Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Imaging affecting physical property of radiation sensitive... – Radiation sensitive composition or product or process of making
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-02
2003-07-08
Schilling, Richard L. (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Imaging affecting physical property of radiation sensitive...
Radiation sensitive composition or product or process of making
C430S019000, C430S303000, C430S964000, C101S467000, C347S221000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06589708
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to an image recording body and an image forming apparatus by use of the image recording body, and more particularly to a structure of the image recording body in order to form a latent image by means of a light (or heat)-stimulated writing method, improvement of a light-to-heat conversion efficiency during a light-stimulated writing operation, a long-life operation of a source for writing, an adjustment of a light (or heat) amount during the light-stimulated writing operation, a method for removing an ink remaining on the image recording body and a method for forming the latent image thereon.
BACKGROUND ART
FIG. 1
illustrates a schematic view of an essential part of an image forming apparatus of an embodiment according to the present invention. As shown in
FIG. 1
, the image forming apparatus comprises a heating source
1
, a recording roller
2
, an inking unit
3
, an intermediate transfer roller
4
, a recording paper
5
, a pressure roller
6
, an infrared heater
7
, a cleaning unit
8
, a liquid layer-forming roller
9
and an image recording body
10
. Examples of the heating source
1
(preferably light source having a wavelength from 300 nm to 1300 nm) include a light-emitting diode array (which is hereinafter referred to as LED array), a semiconductor laser, a solid laser or the like. The image recording body
10
has surface characteristics that a receding contact angle decreases when a surface of the image recording body in a heated state is brought into contact with a liquid (hereinafter referred to as a liquid-attracting state), and the receding contact angle increases when the image recording body is heated in a state where the image recording body is not contact with the liquid (hereinafter referred to as a liquid-repelling state).
When the surface of the image recording body
10
is treated to become the liquid-attracting state, a liquid layer is formed on the surface of the image recording body
10
before the surface of the image recording body
10
is heated, or a liquid is come into contact with the surface of the image recording body
10
during a heating operation, or the liquid is come into contact with the surface of the image recording body
10
right after the surface is heated. As shown in
FIG. 1
, it is possible to form the liquid layer on the image recording body
10
by means of the liquid layer-forming roller
9
. However, it is not necessary to use the liquid layer-forming roller
9
for formation of the liquid layer. For example, it is possible for the image recording body
10
to remove from the recording roller
2
or for the recording roller
2
to dip in the liquid, or for the liquid layer to form on the surface of the image recording body
10
by means of the cleaning unit
8
.
As mentioned above, after the surface of the recording body becomes the liquid-attracting state, writing of an image can be carried out thereon. This image writing can be performed by scanning the heating source
1
with separation of the image recording body
10
from the inking unit
3
, the intermediate transfer roller
4
, the cleaning unit
8
or the like. As a scanning method, writing can be carried out by moving the heating source
1
in a main scanning direction by a linear motor or the like while rotating the recording roller
2
, or a raster scanning can be applied for writing by means of polygon mirror or galvano mirror.
The image is then formed on the image recording body
10
and at this image forming period the recording paper
5
is fed while pressing the image recording body
10
with the intermediate transfer roller
4
and the inking unit
3
. As the inking unit
3
, a plurality of inking rollers can be used in order to control a thickness of an ink layer by means of a blade or the like
3
b
. An ink can be supplied from an upper portion of the blade
3
b
by dropping an ink from an ink supply container
3
a.
After printing a desired press run, it is possible to reuse the image recording body
10
by forming another image thereon newly. At this time, that is to say, at the end of printing, the intermediate transfer roller
4
and the inking roller
3
are separated from the image recording body
10
and the cleaning unit
8
is brought into contact with the image recording body
10
so that the ink remaining thereon can be removed. After removal of the ink remaining on the image recording body
10
, another liquid layer is formed on the surface of the image recording body
10
and the image recording body
10
is heated by means of the infrared heater
7
to treat the surface of the image recording body
10
so as to become the liquid-attracting state, while erasing the latent image of the previous image. However, in addition to the above method, as a method for treat the surface of the image recording body
10
so as to become the liquid-attracting state, it is possible to heat in a state where the liquid is come into contact with the surface of the image recording body
10
or for the surface of the image recording body
10
to bring into contact with the liquid right after heating the surface. In other words, as mentioned above, after printing a predetermined press run on the recording paper
5
, the ink remaining on the image recording body
10
is removed and the latent image (a liquid-repelling region) formed on the image recording body
10
is erased, and the surface of the image recording body is then treated so as to become the liquid-attracting state. In this way, a new image (a latent image) can be formed on the image recording body
10
so that the image recording body
10
can be reused. That is to say, reuse of the image recording body
10
can be achieved by the following steps of: removing the ink remaining on the image recording body
10
; forming the liquid layer on the surface of the image recording body by means of the liquid layer-forming roller
9
; and heating the surface of the image recording body
10
by means of the infrared heater
7
to perform the liquid attracting treatment of the image recording body
10
. As the cleaning unit
8
, it is possible to use a waste
8
b
soaked with a cleaning liquid from the cleaning supply container
8
a
. The surface of the image recording body
10
is washed by pressing it with this waste
8
b.
In writing of the image into the image recording body, there are positive writing and negative writing. As negative writing, by heating the image recording body
10
in a state where the body
10
is come into contact with an element selected from the liquid and/or a solid, or brought into contact with the element selected from the liquid and/or the solid right after the surface of the image recording body
10
is heated, the receding contact angle of an image region of the image recording body decreases so as to subject the surface of the image recording body
10
to the liquid-attracting treatment. By selectively heating a non-image region of the image recording body in the absence of the above contacting element, the receding contact angle of the non-image region of the image recording body increases so as to subject the surface of the image recording body to the liquid-repelling treatment. On the other hand, as positive writing, by selectively heating only the image region of the image recording body
10
in a state where the body is come into contact with the element selected from the liquid and/or the solid, or selectively brought into contact with the element selected from the liquid and/or the solid right after selectively heating the surface of the body, the image region of the image recording body
10
is subjected to the liquid-attracting treatment.
As stated above, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the liquid-attracting treatment is performed on the image recording body
10
according to image information. The ink is attached to portions of the image recording body
10
subjected to the liquid-attracting treatment and the ink attached to the body
10
can be directly transferred to the r
Hara Kei
Katano Yasuo
Morikawa Minoru
Tomita Satoru
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Ricoh & Company, Ltd.
Schilling Richard L.
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