Improved thermal assisted transfer method and apparatus
US5536609A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 7, 1991 |
| Grant date | Jul 16, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 7, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03G15/167
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A toner image is transferred to a heat softened thermoplastic outer layer of a receiving sheet. The toner is transferred from an image member predominantly by heating the receiving sheet to a temperature which both softens the thermoplastic layer and, when the thermoplastic layer contacts the toner, sinters the toner sufficiently to cause toner to adhere both to the thermoplastic layer and to other particles of toner. To prevent blistering, the temperature to which the thermoplastic layer must be raised can be lowered, for example, to 100 degrees C. by also heating the image member to a temperature, above ambient, but less than the temperature that would either do damage to the image member or cause the toner to stick to it.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.