Claims
- 1. An imaging method comprising the steps of:
- a. providing an imaging member comprising a fracturable, laterally relocatable layer overlying a softenable, electrostatically deformable layer; and
- b. imagewise electrostatically deforming said deformable layer, prior to and without any substantial migration of fracturable, laterally relocatable layer material in depth in said softenable, electrostatically deformable layer, to disrupt and fracture said fracturable layer whereby portions of said fracturable layer laterally relocate with respect to said deformable layer to move from the peaks of the deformations to agglomerate in the pockets of the deformations.
- 2. An imaging method according to claim 1 wherein said fracturable layer is electrostatically photosensitive.
- 3. An imaging method according to claim 2 wherein said fracturable layer is photoconductive.
- 4. An imaging member according to claim 3 wherein said photoconductive fracturable layer comprises amorphous selenium.
- 5. An imaging method according to claim 1 wherein before the deforming step said fracturable, laterally relocatable layer is substantially uniformly light absorbing to a significantly different degree when exposed to a given radiation than said softenable, electrostatically deformable layer which is also uniformly light absorbing when exposed to a given radiation and where sufficient portions of said fracturable layer laterally relocate upon deformation exposing portions of said deformation layer thereby forming an imaged member with areas of different light absorption in image configuration.
- 6. An imaging method according to claim 5 wherein said fracturable, laterally relocatable layer is opaque, relative to said deformable layer which is substantially transparent.
- 7. An imaging method according to claim 1 wherein said deformable layer is thermoplastic.
- 8. An imaging method according to claim 2 wherein said laterally relocatable layer is from about 0.2 to about 2 microns thick.
- 9. An imaging method according to claim 1 wherein the face of said deformable layer furthest from said fracturable layer is in contact with an electrically conductive substrate.
- 10. An imaging method according to claim 1 wherein said fracturable layer comprises particles.
- 11. An imaging method according to claim 10 wherein said particles have an average size less than about 5 microns.
- 12. An imaging method according to claim 11 wherein said particles are submicron in average size.
- 13. An imaging method according to claim 1 wherein said imagewise electrostatically deforming step comprises the sub-steps of:
- a. forming a latent electrostatic image on said member; and,
- b. softening said deformable layer permitting it to inherently deform into a wrinkle image pattern.
- 14. An imaging method according to claim 13 wherein said deformable layer is softened by heating.
- 15. An imaging method according to claim 14 wherein said softenable layer is heated to between about 50.degree. C. and about 130.degree. C. for a duration of from about 1 to about 20 seconds.
- 16. An imaging method according to claim 13 wherein said deformable layer is softened by exposing it to vapors of at least a partial solvent for said deformable layer.
- 17. An imaging method according to claim 16 wherein said vapors are of a solvent for said deformable layer.
- 18. An imaging method according to claim 2 wherein said imagewise electrostatically deforming step comprises the sub-steps of:
- a. uniformly electrostatically charging said electrostatically photosensitive fracturable layer;
- b. exposing said fracturable layer to an imagewise pattern of radiation actinic to said fracturable layer; and
- c. softening said deformable layer to cause it to inherently deform.
- 19. An imaging method according to claim 18 wherein said deformable layer is softened by heating.
- 20. An imaging method according to claim 19 wherein said deformable layer is heated to between about 50.degree. C. and about 130.degree. C. for a duration of from about 1 to about 20 seconds.
- 21. An imaging method according to claim 18 wherein said deformable layer is softened by exposing it to vapors of at least a partial solvent for said deformable layer.
- 22. An imaging method according to claim 18 wherein said deformable layer is a thermoplastic and has an electrical resistivity in darkness of at least about 10.sup.10 ohm-cm.
- 23. An imaging method according to claim 22 wherein said electrostatically photosensitive fracturable layer is photoconductive.
- 24. An imaging method according to claim 23 wherein said photoconductive fracturable layer comprises amorphous selenium.
- 25. An imaging method according to claim 24 wherein said photoconductive fracturable layer comprising amorphous selenium comprises submicron size particles.
- 26. An imaging method according to claim 1 including the additional step of rehardening the softenable, electrostatically deformable layer.
- 27. An imaging method according to claim 26 including the additional and subsequent step of softening said deformable layer to substantially remove said deformations but leaving said fracturable layer laterally relocated.
- 28. An imaging method according to claim 13 including the additional step of rehardening the softenable, electrostatically deformable layer.
- 29. An imaging method according to claim 28 including the additional and subsequent step of softening said deformable layer to substantially remove said deformations but leaving said fracturable layer laterally relocated.
- 30. An imaging method according to claim 2 including the additional step of rehardening the softenable, electrostatically deformable layer.
- 31. An imaging method according to claim 30 including the additional and subsequent step of softening said deformable layer to substantially remove said deformations but leaving said fracturable layer laterally relocated.
- 32. An imaged member comprising:
- a fracturable, laterally relocatable layer overlying a softenable electrostatically deformable layer, wherein said fracturable laterally relocatable layer itself is not a suspension, wherein both layers have substantially uniform thicknesses, except in regions where said deformable layer is wrinkled in image configuration whereat the fracturable layer is rendered relatively thinner in areas corresponding to deformation peaks and relatively thicker in areas corresponding to deformation pockets.
- 33. An imaged member according to claim 29 wherein the fracturable layer in areas corresponding to deformation peaks is substantially completely laterally relocated to areas corresponding to deformation pockets to expose deformation peaks of softenable material.
- 34. An imaged member according to claim 30 wherein said fracturable layer is electrostatically photosensitive.
- 35. An imaged member according to claim 31 wherein said fracturable layer is photoconductive.
- 36. An imaged member according to claim 32 wherein said photoconductive fracturable layer comprises amorphous selenium.
- 37. An imaged member according to claim 33 wherein said softenable, electrostatically deformable layer is substantially transparent.
- 38. An imaged member according to claim 29 wherein said fracturable, laterally relocatable layer is made up of a material which is opaque relative to said deformable layer which is substantially transparent.
- 39. An imaged member according to claim 29 wherein said deformable layer is thermoplastic and wherein the face of said deformable layer furthest from said fracturable layer is in contact with an electrically conductive substrate.
- 40. The product of the method of claim 26.
- 41. An imaging method according to claim 18 wherein said deformable layer is caused to deform at areas corresponding to the light struck portions of said member.
- 42. An imaging method according to claim 18 wherein said deformable layer is caused to deform at areas corresponding to the relatively unexposed portions of said imaging member.
- 43. An imaging method according to claim 23 wherein said fracturable layer is a separate and distinct layer adjacent one face of said deformable layer with the other face of said deformable layer in contact with an electrically conductive substrate.
- 44. An imaging method according to claim 40 wherein said deformable layer and said substrate are substantially transparent to viewing light relative to the fracturable layer which is relatively opaque to the same viewing light.
- 45. An imaging method according to claim 18 wherein said charging and exposing steps are carried out substantially simultaneously.
- 46. An imaging method according to claim 13 wherein said deformable layer is a thermoplastic and has an electrical resistivity in darkness of at least about 10.sup.10 ohm-cm.
- 47. An imaging method according to claim 13 wherein said deformable layer is photoconductive and said latent electrostatic image is formed by uniformly electrostatically charging said member and exposing said photoconductive deformable layer to an image pattern of activating radiation.
- 48. An imaging method according to claim 24 wherein the material of said deformable layer is selected from the group consisting of rosin esters, highly branched polyolefins, alpha methyl styrene-vinyl toluene copolymers, silicone resins and mixtures thereof.
- 49. An imaging method according to claim 8 wherein the thickness of said deformable layer is between about 1/2 to about 16 microns.
- 50. An imaging method according to claim 43 wherein said laterally relocatable layer is from about 0.2 to about 2 microns thick and wherein the thickness of said deformable layer is between about 1/2 to about 16 microns.
- 51. An imaging method according to claim 23 wherein said laterally relocatable layer is from about 0.2 to about 2 microns thick and wherein the thickness of said deformable layer is between about 1/2 to about 16 microns.
- 52. An imaging method according to claim 1 wherein the thickness of the overlayer does not exceed about 1/3 of the thickness of the deformable layer and wherein said deformable layer is a thermoplastic and has an electrical resistivity in darkness of at least about 10.sup.10 ohm-cm.
- 53. An imaging method according to claim 49 wherein said imagewise electrostatically deforming step comprises the sub-steps of:
- a. uniformly electrostatically charging said member;
- b. exposing said deformable layer to an imagewise pattern of softening radiation.
- 54. An imaging method according to claim 23 including the additional and subsequent step of heat softening said deformable layer to substantially remove said deformations but leaving said fracturable layer laterally relocated.
- 55. An imaging method according to claim 23 including the additional step of rehardening the softenable electrostatically deformable layer.
- 56. An imaging method according to claim 55 wherein said deformable layer is at least partially transparent to the actinic radiation, and said fracturable layer is exposed to said imagewise pattern of actinic radiation from the deformable layer side of said member.
- 57. An imaged member according to claim 32 wherein the thickness of the overlayer, in unwrinkled regions, does not exceed about 1/3 of the thickness of the deformable layer and wherein said deformable layer is a thermoplastic and has an electrical resistivity in darkness of at least about 10.sup.10 ohm-cm.
- 58. An imaged member according to claim 37 wherein the thickness of the overlayer, in unwrinkled regions does not exceed about 1/3 of the thickness of the deformable layer and wherein said deformable layer is a thermoplastic and has an electrical resistivity in darkness of at least about 10.sup.10 ohm-cm.
- 59. An imaged member according to claim 54 wherein said deformable layer is between about 1/2 to about 16 microns thick.
- 60. An imaged member comprising:
- a fracturable, laterally relocatable layer overlying and at least partially embedded in and contiguous the surface of a softenable, electrostatically deformable layer wherein both layers have substantially uniform thicknesses, except in regions where said deformable layer is wrinkled in image configuration whereat the fracturable layer is rendered relatively thinner in areas corresponding to deformation peaks and relatively thicker in areas corresponding to deformation pockets.
- 61. An imaged member comprising:
- a photoconductive, fracturable, laterally relocatable layer overlying a softenable, electrostatically deformable layer, wherein both layers have substantially uniform thicknesses, except in regions where said deformable layer is wrinkled in image configuration whereat the fracturable layer is rendered relatively thinner in areas corresponding to deformation peaks and relatively thicker in areas corresponding to deformation pockets.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a divisional of my copending application Ser. No. 695,074, filed Jan. 2, 1968 (now Goffe U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,545) which was a continuation-in-part of my application Ser. No. 520,423, filed Jan. 13, 1966 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Divisions (1)
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Date |
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695074 |
Jan 1968 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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520423 |
Jan 1966 |
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