Apparatus for eliminating excess ions of a developer for liquid electrophotographic printer

Abstract

An apparatus for eliminating excess ions in a developer used for a liquid electrophotographic printer, including a photoreceptor medium, a laser scan unit for forming an electrostatic latent image by emitting a laser beam to the photoreceptor medium, and a developing unit for developing an electrostatic latent image area of the photoreceptor medium using a developer which is a mixture of a toner and a liquid carrier. The apparatus includes: a settling unit provided at one side of the developing unit for settling the toner of the developer supplied from the developing unit in a short time using an electrical force; a developer input/output controller installed between the developing unit and the settling unit for selectively controlling the input/output of the developer; and an excess ion eliminating unit for eliminating excess ions included in the developer in an upper portion of the settling unit. Thus, in the apparatus for eliminating excess ions in a developer, the developer flows sporadically in the settling tank from the developing unit during operation of a printer. The toner in the developer flowed in is settled in a short time by applying a bias voltage to upper and lower electrode plates of the settling unit. Then, the excess ions included in the developer disposed in the upper portion of the settling tank where the settlement of toner is sufficiently made are eliminated. Thus, in a liquid electrophotographic printer adopting the above apparatus according to the present invention, a decrease in the concentration of toner on an image can be prevented.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.