Process and apparatus for forming pattern

Abstract

A pattern forming process and a pattern forming apparatus comprising forming a liquid receptive particle layer on an intermediate transfer body in a specified area by using liquid receptive particles capable of receiving a recording liquid containing a recording material; applying a liquid droplet of the recording liquid on a specified position of liquid receptive particle layer according to specified data, trapping the recording material near the surface of the liquid receptive particle layer on the intermediate transfer body, and forming a pattern of the recording material near the surface of the liquid receptive particle layer; and removing the liquid receptive particle layer provided with the recording liquid from the intermediate transfer body so that the pattern may be positioned between the transfer object and the liquid receptive particle layer, and transferring the liquid receptive particle layer to the transfer object.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a pattern forming apparatus in a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing essential parts of image forming apparatus in the first embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram of ink receptive particles;

FIG. 3A shows an ink receptive particle layer on an intermediate transfer body, and FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the ink receptive particle layer after being transferred on a recording medium;

FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a pattern forming apparatus in a second embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing other example of fixing device;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a pattern forming apparatus in a third embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a pattern forming apparatus in a fourth embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a pattern forming apparatus in a fifth embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of an example of ink receptive particles of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram of other example of ink receptive particles of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram of another example of ink receptive particles of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of the pattern forming apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 12A is an explanatory diagram of paper area L1 and image area L2, FIG. 12B is an explanatory diagram of on/off control of high voltage power source applied to a charging device in relation to the paper area, and FIG. 12C is an explanatory diagram of on/off control of high voltage power source applied to a charging deice in relation to the image area;

FIG. 13 is a diagram of a first modified example of image forming apparatus in the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14A is an explanatory diagram of an example of charging only the image area in the first modified example, and FIG. 14B is an explanatory diagram of an example of the image area divided into a plurality of section;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing other example of the first modified example;

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing another example of the first modified example;

FIG. 17 is a diagram of a second modified example of image forming apparatus in the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 18A and FIG. 18B show a third modified example of image forming apparatus in the first embodiment of the invention, in which FIG. 18A shows ink receptive particles carried on a particle supply roll, and FIG. 18B shows ink receptive particles not carried on a particle supply roll;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the third modified example;

FIG. 20 is a plan view of the third modified example;

FIG. 21A and FIG. 21B show a fourth modified example of image forming apparatus in the first embodiment of the invention, in which FIG. 21A shows ink receptive particles carried on a particle supply roll, and FIG. 21B shows ink receptive particles not carried on a particle supply roll.

Claims

1. A pattern forming process comprising: forming a liquid receptive particle layer on an intermediate transfer body within a specified area by using liquid receptive particles capable of receiving a recording liquid containing a recording material;applying a liquid droplet of the recording liquid onto a specified position of liquid receptive particle layer according to specified data, trapping the recording material near the surface of the liquid receptive particle layer on the intermediate transfer body, and forming a pattern on the recording material; andremoving from the intermediate transfer body the liquid receptive particle layer provided with the recording liquid and transferring the liquid receptive particle layer to a transfer object so that the pattern is between the transfer object and the liquid receptive particle layer,.

2. The pattern forming process of claim 1, wherein in the forming of a liquid receptive particle layer, a plurality of the liquid receptive particles are stacked to form the liquid receptive particle layer of multiple particle thickness.

3. The pattern forming process of claim 2, wherein in the forming of a liquid receptive particle layer, the liquid receptive particle layer of a specific thickness depending on the specified data is formed.

4. The pattern forming process of claim 1, wherein the specified area for forming the liquid receptive particle layer is an area where the pattern is formed.

5. The pattern forming process of claim 1, wherein the specified area for forming the liquid receptive particle layer is an area where the liquid receptive particle layer provided with the recording liquid is removed from the intermediate transfer body and transferred to the transfer object.

6. The pattern forming process of claim 1, wherein the liquid receptive particle layer forming comprises: charging a specified area in a sub-scanning direction that is the conveying direction of the intermediate transfer body; andforming the liquid receptive particle layer in the charged specified area.

7. The pattern forming process of claim 6 further comprising: selecting a charging area and a non-charging area in a main scanning direction that is orthogonal to the conveying direction of the intermediate transfer body.

8. The pattern forming process of claim 1, wherein the liquid receptive particle layer forming comprises: charging the intermediate transfer body; andsupplying the liquid receptive particles in a specified area in a sub-scanning direction that is the conveying direction of the intermediate transfer body and forming the liquid receptive particle layer.

9. The pattern forming process of claim 8 further comprising: supplying the liquid receptive particles in a specified area in a main scanning direction that is a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the intermediate transfer body.

10. A pattern forming apparatus comprising: an intermediate transfer body;a particle supply unit that supplies liquid receptive particles capable of receiving a recording liquid containing a recording material and trapping the recording material at the surface of the liquid receptive particles, and forms a liquid receptive particle layer of specified layer thickness within a specified area on the intermediate transfer body;a liquid droplet ejecting unit that applies a liquid droplet of the recording liquid onto the liquid receptive particle layer according to specified data, and forms a pattern of the recording material near the surface of the liquid receptive particle layer; anda transfer unit that transfers the liquid receptive particle layer containing the recording liquid onto a transfer object so that the pattern is held between the transfer object and the liquid receptive particle layer.

11. The pattern forming apparatus of claim 10, wherein the specified area for forming the liquid receptive particle layer is an area of forming the pattern by the liquid droplet ejecting unit.

12. The pattern forming apparatus of claim 10, wherein the specified area for forming the liquid receptive particle layer is an area of transferring onto the transfer object by the transfer unit.

13. The pattern forming apparatus of claim 10, wherein the particle supply unit comprises: a charging unit that charges in a specified area in a sub-scanning direction that is the conveying direction of the intermediate transfer body; anda particle layer forming unit that forms the liquid receptive particle layer in the charged specified area.

14. The pattern forming apparatus of claim 13, wherein the charging unit has a plurality of charging units arranged aligned in the main scanning direction that is orthogonal to the conveying direction of the intermediate transfer body and is capable of selecting charging and non-charging in every charging unit.

15. The pattern forming apparatus of claim 10, wherein the particle supply unit comprises: a charging unit that charges the intermediate transfer body; anda particle layer forming unit that supplies the liquid receptive particles in a specified area in a sub-scanning direction that is the conveying direction of the intermediate transfer body and forms a liquid receptive particle layer.

16. The pattern forming apparatus of claim 15, wherein the particle layer forming unit comprises: a supply roller, provided opposite to the intermediate transfer body and that carries the liquid receptive particles; anda regulating unit that supplies the liquid receptive particles from the supply roller, in a specified area in the main scanning direction that is a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the intermediate transfer body.

17. The pattern forming apparatus of claim 16, wherein the regulating unit further controls the layer thickness of the liquid receptive particle layer.

18. The pattern forming apparatus of claim 16, wherein the layer thickness of the liquid receptive particle layer is controlled by regulating the conveying speed of the intermediate transfer body and the rotating speed of the supply roller.

19. The pattern forming apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a transfer object charging unit that charges the face of the transfer object that the liquid receptive particle layer is not transferred onto.

20. The pattern forming apparatus of claim 10, further comprising: a releasing layer forming unit that forms a releasing layer on the surface of the intermediate transfer body,wherein the particle supply unit forms the liquid receptive particle layer on the releasing layer.