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|||||||||||||| US00532743A United States Patent (19) 11) Patent Number: 5,132,743 Bujese et al. 45) Date of Patent: Jul. 21, 1992 54 INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER SURFACE AND 59-91465 5/1984 Japan. METHOD OF COLOR PRINTING 2-106530 4/1990 Japan . (75) Inventors: David P. Bujese; Peter E. Materazzi, OTHER PUBLICATIONS both of Southington, Conn. Article entitled "Fluorosilicone and Conductive Sili 73) Assignee: Olin Corporation, Cheshire, Conn. cones' from Rubber World Magazine, vol. 200, No. 3, Jun. 1989. 21 Appl. No.: 546,287 Japanese Patent Publication 59-77467(A), issued May 2, 22 Filed; Jun. 29, 1990 1984, assigned to Konishiroku Shashin Kogyo KK-Ab (51) Int. Cl. ............................................. GO3G 15/16 Stract. (52) U.S. C. ..................................... 355/274; 355/271 Japanese Patent Publication 56-165173(A), published (58) Field of Search ............... 355/274, 275,271, 277, Dec. 18, 1991, assigned to Ricoh K.K.-Abstract. 355/273, 272, 279, 256, 257; 430/126, 48; Primary Examiner-A. T. Grimley 428/244, 323, 282, 421 Assistant Examiner-Thu Dang 56 References Cited Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ralph D'Alessandro U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 57 ABSTRACT 3,591,276 7/1971 Byrne. an improved intermediate transfer surface employing a 3,893,761 7/1975 Buchan et al. conductive material dispersed in a fluorosilicone layer is 3,923,392 12/1975 Buchan et al. provided for use in electrostatic color image transfers. 3,957,367 3/1976 Goel .................................... 355/279 The intermediate transfer surface is heat and solvent 4,095,886 6/1978 Koeleman et al. 4,453,820 6/1984 Suzuki ................................. 355/279 resistant and retains its electrical conductivity upon 4.58,976 5/1985 Tarumi et al. ..... 355/279 X exposure to both heat and solvent, while exhibiting 4,588,279 5/1986 Fukuchi et al. ..................... 355/274 excellent thermal release characteristics for contact 4,604,424 8/1986 Cole et al. transfers of dried liquid color toners. A method of xero 4,690,539 9/1987 Radulski et al. .................... 355/279 printing a color image onto a receiving substrate using 4,796,048 1/1989 Bean . a first electrostatic transfer through a liquid-filled gap to 4,894,686 1/1990 Bujese ................................. 355/27 the conductive intermediate transfer surface and then a 4,956,676 9/1990 Fukae et al. ........................ 355/27 4.984.025 l/1991 Landa et al. ........................ 355/274 second contact transfer from the conductive intermedi 4,984,026 l/1991 Nishise et al. ....................... 355/277 ate transfer surface to a final receiving surface is also disclosed. FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 57.8569 1/1982 Japan. 46 Clains, 2 Drawing Sheets U.S. Patent July 21, 1992 Sheet 1 of 2 5,132,743 A/G-2 U.S. Patent July 21, 1992 Sheet 2 of 2 5,132,743 29. QYNo.=T| W NYNYNYNNNNNN 9% §§ e-9/77 NYNNNNS 5,132,743 2 diate transfer surface from which the carrier liquid is INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER SURFACE AND roller squeezed or removed by infrared heating to be METHOD OF COLOR PRINTING substantially free of carrier liquid prior to the final image transfer to the copy sheet. However, this does BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 5 not remove all of the solvent from the copy sheet, since This invention relates generally to electrostatic image solvent is still present in the image areas in order to transfers and, more specifically, to a conductive inter achieve electrostatic image transfer. The intermediate mediate transfer surface and the method of employing transfer surface is formed from a material described as that conductive intermediate transfer surface in a color non-absorbing and resilient, but transfer from the photo printing process employing a liquid toner. O conductor to the intermediate transfer surface is ef Elastomeric transfer surfaces have been used in elec fected by contact pressure and the intermediate transfer trophotographic copiers. Early efforts employed an surface is deformed by contact with the toner particles electrophotographic copier with a rotatable photocon in the image areas to achieve the transfer from the pho ductive drum that transferred a dry toner developed toconductor covered drum to the intermediate transfer image to a silicone elastomer transfer belt that was part 15 surface. This negatively affects the quality of the trans of a transfer and fusing system. This was employed in ferred image as described previously. combination with a radiant fuser and paper transport These problem are solved in the process of the pres system to provide a high speed copier. ent invention and in the design of the intermediate trans Another related system employed an intermediate fer surface by providing a conductive intermediate transfer drum which received the dry toner developed transfer surface preferably formed of conductive fluo image from a rotatable drum whose surface was coated rosilicone that is used in a two step transfer process that with a photoconductor. The intermediate transfer drum initially electrostatically transfers from a master surface utilized a support material such as aluminum and had its surface coated with a suitable conductive or non-con through a liquid-filled gap to the intermediate transfer ductive silicone rubber having low specific heat that 25 surface and then by contact transfer to the final receiv was applied in a thin layer. These inter mediate transfer ing surface, such as paper. No carrier liquid is trans surfaces were described as having smooth surfaces of ferred to the final receiving surface. low surface free energy and a hardness of from 3 to 70 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION duroneters. Compositions designed specifically for use as ther It is an object of the present invention to provide an mally conductive elastomers in a fuser roller for electro improved intermediate transfer surface for use in elec static copying machines were developed by the Dow trostatic image transfers employing liquid toners. Corning Corporation. The compositions were ther It is another object of the present invention to pro mally conductive polyorganosiloxane elastomers that vide a method of color copying or printing in which possessed high abrasion resistance, low durometer hard 35 none of the carrier liquid in which the toner particles ness and high heat conductivity. are dispersed is carried to the final receiving surface. Xerox Corporation developed an elastomeric inter It is a feature of the present invention that the in mediate transfer surface that was either formed into a proved intermediate transfer surface is a conductive belt or was formed on the surface of a drum as part of fluorosilicone material that is resistant to typical nonpo a process to transfer a dry powder xerographic image 40 lar insulating branched aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents from a photoconductive surface to a final support sur used as the carrier liquid for liquid toner particles. face, such as paper. Heat and pressure were utilized to It is another feature of the present invention that the transfer the developed powder image from the interme conductive fluorosilicone material used as the improved diate elastomeric transfer surface to the paper. intermediate transfer surface provides excellent surface All of these prior approaches utilized a dry powder 45 release characteristics. toner that was contact or pressure transferred from the It is still another feature of the present invention that photoconductive surface to the intermediate transfer the intermediate transfer surface is made conductive by surface and then to the final receiving surface. These the inclusion of highly structured conductive carbon approaches were susceptible to image distortion during black particles, metal fibers or metal powder particles. the transfer from the photoconductor because of the 50 pressure or contact involved in the transfer step. They It is yet another feature of the present invention that also transferred less than 100% of the toner particles the method of employing the improved intermediate from the intermediate transfer surface to the final re transfer surface in a copying or printing process utilizes ceiving surface. None of these approaches attempted to a first electrostatic transfer from a master to the inter use a liquid toner to improve the resolution of the trans 55 mediate transfer surface across a liquid-filled gap and a ferred image. The use of liquid toners, because of the second contact transfer from the improved intermediate suspension of the toner particles in nonpolar insulating transfer surface to the final receiving surface. solvents that are mixtures of branched aliphatic hydro It is an advantage of the present invention that no carbons, will cause a conductive silicone-based elasto carrier liquid is transferred to the final receiving surface mer to swell upon exposure and become very dielectric. from the improved intermediate transfer surface. These results affect the quality of the transferred image It is another advantage of the present invention that and reduce the ability to electrostatically transfer the substantially 100% toner release from the intermediate charged toner particles. The consistency of the interme transfer surface to the final receiving surface is achieved diate transfer surface upon prolonged exposure to these due to the release characteristics of the improved inter solvents will change to that of a gel. 65 mediate transfer surface. Subsequently, a system employing a liquid toner has It is still another advantage of the present invention been developed to transfer a liquid