Xerox Corporation

Timothy T Blair

Thomas W Morgan

Charles A Gage

Stephen M Borostyan

Venkat K Iyer

Electrostatographic apparatus and method for transferring charged toner present in an image configuration on an insulating layer bearing an electrostatic latent image are illustrated. The technique involves forming a sandwich comprising the insulating layer with a conductive substrate bearing a toner image on its surface, a copy substrate, a dielectric layer, and a conductive electrode together with means for applying a potential to the conductive electrode after the sandwich is formed, the potential being of a magnitude sufficient to create an electric field to transfer toner from the insulating layer to the copy substrate. The apparatus also includes means to discharge the electrostatic latent image on the insulating layer before separation of the sandwich and means to strip the copy substrate from the dielectric layer while the field is applied to provide a toner image on the copy substrate. In a preferred embodiment the conductive electrode comprises a cyclindrical roll having a circumference at least equal to the length of the image on the insulating layer, and the sandwich is formed by wrapping a photoconductive insulating layer bearing a toner image in contact with a copy sheet around the roll with the dielectric layer forming a blocking electrode in between the insulating layer and the conductive electrode. During the wrapping step the translucent back of the photoconductive layer is exposed to discharge the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductive layer and once the sandwich is formed it is unwrapped to separate the copy sheet from the dielectric layer.

Toner transferring method and apparatus

Electrostatographic reproducing apparatus comprising a reusable electrostatographic imaging web having an insulating imaging surface positioned between a web supply roll and a web take up roll, each roll being fastened to the end of the web. The web is provided with means to form an electrostatic latent image on the web and develop said image with a toner image. The image is formed and developed on the passage of the web from the supply roll to the take up roll where the web in the toner image therein is brought into contact with a copy sheet and wound around the take up roll during the first cycle of a two cycle imaging process. The apparatus includes a copy substrate entrance plus means to feed the copy substrate along a copy path with a distance along the imaging surface path from the image forming station with lead edge of an image is formed in the imaging surface to the initial line of contact of the imaging surface with the copy substrate being equal to the distance along the copy substrate path in the copy sheet entrance to the initial line of contact with the lead edge of the image on the imaging surface. The copy substrate is wound around the take up roll to form a sandwich comprising the insulating layer and the electrostatic latent image the toner image copy substrate dielectric layer and conductive layer to which a potential is applied after the sandwich has been formed of a magnitude in potential sufficient to create an electric field to transfer toner from the insulating layer to the copy substrate. The electrostatic latent image present on the insulating layer is discharged before the copy substrate is stripped from the dielectric layer.

Electrostatic reproducing machine

Electrostatographic reproducing apparatus comprising a movable imaging surface, transport means to transport the imaging surface along a path past the series of operational processing stations wherein a toner image and copy substrate contact station is provided, and wherein the distance along the imaging surface path from the image forming station where the lead edge of an image is formed on the imaging surface to the initial line of contact of the imaging surface with the copy substrate is equal to the distance along the copy substrate path from the copy sheet entrance to the initial line of contact of the lead edge of the copy substrate with lead edge of the image on the imaging surface. The apparatus further includes means at the beginning of each imaging cycle to simultaneously actuate the movable imaging surface with a copy substrate transport whereby the lead edge of the formed image on the imaging surface and the lead edge of the copy substrate simultaneously arrive at the initial line of contact.

Geometric design reproducing apparatus

Electrostatographic reproducing apparatus comprising a reusable electrostatographic imaging web having an insulating imaging surface positioned between a web supply roll and a web take up roll each roll being fastened to the end of the web. The web is provided with means to form an electrostatic latent image on the web and develop said image with a toner image. The image is formed and developed upon the passage of the web from the supply roll to the take up roll, where the web with the toner image thereon is brought into contact with a copy sheet and wound around the take up roll during the first cycle of a two cycle imaging process. During the second cycle of the imaging process the web is unwound from the take up roll and rewound on the supply roll with the toner image being transferred to the copy substrate, separated from the imaging web, with the web being fully rewound on the web supply roll. In the specific embodiment the web comprises a photoconductive insulating layer which is positively driven from the supply roll in both the supply roll unwind and rewind directions and tension is maintained within the web by means of a spring in the web take up roll. Furthermore, the circumference of the take up roll is at least equal to the length of the developed image on the web.

Reproducing apparatus with scrolled imaging web

With the advent of low volume, low cost desk top copiers, a low cost transfer system is needed. The present invention uses a brush having conductive bristles, and a low voltage source, the brush being mounted adjacent to, but not in contact with a photoreceptor. A copy sheet is directed toward the bristles to deflect the bristles so that the bristles are in contact with the back side of the copy sheet as it contacts the toner image on the photoreceptor. Immediately before the trailing edge of the copy sheet moves out of contact with the photoreceptor, the brush is returned to its original position without contacting the photoreceptor.

Growing community of inventors

Shortsville, NY, United States of America

Timothy T Blair