Electrographic Mist Development Apparatus and Method

Reference is made herein to commonly assigned U.S. application Ser. No. 805,216, entitled "Improved Electrographic Imaging Apparatus and Method" and filed June 9, 1977 in the name of Clark N. Kurtz.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to electrographic imaging and more particularly to improved apparatus and techniques for use in mist development in electrographic imaging.

2. Brief Description of the Prior Art

In the early stages in evolution of electrographic copying and printing techniques, it was recognized that certain advantages pertain to development of latent electrographic images with small, airborne marking particles, e.g., in "liquid mist" or "powder cloud" form (hereinafter collectively referred to as "mists"). A primary advantage envisioned for mist development was the achievement of higher resolution development and thus better quality in fine line detail of graphic reproductions, or in half-tone and continuous tone reproductions.

Early systems seeking to obtain such advantages introduced a mist of electrostatically-charged marking particles between an image member, bearing an electrostatic image to be developed, and a development electrode which was spaced closely to the image bearing surface and connected to a source of potential. The electrical field thus created between the development electrode and the electrostatic image caused movement of the charged particles toward the image. However, commercialization of these early mist systems was impeded by the tendency of the charged marking particles to mutually repel one another and to attach to the supply conduit. These effects presented great difficulty in production and transport of a uniformly charged and concentrated mist. As a result, mist systems were not actively developed; and, at present, the most common commercial technique for developing latent electrostatic images on dielectric supports is by contacting such images with triboelectrically-charged marking particles, in mixture with a particulate or liquid carrier medium.

Recently, however, electrographic imaging and development systems have been disclosed which utilize a mist of substantially-neutrally-charged ink particles. In one such system the neutral-charge ink mist is introduced between a copy sheet (during its movement over an electrode) and an apertured or grid array which is electrically-biased according to the image pattern to be reproduced. The pattern-biased array modulates the passage of an ion stream located on the opposite side of the array from the copy sheet and directed toward the receiver. The ions that pass through the modulator charge ink particles in their path, and the charged particles are attracted toward, and deposit on, the receiver (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,166).

Another recently developed approach using neutrally-charged ink mist is disclosed in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 805,216 entitled "Improved Electrographic Imaging Apparatus and Method" and filed June 9, 1977 in the name of Clark N. Kurtz. In that system, a mist of neutrally-charged ink particles is introduced between an image element having an electrical pattern to be developed and a predeterminedly-electrically-biased, ion control member. Upon directing a stream of ions through the control member and toward the mist, an imagewise-varying electrical field across the mist, viz., between the image element and the control member, controls charging of the mist particles and thus deposition of the particles on the image element. Such deposition is precisely in accordance with the outline of electrical pattern on the image element and in proportion to the relative magnitude of the pattern portions.

Both of the neutrally-charged ink mist systems described above have been demonstrated to provide useful results. However, it would be highly desirable, in some applications, to have images of density higher than has thus far been attainable by those systems. That is, both of the ink mist deposition systems described above have thus far been limited, in density attainable, by the atomization and covering characteristics of the ink solutions and particle dispersions. For example, an increase in concentration of colorant in the ink solvent has been found to increase the ink viscosity and thus reduce the atomization capabilities for the ink.

It is an object of the present invention to provide new procedure and apparatus for neutrally-charged mist imaging which will facilitate higher density in the copy image.

The inventive method and apparatus hereinafter described provide additional related advantages and thus related objects of the present invention are to provide reduced maintenance for the mist handling structures utilized, to facilitate use of a greater variety of materials in such mists, to minimize the quantity of mist required and to improve operative characteristics of mists, e.g., with respect to turbulence.

These objectives are obtained in accordance with the present invention by imagewise modulating an ion stream directed toward a receiver while flowing through the modulated stream, proximate the receiver, a mist of substantially-neutrally-charged, colorant-activating particles. The mist particles thus receive charge in accordance with the modulated ion stream and are deposited on the receiver in the desired image pattern and are contacted for reaction or other image-forming cooperation with developing material to form a high density image. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the receiver carries the pattern of colorant-activator for subsequent contact by a developing material. In another preferred embodiment the receiver itself carries developing material which is activated by the colorant-activating particles. The above and other preferred and advantageous embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the subsequent description.

Illustrative preferred embodiments of the invention are hereinafter described with reference to the attached drawings which form a part hereof and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a portion of an imaging apparatus for practicing one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of an apparatus similar to that shown in FIG. 1 but modified for practice of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of another imaging apparatus for practice of another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of still another imaging apparatus useful in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, one embodiment useful in practice of the present invention is illustrated, this embodiment utilizing electronically-addressed aperture modulation and deposition of colorant-activating mist onto a receiver which itself carries the developing material. In this embodiment a receiver 10 is moved between an aperture array 15 and backbar 16. The array 15 comprises a pluralitya of apertures 19 formed through a laminate structure which can comprise a dielectric layer between two conductive layers. The apertures collectively extend across the width of the receiver and each aperture is selectively electrically-addressable to provide an ion blocking or enhancing fringe field. Backbar 16 is maintained at a potential which creates an electrical field toward receiver 10 with regard to ions generated by source 17. Signal source 18 addresses the apertures selectively to "off" or "on" conditions in synchronism with movement of the receiver and in accordance with the image pattern to be created. The signal source can be active, e.g., addressed by a bank of photocells scanning a document to be reproduced, or a memory, e.g., magnetic discs. A more complete description of the construction and operation of such an aperture ionmodulating device is set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,689,935 and 3,863,261.

During movement of the receiver 10 part the modulating device, a mist of colorant-activating particles, designated generally 20, is flowed between the apertures 19 the receiver from source 21 to sump 22. Illustrative structure and procedure for generating substantially-neutrally-charged mists are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,166. In practice, it is found useful to provide a protective air stream flowing between the apertures and the mist.

As will be hereinafter described in more detail, various colorant-activator/developer combinations are useful in accordance with the present invention. In the disclosed embodiment the receiver can comprise a plastic film support 11, e.g., Mylar film, having coated thereon a layer 12 of dry ink which is soluble with the activator, e.g., a 30% concentration Orasol Orange RLN-diethyl carbitol ink. For such a receiver the mist 20 can comprise atomized solvent. As shown in FIG. 1, after passing the modulating array the receiver 12 moves downstream, carrying the deposited colorant-activator image pattern to a location where it is moved into pressure contact with copy sheet material 28 such as plain paper. As illustrated, the activated developer material is transferred to the web. Specifically, where dissolved by deposition of the solvent in accordance with the image pattern addressed on the aperture array, the ink is transferred onto the paper.

Exemplary parameters for operation using the embodiment just described are:

Atomization Rate-- 1.5 cc/min. (diethyl carbitol)

Backbar Voltage-- 6 KV

Receiver and Paper Speed-- 50 cm/sec.

Mist Air Flow-- 116 cc/sec. at 50 cm/sec.

Protective Air Flow-- 50 cc/sec. at 50 cm/sec.

Another exemplary colorant-activator/developer combination which has been found useful in the FIG. 1 embodiment comprises a receiver 10 having a plastic film support 11 bearing an ink layer 12 having the following composition:

50%--Piccolastic C100 (low molecular weight polystyrene)

40%--P-cymene

4%--Carbon pigment

6% Polyvinyl toluene methacrylate lithium methacrylate methacrylic acid (PVT)

P-cymene developer is atomized and deposited on the receiver as described so that the polymer pigment combination will be softened and subsequently transferred to plain paper.

In the systems described above image densities of 2.0 can be readily achieved, this being significantly higher than densities attainable with conventional ink mist printing.

FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment for practice of the present invention which, by comparison with the FIG. 1 apparatus, can be seen to be the same except fo the interchange of the developer-bearing element and the copy sheet. Thus, in the FIG. 2 apparatus, the colorant-activator 20 is deposited directely on the copy sheet 28' in a pattern corresponding to the signals from source 18, and the copy sheet moved downstream into contact with developer layer 12' of element 10'. The colorant-activator carried on the copy sheet effects activation of the developer so that it is transferred to the copy sheet. Developer 12' can be, e.g., the same dry ink described above with respect to FIG. 1 and the copy sheet 28' can be a plain paper, e.g., Newton Falls CIS paper. Using these materials in the FIG. 2 configuration and with the solvent mist and other parameters described above with respect to FIG. 1, image densities of 2.0 can be obtained on the copy sheet.

FIG. 3 illustrates another structural embodiment for practice of the present invention. In this embodiment ion modulation is effected in accordance with the teachings of aforementioned U.S. application Ser. No. 805,216 and colorant-activator is deposited on a receiver which carries both a latent electrostatic image and the developer. The receiver 31 in this embodiment comprises a support 32 which carries a developer layer 33. The receiver member is constructed to be capable of retaining an electrostatic charge pattern which is applied at recording station 34, e.g., a conventional multi-stylus electrostatic recorder. Activator mist 35 is flowed over receiver 31 from source 36 to sump 37 in the same manner described above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. However, the ions from corona source 38 are modulated by the imagewise-varying field between the biased slit-defining plate 40 and the electrostatic image on receiver 31, instead of by an electrically-addressed aperture array such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The relative potentials of source 38, plate 40 and the image on receiver 31 are explained in detail in said U.S. application Ser. No. 805,216, which is incorporated herein by reference. Briefly explained, the bias on plate 40 is of magnitude such that the field between the receiver 31 and the plate 40 causes movement of ions passing through the slit to be toward the plate or toward the receiver, depending on the charge pattern carried on the receiver portions then passing beneath the slit. When ions are attracted toward the receiver 31, they intersect and charge the colorant-activating mist particles which, in turn, deposit on the receiver in accordance with the charge pattern. After movement downstream from the ion source and modulating device, the activated developer 33 is transferred from receiver 31 to a copy sheet 42 which is fed in pressure contact with the receiver, between rollers 43 and 44 and at substantially the same rate of movement.

FIG. 4 discloses yet another embodiment for practice of the present invention. This embodiment uses the electronically-addressed aperture array described above, i.e., elements 15-22 are the same as described with regard to FIG. 1. In this embodiment, receiver 51 for the colorant-activating mist is the copy sheet. Downstream from the location of colorant-activator deposition, a developer station 54 is provided, which in this embodiment, comprises a supply of powder which is cascaded across a surface of the colorant-activator bearing receiver, e.g., by a conventional xerographic cascade development conveyor 56. It will be appreciated that other commonly used electrographic toner applicators, e.g., brush applicators or powder cloud applicators, could be used. After the development station an air jet 58 is provided to clean unattached powder. If needed the air can be heated to further fix adhered powder or a subsequent fixing station, e.g., an infrared heater, can be provided. The several examples described below illustrate parameters useful in the practice of this embodiment of the invention. In these examples, the paper speed was 20 inches per second, the mist and lip flow speeds were also approximately 20 inches per second, the corona voltage was 5 KV and the backbar voltage was negative 6.5 KV.

Acetophenone was atomized using a commerically available Devilbiss atomizer operating at a dial setting of 5. The acetophenone colorant-activator was deposited in image pattern on plain paper (Newton Falls ClS) by means of the aperture array 15. The colorant-activator image on the paper was then developed with cascaded Kodak Ektaprint toner. The unattached toner was removed by a high speed air gun and the developed image was fixed using a high temperature air gun.

In another example the same colorant-activator, acetophenone, was deposited onto Kromekote 1 Side Lithographic White 60# paper having a coating of Piccolastic C100 resin (acetophenone soluble). Developer was applied as in the previous example; however, no subsequent fixing was required.

As a further example the acetophenone was applied to each of the papers in the manner described in the previous two examples, and Orasol Orange RLN was cascaded thereover as the developer. The images did not require subsequent fixing in either case.

Considering the foregoing it will be apparent that the important aspects for colorant-activator/developer materials are: (1) that the colorant-activator be capable of forming a neutrally-charged mist and be electrostatically chargeable upon interaction with an ion stream for attraction toward the receiver medium and (2) that the colorant-activator/developer materials in combination interact to produce a high density visible image. Although the colorant-activator materials specifically disclosed herein are solvents for the developer materials, it will be appreciated that other colorant-activator/developer combinations can be utilized. For example the colorant-activator can be a chemical reactant or catalyst for combination with reactant(s) in the developer.

It will also be appreciated that various other modifications can be made in the disclosed means and method for implementing the invention. For example, the activator could be applied, by one of the modes described, to an intermediate web, transferred to a developer web which is then contacted with paper. Also it will be appreciated that the FIG. 1 and 3 apparatus could be combined in implementing the invention, e.g., by forming an electrostatic image with the aperture array device shown in FIG. 1 (on a charge-retentive support) and imagewise applying colorant-activator in accordance with that electrostatic image on the support with the ion modulating means of the FIG. 3 apparatus. However, it is to be noted that we have found that increased image density and improved image sharpness or resolution are provided in modes of operation wherein a minimum of transfers occur.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.