Electrophotography – Control of electrophotography process – Of plural processes
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-19
2004-05-11
Beatty, Robert (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Control of electrophotography process
Of plural processes
C399S302000, C399S318000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06735401
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to an apparatus for forming a toner image corresponding to a desirable image to be printed on a work piece, more particularly, an apparatus in which a control for forming a toner image is modified in accordance with a difference between a detected actually formed test pattern toner image which is not transferred to the work piece and a desired test pattern image, so that a difference between the toner image to be formed and the desirable image is decreased, that is, a control manner for decreasing the difference between the detected actually formed test pattern toner image and the desired test pattern image is incorporated into the control for forming the toner image.
In a prior art toner image forming apparatus, an actually formed test pattern toner image which is not transferred to a work piece is detected, but a difference between the detected actually formed test pattern toner image and a desired test pattern toner image does not correspond correctly to a difference between an actually formed toner image to be formed and a desirable image to be printed.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for forming a toner image, in which a difference between a desired test pattern image and an actually formed test pattern toner image which is not transferred to a work piece and detected to determine a control manner for decreasing the difference corresponds correctly to a difference between an actually formed toner image to be formed and a desirable image to be printed.
In a toner image forming apparatus comprising, an image forming device for forming thereon a toner image corresponding to a desired image to be printed on a work piece, and a test pattern toner image which is prevented from being printed on the work piece and corresponds to a desired test pattern image, a movable transfer member for holding thereon the toner image and test pattern toner image, facing to the image forming device to transfer the toner image and test pattern toner image from the image forming device onto the transfer member at a transfer position, a contact member for pressing the work piece against the toner image on the transfer member at a pressing position so that the toner image is transferred from the transfer member onto the work piece by the contact member, a test pattern toner image detector for detecting the test pattern toner image on the transfer member at a detecting position so that a difference between the test pattern toner image on the transfer member and the desired test pattern image is obtained, and a controller for controlling a formation of the toner image on the image forming device with the substantially same control manner as a control manner for decreasing the difference between the test pattern toner image on the transfer member and the desired test pattern image, so that a difference between the toner image and the desired image is decreased,
the contact member is pressed against the transfer member while the test pattern toner image on the transfer member moves from the transfer position to the detecting position.
Since the contact member is pressed against the transfer member while the test pattern toner image on the transfer member moves from the transfer position to the detecting position, the test pattern toner image is detected by the test pattern toner image detector in the substantially same condition of the transfer member as a condition of the transfer member in which the toner image moves from the transfer position to the detecting position, so that the difference between the desired test pattern image and the actually formed test pattern toner image corresponds correctly or is equal to the difference between the actually formed toner image and the desirable image.
The contact member is pressed against the transfer member while the toner image on the transfer member moves from the transfer position to the detecting position. A pressing force for pressing the contact member against the transfer member while the test pattern toner image on the transfer member moves from the transfer position to the detecting position may be substantially equal to a pressing force of the contact member for pressing the work piece against the toner image on the transfer member. The pressing force of the contact member for pressing the work piece against the toner image on the transfer member may be substantially equal to a pressing force for pressing the contact member against the transfer member while the toner image on the transfer member moves from the transfer position to the detecting position. The contact member prevents the work piece from being pressed against the test pattern toner image on the transfer member so that the test pattern toner image is prevented from being transferred from the transfer member onto the work piece at the pressing position. The work piece may be prevented from being supplied onto the contact member or to the pressing position when the test pattern toner image on the transfer member passes the pressing position, and/or the contact member is prevented from being pressed against the transfer member to prevent the test pattern toner image from being transferred from the transfer member onto the contact member when the test pattern toner image on the transfer member passes the pressing position. The contact member may be pressed against the transfer member also after the test pattern toner image on the transfer member passes the detecting position. The contact member may be prevented from being pressed against the transfer member before the test pattern toner image on the transfer member reaches the pressing position.
It is preferable for increasing a length of the test pattern toner image to be detected in a preferable condition of the transfer member that a length between the transfer position and the detecting position is smaller than a length between the detecting position and the pressing position, along a movement course of the test pattern toner image on the movable transfer member. The length of the test pattern toner image may be smaller than a length between the detecting position and the pressing position, along the movement course of the test pattern toner image on the movable transfer member.
When the image forming device forms a plurality of the test pattern toner images corresponding respectively to the desired test pattern images, and the test pattern toner image detector detects the test pattern toner images on the transfer member at the detecting position so that the differences between the test pattern toner images on the transfer member and the desired test pattern images are obtained, the controller controls a formation of the toner image on the image forming device in the same manner as a manner for decreasing the differences regarding the test pattern toner images, so that a difference between the toner image and the desired image is decreased, and the contact member is pressed against the transfer member while each of the test pattern toner images on the transfer member moves from the transfer position to the detecting position. A length of a combination of the test pattern toner images may be larger than the length between the detecting position and the pressing position, along the movement course of the test pattern toner image on the movable transfer member.
The contact member is pressed against the transfer member when the test pattern toner image is transferred onto the transfer member at the transfer position. The contact member is pressed against the transfer member when the test pattern toner image on the transfer member is detected at the detecting position.
The difference between the test pattern toner image on the transfer member and the desired test pattern image is a difference in at least one of width, length, attitude, size, shape and position therebetween, and the difference between the toner image and the desired image is a difference in the at least one of width, length, a
Kajiwara Tadayuki
Shimada Masaya
Tanizaki Jun'ichi
Beatty Robert
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. LTD
Stevens Davis Miller & Mosher LLP
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