Measuring and testing – Liquid analysis or analysis of the suspension of solids in a... – Content or effect of a constituent of a liquid mixture
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-05
2003-07-29
Larkin, Daniel S. (Department: 2856)
Measuring and testing
Liquid analysis or analysis of the suspension of solids in a...
Content or effect of a constituent of a liquid mixture
C073S053010, C073S061410, C073S061710, C073S061720, C073S15000R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06598466
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is generally directed to a method and apparatus for measuring the adhesive force of smaller surface additive particles to larger particles. More specifically the present invention is directed to a multi-horn ultrasonic agitator system which enables precise control of ultrasonic energy output from the horns and which system permits the analysis of, for example, liquid and solid phases, and small surface additive constituents(guest particles)residing on larger sized particulates(host particles). The present invention also provides automated robotic control and sample handling for efficient and automatic operation. The present invention provides methods and apparatuses for host and guest particle separation or host and guest particle extraction. The present invention provides an analytical tool to characterize the amount of guest surface additive(s) on and off the host or main particles, such as toners versus the amount of surface additive irrevocably impacted on the surface of the main particles. The resulting data can be readily correlated to host particle, guest particle, or subparticle performance and associative states or dispositions, such as toner and developer imaging performance. The present invention provides a system and method for removing additives from the surface of toner particles and other surface treated particles by way of controlled automated ultrasonic energy input. These and other embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein.
In a typical electrostatographic printing system, a light image or digital image of an original to be reproduced is recorded in the form of an electrostatic latent image upon a photosensitive member and the latent image is subsequently rendered visible by the application of electroscopic thermoplastic resin particles which are commonly referred to as toner. The visible toner image is then in a loose powdered form and can be easily disturbed or destroyed. The toner image is usually fixed or fused upon a support which may be the photosensitive member itself or another support sheet such as plain paper. Other related marking technologies are known, for example, liquid immersion development, and solid or liquid ink jet imaging technologies wherein a liquid, solid, molten, sublimed, and the like marking formulations are deposited onto an imaging member, imaging intermediate member, or image receiver and wherein the marking or imaging material is typically conveniently packaged for end-user or operator installation. Thus it is readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that embodiments of the present invention are readily adaptable to other marking formulations and other marking materials, and related consumable materials, such as, replenishers, liquid inks or developers, photoactive pigments and surface treated photoactive pigments, photoreceptors, fuser rolls constituents, backer rolls, fuser oils, cleaning formulations, papers or transparency stock, such as high quality or specialty receivers, “T”-shirt transfer compositions and components, and the like materials. It is also readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that embodiments of the present invention are readily adaptable to other analytical technological endeavors, for example, pharmaceutical dosage form formulation and analysis, agri-product formulation and analysis, particulate and fiber forensic analysis, and like applications.
In embodiments, the system and methods of present invention provide unexpected benefits and superior productivity performance levels to analysts or operators, for example, in facilitating unique or high volume sample analysis and result obtention, and in enabling sample of analysis of liquid suspended particulate materials and without the need for caustic or corrosive reagents to prepare dissolved analytes, for example hydrofluoric acid solutions for ion coupled plasma (ICP) analysis of inorganic and organo-metallic materials. These and other advantages of the present invention are illustrated herein.
PRIOR ART
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,841, issued, May 3, 1988, to Borre et al., there is disclosed a method and apparatus for particle separation where particulates which are less than and greater than a predetermined size and are entrained in a fluid are separated according to their respective sizes by passing the fluid and entrained particulates through a porous, cross-flow separator element while continuously vibrating the separator element to prevent buildup of particulates on the upstream side of the separator element.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,400,665, issued Mar. 28, 1995, and 5,259,254, issued Nov. 9, 1993, both to Zhu, et al., there is disclosed an efficient sample introduction system and method of use, for accepting liquid sample solutions, nebulizing them to form nebulized sample solution droplets, desolvating and removing solvent therefrom, and introducing the resulting desolvated nebulized sample particles to sample analysis systems such as ICP. In the preferred embodiment, a flow of heated gas is caused to flow over the outer surface of a coiled essentially tubular shaped enclosed filter to remove solvent vapor which diffuses through the coiled essentially tubular shaped enclosed filter while a mixture of desolvated nebulized sample particles and solvent vapor is caused to flow therethrough. A modified embodiment utilizes a low temperature condenser in place of the heated gas flow. Nebulization of sample solutions is accomplished by use of high efficiency ultrasonic or direct injection micro nebulizer systems. Desolvation is performed in a desolvation chamber in which heating elements provide a temperature sufficient to vaporize solvent present. The sample introduction system provides improved sample solution nebulization, desolvation and solvent removal, as well as reduced sample loss and carry-over of sample from one analysis procedure to a subsequent analysis procedure, as compared to other systems which perform a similar overall function. The sample introduction system also enhances transport of sample through the sample introduction system to a sample analysis system. The present invention is equally effective with sample solutions in which the sample solvent is either water, or an organic solvent.
Other references of interest include U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,356, which discloses the use of ultrasound for agitative mixing and atomization in preparing ceramic materials; U.S. Pat. No. 5,840,026 which discloses an electronic control means, including feedback control, for calculating flow rate and concentration of the fluid medium, such as an ultrasound imaging agent, based on characteristic data of a sample, such as a patient; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,759 which discloses a multiple-articulated robot feedback control apparatus. The aforementioned patent references are incorporated in their entirety by reference herein.
There remains a need for simple, efficient, safe, economical, and highly reliable and reproducible method and apparatus for the analysis of the relationship between host-guest particle combinations and the like industrial, environmental, or specialty formulations.
The system of the present invention is useful, for example, in electrophotographic imaging materials analysis, diagnostics, development, and the like applications, especially color and digital applications. As a specific example, the present invention can be used in the design and manufacture of superior flow and charge performing toner materials, such as silica surface treated resin based toners. As another example, the present invention can be used for tracking and elucidating trends in solid area density values (SAD) during xerographic print testing. Another area of application of the system, apparatus, and method of the present invention, includes for example, as a useful tool in the design, manufacture, diagnosis, or trouble shooting performance, of particle materials or particulate containing formulations, such as found in the imaging materials technology area, for dry or liquid xerography, ionograp
Allen David A.
Deluca Allen F.
Demay Christine L.
Ganguly Leela
Le Hon H.
Larkin Daniel S.
Thompson Robert
Xerox Corporation
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