Electrophotography – Internal machine environment – Particle or contaminant control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-11
2001-03-13
Grainger, Quana M. (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Internal machine environment
Particle or contaminant control
C015S256520, C399S099000, C399S123000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06201940
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid electrophotographic printer, and more particularly, to a transfer roller cleaning apparatus for cleaning the surface of a transfer roller which transfers a developed image formed on a photoreceptor medium to a printing sheet of paper.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an electrophotographic printer, a latent electrostatic image formed on a photoreceptor medium such as a photoreceptor drum or a photoreceptor belt is developed by using a developing solution having a toner mixed with a volatile liquid carrier, and the developed image is transferred onto a printing sheet of paper, thereby printing a desired image.
Referring to
FIG. 1
schematically showing a conventional liquid electrophotographic color printer, a photoreceptor belt
110
is supported by a plurality of rollers
121
,
122
and
123
and circulates along an endless track. The surface of the photoreceptor belt
110
is charged by a charging station
150
to a constant electric potential. Then, a latent electrostatic image is formed on the photoreceptor belt
110
by a laser scanning unit
130
for emitting laser beams according to image signals. The formed latent electrostatic image is developed by a development station
140
for supplying a developing solution. As shown in
FIG. 1
, in the case of a color printer, a plurality of laser scanning units
130
and development stations
140
corresponding to various colors are provided.
The liquid carrier contained in the developing solution sticking to the latent electrostatic image of the photoreceptor belt
110
is evaporated while passing an image drying station
160
and then only the dried toner remains.
Subsequently, while the photoreceptor belt
110
passes through between the roller
121
and a transfer roller
124
, an image formed by the toner sticking to the photoreceptor belt
110
is transferred to a sheet
126
fed between the transfer roller
124
and a fixing roller
125
via the transfer roller
124
, to then be printed. Thereafter, an electrostatic charge remaining in the photoreceptor belt
110
is removed by an erasure station
170
.
Here, the toner image sticking to the transfer roller
124
is not completely transferred to the sheet
126
during the transfer procedure, and some toner sludge may remain in the transfer roller
124
. The residual toner sludge or foreign matter sticking to the transfer roller
124
may contaminate the surface of the transfer roller
124
in repetitive printing procedures, thereby adversely affecting the printing quality of an image.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To solve the above problem, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a transfer roller cleaning apparatus of an electrophotographic printer, for removing toner sludge or foreign matter sticking to the surface of a transfer roller.
Accordingly, to achieve the above objective, there is provided a transfer roller cleaning apparatus of a liquid electrophotographic printer including a photoreceptor belt supported by a plurality of rotation rollers rotatably installed in a printer body and circulating on an endless track, a transfer roller for transferring a developed image formed on a photosensitive surface of the photoreceptor belt to a printing sheet, and a cleaning roller for cleaning the surface of the transfer roller while circulating in contact with a transfer surface of the transfer roller.
According to the transfer roller cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the cleaning roller has a heat source provided around its rotation shaft so that a heat generated from the heat source is conducted to the outer circumferential surface of the cleaning roller. The circumferential surface of the cleaning roller preferably has a larger surface energy than that of the transfer roller. To this end, a coating film made of metal or synthetic resin may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the cleaning roller.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the cleaning roller is detachably installed with respect to the transfer roller.
Alternatively, there is provided a transfer roller cleaning apparatus of a liquid electrophotographic printer including a photoreceptor belt supported by a plurality of rotation rollers rotatably installed in a printer body and circulating on an endless track, a transfer roller for transferring a developed image formed on a photosensitive surface of the photoreceptor belt to a printing sheet, a driving roller and a driven roller installed in parallel at one side of the transfer roller, and a cleaning belt supported by the driving roller and the driven roller, for cleaning the surface of the transfer roller while circulating on an endless track in contact with a transfer surface of the transfer roller.
A coating film made of a metal such as aluminum oxide (Al
2
O
3
) or a synthetic resin can be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the cleaning roller so that the circumferential surface of the cleaning belt has a larger surface energy than that of the transfer roller. Also, the cleaning roller may be detachably installed with respect to the transfer roller.
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patent: 11-272096 (1999-10-01), None
Grainger Quana M.
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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