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US 3,943,541 AGranted
Liquid developing apparatus for electrophotography
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorVan Hirafuji
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A developing apparatus in which a developing solution is caused to flood through a multiplicity of small apertures in an apertured plate to produce a uniform flow over the plate and is then caused to flow in the direction of travel of a sheet to be developed by use of a drawing roller rotating at a comparatively high speed immediately adjacent to an edge of the plate forming a layer of developing solution to contact only the exposed or recording surface of the sheet which is fed into the apparatus for development.
Claims9
A developing apparatus for electrophotography comprising:
- a. means for supplying a developing solution;
- b. tank means, having at least one side wall, for holding the developing solution supplied by said supplying means and including at its top an apertured plate having an upper surface and a multiplicity of small apertures formed therein to permit the developing solution to flood through the apertures onto said upper surface in a uniform manner;
- c. a developing roller located adjacent to the tank means with its surface disposed for directly receiving the flooding developing solution from said upper surface of the apertured plate and rotating at a peripheral speed greater than the speed at which a copy sheet having a surface to be developed is passed thereby;
- and
- d. a guide means for constraining the copy sheet so as to maintain the surface to be developed thereon in contact with the developing solution on the upper surface of the apertured plate and the surface of the roller while the sheet is being passed thereby.
2 more elements
A developing apparatus for electrophotography comprising:
- a. tank means, having at least one side wall, for retaining and supplying a developing solution;
- b. an apertured plate at the top of said tank means having a multiplicity of small apertures formed therein to permit the developing solution to flood therethrough in a uniform manner;
- c. supply means for causing said developing solution to flood said apertured plate;
- d. a developing roller having a peripheral surface located adjacent to the tank means and driven for rotation at a peripheral speed greater than the speed at which a sheet having a surface to be developed is passed thereby for directly receiving said flooded developing solution from said apertured plate onto its peripheral surface at a first point in its rotational path so that a layer of developing solution is formed in a region defined across the apertured plate and the adjacent peripheral surface of the developing roller;
- e. a guide plate for constraining the sheet so as to maintain the surface to be developed thereon in contact with the layer of developing solution which is supplied to the apertured plate and roller while the sheet is being passed thereby;
- and
- f. a cleaning member abutting against the peripheral surface of the developing roller at a second point in its rotational path prior to said first point for receiving said flooded developing solution for scraping off the developing solution which tends to return to said region moving with the surface of the developing roller.
4 more elements
A developing apparatus for electrophotography comprising:
- a. means for providing a supply of developing solution;
- b. an apertured plate on said supply means having an upper surface with at least one edge and a multiplicity of small apertures formed therein to permit the developing solution to flood through the apertures onto said upper surface in a uniform manner;
- c. a developer drawing roller means, having a peripheral surface with shallow V-shaped grooves in the form of a helix therein, disposed adjacent said one edge of said apertured plate and rotating at a peripheral speed greater than the speed at which a copy sheet having a surface to be developed is passed thereby, for drawing the developing solution which has flooded the upper surface of said apertured plate onto its peripheral surface to form a layer of developing solution across the apertured plate and said adjacent peripheral surface of said roller means;
- and
- d. means for bringing the surface of the copy sheet to be developed into contact with said layer of developing solution while the sheet is being passed thereby.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.