# US 2014/0197578 A1 · Electrophotographic endless belt, method for producing the same, and electrophotographic apparatus

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- Number: US 2014/0197578 A1
- Document ID: US20140197578A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/217,196
- Filed: 2014-03-17
- Published: 2014-07-17
- Earliest claimed: 2012-10-26
- Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Kouichi Uchida
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140197578A1

## CPC

- B29D 29/00: Producing belts or bands
- B29C 35/0805: {using electromagnetic radiation}
- G03G 15/0173: {plural rotations of recording member to produce multicoloured copy, e.g. rotating set of developing units (G03G15/0163 takes precedence)}
- G03G 15/1605: {using at least one intermediate support (G03G15/1625 takes precedence)}
- G03G 15/162: {details of the the intermediate support, e.g. chemical composition}
- B29C 2035/0827: {using UV radiation}
- B29K 2101/12: Thermoplastic materials
- B29K 2105/258: {Tubular}
- B29L 2009/00: Layered products
- B29L 2031/767: {Printing equipment or accessories therefor}
- Y10T 428/31504: Composite [nonstructural laminate]
- B29D: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE (making granules B29B9/00; making preforms B29B11/00)
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- B29K: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR {MOULDS, } REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A high-quality electrophotographic endless belt and a method capable of efficiently producing the belt are provided. A method for producing an electrophotographic endless belt comprising a base layer including a thermoplastic resin composition and an inner-surface layer, which includes: (1) forming an energy curable film having a glass transition temperature on an inner surface of a test tube-shaped preform including a thermoplastic resin and then subjecting the preform to blow molding to obtain a blow-molded bottle; (2) irradiating the blow-molded bottle with energy rays to cure the film to form an inner-surface layer; and (3) cutting out an endless belt from the blow-molded bottle having the inner-surface layer obtained in (2).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for producing an electrophotographic endless belt comprising:
a base layer comprising a thermoplastic resin composition, and
an inner-surface layer,
said process comprising the steps of:
(1) forming an energy curable film having a glass transition temperature on an inner surface of a test tube-shaped preform comprising a thermoplastic resin and then subjecting the preform to blow molding to obtain a blow-molded bottle;
(2) irradiating the blow-molded bottle with energy rays to cure the film to form an inner-surface layer; and
(3) cutting out an endless belt from the blow-molded bottle having the inner-surface layer obtained in the step (2).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process for producing an electrophotographic endless belt according to claim 1, wherein the energy curable film comprises an ultraviolet curable acrylic resin.

### Claim 3

An electrophotographic endless belt comprising:
a base layer comprising a thermoplastic resin composition, and
an inner-surface layer formed on the inner circumferential surface side of the base layer,
wherein
the inner-surface layer comprises a cured film of an energy curable film having a glass transition temperature.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The electrophotographic endless belt according to claim 3, wherein the hardness based on ISO 15184 of the inner-surface layer is H or more and 3H or less in pencil hardness.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The electrophotographic endless belt according to claim 3, wherein the thickness of the inner-surface layer is 0.05 μm or more and 10 μm or less.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The electrophotographic endless belt according to claim 3, wherein the surface intrinsic resistivity of the inner-surface layer is 1×104 Ω/sq or more and 1×108 Ω/sq or less.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The electrophotographic endless belt according to claim 3, wherein the tensile elongation based on ISO 527-2 of the inner-surface layer is 3% or more.

### Claim 8 (depends on 3)

The electrophotographic endless belt according to claim 3, wherein the thickness of the base layer is 10 μm or more and 500 μm or less.

### Claim 9 (depends on 3)

An electrophotographic apparatus comprising the electrophotographic endless belt according to claim 3.