Electrophotography – Control of electrophotography process – Of plural processes
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-03
2001-05-22
Moses, Richard (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Control of electrophotography process
Of plural processes
C399S053000, C399S081000, C399S082000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06236816
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer or copier apparatus for the printing of a recording medium with magnetically readable toner or toner which is not readable magnetically, in a single apparatus.
In particular, in the USA, it is standard to print checks or financial documents with magnetically readable toner, so that the documents can be read using the MICR (magnetic ink character recognition) method. Magnetically readable toner, called MICR toner, generally contains ferromagnetic particles (such as soft magnetic particles) with a narrow hysteresis loop made of pure iron or other magnetizable materials such as ferrites, iron oxide or magnetite.
Thus, for a wide variety of applications MICR developer mixtures are used that contain as components e.g. 90-99% iron powder, 2-3.5% resin (styrene/acrylic copolymer resin), 0.7-1.4% polymers (styrene/acrylatic copolymer), and 10-20% iron oxide, or e.g. MICR toner with 30-50% styrene/acrylic copolymer resin, 10-20% styrene/acrylate copolymer, 10-30% iron oxide, 3-7% 1-propene polymer, 3-7% epoxy resin, 1-3% lithium stearate and 0.5-2% tetraalkyl ammonium compound. For the black tinting (carbon black), e.g. 0.1-1% artificial pigments (polyvinylidene fluoride) can be contained.
In the following, the term “magnetic” toner is used for an MICR-capable magnetically readable toner. The term “non-magnetic” toner designates a toner which is not readable magnetically, e.g. a standard toner.
For processing in an electrographic printer, the complex composition of MICR developer mixture or, respectively, toner requires particular adaptation to the aggregates involved in the print process, such as for example the developer station, the transfer printing station, the photoconductor, and the fixing station. Among other things, for this reason it has previously been regarded as necessary to use separate printers for printing with MICR toner. These printers are designed exclusively for the processing of MICR toner, with which a processing of standard toners which are not readable magnetically is not possible. For the handling of mixed jobs, two printers have thus been used, namely an MICR-capable printer and a standard printer, or else an MICR-capable printer was used exclusively for the printing. Both methods are uneconomical and require considerable expense.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,139 to provide a copier apparatus with an exchangeable developer station, in order to enable processing of toner with various colors, but variously colored toners of this sort have a chemical composition that is nearly identical and differ only in the pigment color. No adaptation of the processing method is required for the exchange.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is thus to provide a printer or copying apparatus with which printing with magnetically readable toner, called MICR toner, and with toner which is not readable magnetically is possible with the same apparatus.
This and other objects are achieved by a multifunctional printer or copier apparatus with a means for printing a recording medium with magnetic toner in a first mode of operation or with non-magnetic toner in a second mode of operation in a single apparatus, including
a reception means arranged in the apparatus for the alternative, exchangeable reception of a developer station containing magnetic or non-magnetic toner, for the production of toner images on a photoconductor,
a transfer printing station for the transfer printing of the toner images on the recording medium,
an operational control unit that determines the mode of operation dependent on the developer station located in the reception means, and
a process control unit connected functionally with the operational control unit, which process control unit determines setting values of the process parameters of sub-aggregates involved in the print process, dependent on the set mode of operation.
The invention also relates to a multifunctional printer or copier apparatus with a means for printing a recording medium with magnetic toner in a first mode of operation or with non-magnetic toner in a second mode of operation in a single apparatus, including
at least one developer station that processes magnetic toner, and at least one developer station that processes non-magnetic toner, which are fashioned for the production of toner images as individually switchable developer stations, and are arranged along a photoconductor,
a transfer printing station for the transfer printing of the toner images on the recording medium,
an operational control unit that determines the mode of operation, and
a process control unit that is functionally connected with the operational control unit, which process control unit determines setting values of the process parameters of sub-aggregates involved in the print process, dependent on the set mode of operation.
As another development of the invention, a multifunctional printer or copier apparatus is provided with a means for printing a recording medium with magnetic toner in a first mode of operation or with non-magnetic toner in a second mode of operation in a single apparatus, including
at least one developer station that accepts magnetic or non-magnetic toner for the production of toner images on a photoconductor,
a supply means for the alternative supplying of magnetic or non-magnetic toner to the developer station dependent on the mode of operation,
a transfer printing station for the transfer printing of the toner images on the recording medium,
an operational control unit that determines the mode of operation, and
a process control unit that is functionally connected with the operational control unit, which process control unit determines setting values of the process parameters of sub-aggregates involved in the print process, dependent on the set mode of operation.
As yet a further development, the multifunctional printer or copier apparatus with a means for printing a recording medium with magnetic toner in a first mode of operation or with non-magnetic toner in the second mode of operation in a single apparatus, includes
a developer station with at least one developer chamber containing magnetic toner and at least one developer chamber containing non-magnetic toner, which are fashioned as individually switchable developer chambers for the production of toner images on one or more photoconductor regions,
a transfer printing station for the transfer printing of the toner images on the recording medium,
an operational control unit that determines the mode of operation, and
a process control unit that is functionally connected with the operational control unit, which process control unit determines setting values of the process parameters of sub-aggregates involved in the print process, dependent on the set mode of operation.
Advantageous embodiments of the invention are provide that the region of the transfer printing station of at least two recording medium webs are guided next to one another, and a developer chamber is allocated to each of the recording medium webs. An operator panel may be included having an input means and/or a display means for operating data, including the modes of operation, which operator panel is functionally connected with the operational control unit.
An identification arrangement for the identification of the developer station may be provided. An identifier element allocated to the developer station, and having a scanning means for the identifier element, which scanner means is allocated to the apparatus and is functionally connected with the control units. The identification arrangement comprises a non-volatile memory allocated to the developer station for the storage of operational data, as well as a communication interface for the detachable functional connection of the non-volatile memory with the control units.
Optionally, the setting values of the process parameters to be set dependent on the modes of operation are stored in a memory in the form of tables that can be called.
A blocking means may
Gerstner Albrecht
Scheidig Karola
Warbus Volker
Moses Richard
Oce Printing Systems GmbH
Schiff & Hardin & Waite
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