Method and apparatus for formation and development of high solids content toner cake in an electrostatic printing system

An imaging system for effecting electrostatic printing of an output image, comprising:

• an imaging assembly having a first movable member provided in the form of an imaging member, the imaging member having an image bearing surface for receiving an electrostatic latent image thereon, the latent image being representative of the desired output image, a second movable member provided in the form of a developed image receiving member having a receiving surface for receiving a developed image;
• a supply of liquid developing material, the liquid developing material being a mixture of marking particles in a liquid carrier medium, the mixture exhibiting a percentage level of solids content that is less than the percentage level of solids content in the desired toner cake layer;
• a liquid developing material applicator connected to the supply of liquid developing material and operable for receiving a quantity of liquid developing material and for providing therefrom an aggregation of liquid developing material;
• wherein the first and second movable members are aligned with the liquid developing material applicator, and the image bearing surface and the developed image receiving surface define a process nip having a process nip entrance and a process nip exit, the process nip entrance being located with respect to the applicator so as to receive therein the aggregation of liquid developing material, and wherein the first and second movable members are movable for:
• (1) transporting, into the process nip entrance, a controlled amount of the liquid developing material present in the aggregation, (2) subjecting the controlled amount of liquid developing material to a compressive force to increase the percentage level of solids content in the liquid developing material amount present in the process nip, whereby the controlled amount of liquid developing material is transformed into the desired toner cake layer, (3) subjecting the toner cake layer to imagewise electric fields across the toner cake layer in the process nip, and (4) delivering the toner cake layer to the nip exit, whereupon the toner cake layer undergoes imagewise separation to create a developed image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image;
• and
• a transfer assembly for transfer of the developed image to a copy substrate, to create the output image.

A method for creation of a toner cake layer having a high solids content in an electrostatic printing engine, comprising:

• providing a supply of liquid developing material, the liquid developing material being a mixture of marking particles in a liquid carrier medium, the mixture exhibiting a percentage level of solids content that is less than the percentage level of solids content in the desired toner cake layer;
• receiving a quantity of liquid developing material and for providing therefrom an aggregation of liquid developing material;
• aligning first and second movable members with the liquid developing material applicator, the first movable member having a respective first member surface and the second movable member having a respective second member surface, the first member surface and second member surface defining a process nip having a process nip entrance and a process nip exit, the process nip entrance being located with respect to the applicator so as to receive therein the aggregation of liquid developing material;
• moving the first and second movable members for:
• (1) transporting, into the process nip entrance, a controlled amount of the liquid developing material present in the aggregation, (2) subjecting the controlled amount of liquid developing material to compression to increase the percentage level of solids content in the controlled amount of liquid developing material present in the process nip, whereby the controlled amount of liquid developing material is transformed into the desired toner cake layer, and (3) delivering the toner cake layer to the nip exit.

A method for effecting electrostatic printing of an output image, comprising:

• providing a first movable member in the form of an imaging member, the imaging member having an image bearing surface for receiving an electrostatic latent image thereon, the latent image being representative of the desired output image;
• providing a second movable member in the form of a developed image receiving member having a receiving surface for receiving a developed image;
• providing a supply of liquid developing material, the liquid developing material being a mixture of marking particles in a liquid carrier medium, the mixture exhibiting a percentage level of solids content that is less than the percentage level of solids content in the desired toner cake layer;
• aligning the first and second movable members whereby the image bearing surface and the developed image receiving surface define a process nip having a process nip entrance and a process nip exit,
• receiving an aggregation of liquid developing material at the process nip entrance;
• moving the first and second movable members for:
• (1) transporting, into the process nip, a controlled amount of the liquid developing material present in the aggregation, (2) subjecting the controlled amount of liquid developing material to a compressive force to increase the percentage level of solids content in the liquid developing material amount present in the process nip, whereby the controlled amount of liquid developing material is transformed into the desired toner cake layer, (3) subjecting the toner cake layer to imagewise electric fields across the toner cake layer in the process nip, and (4) and delivering the toner cake layer to the nip exit, whereupon the toner cake layer undergoes imagewise separation to create a developed image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image;
• and
• transferring the developed image to a copy substrate to create the output image.