Image-forming device

Abstract

An image-forming device has: an image-holding member; a charging unit, an electrostatic latent image forming unit, a toner image forming unit that forms a toner image on the image-holding member using a toner that is in a first state that can form a specific color when color forming information is applied, and is in a second state that cannot form the specific color when non-color forming information is applied, a glossing region selecting unit that selects a glossing region on a recording material, a color forming information applying unit that applies the non-color forming information to a region corresponding to the glossing region, and applies the color forming information to a part of a region not corresponding to the glossing region, a transfer unit, a fixing unit, a color forming unit that forms a color of the toner image.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An exemplary embodiment of the invention will be described in detail based on the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of an image-forming device of an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating the color forming information applying unit of the image-forming device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a part of the image-forming device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a picture region/character region judgment unit;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processes executed by a controller;

FIGS. 6A to 6E are schematic views illustrating an image-forming process in the image-forming device of FIG. 1; FIG. 6A shows an image formed on a recording material; FIG. 6B shows an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor; FIG. 6C shows a toner image formed on the photoreceptor; FIG. 6D shows the toner image formed on the photoreceptor after application of color forming information; and FIG. 6E shows the image formed on a recording material;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a glossy image formed on a recording material by the image-forming device of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 8A and 8B are views illustrating the color-forming mechanism of a toner; FIG. 8A shows the color-forming portion; and FIG. 8B is an enlarged view thereof

Claims

1. An image-forming device comprising: an image-holding member;a charging unit that electrically charges the image-holding member;an electrostatic latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the electrically charged image-holding member,a toner image forming unit that forms a toner image on the image-holding member by adhering a toner on the electrostatic latent image, the toner being in a first state that can form a specific color when color forming information is applied, and the toner being in a second state that cannot form the specific color when non-color forming information is applied,a glossing region selecting unit that selects a glossing region on a recording material that the toner image is to be fixed,a color forming information applying unit that applies the non-color forming information to a region of the toner image that corresponds to the glossing region on the recording material, and applies the color forming information to a part of a region that does not correspond to the glossing region,a transfer unit that transfers the toner image on the image-holding member to the recording material,a fixing unit that fixes the toner image to the recording material,a color forming unit that forms a color of the toner image on the recording material.

2. The image-forming device according to claim 1, further comprising: an image data acquiring unit that acquires image data according to an image of an original,a glossing-region data forming unit that forms data of the glossing region based on the selected glossing region,a composite image data forming unit that integrates the image data and the glossing-region data to form a composite image data,and the electrostatic latent image forming unit forming the electrostatic latent image by irradiating the image-holding member based on the composite image data.

3. The image-forming device according to claim 1, wherein the toner image includes a picture region, and the glossing-region selecting unit selects a region touching and surrounding the picture region as the glossing region.

4. The image-forming device according to claim 3, wherein the picture region is a graphic or a photograph.

5. The image-forming device according to claim 3, further comprising an image-type information acquiring unit that acquires image-type information indicating a type of image included in the toner image, and the glossing-region selecting unit selecting a touching and surrounding region of the region that corresponds to the image type of the acquired image-type information as the glossing-region.

6. The image-forming device according to claim 1, wherein the fixing unit is provided integrally with the color forming unit.

7. The image-forming device according to claim 1, further comprising a post-fixing irradiating unit that irradiates the toner image after the toner image is fixed on the recording material.

8. The image-forming device according to claim 1, wherein the image of an original has a plurality of specific colors and the toner can form the plurality of specific colors and the color forming unit irradiates the toner image with light having different wavelengths that corresponds to the specific colors of the image of an original and changes the toner into the first state or into the second state.

9. The image-forming device according to claim 8, wherein the toner forms no color and remains its inherent color or colorlessness in the region to be glossed.

10. The image-forming device according to claim 1, wherein the toner optically and irreversibly switches from the first state to the second state or from the second state to the first state.

11. The image-forming device according to claim 1, wherein the color forming unit irradiates the toner image transferred onto the recording material.

12. The image-forming device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer unit transfers the irradiated toner image onto a recording material.

13. The image-forming device according to claim 1, wherein the toner has a first component and a second component that are present separated from each other and form a color when reacted with each other and a photocurable composition containing any one of the first component and the second component, and, by applying the color forming information with light, the photocurable composition holds a cured or uncured state to control the reaction for color forming.

14. An image-forming device comprising: an image-holding member;a charging unit that electrically charges the image-holding memberan electrostatic latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the electrically charged image-holding member,a toner image forming unit that forms a toner image on the image-holding member by adhering a toner on the electrostatic latent image, the toner being able to form a specific color when color forming information is applied, and the toner being able to form the color corresponding to a recording material that the toner image is to be fixed when non-color forming information is applied,a glossing region selecting unit that selects a glossing region on the recording material,a color forming information applying unit that applies the non-color forming information to a region of the toner image that corresponds to the glossing region on the recording material, and applies the color forming information to a part of a region that does not correspond to the glossing region,a transfer unit that transfers the toner image on the image-holding member to the recording material,a fixing unit that fixes the toner image to the recording material,a color forming unit that forms a color of the toner image on the recording material.