Color-self-developing, microcapsular toner particles
AssigneeOlin Corporation
InventorsPaul V. Grosso, Michael J. Morgan, Feagin A. Wing, Jr., Williard F. Burt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This, invention relates to electrostatic imaging systems, and, more particularly, color-self-developing toner particles and processes for the fabrication and use thereof. A blend of these toner particles is useful in multicolor electrostatic imaging using a single dry or liquid toner bath. Potential applications include full-color xerographic copying, full-color printing, full-color computer-generated imaging, and the like.
Claims13
A developer-bearing, color-self-developing, electrostatically-depositable, microcapsular toner particle comprising a shell and a core said shell being fabricated of a polymer, and said core comprising as a color precursor a colorless, chromogenic material, and additionally containing a radiation-sensitive material, said chromogenic material being capable of becoming colored upon contact with a developer, said shell possessing a charge characteristic to render said toner particle electrostatically-depositable, said shell having a developer on the outer surface thereof, the shell of said toner particle being rupturable to release said chromogenic material, thereby contacting and reacting said released chromogenic material with said developer to form a colored image.
A color imaging method which comprises the steps of:
- (a) forming a latent image on a photoconductive or dielectric substrate,
- (b) electrostatically depositing a blended toner composition onto a charged or uncharged surface of said substrate to form a toned image which is a positive or reverse image as compared to said latent image, said blended toner composition comprising at least two different toners, each of said toners comprising a color precursor contained in photosensitive toner particles, said toner particles bearing a developer on the surface thereof,
- (c) selectively photohardening or photosoftening at least a portion of said toner particles by imagewise exposure to appropriate wavelengths of radiation to provide harder toner particles and softer, rupturable toner particles,
- (d) transferring said harder toner particles and said rupturable toner particles to a copy surface, and
- (e) rupturing at least a portion of said toner particles on said copy surface to release color precursor(s) from said rupturable toner particles, thereby contacting and reacting said developer with said released color precursor(s) to form a color image on said copy surface.
A color imaging method which comprises the steps of:
- (a) forming a latent image on a photoconductive or dielectric substrate,
- (b) electrostatically depositing a blended toner composition onto a charged or uncharged surface of said substrate to form a toned image which is a positive or reverse image as compared to said latent image, said blended toner composition comprising at least two different toners, each of said toners comprising a color precursor contained in photosensitive toner particles, said toner particles bearing a developer on the surface thereof,
- (c) selectively photohardening or photosoftening at least a portion of said toner particles by imagewise exposure to appropriate wavelengths of radiation to provide harder toner particles and softer, rupturable toner particles,
- (d) rupturing at least a portion of said toner particles on said substrate to release color precursor(s) from said rupturable toner particles, thereby contacting and reacting said developer with said released color precursor(s) to form a color image on said substrate, and
- (e) transferring said color image to a copy surface.
A color imaging method which comprises the steps of:
- (a) forming a latent image on a photoconductive or dielectric substrate,
- (b) electrostatically depositing a blended toner composition onto a charged or uncharged surface of said substrate to form a toned image which is a positive or reverse image as compared to said latent image, said blended toner composition comprising at least two different toners, each of said toners comprising a color precursor contained in photo-sensitive toner particles, said toner particles containing a developer on the surface thereof,
- (c) transferring said toned image to a copy surface,
- (d) selectively photohardening or photosoftening at least a portion of said toner particles by imagewise exposure to appropriate wavelengths of radiation to provide harder toner particles and softer, rupturable toner particles, and
- (e) rupturing at least a portion of said toner particles on said copy surface to release color precursor(s) from said rupturable toner particles, thereby contacting and reacting said developer with said released color precursor(s) to form a color image on said copy surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.