powder of a surfactant. The powder composition is used for forming an image on a printing medium, in which method the composition is applied over a surface of a transfer medium to form a layer of the powder. An image of a liquid ink capable of dissolving or swelling the powder is then formed on the layer so that the viscosity of the liquid ink increases when contacted with the powder. The image on the transfer medium is contacted with the printing medium so that the image is transferred to the printing medium.

Powder composition and process of forming liquid ink image using same

In a method and an apparatus for removing an image forming substance such as toner from an image holding member such as a sheet of transfer paper, a CCD sensor detects an unremoved image formed by a stamp, additional writing, etc. and left on the transfer paper sheet after toner separating processing is performed with respect to the transfer paper sheet by a liquid-providing toner-separating unit. A discriminating mark such as a punch, a mark o, etc. is additionally provided to the transfer paper sheet having the detected unremoved image by a discriminating mark providing unit. The transfer paper sheet having the discriminating mark is automatically sorted by a sorting unit and is discharged onto a paper discharging tray. The toner removing apparatus may have an unrecognizing device for blotting the unremoved image such as a seal print, a signature, etc. on the transfer paper sheet. The unrecognizing device may coat the unremoved image with ink having the same color as the unremoved image, or may punch the unremoved image. Thus, it is possible to prevent the transfer paper sheet having the unremoved image from being used or thrown away in error and prevent the unremoved image from being abused in advance.

Method and apparatus for removing image forming substance from image

In a method for repeatedly using an image holding member such as a sheet of paper, toner for an electronic photograph is constructed such that a maximum value of viscoelasticity of the toner shown by tan .delta. is equal to or smaller than 3 in the range of a heating temperature when the toner is heated and fixed to the image holding member. Such toner has sufficient elastic or cohesive force. Accordingly, when the toner is heated and fixed to the paper sheet, no excessive adhesive force is caused to such an extent that paper fibers of the paper sheet eat into the toner attached to the paper sheet. Accordingly, after an aqueous solution including a surfactant is supplied to the paper sheet by a liquid supplying unit, the toner is softened by heat from heating rollers so that the toner is attached to a surface of an offset belt. When the toner attached to the surface of the offset belt is separated from the paper sheet, the toner can be completely removed from the paper sheet without damaging paper fibers on a surface of the paper sheet.

Method for repeatedly using image holding member

In a method of and an apparatus for regenerating an image support from a used image-bearing support which bears thereon hydrophobic images formed of thermofusible or heat-softening ink, a plurality of image releasing members are used for removing the hydrophobic images from the used image-bearing support. Specifically, at least one of the image releasing members has a first portion which is able to adhere to the hydrophobic images and a second portion which is unable to adhere to the hydrophobic images, and the image releasing members are arranged in series in order of size of the first portion from small to large along a feeding direction of the used image support. Accordingly, the image releasing members are allowed to adhere to the hydrophobic images in order of size of the first portion from small to large so that the hydrophobic images are removed from the used image support effectively. It is preferable that the image releasing member finally allowed to adhere to the hydrophobic images is a solid image releasing member.

Apparatus for regenerating image support from used image-bearing support

A method of producing a recyclable image recording support material including a paper layer capable of copying or recording images thereon is conducted by the steps of applying to an image-bearable side of an image recording support material including a paper layer an aqueous coating liquid selected from the group consisting of an aqueous surfactant solution, an aqueous water-soluble polymer solution, and a mixture of the aqueous surfactant solution and the aqueous water-soluble polymer solution, in an extremely small amount; removing images, if any, from the image-bearable side of the image recording support material by bringing an image releasing member into contact with the image-bearable side of the image recording support material under application of heat and pressure thereto; and drying the image recording support material. An image recording support material is produced by the above method. A method of recyling an image recording support material, based on the above method, is also conducted. An apparatus for producing a recyclable image recording support material and an apparatus for recycling an image recording support material for use in practice are made.

Recyclable image recording support material, method of producing the

Regenerating method and apparatus of image holding supporting member

Method and regenerating image support from used image-bearing support

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Yokohama, Japan

Kiyoshi Tanikawa