Claims
- 1. A dual color imaging process which comprises the following steps:
- forming an image having adjacent first and second areas respectively containing first and second types of pigmented particles and desirably uncolored background areas;
- removing unwanted pigmented particles from said background area and undesirably removing particles from the juncture of said first and second areas such that they are undesirably separated by third areas relatively free of particles of said first and second types;
- transferring the image to a final substrate; and
- subsequently causing said image to flow into said third areas, thereby at least partially eliminating said third areas.
- 2. A process according to claim 1 and wherein said step of causing comprises the step of heating said image.
- 3. A process according to claim 1, wherein said image is obtained by electrostatic imaging.
- 4. A process according to claim 1, wherein said image is produced by employing a liquid toner composition which comprises an insulating, nonpolar liquid having admixed therewith two different particulate pigments carrying opposite charges.
- 5. A process according to claim 2, wherein said image is produced by employing a liquid toner composition which comprises an insulating, nonpolar liquid having admixed therewith two different particulate pigments carrying opposite charges.
- 6. A process according to claim 5, wherein said composition also comprises at least one polymeric binder for the particulate pigments.
- 7. A process according to claim 6, wherein said composition also comprises at least one binder wax.
- 8. A process according to claim 6, wherein said at least one polymeric binder comprises an ethylene copolymer including carboxylic acid functionality.
- 9. A process according to claim 8, wherein said image flow is effected by a hot plate fuser and the temperature is higher than about 120.degree. C.
- 10. A process according to claim 8, wherein said image flow is effected by a roll fuser with pressure and the temperature is equal to or higher than about 100.degree. C.
- 11. A process according to claim 7, wherein said at least one polymeric binder comprises an ethylene copolymer including carboxylic acid functionality.
- 12. A process according to claim 11, wherein said image flow is effected by a hot plate fuser and the fusion temperature is lower than about 120.degree. C.
- 13. A process according to claim 11, wherein said image flow is effected by a roll fuser with pressure and the temperature is lower than about 100.degree. C.
- 14. A process according to claim 7, wherein said at least one binder wax is selected from the group consisting of Bamboo leaf, Caranda, Carnauba, Montan, Ouricury, Palm, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Chinese insect, Indian Corn and Shellac waxes.
- 15. A process according to claim 12, wherein said at least one binder wax is selected from the group consisting of Bamboo leaf, Caranda, Carnauba, Montan, Ouricury, Palm, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Chinese insect. Indian Corn and Shellac waxes.
- 16. A process according to claim 13, wherein said at least one binder wax is selected from the group consisting of Bamboo leaf, Caranda, Carnauba, Montan, Ouricury, Palm, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Chinese insect, Indian Corn and Shellac waxes.
- 17. An imaging system comprising:
- means for forming an image having adjacent first and second areas respectively containing first and second types of pigmented particles and desirably uncolored background areas;
- means for removing unwanted pigmented particles from said background regions and also undesirably removing pigment from the juncture of said first and second areas so that they are undesirably separated by third areas relatively free of particles of said first and second types; and
- means for causing flow of the image into said third areas, thereby to at least partially eliminate said third areas.
- 18. An imaging system according to claim 17 and wherein said means for causing comprises means for heating said image which is insufficient to cause flow of the image.
- 19. A system according to claim 17 and wherein said image is formed of a liquid toner composition and said means for forming comprises a development electrode biased at an electrostatic potential level intermediate the surface potential of areas on a photoconductor corresponding to said first and second areas.
- 20. A system according to claim 18 wherein said image is formed of a liquid toner composition and said means for forming comprises a development electrode biased at an electrostatic potential level intermediate the surface potential of areas on a photoconductor corresponding to said first and second areas.
- 21. A system according to claim 17, and wherein said liquid toner composition also comprises a polymeric binder for said pigmented particles.
- 22. A system according to claim 21, and wherein said toner composition also comprises at least one charge director.
- 23. A system according to claim 22 and wherein said at least one charge director is operative to induce on said first type of pigmented particles charges of a first polarity and to induce on said second type of pigmented particles charges of an opposite polarity.
- 24. A system according to claim 23, and wherein said at least one charge director comprises a single charge director.
- 25. A system according to claim 23, and wherein said at least one charge director comprises first and second charge directors, said charge directors being operative to induce on said first type of pigmented particles charges of a first polarity and to induce on said second type of pigmented particles charges of an opposite polarity.
- 26. A system according to claim 18, and also comprising means for removing unwanted pigmented particles from a background area of the developed image defined by said third portion.
- 27. A system according to claim 1, and wherein said means for removing unwanted pigmented particles comprises:
- first removal means biased at a potential between (i) the average surface potential of the background area and, (ii) the potential of said first portion, for the removal of said first type of pigmented particles from the background area; and
- second removal means biased at a potential between (i) the average surface potential of the background areas, and (ii) the potential of said second portion, for the removal of said second type of pigmented particles from the background area.
- 28. A system according to claim 26, and wherein said means for removing unwanted pigmented particles comprises:
- first removal means biased at a potential between (i) the average surface potential of the background area, and (ii) the potential of said first portion, for the removal of said first type of pigmented particles from the background area; and
- second removal means biased at a potential between (i) the average surface potential of the background areas, and (ii) the potential of said second portion, for the removal of said second type of pigmented particles from the background area.
- 29. A system according to claim 27, and wherein said first and second removal means are spaced from each other such that said second type of pigmented particles is repelled from said first removal means and is attracted thereafter to said second removal means.
- 30. A system according to claim 27, wherein said means for removing unwanted pigmented particles further comprises:
- a liquid retaining housing associated with said first and second removal means; and
- means for circulating a liquid within said housing and around said first and second removal means.
- 31. A system according to claim 30, and wherein said means for removing unwanted pigmented particles also comprises means for mechanically transferring removed pigmented particles to said circulating fluid.
- 32. A system according to claim 31 wherein said means for removing unwanted pigmented particles also comprises means for filtering pigmented particles from said circulating fluid.
- 33. A system according to claim 17, and also comprising means for converting the charges of said first and second types of pigmented particles from charges of opposite polarities to charges having the same polarity.
- 34. A system according to claim 33, and wherein said means for converting comprise means for imposing on said pigment particles an electrical discharge.
- 35. A system according to claim 17, and also comprising means for regulating the concentration of said first and second types of pigmented particles in said liquid toner composition.
- 36. A system according to claim 22, and also comprising means for regulating the concentration of said at least one charge director in said liquid toner composition.
- 37. A system according to claim 35, and wherein said means for regulating the concentration of said pigmented particles comprises:
- means for measuring the light absorption of the liquid toner at two different wavelengths of light;
- means for determining the concentrations of the first and second pigmented particles in said composition; and
- means for selectably replenishing one or both of said pigmented particles in said liquid toner composition.
- 38. A system according to claim 37 and wherein said at least one charge director comprises first and second charge directors and said means for regulating the concentration of said at least one charge director in said liquid toner composition comprises means for separately regulating the concentrations of said first and second charge directors.
- 39. A system according to claim 36 and wherein said means for removing excess liquid is also operative for removing unwanted pigmented particles from the background area.
- 40. A system according to claim 19, and wherein said liquid toner composition comprises a polymeric binder for said pigmented particles.
- 41. A system according to claim 20, and wherein said liquid toner composition comprises at least one binder wax.
- 42. A system according to claim 40, wherein said at least one polymeric binder comprises an ethylene copolymer including carboxylic acid functionality.
- 43. A system according to claim 42, wherein said image flow is effected by a hot plate fuser and the temperature is higher than about 120.degree. C.
- 44. A system according to claim 42, wherein said image flow is effected by a roll fuser with pressure and the temperature is about 100.degree. C.
- 45. A system according to claim 40, wherein said at least one binder comprises an ethylene copolymer including carboxylic acid functionality.
- 46. A system according to claim 45, wherein said image flow is effected by a hot plate fuser and the temperature is lower than about 120.degree. C.
- 47. A system according to claim 45, wherein said image flow is effected by a roll fuser with pressure and the temperature is lower than about 100.degree. C.
- 48. A system according to claim 41 wherein said at least one binder wax is selected from the group consisting of Bamboo leaf, Caranda, Carnauba, Montan, Ouricury, Palm, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Chinese insect, Indian Corn and Shellac waxes.
- 49. A system according to claim 45 wherein said at least one binder wax is selected from the group consisting of Bamboo leaf, Carnauba, Montan, Ouricury, Palm, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Chinese insect, Indian Corn and Shellac waxes.
- 50. A system according to claim 46 wherein said at least one binder wax is selected from the group consisting of Bamboo leaf, Caranda, Carnauba, Montan, Ouricury, Palm, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Chinese insect, Indian Corn and Shellac waxes.
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation in part of U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 202,569. PROCESS FOR OBTAINING VISUALLY COLORED COPIES ON A SUBSTRATE, filed 6 June, 1988 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (15)
Foreign Referenced Citations (6)
Number |
Date |
Country |
53-121623 |
Dec 1978 |
JPX |
55-124156 |
Sep 1980 |
JPX |
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JPX |
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Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
202569 |
Jun 1988 |
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