Pfu Limited

Yasuhiko Kishimoto

Masanobu Hongo

Motoharu Ichida

Tatsuo Nozaki

Masanari Takabatake

Yutaka Nakashima

Seiichi Takeda

Akihiko Inamoto

Satoru Moto

Hitoshi Terashima

Hideaki Shibata

Shigeki Uesugi

Tadashi Nishikawa

Shigeharu Okano

Satoshi Miyamoto

Hironaga Hongawa

Jiyun Du

Tadasuke Yoshida

Yoshiaki Fujimoto

Satoshi Sakai

Norihiro Yamasaku

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

An electrode module in the form of a flexible sheet which contacts with a toner layer and to which a bias voltage is applied is provided on a developing roller before development. The electrode module is adapted to separate the toner layer largely into a toner-rich layer and a carrier-rich layer by utilizing electrical migration occurring in the toner layer when an electric field is applied to the toner layer on the basis of the bias voltage. The electrode module is constructed in such a manner that the sheet is pulled toward a surface of the developer bearer body by a force attributable to surface tension or wetting characteristic of the liquid developer existing between the sheet and the developer carrying body, whereby the sheet comes into contact with the surface of the developer bearer body. This electrode construction increases the contact area or nip width of a bias blade provided for the developing roller and enhances its contact stability.

Liquid developing system developing device

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

Provided are an applicator roller for conveying and applying liquid toner onto a developing roller in the form of a level, thin layer, and a conductive blade which comes into contact with a liquid toner layer on the developing roller. A predetermined amount of liquid toner passes through a gap between the conductive blade and the developer roller; and voltage is applied to the conductive blade so as to establish a state such that toner particles contained in the liquid toner are sparsely scattered in a surface region of a level, thin toner layer on the developing roller. Subsequently, the liquid toner, whose surface region is in a state such that toner particles are sparsely scattered, is brought into contact with an image bearer body for performing development.

Liquid developing electrophotographic device

Growing community of inventors

Uchinada-machi, Japan

Yasuhiko Kishimoto