Image forming apparatuses may include ink applicator units, a charging unit, a discharging unit, a photoconductive member, and an intermediate transfer member having an image transfer blanket. During a print cycle, the image forming apparatus may include charging the photoconductive member, selectively discharging a portion of the photoconductive member to form a latent image thereon, developing an ink layer on the photoconductive member, and transferring the developed ink layer from the photoconductive member to the image transfer blanket in a form of a print separation. During a subsequent print cycle, the process may be repeated resulting in another print separation being transferred from the photoconductive member to the image transfer blanket. After the print cycles are completed resulting in the respective print separations being transferred to the image transfer blanket to form a respective ink image thereon, the ink image is transferred from the image transfer blanket to a media.
Non-limiting examples of the present disclosure are described in the following description, read with reference to the figures attached hereto and do not limit the scope of the claims. In the figures, identical and similar structures, elements or parts thereof that appear in more than one figure are generally labeled with the same or similar references in the figures in which they appear. Dimensions of components and features illustrated in the figures are chosen primarily for convenience and clarity of presentation and are not necessarily to scale. Referring to the attached figures:
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is depicted by way of illustration specific examples in which the present disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other examples may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.
Image forming apparatuses may include ink applicator units such as developer units, a charging unit, a discharging unit, a photoconductive member, and an intermediate transfer member having an image transfer blanket. During a print cycle, the image forming apparatus may charge the photoconductive member, selectively discharge a portion of the photoconductive member to form a latent image thereon, develop an ink layer on the photoconductive member, and transfer the developed ink layer from the photoconductive member to the image transfer blanket in a form of a print separation. During a subsequent print cycle, the process may be repeated resulting in another print separation being transferred from the photoconductive member to the image transfer blanket. After the respective print cycles are completed that result in the respective print separations being transferred to the image transfer blanket to form a respective ink image thereon, the resultant ink image is transferred from the image transfer blanket to a media. The use of an independent print cycle to transfer each ink layer from the photoconductive member to the image transfer blanket may be time consuming and increase wear on the ink transfer blanket. Accordingly, the productivity of the image forming apparatus and the lifespan of the image transfer blanket may decrease.
In examples, an image forming apparatus may include, among other things, a plurality of ink applicator units disposed across from a photoconductive member and spaced apart from each other in a rotational direction of the photoconductive member. The ink applicator units may sequentially apply a plurality of ink layers, respectively, toward the latent image to form an ink image. Each one of the ink layers may be in contact with another one of the ink layers. The image forming apparatus may also include an intermediate transfer member having an image transfer blanket to receive the ink image including the plurality of ink layers from the photoconductive member. Thus, the formation of the ink image on the photoconductive member by multiple ink layers and the transfer of the ink image to the image transfer blanket may be accomplished in a single print cycle. The use of a single print cycle to sequentially apply each of ink layers to the photoconductive member and to transfer the group of respective ink layers in the form of an ink image to the image transfer blanket may reduce printing time and decrease wear on the ink transfer blanket. Accordingly, the productivity of the image forming apparatus and the lifespan of the image transfer blanket may increase.
The plurality of ink applicator units 16 may be disposed across from the photoconductive member 10 and spaced apart from each other in the rotational direction dr. The ink applicator units 16 may be inkjet printheads, developer units, binary ink developer units, or the like. The ink applicator units 16 may sequentially apply a plurality of ink layers, respectively, toward the latent image to form an ink image. Each one of the ink layers may be in contact with another one of the ink layers. For example, a first ink layer may be applied on top of the latent image formed on the photoconductive member 10. A second ink layer may be applied on top of the first ink layer. In some examples, additional ink layers may be applied toward the latent image by being applied to the latent image or to a previously-applied ink layer.
The ink layer applied by the ink applicator units 16 may be in the form of ink. The ink, for example, may include primer to form a primer layer, colored ink to form a colored-ink layer, and ink overcoat to form an ink overcoating layer. The colored ink, for example, may include at least one of cyan, magenta, yellow, white, black, or the like. For example, the colored ink may be a liquid toner such as Electroink, trademarked by Hewlett-Packard Company, including color pigments. In some examples, the ink may include charge directors having an electrical charge. Accordingly, the electrically-charged ink may be selectively applied toward the discharged portion of the photoconductive member 10 forming the latent image based on a sufficient difference of electrical potential there between. The intermediate transfer member 18 may include an image transfer blanket 18a to receive the ink image including the plurality of ink layers from the photoconductive member 10. The intermediate transfer member 18 may rotate in cooperation with the photoconductive member 10 to receive the ink image from the photoconductive member 10.
Referring to
In some examples, the plurality of ink layers 16 may include more than two ink layers 16a and 16b. For example, a third ink applicator unit 16c, disposed downstream from the second ink applicator unit 16b in the rotational direction dr, may apply a third ink layer 41c toward the latent image 40 and on top of the second ink layer 41b. The third ink layer 41c, for example, may be an ink overcoating layer. The ink overcoating layer may provide a protective coating to the ink image 45 and/or enhance the appearance of the ink image 45. The ink overcoating layer may include a gloss coating layer, a matte coating layer, or the like. Alternatively, in some examples, the third ink layer 41c may be a colored-ink layer having the same color as the second colored-ink layer 41b. In some examples, the image forming apparatus 200 may include additional ink applicator units to apply colored-ink layers corresponding to a variety of colors.
Referring to
Subsequently, the ink image 45 including multiple ink layers 41a, 41b, and 41c may be transferred to an image transfer blanket 18a of an ITM 18. That is, the multiple ink layers 41a, 41b, and 41c previously and sequentially applied as respective individual ink layers to form the ink image 45 on the photoconductive member 10 are transferred simultaneously as a group to the image transfer blanket 18a in the form of the ink image 45. The photoconductive member 10 may sequentially receive the individual ink layers 41a, 41b, and 41c and transfer the multiple ink layers 41a, 41b, and 41c there from to the image transfer blanket 18a as a group in the form of the ink image 45 during a single print cycle. Subsequently, the ITM 18 may transfer the ink image 45 from the image transfer blanket 18a to a media S. In some examples, the ITM 18 may heat the ink image 45 and transfer it to the media S. During the transfer of the ink image 45 from the ITM 18 to the media S, the media S may be pinched between the ITM 18 and an impression member 27. Once the ink image has been transferred to the media S, the media S can be transported to the output unit 14b.
It is to be understood that the flowcharts of
The present disclosure has been described using non-limiting detailed descriptions of examples thereof and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood that features and/or operations described with respect to one example may be used with other examples and that not all examples of the present disclosure have all of the features and/or operations illustrated in a particular figure or described with respect to one of the examples. Variations of examples described will occur to persons of the art. Furthermore, the terms “comprise,” “include,” “have” and their conjugates, shall mean, when used in the present disclosure and/or claims, “including but not necessarily limited to.”
It is noted that some of the above described examples may include structure, acts or details of structures and acts that may not be essential to the present disclosure and are intended to be exemplary. Structure and acts described herein are replaceable by equivalents, which perform the same function, even if the structure or acts are different, as known in the art. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the elements and limitations as used in the claims.
This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/362,872, filed Jun. 4, 2014, which is a national stage application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT/EP2011/073611, filed Dec. 21, 2011, which are both hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14362872 | Jun 2014 | US |
Child | 15089976 | US |