US 10,310,418 B2Granted

Separating device

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsKotaro Torikata, Teppei Nagata

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Abstract

A separating device includes an electrode roller, an electrode member, a liquid developer supplying portion, a carrier liquid collecting portion, a collecting roller and a blade member. When a line passing through a center and a top of the electrode roller with respect to a gravitational direction is 0°, an upstream end portion of a gap between the electrode roller and the electrode member is positioned in a range of 0° or more and less than 180° with respect to an electrode roller rotational direction. When a line passing through a center and a top of the collecting roller with respect to the gravitational direction is 0°, a contact position of the blade member with the collecting roller is in a range of 35° or more in an upstream side of a contact position between the collecting and electrode rollers with respect to a collecting roller rotational direction.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A separating device for separating a toner and a carrier liquid from a liquid developer including the toner and the carrier liquid using an electric field, said separating device comprising:

an electroconductive electrode roller rotatable in a predetermined direction;
an electrode member provided with a gap between itself and an outer peripheral surface of said electrode roller,
wherein said electrode member is capable of applying a voltage for generating an electric field for moving the toner toward said electrode roller between said electrode roller and said electrode member,
wherein an upstream end portion of the gap with respect to a rotational direction of said electrode roller is provided above, with respect to a direction of gravitation, a downstream end portion of the gap with respect to the rotational direction;
a supplying portion configured to supply the liquid developer to said electrode roller;
a collecting portion provided below the downstream end portion of the gap with respect to the direction of gravitation and configured to collect the carrier liquid from said electrode roller in a side downstream of said electrode member with respect to the rotational direction;
a collecting roller provided downstream of said electrode member and upstream of said supplying portion with respect to the rotational direction and rotatable in the same peripheral movement direction as said electrode roller in contact with said electrode roller at a position opposing said electrode roller,
wherein said collecting roller is capable of applying a voltage for generating an electric field for moving the toner toward said collecting roller between said collecting roller and said electrode roller;
and
a blade member configured to collect the toner from said collecting roller and in contact with said collecting roller counterdirectionally with respect to a rotational direction of said collecting roller,
wherein when a line passing through a center of said electrode roller and a top of said electrode roller with respect to the direction of gravitation is 0°, the upstream end portion of the gap is positioned in a range of 0° or more and less than 180° with respect to the rotational direction of said electrode roller, and
wherein when a line passing through a center of said collecting roller and a top of said collecting roller with respect to the direction of gravitation is 0°, a contact position of said blade member with said collecting roller is in a range of 35° or more in a side upstream of a position of contact between said collecting roller and said electrode roller with respect to the rotational direction of said collecting roller.

9 more elements

A separating device for separating a toner and a carrier liquid from a liquid developer including the toner and the carrier liquid using an electric field, said separating device comprising:

an electroconductive electrode roller rotatable in a predetermined direction;
an electrode member provided with a gap between itself and an outer peripheral surface of said electrode roller,
wherein said electrode member is capable of applying a voltage for generating an electric field for moving the toner toward said electrode roller between said electrode roller and said electrode member,
a supplying portion configured to supply the liquid developer to said electrode roller;
a collecting portion provided below a downstream end portion of the gap with respect to the direction of gravitation and configured to collect the carrier liquid from said electrode roller in a side downstream of said electrode member with respect to the rotational direction;
a collecting roller provided downstream of said electrode member and upstream of said supplying portion with respect to the rotational direction and in contact with said electrode roller,
wherein said collecting roller is capable of applying a voltage for generating an electric field for moving the toner toward said collecting roller between said collecting roller and said electrode roller;
a blade member configured to remove the toner from said collecting roller and in contact with said collecting roller counterdirectionally with respect to a rotational direction of said collecting roller;
a supporting portion configured to support said blade member;
wherein a contact portion between said blade member and said collecting roller is positioned above, with respect to the direction of gravitation, a portion where said supporting portion supports said blade member, and
a toner accommodating portion configured to accommodate the toner removed by said blade member.

8 more elements

A image forming apparatus comprising:

an image bearing member;
an image forming portion configured to form a toner image on said image bearing member with a liquid developer including toner and a carrier liquid;
a transfer portion configured to transfer the toner image from said image bearing member onto a toner image receiving material;
a cleaning portion configured to remove the liquid developer from said image bearing member after transfer of the toner image;
a separating device for separating a toner and a carrier liquid from the liquid developer supplied from said cleaning portion, said separating device comprising,
an electroconductive electrode roller rotatable in a predetermined direction;
an electrode member provided with a gap between itself and an outer peripheral surface of said electrode roller,
wherein said electrode member is capable of applying a voltage for generating an electric field for moving the toner toward said electrode roller between said electrode roller and said electrode member,
a supplying portion configured to supply the liquid developer to said electrode roller;
a collecting portion provided below a downstream end portion of the gap with respect to the direction of gravitation and configured to collect the carrier liquid from said electrode roller in a side downstream of said electrode member with respect to the rotational direction;
a collecting roller provided downstream of said electrode member and upstream of said supplying portion with respect to the rotational direction and in contact with said electrode roller,
wherein said collecting roller is capable of applying a voltage for generating an electric field for moving the toner toward said collecting roller between said collecting roller and said electrode roller;
a blade member configured to remove the toner from said collecting roller and in contact with said collecting roller counterdirectionally with respect to a rotational direction of said collecting roller;
a supporting portion configured to support said blade member;
wherein a contact portion between said blade member and said collecting roller is positioned above, with respect to the direction of gravitation, a portion where said supporting portion supports said blade member, and
a toner accommodating portion configured to accommodate the toner removed by said blade member.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/558,299Filed 27 May 2016
Priority: JP 2015-10789527 May 2015
Published: US 2018/0059581 A11 Mar 2018
Granted: 4 Jun 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

G03G 15/104
Using a liquid developer: preparing, mixing, transporting or dispensing developer
G03G 9/12
With toner particles: in liquid developer mixtures
G03G 15/0815
On a donor element, e.g. belt, roller: characterised by the developer handling means after the developing zone and before the supply, e.g.…
G03G 15/10
For developing: using a liquid developer

Family

US 2018/0059581 A1Pre-grant publication · published 1 Mar 2018
US 10,310,418 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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