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:
Mar. 02, 1999
Filed:
Jan. 20, 1998
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Osaka, JP;
Abstract
An image-forming device according to the present invention is provided with an image-carrying body, a transfer medium, which transfers the toner image formed on the image-carrying body to a transfer material, and an affixing body provided at the perimeter of the transfer medium, which electrically affixes and holds the transfer material to the transfer medium. The transfer medium is made up of at least a semiconducting layer and a conductive substrate supporting it. The semiconducting layer has a foam portion with foam particles which increase in diameter toward the conductive substrate. This foam portion is made of a dielectric sheet, which is manufactured by forming a foaming dielectric polymer into a sheet, and heating the two surfaces thereof at different temperatures. The foregoing structure can provide a desired elasticity with the portion with foam particles of large diameter, and a desired surface smoothness with the portion with foam particles of small diameter. Accordingly, the surface potential of the transfer drum can be maintained uniformly and stably, thus eliminating poor affixing of the transfer material to the transfer drum and poor transfer of the toner image to the transfer material.