Imaging using a coagulable ink on an intermediate member

A digital imaging machine for generating a multicolor ink-jet-ink-derived material image, said digital imaging machine including a plurality of modules arranged sequentially, each module respectively comprising:

• an ink jet device for imagewise jetting, on to an operational surface of an intermediate member, droplets of a coagulable marking ink and droplets of a non-marking ink, said ink jet device thereby forming on said operational surface of said intermediate member a primary image;
• a plurality of process zones associated with said operational surface of said intermediate member, said plurality of process zones located sequentially in proximity with said operational surface, said plurality of process zones including a coagulation formation process zone, an excess liquid removal process zone, a transfer process zone, and a regeneration process zone;
• a coagulate forming mechanism in said coagulation formation process zone for causing formation of coagulates in a liquid phase of said primary image;
• a liquid removing mechanism for removing a portion of said liquid phase in said excess liquid removal process zone so as to form on said operational surface a respective liquid-depleted image;
• a transport which moves a receiver sequentially through said each module;
• a transfer mechanism for transferring said liquid-depleted image to said receiver from said operational surface in said transfer process zone;
• a regeneration mechanism for forming on said operational surface a regenerated operational surface for a subsequent formation thereon, by said ink jet device, of a new primary image, said regeneration process zone associated in proximity with said intermediate member at a location between said transfer process zone and said ink jet device;
• wherein said primary image includes a plurality of smallest resolved imaging areas, each of said plurality of smallest resolved imaging areas receiving, from said ink jet device, a preselected number of droplets of said first ink and a complementary preselected number of droplets of said second ink, said preselected number of droplets of said first ink and said complementary preselected number of droplets of said second ink mixing to form a predetermined substantially same volume in said each of said plurality of smallest resolved imaging areas, said preselected number including zero and said complementary preselected number including zero;
• wherein said intermediate member includes one of the group of a rotatable member and a linearly-movable member;
• wherein said primary image formed on said operational surface of said intermediate member, is formed as one of the group of a continuous tone primary image and a half-tone primary image;
• and
• wherein a respective color ink-jet-ink-derived material images are successively transferred in register to said receiver in each of said modules included in said plurality of modules, thereby creating said ink-jet-ink-derived material multicolor image on said receiver.

A digital imaging machine for generating a multicolor ink-jet-ink-derived material image, said digital imaging machine including a plurality of modules arranged sequentially, each module respectively comprising:

• an ink jet device for imagewise respectively jetting, on to an operational surface of an intermediate member, droplets of a coagulable marking ink and droplets of a non-marking ink, said ink jet device thereby forming on said operational surface of said intermediate member a primary image;
• a plurality of process zones associated with said operational surface of said intermediate member, said plurality of process zones located sequentially in proximity with said operational surface, said respective plurality of process zones including an image concentrating process zone, an excess liquid removal process zone, and a transfer process zone;
• a concentrating mechanism for concentrating in said respective image concentrating process zone said particles of said primary image so as to form a concentrated image on said operational surface from said primary image, said mechanism for concentrating said particles causing said particles to become concentrated adjacent said operational surface;
• in said each respective module, a mechanism for removing in said respective Excess Liquid Removal Process Zone a portion of said carrier liquid from said respective concentrated image so as to form on said respective operational surface a respective liquid-depleted image;
• a common member which is moved sequentially through each said respective module;
• a transfer mechanism for transferring to said common member, from said operational surface in said transfer process zone, said liquid-depleted image such that a color ink-jet-ink-derived material image is successively transferred in registry to said common member in each of said modules included in said plurality of modules, thereby forming a plural image on said common member;
• a regeneration mechanism for respectively forming on each said operational surface a regenerated operational surface for a subsequent formation thereon, by said ink jet device, of a new primary image, said regeneration process zone associated in proximity with said intermediate member at a location between said transfer process zone and said ink jet device;
• in a plural image pressure transfer nip including said common member, said plural image is transferred by a plural image transfer mechanism to a receiver transported through said plural image pressure transfer nip, thereby creating said ink-jet-ink-derived material multicolor image on said receiver;
• wherein said primary image includes a plurality of smallest resolved imaging areas, each of said plurality of smallest resolved imaging areas receiving, from said respective ink jet device, a preselected number of droplets of said first ink and a complementary preselected number of droplets of said second ink, said preselected number of droplets of said first ink and said complementary preselected number of droplets of said second ink mixing to form a predetermined substantially same volume in said each of said plurality of smallest resolved imaging areas, said preselected number including zero and said complementary preselected number including zero;
• wherein said common member includes one of a rotatable member and a linearly-movable member;
• wherein said intermediate member includes one of a rotatable member and a linearly-movable member;
• and
• wherein said primary image, formed on said operational surface of said intermediate member, is formed as one of a continuous tone primary image and a half-tone primary image.

In a digital imaging apparatus having a tandemly arranged plurality of image forming modules, wherein a plurality of ink-jet-ink-derived images are sequentially made in said plurality of image forming modules for successive transfers in register to a receiver member so as to form a completed plural image on said receiver member, and wherein each image forming module includes an intermediate member on which an ink-jet-ink-derived image is formed on an operational surface, a method of making said completed plural image comprising the steps of:

• forming a primary image on said operational surface of said intermediate member by depositing from an ink jet device droplets of a coagulable marking ink and droplets of a respective non-marking ink;
• causing a portion of said carrier liquid from said primary image to be removed so as to form a liquid-depleted image;
• transferring said liquid-depleted images to said receiver member, said transferring done in register atop any liquid-depleted images previously transferred to said receiver member;
• in a last said module of said plurality of image forming modules, transferring a last liquid-depleted image so as to form on said receiver member said completed plural image;
• wherein in said step of forming a primary image, said coagulable marking ink includes one of the group of an electrocoagulable ink and a dispersion of pigmented particles dispersed in a carrier liquid, and wherein said non-marking ink includes one of the group of:
• a liquid which substantially contains no particles and no electrocoagulable material, a dispersion of unpigmented particles in a carrier liquid, and an electrocoagulable ink;
• and
• prior to said step of forming a primary image, a step of regenerating said operational surface to prepare said operational surface for receiving a new primary image from said ink jet device.

In a digital imaging apparatus having a tandemly arranged plurality of image forming modules, wherein a plurality of ink-jet-ink-derived images are sequentially made in said plurality of image forming modules for sequential transfers in register to a common member so as to form a plural image on said common member, said plural image for transfer to a receiver member from said common member, and wherein each of said image forming modules includes an intermediate member on which an ink-jet-ink-derived image is formed on an operational surface, a method of making said completed plural image comprising the steps of:

• forming a primary image on said operational surface of said intermediate member by depositing from an ink jet device droplets of a coagulable marking ink and droplets of a non-marking ink;
• causing a portion of said carrier liquid from said primary image to be removed so as to form a respective liquid-depleted image;
• transferring said liquid-depleted images to said common member, said transferring done in register atop any liquid-depleted image previously sequentially transferred in register to said common member;
• after a last said respective liquid-depleted image is transferred in register to said common member so as to form a full color ink-jet-ink-derived image on said common member, transferring said full color ink-jet-ink-derived image to said receiver member to form said completed plural image thereon;
• wherein in said step of forming a primary image, said coagulable marking ink includes one of the group of an electrocoagulable ink and a dispersion of pigmented particles dispersed in a carrier liquid, and wherein said non-marking ink includes one of the following:
• a liquid which substantially contains no particles and no electrocoagulable material, a dispersion of unpigmented particles in a carrier liquid, and an electrocoagulable ink;
• and
• prior to said step of forming a respective primary image, a step of regenerating said respective operational surface to prepare said operational surface for receiving a new primary image from said ink jet device.

A method of making an ink-jet-ink-derived image comprising the steps of:

• forming an ink image on an operational surface of an intermediate member, said ink image including a coagulable marking ink and a non-marking ink wherein each smallest resolved imaging area of said ink image includes a mixed volume of said coagulable marking ink and said non-marking ink, said mixed volume being substantially equal to a preselected mixed volume;
• forming, in said ink image, coagulates in a liquid phase;
• removing a portion of said liquid phase from said ink image so as to form a liquid-depleted ink-jet-ink-derived material image;
• transferring said liquid-depleted ink-jet-ink-derived material image from said operational surface to another member.