The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 01, 1997
Filed:
Jun. 01, 1995
Ronald Sinclair Nohr, Roswell, GA (US);
John Gavin MacDonald, Decatur, GA (US);
Vincent Daniel McGinniss, Sunbury, OH (US);
Robert Samuel Whitmore, Jr, Columbus, OH (US);
Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Neenah, WI (US);
Abstract
An electrophotographic process wherein an image is formed with toner comprising a mutable colorant and an ultraviolet radiation transorber so that an image formed by the electrophotographic process can be altered in color or erased. The electrophotographic process comprises the steps of creating an image on a photoreceptor surface, applying a toner on the photoreceptor surface to form a toner image which replicates the image, transferring the toner image to a substrate, and fixing the toner image to the substrate. The toner comprises a mutable colorant, an ultraviolet radiation transorber, and a carrier comprising a polymer. The ultraviolet radiation transorber is adapted, upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation, to interact with the mutable colorant to irreversibly mutate the mutable colorant from an initial absorption maximum to a new absorption maximum different from the initial absorption maximum. The electrophotographic process may further comprise exposing the toner image on the substrate to ultraviolet radiation at a dosage level sufficient to irreversibly mutate the colorant and change the color of the toner image or render the image colorless. The substrate can then be reused to form a second toner image thereon.