JP3500480B2 - Image forming method - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for forming an image on a booklet-like transfer body (recording body such as a notebook rather than a sheet ) while turning pages by electrophotography.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic copying / printing method, an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductor is developed with a dry toner or a wet toner, and the resulting visible image is a direct transfer medium such as plain paper or OHP. A method is known in which electrostatic transfer is performed on a sheet-shaped recording medium such as a sheet for recording. Further, a method is also known in which a visible image on a photoconductor is electrostatically transferred to an intermediate transfer body and then electrostatically transferred again to a sheet-shaped recording medium (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-155376). However, the recording medium suitable for such a method is that of the sheet-like, since it is limited to those of constant thickness, for applications keep a record on the booklet-like transfer member (booklet or booklet thereof) directly It is not applicable and relies on primitive methods such as cutting and pasting copies / prints to keep records. Further, a disadvantage of this method is that the thickness of the booklet is increased by cutting and pasting.

As an apparatus for copying a booklet by a method other than the electrophotographic method, "Sharakusu" of the fusion thermal transfer method has been put into practical use by Fuji Xerox. In this "Sharaku run," a scanner and a thermal transfer printer are integrated, and by adopting a self-propelled type, the copy quality is small but practically no problem, and you can easily copy to booklets. It is effective for copying a small amount. However, in the melt heat transfer method, since a transfer film provided with an ink layer is used, when a large amount of copying / printing such as A4 size is performed, the transfer film which is a consumable item is not cheap and practical. Absent.

As described above, with respect to the needs for copying / printing various kinds of information on a booklet, there is no satisfactory system at present except in the field of small-quantity copying. On the other hand, when copying and printing a booklet at high speed, it is essential to automate the page turning of the booklet. As a conventional paper feeding mechanism, a frictional force of a paper feeding roller, a mechanism of separating sheets by air suction force, or a mechanism of electrostatic suction force has been put into practical use. Among them, the method using electrostatic attraction force is considered to be a reliable sheet separation method, but there is no idea to apply this method to page turning of a booklet, and the electrostatic method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-152032 is disclosed. In the case of a device such as a suction / conveyance device that requires a mechanism dedicated to sheet feeding, there are problems in that the system as a whole becomes large and the number of parts increases.

[0005]

An object of the present invention is to provide a, copy and print the booklet, the electrophotographic method, image quality, in a fast and economically imaging methods that can be achieved, booklet-like rolling
It is to provide a method for turning pages of a copy . Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming method which enables heat-saving fixing without requiring heat fixing.

[0006]

The above object of the present invention is to:
This can be achieved by the following image forming method. According to the present invention, the following inventions are provided. (1) The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive member by exposing the cylindrical photosensitive member is developed into a toner image by developing with an adhesive toner, and the toner image circulates and rotates with the photosensitive member. The toner image visualized by bringing the transfer body into contact is transferred onto the intermediate transfer body by pressing or electrostatic transfer to form a toner image, and the intermediate transfer body and the booklet-shaped transfer body are heated. The image is transferred and fixed on the booklet- shaped transfer body by pressing and contacting it without any operation.
The page turning of the transfer member is performed by the above-mentioned intermediate charged by the charging means.
An image forming method characterized in that the image forming method is carried out by utilizing an electrostatic attraction force of a transfer member . (2) Surface resistance ≧ 10 ¹³ Ω / on the conductive support of the intermediate transfer member used for page turning of the booklet-shaped transfer member.
□, volume resistance ≧ 10 ¹⁵ Ω · cm, capacitance ≧ 400p
A dielectric layer of F is formed, wherein the charging means for charging the intermediate transfer member is formed by electrostatic transfer of the charges formed on the photosensitive member by the charging means of the photosensitive member or by a corona charger. The image forming method according to (1). (3) When turning the page of the booklet-shaped transfer member, the conductive support of the intermediate transfer member has a surface resistance of 10 ⁷ to 10 ¹² Ω / □,
A dielectric material having a volume resistance of 10 ⁸ to 10 ¹² Ω · cm, wherein the charging means of the intermediate transfer member is a bias applying member and a grounding member in contact with the intermediate transfer member. The image formation according to (1), which is performed by causing an electrostatic attraction force to the intermediate transfer body by electrostatic induction on the surface of the booklet-shaped transfer body near the power supply area of the intermediate transfer body between the ground members. Person
Law.

[0007]

EXAMPLES hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

Reference Example 1 FIG. 1 shows a transfer operation to a booklet-shaped transfer body. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductor 1 through the charging charger 2 and the exposure 3.
The electrostatic latent image is visualized by the adhesive toner particles in the developing device 4 having a polarity opposite to that of the electrostatic latent image. The visible image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 5 by the transfer means in the area in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 5. The transfer image on the intermediate transfer belt 5 is conveyed toward the pressing roller 6 by the driving roller 7, and is transferred to the stage 10
It is retransferred to the booklet-shaped transfer member 9 supported by the booklet-shaped transfer member support mechanism 8. The booklet-shaped transfer body 9 is provided with a stage drive mechanism 11 so that it can be driven in synchronization with the movement of the intermediate transfer belt 5. The visible image (toner image) transfer means from the photoconductor 1 to the intermediate transfer belt 5 may be pressure or electrostatic transfer.

In this example, since the adhesive toner is transferred by pressure, a toner image can be obtained even on a transfer body such as a booklet transfer body to which an electrostatic transfer mechanism cannot be applied, and the toner image on the booklet transfer body is obtained. The toner is substantially fixed due to the adhesiveness of the toner itself, so that no special fixing mechanism is required. The adhesive toner used in the present invention is one which is dispersed in a carrier liquid, and such an adhesive toner mainly contains a colorant such as carbon black and an adhesive resin such as styrene-butadiene resin and rosin derivative. This mixture can be prepared as a component by kneading and pulverizing this mixture with a small amount of carrier liquid (isoparaffin hydrocarbon, etc.) and then adding the carrier liquid. In order to carry out the present invention, it is necessary for the adhesiveness of the toner to exhibit a value of 8 to 15 under the conditions of an incometer, 30 ° C. and 400 rpm.

Embodiment 2 FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are for making the intermediate transfer belt 5 shown in FIG. 1 also have a page-turning function of a booklet-like transfer member. ), The intermediate transfer belt is provided with the driven roller 13. In FIG. 2A, a positive charge is formed on the intermediate transfer belt by a charging means (not shown) (the charge may be negative), and the movement of the intermediate transfer belt causes a change in FIG. 2B. As shown, one page of the booklet is electrostatically attracted and separated from the stack of pages. Although the stage 10 is fixed in this example, it is also effective to operate the stage 10 at an appropriate timing in order to more reliably turn the pages of the booklet. In this way, the intermediate transfer belt 5 also serves as the page turning mechanism, so that it is possible to perform copy printing over a plurality of pages on a booklet without using a large-scale additional device.

Embodiment 3 FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) show two examples of a method for effectively applying an electrostatic attraction force for turning pages. Here, the intermediate transfer member is one in which a dielectric layer is formed on a conductive support, and the characteristics of the dielectric layer are surface resistance ≧ 10 ¹³ Ω / □ and volume resistance ≧ 10.
¹⁵ Ω · cm, electrostatic capacity ≧ 400 pF, which is shown as an intermediate transfer belt 5 in the figure. In FIG. 3A, the charge is formed on the photosensitive member 1 by the charging charger 2, and the charge on the photosensitive member 1 is transferred by the bias applying roller 14 installed in a region in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 5. And a means for generating an electrostatic attraction force for turning the pages of the booklet. Reference numeral 15 in FIG. 3A is a bias applying power source. On the other hand, in FIG. 3B, the intermediate transfer belt 5 is made to generate an electrostatic attraction force for page turning on the intermediate transfer belt 5 by the charging charger 16. Reference numeral 17 in FIG. 3B is a ground roller.

In FIGS. 3A and 3B, an intermediate transfer belt having a structure in which a dielectric layer is provided on a conductive support is used. However, the page turning function itself is merely a dielectric (characteristics are the same as those described above). However, the electrostatic transfer characteristics of the adhesive toner from the photosensitive member to the intermediate transfer belt are better in the intermediate transfer belt having the structure in which the dielectric layer is provided on the conductive support. In addition,
The transfer of the adhesive toner from the photoconductor to the intermediate transfer belt can also be achieved by pressure transfer.

Embodiment 4 FIG. 4 shows another example of a more effective application method of the electrostatic attraction force for page turning. Here, the intermediate transfer member has a surface resistance of 10 ⁷ to 10 ¹² Ω / □ and a volume resistance of 10 ^{8 to} 1012.
It is an intermediate transfer belt made of a medium-resistance derivative of Ω · cm, and is shown as an intermediate transfer belt 5 in the drawing. In FIG. 4, a pair of power supply rollers (18, 19) are installed in contact with the lower back surface of the intermediate transfer belt 5. By applying a DC voltage (1000 to 1500V) to the power feeding roller pair, an electrostatic attraction force is generated on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 5. The transfer of the adhesive toner from the photoconductor to the intermediate transfer belt 5 may be either pressure transfer or electrostatic transfer.

(Example of Cleaning Method of Intermediate Transfer Belt) Next, a cleaning method of the intermediate transfer belt 5 will be described. In the present invention, since the liquid developer in which the adhesive toner particles are dispersed in the carrier liquid is used, the transfer process from the photoconductor to the intermediate transfer belt and the retransfer process from the intermediate transfer belt to the recording medium are completed. A part of the adhesive toner may remain on the subsequent intermediate transfer belt. The residual toner causes the background stain. Moreover, since the amount of the solvent attached to the intermediate transfer belt is extremely small, it is not possible to perform sufficient cleaning only by bringing a normal cleaning blade into contact with the intermediate transfer body. Therefore,
In the present invention, the intermediate transfer belt on which the toner remains before cleaning is wetted with a liquid developer or a carrier liquid, or a cleaner liquid in which a surfactant or a boundary lubricant is dissolved or dispersed in the carrier liquid. A method that can remove the residual toner with an ordinary cleaning blade is adopted. As the wetting liquid, it is preferable to use a liquid developer or a carrier liquid because no extra consumables are used.
The method of dissolving / dispersing the surfactant or boundary lubricant in the carrier liquid is an effective method when it is necessary to particularly enhance the cleaning property.

The surfactants and boundary lubricants used here exhibit a cleaning effect as long as they are dissolved or dispersed in a carrier liquid, but more preferable examples include the following nonionic surfactants. Can be exemplified. Sorbitan trioleate sorbitan tristearate sorbitan sesquioleate sorbitan monooleate

The boundary lubricant is one in which a long-chain hydrocarbon group and a polar group are linked, and the original purpose is to reduce the friction coefficient of the body to enhance the lubricity, but in the present invention, It is considered that the boundary action agent is adsorbed on the intermediate transfer surface in the form of being replaced with the adhesive toner, so that the cleaning action and the firmly adhering development can be prevented. The following can be exemplified as the boundary lubricant. Stearamide 12-hydroxy stearamide Calcium stearate

[0017]

According to the invention of claim 1, copying and printing on a booklet-shaped transfer member can be achieved with high image quality, high speed and economically by electrophotography. In addition, the use of adhesive toner eliminates the need for a fixing mechanism, enables the energy-saving device to be downsized, and makes it possible to turn pages of the booklet- shaped transfer body without a dedicated additional device, and to copy or print on the booklet-shaped transfer body. It is possible to prevent the device from becoming large in size.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a transfer operation to a booklet.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are views for explaining how a page of a booklet is turned using an intermediate transfer belt.

3 (a) and 3 (b) are views for explaining how a page of a booklet is turned using an intermediate transfer belt.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining how page turning of a booklet is performed better by using an intermediate transfer belt.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 photoconductor 2 Photoconductor charging charger 3 exposure 4 developing device 5 Intermediate transfer belt 6 pressure roller 7 drive roller 8 Booklet-shaped transfer body support mechanism 9 Booklet transfer 10 stages 11 Stage drive mechanism 12 pages sent out 13 Driven roller 14 Bias application roller 15 Bias application power supply 16 Charger for intermediate transfer belt 17 Ground roller 18 Feed roller (bias) 19 Power supply roller (earth)

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kazuo Tsufuko 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Nobutaka Kinoshita 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo (56) References JP-A-5-66686 (JP, A) JP-A-7-28342 (JP, A) JP-A-2-161479 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 15/16 G03G 15/08 G03G 15/10 G03G 21/10

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive member by exposing a cylindrical photosensitive member is developed with an adhesive toner to form a visualized toner image, which is circulated and rotated with the photosensitive member. The toner image visualized by bringing the intermediate transfer body into contact is transferred onto the intermediate transfer body by pressing or electrostatic transfer to form a toner image, and the intermediate transfer body and the booklet-like transfer body are formed. , The image is transferred and fixed on the booklet-like transfer member by pressing and contacting without heating, and the page-turning of the booklet-like transfer member is charged by the charging means.
In addition, the electrostatic attraction force of the intermediate transfer member is used.
And an image forming method. 2. A surface resistance ≧ 10 on the conductive support of the intermediate transfer member used for turning over the page of the booklet-shaped transfer member.
¹³ Ω / □, volume resistance ≧ 10 ¹⁵ Ω · cm, capacitance ≧
A 400 pF dielectric layer is formed, wherein the charging means for charging the intermediate transfer member is formed by electrostatic transfer of the charges formed on the photosensitive member by the charging means of the photosensitive member or by a corona charger. The image forming method according to claim 1. 3. When turning the page of the booklet-shaped transfer member, the conductive support of the intermediate transfer member has a surface resistance of 10 ⁷ to 10 ^12.
Ω / □, volume resistance of 10 ⁸ to 10 ¹² Ω · cm, wherein the charging means of the intermediate transfer member is a power supply composed of a bias applying member and a ground member in contact with the intermediate transfer member, 2. The electrostatic attraction force is applied to the intermediate transfer body by electrostatic induction on the surface of the booklet-shaped transfer body near the feeding area of the intermediate transfer body between the bias applying member and the ground member. The image forming method described.