Toner print system with heated intermediate transfer member
US5629761A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 4, 1995 |
| Grant date | May 13, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 4, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03G15/161
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
In a printing system a first endless imaging member, such as a belt or drum, moves past an imaging station where it receives a dry toner image, and contacts a second endless imaging member to transfer the toner image to the second member. The first and the second imaging members are each operated isothermally with at least the second member at a temperature T2 higher than the softening temperature of the toner which, in turn, is above the temperature T1 of the first member. The first member has a hard abrasion-resistant and preferably smooth surface with a surface energy under about 20 dynes per centimeter, while the second member is both softer and has a higher surface energy, but still below that of the ultimate imaging substrate, e.g., paper, and has a thickness and compressibility that allow it to conform. In a preferred system, a charge-deposition cartridge deposits a latent charge image on a dielectric layer to attract and hold toner particles. A five micrometer thick surface layer of Teflon PFA simultaneously provides a suitable capacitance and low surface energy for the first member which is then developed with hard toner particles formed with a polymer having a softening t…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.