Patent · US Expired

Surface treatment apparatus and image-forming apparatus

US7024149B2 · kind B2 · utility

22Cited by
2References
30Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 14, 2003
Grant dateApr 4, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 20, 2024

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03G2215/2032
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a surface treatment apparatus which can modify the surface qualities of different parts of image prints obtained by various image-forming methods, and an image-forming apparatus. For this purpose, it provides a surface treatment apparatus containing sheet heating unit which heats a sheet, a sheet cooling unit which cools the sheet in contact with a contact member, and a depression-and-protrusion shape control unit which forms depression-and-protrusion shapes by differently treating different parts of the surface of the sheet by at least one of the sheet heating unit and sheet cooling unit, and an image-forming apparatus containing this surface treatment apparatus which can easily form images having different surface qualities in different parts.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.