Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Satoshi Singuryo

Sadao Takahashi

Yoshiyuki Kimura

Shinichi Kuramoto

Kiyoshi Tanikawa

Tadashi Saito

Eiichi Kawamura

Yoshiaki Miyashita

Kazuhiro Ando

Youichi Asaba

Mitsuru Ohminato

Masaru Nakano

A predetermined processing liquid is supplied by a liquid supplying unit to a sheet of transfer paper having a surface on which toner is stably attached. An adhesive state of the toner on the transfer paper sheet is changed to an unstable adhesive state. The processing liquid is constructed by water, aqueous solutions of a surfactant, a water-soluble polymer, etc. The transfer paper sheet including the processing liquid is fed to a toner separating unit. While the toner is heated and pressurized in the toner separating unit, the toner is attached to a separating roller having a surface on which the softened toner is easily attached. The toner separating unit then separates only the transfer paper sheet from the surface of the separating roller by a separating claw. The processing liquid is removed from the transfer paper sheet by heating the transfer paper sheet, etc. using a drying unit such that the transfer paper sheet can be reused for a copying machine, etc. Thereafter, the transfer paper sheet is discharged onto a paper discharging tray. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a method and an apparatus for regenerating and reusing the transfer paper sheet by removing the toner therefrom without damaging paper fibers.

Method and apparatus for regenerating image holding member

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Kawasaki, Japan

Satoshi Singuryo