Electrophotography – Image formation – Transfer
Patent
1995-09-27
1997-11-18
Royer, William J.
Electrophotography
Image formation
Transfer
G03G 1516
Patent
active
056897863
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to an image forming apparatus for carrying out printing or print of image (pictorial image) on the basis of a picture signal delivered from a scanner for reading a manuscript to be printed, or the like.
BACKGROUND
Hitherto, in various printers or copy machines, etc., as a system for forming an image (pictorial image) on the basis of a picture signal delivered from a scanner which has read a print manuscript, etc., an electrophotographic process system (so called Carlson process system) is widely adopted. This electrophotographic process system forms a pictorial image on a recording sheet through an image preparation process including electrification, exposure, development, transfer and/or fixing, etc. The system of development is classified into the wet development method and the dry development method dependant upon the state of the developer (developing agent). For example, in accordance with the wet development method, it is possible to obtain an image (pictorial image) of resolution and gradation comparable to that of a silver salt photograph.
As an example of the wet development method, there has been proposed an image forming apparatus using a solidified developer which is solid at an ordinary temperature, and is molten (fused) by implementing a heating processing (heat treatment) thereto and is re-solidified by implementing a cooling processing thereto. The solidified developer is an agent having the above-described property in which development particles are dispersed within a dispersion medium of a relatively low melting point. Handling of the developer is easy, and the conservative property and/or stability of characteristic, etc. at an ordinary temperature is excellent.
The applicant has already proposed an image (pictorial image) recording method using a solidified developer by "Image Recording Method" of the Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 197297/1993. This image recording method consists of an electrification process, exposure process, development process, transfer process, peeling (separation) process and cleaning process. The electrification process and the exposure process are similar to the electrophotographic process, wherein the surface of a photosensitive member on which a photosensitive layer is formed is uniformly electrified in the electrification process so that, e.g., minus charges result. In the next exposure process, laser beams based on a picture signal are irradiated onto the photosensitive member by means of a semiconductor laser, etc. so that minus charges of the exposed portion are caused to disappear, whereby an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive member.
The development process is a process for delivering a developer in which development particles of plus charges are dispersed in a dispersion medium to the surface of the photosensitive member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed to form a developer a image. As the developer, solidified developer molten (fused) by heating means is used. The transfer process is a process for allowing a recording sheet to be closely in contact with the surface of the photosensitive member on which the developer image is formed to transfer the developer image in a molten state onto the recording sheet. The recording sheet onto which the developer image has been transferred is peeled out from the photosensitive member in the next peeling process. The photosensitive member is caused to undergo a processing in which the solidified developer remaining on the surface is eliminated, and is forwarded to a series of process steps starting from the electrification process for a second time.
In the above-described earlier application image forming apparatus, as a photosensitive member, an endless belt-shaped photosensitive member laid across a drive roller and a plurality of guide rollers and caused to undergo endless traveling is used. Such an endless belt-shaped photosensitive member has the feature that, as compared to an image forming apparatus us
REFERENCES:
patent: 4708460 (1987-11-01), Langdon
patent: 5424163 (1995-06-01), Tokunaga et al.
Matsuzaka Hideki
Shirakura Akira
Tokunaga Hiroshi
Maioli Jay H.
Royer William J.
Sony Corporation
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