Imaging System With Electrophotographic Patterning of an Image Definition Material and Methods Therefor

A variable data lithography system, comprising:

• a photoreceptor;
• a charging subsystem for applying a first electrostatic charge having a value and a first charge polarity to said photoreceptor;
• an exposure subsystem disposed for selective exposure of said photoreceptor to thereby form an exposure pattern from regions that are exposed and unexposed by said exposure subsystem on a surface of said photoreceptor, said exposure altering the electrostatic charge on said photoreceptor to thereby define regions of said photoreceptor having a first electrostatic charge state corresponding to regions not exposed by said exposure subsystem and a second electrostatic charge state corresponding to regions exposed by said exposure subsystem;
• a dampening fluid subsystem disposed proximate said photoreceptor for selectively applying a dampening fluid layer substantially over regions of said photoreceptor having said first electrostatic charge state and not over regions having said second electrostatic charge state to thereby form a dampening fluid image on a surface of said photoreceptor corresponding to said exposure pattern, said dampening fluid comprising an electrostatically insulative carrier fluid in which is disposed electrostatically charged particles having a second charge polarity, said first charge polarity being opposite said second charge polarity;
• an imaging member having a reimageable surface formed thereover and having a second electrostatic charge of a value greater than said value of said first electrostatic charge, disposed proximate said photoreceptor such that said damping fluid selectively applied over said photoreceptor is transferred to said reimageable surface, forming regions of dampening fluid separated by regions of no dampening fluid on said reimageable surface, and thereby transferring said dampening fluid image from said photoreceptor to said reimageable surface;
• an inking subsystem for selectively applying ink over said reimageable surface such that said ink preferentially occupies regions of no dampening fluid on said reimageable surface to thereby form an inked image over said reimageable surface;
• and
• an image transfer subsystem for transferring the ink occupying said regions of no dampening fluid on said reimageable surface to a substrate to thereby transfer said inked image from said reimageable surface to said substrate.

A variable data lithography system, comprising:

• a photoreceptor;
• a charging subsystem for applying a first electrostatic charge to said photoreceptor;
• an exposure subsystem disposed for selective exposure of said photoreceptor to thereby form an exposure pattern from regions that are exposed and unexposed by said exposure subsystem on a surface of said photoreceptor, said exposure enabling altering the electrostatic charge on said photoreceptor to thereby define regions of said photoreceptor having a first electrostatic charge state and a second electrostatic charge state;
• an image defining material subsystem disposed proximate said photoreceptor for selectively applying an image defining material substantially over regions of said photoreceptor having said first electrostatic charge state and not over regions having said second electrostatic charge state to thereby form an image defining material image on a surface of said photoreceptor corresponding to said exposure pattern;
• an imaging member having a reimageable surface formed thereover, disposed proximate said photoreceptor such that said image defining material selectively applied over said photoreceptor is transferred to said reimageable surface, forming regions of image defining material separated by regions of no image defining material on said reimageable surface, and thereby transferring said image defining material image from said photoreceptor to said reimageable surface;
• an inking subsystem, disposed prior to said photoreceptor in a direction of rotation of said imaging member, for applying an ink layer substantially uniformly over said reimageable surface;
• said photoreceptor disposed relative to said imaging member such that said image defining material image may be transferred from said photoreceptor to said reimageable surface over said imaging member, and further such that image defining material comprising said image defining material image at least in part mix with ink in said ink layer;
• a cleaning subsystem disposed proximate said imaging member such that said image defining material may be removed from over said imaging member, said cleaning subsystem further configured such that said image defining material removes with it at least a portion of said ink with which said image defining material has mixed, and leaving on said reimageable surface at least a portion of said ink which has not mixed with said image defining material, to thereby form an inked image over said reimageable surface;
• and
• an image transfer subsystem for transferring the ink forming said inked image to a substrate to thereby transfer said inked image from said reimageable surface to said substrate.

A variable data lithography system, comprising:

• an imaging member having a reimageable surface formed thereover;
• an image defining material subsystem disposed proximate said imaging member for applying a substantially uniform layer of image defining material over said reimageable surface;
• a photoreceptor, disposed proximate said reimageable surface;
• a charging subsystem for applying a first electrostatic charge to said photoreceptor;
• an exposure subsystem disposed for selective exposure of said photoreceptor to thereby form an exposure pattern comprising regions that are exposed and unexposed by said exposure subsystem on a surface of said photoreceptor, said exposure enabling altering the electrostatic charge on said photoreceptor to thereby define regions of said photoreceptor having a first electrostatic charge state corresponding to unexposed regions of said photoreceptor and a second electrostatic charge state corresponding to exposed regions of said photoreceptor;
• said photoreceptor disposed such that regions having said first electrostatic charge state selectively attract image defining material on said reimageable surface and relative motion of said photoreceptor and said imaging member result in removal of said attracted image defining material to said photoreceptor surface, and further such that regions having said second electrostatic charge state are not attractive to said image defining material and relative motion of said photoreceptor and said imaging member does not result in removal of said image defining material proximate said regions having said second electrostatic charge state, an image defining material image defined thereby;
• an inking subsystem for selectively applying ink over said reimageable surface such that said ink preferentially occupies regions where said image defining material has been removed from said reimageable surface to thereby form an inked image over said reimageable surface;
• and
• an image transfer subsystem for transferring the ink occupying said regions where said image defining material has been removed from said reimageable surface to a substrate to thereby transfer said inked image from said reimageable surface to said substrate.