Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Electric or magnetic imagery – e.g. – xerography,... – Radiation-sensitive composition or product
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-04
2003-04-01
Chapman, Mark A. (Department: 1756)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Electric or magnetic imagery, e.g., xerography,...
Radiation-sensitive composition or product
C399S159000, C399S162000, C399S164000, C399S117000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06541171
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Reference is made to the commonly assigned U.S. Patent Applications, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/679,113, filed on Oct. 4, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,226, issued on May 21, 2002, in the names of Charlebois et al., entitled: INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER MEMBER HAVING A STIFFENING LAYER AND METHOD OF USING.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/679,177, filed on Oct. 4, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,249, issued on May 21, 2002, in the names of Aslam et al., entitled: SLEEVED ROLLERS FOR USE IN A FUSING STATION EMPLOYING AN INTERNALLY HEATED FUSER ROLLER.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/679,345, filed on Oct. 4, 2000, in the names of Chen et al., entitled: EXTERNALLY HEATED DEFORMABLE FUSER ROLLER.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/680,135, filed on Oct. 4, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,247, issued on May 21, 2002, in the names of Chen et al., entitled: TONER FUSING STATION HAVING AN INTERNALLY HEATED FUSER ROLLER.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/680,139, filed on Oct. 4, 2000, in the names of Charlebois et al., entitled: INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER MEMBER WITH A REPLACEABLE SLEEVE AND METHOD OF USING SAME.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/680,136, filed on Oct. 4, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,456,816, issued on Sep. 24, 2002, in the names of Chowdry et al., entitled: IMPROVED INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER MEMBER.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/680,138, filed on Oct. 4, 2000, in the names of Chen et al., entitled: AN EXTERNALLY HEATED FUSER ROLLER FOR A TONER FUSING STATION.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/680,134, filed on Oct. 4, 2000, in the names Aslam of et al., entitled: SLEEVED ROLLERS FOR USE IN A FUSING STATION EMPLOYING AN EXTERNALLY HEATED FUSER ROLLER.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/679,016 filed on Oct. 4, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,377,772, issued on Apr. 23, 2002, in the names of Chowdry et al., entitled: DOUBLE-SLEEVED ELECTROSTATOGRAPHIC ROLLER AND METHOD OF USING.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to electrophotographic apparatus and, more particularly, to a novel photoconductive member and to a method of making such a member.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of an intermediate transfer member in an electrostatographic machine to transfer toner from an imaging member to a receiver (e.g., paper) is well known and is practiced in commercial electrophotographic copiers and printers. A toner image formed on a primary image-forming member is transferred in a first transfer operation to an intermediate transfer member, and is subsequently transferred in a second transfer operation from the intermediate transfer member to a receiver. In the second transfer of a toner image from an intermediate transfer member roller to a receiver, a transfer back-up roller is commonly used behind a paper receiver, a nip being formed to press the receiver to the intermediate transfer member.
As disclosed by Rimai et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,735 and Zaretsky et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,961, use of a compliant intermediate transfer member roller coated by a thick compliant layer and a relatively thin, hard overcoat improves the quality of electrostatic toner transfer from an imaging member to a receiver, as compared to a non-compliant intermediate roller. Zaretsky, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,526, further discloses that electrostatic transfer can be improved by separately specifying the resistivity of the intermediate transfer member roller and the transfer backup roller. Bucks et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,567, disclose an intermediate transfer member roller having electrodes embedded in a compliant blanket to spatially control the applied transfer electric field. Tombs et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,075,965, disclose the use of a compliant intermediate transfer member roller in conjunction with a paper transport belt in a multi-color electrophotographic machine.
For thermal transfer of toner from a photoconductor to a receiver surface, U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,609, by Jackson et al., shows the use of a compliant roller, pad or coating behind a photoconductive belt to assist in the transfer of toner images to a receiving sheet carried by a metal roller. The advantage of the compliant surface behind the photoconductor is that it compresses and widens the nip for good thermal transfer and allows the use of a hard, thermally conductive roller for carrying the receiver paper. Aslam et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,146, and Miwa et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,825, also suggest an advantage in a compliant surface for a photoconductive member in transferring toner to a heated, hard intermediate.
The use of a removable endless belt or tubular type of blanket on an intermediate roller has long been practiced in the offset lithographic printing industry, as recently disclosed by Gelinas, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,796, wherein the tubular blanket can be made of materials including rubbers and plastics and can be reinforced by an inner layer of aluminum or other metal. As disclosed earlier, for example by Julian in U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,812, an intermediate lithographic roller comprises a portion having a slightly smaller diameter than the main body of the roller, such that a blanket member can be slid along this narrower portion until it reaches a location where a set of holes located in the roller allow a fluid under pressure, e.g., compressed air, to pass through the holes, thereby stretching the blanket member and allowing the entire blanket member to be slid onto the main body of the roller. After the blanket is located in a suitable position, the source of compressed air or fluid under pressure is turned off, thereby allowing the blanket member to relax to a condition of smaller strain, such strain being sufficient to cause the blanket member to snugly embrace the roller. A sleeve for a printing roller and methods for mounting and dismounting are also disclosed in Hoage et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,597.
Vrotacoe et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,541, disclose a printing blanket, for use in an offset printing press, which includes a seamless tubular elastic layer having compressible microspheres, surrounded by a seamless tubular layer made of a circumferentially inextensible material, and a seamless tubular printing layer over the inextensible layer. It is disclosed that provision of the inextensible layer reduces or eliminates pre-nip and post-nip bulging of the roller when printing an ink image on a receiver sheet, thereby improving image quality by reducing or eliminating ink smearing caused by slippage associated with the formation of bulges in the prior art.
An intermediate transfer roller consisting of a rigid core and a removable, replaceable intermediate transfer blanket has been disclosed by Landa et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,054, and by Gazit et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,829, whereby the intermediate transfer blanket is fixedly and replaceably secured and attached to the core. The intermediate transfer blanket, disclosed for use in conjunction with a liquid developer for toning a primary image, consists of a substantially rectangular sheet mechanically held to the core by grippers. The core (or drum) has recesses where the grippers are located. It will be evident from U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,335,054 and 5,745,829 that owing to the presence of the recesses, the entire surface of the intermediate transfer drum cannot be utilized for transfer, which is a disadvantage requiring costly means to maintain a proper orientation of the useful part of the drum when transferring a toner image from a primary imaging member to the intermediate transfer roller, or, when transferring a toner image from the intermediate transfer roller to a receiver. Moreover, the fact that the blanket does not form a continuous covering of the entire core surface, owing to the fact that two of its' edges are held by grippers, is similarly a disadvantage. Another disadvantage arises because there is inevitably a gap between these edges, so that contamination can become deposited there which can lead to
Chowdry Arun
Cormier Steven
Grabb Dennis
Herrick Diane M.
May John W.
Chapman Mark A.
Leimbach James P.
NexPress Solutions LLC
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