Vacuum assisted dispersant reduction system
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsRobert Simms, Henry Till, Robert K. Waring, John Gardner, Tab Tress, James Simpson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a device and method for increasing the solids content of an image formed from a liquid developer, absorption material is contacted with a toner dispersant laden image, and the absorbed dispersant is vacuumed out of the absorption material. The absorption material preferably is a conductive cover on a porous roller biased with an electrical charge which is the same as the charge of the toner particles, such that the resulting electric field repels the toner particles from the absorption material so that minimal toner particles are transferred to the absorption material.
Claims26
A method for removing toner dispersant from an image formed by depositing a liquid developer comprising toner and toner dispersant on a movable image carrying member of an electrostatographic printing system using a developer station, said toner dispersant being removed before said image is transferred to a receiving medium from said movable image carrying member by a transfer station, said method comprising:
- contacting an outer, absorptive surface of an absorption material to said image on said image carrying member, so that said absorption material absorbs at least some of said toner dispersant from said image, said absorption material having an inner surface and being capable of passing absorbed toner dispersant therethrough from said outer surface to said inner surface, said absorption material located between the developer station and the transfer station of the electrostatographic printing system;
- and
- vacuuming absorbed dispersant through and out of the absorption material by applying a vacuum to the inner surface of said absorption material, a vacuum pressure of said vacuum being less than a capillary pressure of pores of the absorption material so that said absorption material remains filled with said dispersant and so that substantially no air is introduced into said pores by said vacuum during removal of said dispersant.
An electrostatographic printing system comprising:
- a movable image carrying member;
- a developer station for depositing a toner dispersant laden image on said image carrying member;
- a transfer station for transferring said image formed on said imaging member to a receiving medium;
- an absorption material, located between said developer station and said transfer station, capable of absorbing toner dispersant from the image formed on said image carrying member from a liquid developer, said absorption material having an outer surface in contact with said image carrying member and an inner surface, said absorption material capable of passing toner dispersant therethrough from said outer surface to said inner surface;
- and
- a vacuum source in fluid communication with said inner surface of said absorption material, said vacuum source applying a vacuum to said absorption material having a vacuum pressure less than a capillary pressure of pores of the absorption material so that said absorption material remains filled with said dispersant and so that substantially no air is introduced into said pores by said vacuum during removal of said dispersant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.