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US 5,153,617 AGranted
Digitally controlled method and apparatus for delivering toners to substrates
OwnerPeter C. Salmoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrostatic printing apparatus employs digitally controlled imaging conveyors to print monocomponent toners on plain paper in a single pass. Pixel intensity is programmed by associating a counted number of packets of toner with each level of pixel depth. Additional embodiments include toner pumping conveyors, toner trapping conveyors, a self-regulating toner source module, and fixed and moving head color printers.
Claims33
A printing apparatus for printing on an image receiving member comprising:
- a source of toner particles;
- at least one particle conveyor means that conveys toner particles from a loading point adjacent said toner source to a transfer point adjacent said image receiving member in response to conveyor voltages;
- means for presenting the image receiving member to the particle conveyor at said transfer point;
- means for transferring particles from said transfer points of said conveyor means to corresponding pixel sites on said image receiving member;
- and
- means for applying control voltages to said conveyor means to deliver a predetermined amount of toner to each of said corresponding pixel sites on said image receiving member.
3 more elements
A printing apparatus for forming toner images on an image receiving member, said apparatus including:
- a source of charged toner particles;
- at least one particle conveyor comprising a linear array of spaced electrodes provided on a substrate with control lines connected in repeating sequence to said electrodes;
- means for creating packets of charged toner particles at a loading end of said particle conveyor adjacent said toner source;
- a programmable multiphase digital clock generator whose output is connected in phase order to said control lines of said particle conveyor, serving to selectively move charged particles along said substrate in a digitally controlled manner to the other end;
- means to transfer said toner particles from the other end of said particle conveyor to said receiving member;
- and
- means for moving said image receiving member relative to said other end of the particle conveyor.
4 more elements
An electrostatic printing apparatus for printing on an image receiving member comprising:
- plurality of linear arrays of electrodes, each array terminating with a transfer electrode adjacent said image receiving member at one of a plurality of pixel positions across said image receiving member;
- means to support said linear arrays and dispose said transfer electrodes adjacent said image receiving member;
- means for supplying toner particles to a loading end of each of said linear arrarys;
- means for supplying voltages to the electrodes of each of said linear arrays;
- means for controlling said voltages whereby packets of toner are selectively conveyed from said loading end and from electrode to electrode to said transfer electrodes on each of said linear arrays, according to a predetermined number of packets required to print the desired pixel intensity on said image receiving member;
- and
- means to transfer toner from said transfer electrodes to corresponding pixel sites on said image receiving member.
4 more elements
A printing apparatus for capturing, conveying, and transferring toner for delivery in image configuration onto an image receiving member, said apparatus comprising:
- a toner source;
- a substrate sheet;
- a plurality of side-by-side linear conveyor means, each comprising an array of spaced electrodes extending from one end of the substrate to the other, with the end electrode comprising a toner particle transfer electrode;
- drive lines connected in repeating sequence to the spaced electrodes in each of said linear conveyors;
- means for generating and applying a digital clock in phase order to the drive lines in each conveyor to cause packets of toner to be captured at a loading end of said conveyor adjacent said toner source, and move to holding electrodes spaced apart from said transfer electrodes;
- means for selectively stepping packets of toner from said holding electrodes to said transfer electrodes according to the the toner depth required at corresponding pixel sites on the image receiving member;
- means to present the image receiving member to the substrate sheet in close relation to said transfer electrodes of said linear conveyor means;
- p1 means for transferring particles from said transfer electrodes to said image receiving member to deliver toner from the transfer electrodes to corresponding pixel sites on said image receiving member;
- means for moving said substrate sheet and said image receiving member relative to one another to form lines of pixels, each pixel receiving toner in accordance with the toner depth programmed for that pixel.
6 more elements
A programmable toner particle conveyor apparatus comprising:
- a substrate with a linear array of spaced electrodes;
- drive lines connected in repeating sequence to said electrodes;
- and
- a multiphase digital clock whose output is connected in phase order to said drive lines of said linear array, each phase of said digital clock being programmable in amplitude and polarity as a function of time, such that movement of charged particles on said substrate is digitally controllable with respect to flow rate and direction of travel.
1 more element
A toner source apparatus comprising:
- a toner reservoir;
- monocomponent toner;
- means to charge and meter toner onto a suporting member;
- means to form a cloud of charged toner particles adjacent said supporting member;
- and
- particle conveyor means to deliver charged toner from a loading point adjacent said toner cloud to a user of said toner, said conveyor means including a linear array of electrodes, feed lines connected in repeating sequence to said electrodes, a programmable multiphase digital clock connected in phase order to said feed lines, such that charged toner particles are conveyed along said conveyor from electrode in a digitally controlled manner.
3 more elements
An electrostatic printing apparatus comprising:
- a toner reservoir;
- monocomponent toner;
- means to charge and meter toner onto a supporting member;
- means to form a cloud of charged toner particles adjacent said supporting member;
- toner conveyor means to deliver toner from a loading point adjacent said toner cloud to an imaging conveyor, said toner conveyor means comprising a linear array of electrodes, feed lines connected in repeating sequence to said electrodes, a programmable multiphase digital clock connected in phase order to said feed lines, such that packets of toner are conveyed along said toner conveyor from electrode to electrode in a digitally controlled manner;
- means to form a cloud of charged toner particles adjacent said toner conveyor means and adjacent a loading end of an imaging conveyor;
- said imaging conveyor comprising linear arrays of electrodes, feed lines connected in repeating sequence to electrodes of each of said linear arrays, a programmable multiphase digital clock connected in phase order to each of said feed lines, such that packets of toner are conveyed along said linear arrays from electrode to electrode in a digitally controlled manner to transfer points adjacent said image receiving member;
- means for presenting the image receiving member to said imaging conveyors at said transfer points;
- means for transferring toner packets from said transfer points to corresponding pixel sites on said image receiving member;
- means for applying and controlling voltages to said imaging conveyors to deliver a predetermined amount of toner to each of said corresponding pixel sites on said image receiving member;
- and
- means for moving said image receiving member relative to said transfer points.
9 more elements
The method of printing with a toner on a substrate comprising the steps of:
- conveying toner by moving the toner along a conveyor from a toner source to a pixel transfer position;
- positioning the substrate opposite said pixel transfer position;
- transferring toner from said pixel transfer position to a pixel site on said substrate during a print cycle;
- and
- controlling the amount of toner conveyed to said pixel transfer position during a print cycle to control the toner depth at said pixel site.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.