Pfu Limited

Tadasuke Yoshida

Masanobu Hongo

Motoharu Ichida

Seiichi Takeda

Jiyun Du

Shigeki Uesugi

Yasuhiko Kishimoto

Tatsuo Nozaki

Yoshiaki Fujimoto

Masanari Takabatake

Shigeharu Okano

Satoshi Miyamoto

Yutaka Nakashima

Akihiko Inamoto

Hironaga Hongawa

Satoru Moto

Hitoshi Terashima

Hideaki Shibata

Tadashi Nishikawa

Isao Nagata

Eri Yamanishi

Yoshiro Kawamoto

Satoshi Moriguchi

Satoshii Moriguchi

Yoshiaki Kawamoto

A full-color electrophotographic apparatus of the present invention is configured such that a toner image is formed on an intermediate transfer member. The intermediate transfer member is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the softening start temperature of resin contained in a liquid toner and equal to or lower than the withstand temperature of a photoconductor member. A carrier-removing roller to which bias can be applied abuts the intermediate transfer member so as to remove a carrier while packing softened toner by the force of an electric field induced by bias. In a transfer section for transfer to a printing medium, a backup roller presses the printing medium against the intermediate transfer member, and the toner image is transferred from the intermediate transfer member to the printing medium. Before being pressed against the toner image on the intermediate transfer member, the printing medium is heated. Bias is applied to the backup roller such that the toner image on the intermediate transfer is attracted toward the printing medium by the action of an electric field, thereby assisting transfer. By so doing, the intermediate transfer member does not need to undergo cooling before coming into contact with the photoconductor member, thereby avoiding occurrence of thermal damage to the photoconductor member.

Full-color electrophotographic apparatus using liquid toner containing resin

The present invention provides a toner recycling control system which stably feeds a liquid developer of an appropriate concentration to a liquid developing apparatus employing a high-viscosity liquid developer; appropriately adjusts the concentration of residual developer collected after development and after transfer; and feeds the adjusted developer to the developing apparatus. The toner recycling control system collects a post-development residual developer from a developer-bearing body and a post-transfer residual developer from an image-bearing body; performs developer concentration adjustment to yield an adjusted developer; and feeds the adjusted developer back to the developer-bearing body. Thus, the toner recycling control system includes a concentration adjustment tank which stores the collected developer and is replenished with a concentrated developer and carrier liquid for developer concentration adjustment; and a buffer tank which receives and stores a liquid developer which has undergone concentration adjustment in the concentration adjustment tank. Once adjusted to an appropriate concentration, the liquid developer is fed to the developer-bearing body from the buffer tank.

Toner recycle control system of electrophotographing device using viscous liquid developing solution

Growing community of inventors

Uchinada-machi, Japan

Tadasuke Yoshida