Printing apparatus and method for imaging charged toner particles using direct writing methods
AssigneeThe Salmon Group LLC
InventorPeter C. Salmon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Direct writing method and apparatus and methods for imaging charged toner particles directly to a print receiving medium. The charged toner particles are imaged directly to a print receiving medium using one electronic writing head for each color. The writing heads employ voltage traveling waves to convey toner in the form of toner packets to toner transport channels. The size of the toner packets is controlled by using additive or subtractive methods to perform imaging.
Claims33
A printing apparatus for supplying toner particles from a toner source to pixel sites on a toner receiving surface to form images on said surface including:
- a writing head having a toner packet forming region for forming a toner packet for each pixel site, a toner packet transport region, and a toner packet transfer region having one transfer end for delivering toner packets to individual pixel sites on said toner receiving surface,
- a toner delivery system disposed adjacent said writing head for delivering toner to said toner packet forming region of said writing head,
- said toner packet forming region including toner control means for controlling an amount of toner in each toner packet and delivering the packets to said toner packet transport region whereby the packet supplied at each of said pixel sites on said receiving surface forms a pixel having a depth corresponding to the amount of toner delivered in the corresponding packet.
A printing apparatus for supplying toner particles from a toner source to pixel sites on an image receiving surface of predetermined width to form images on said surface including:
- a writing head having a toner packet forming region, a toner packet transport region and a toner packet transfer region having a transfer end for delivering toner packets to individual said pixel sites on said image receiving surface,
- said writing head having a plurality of spaced parallel transport electrodes extending substantially coextensive with the width of said image receiving surface,
- a source of AC multiphase voltage connected to said electrodes to form a traveling wave for transporting toner packets,
- a plurality of spaced barrier electrodes extending substantially perpendicular to said transport electrodes to form a plurality of side-by-side packet transport channels in said toner packet transport region, said barrier electrodes also forming a plurality of side-by-side channels in said toner packet forming region,
- a toner delivery system including a donor delivery member disposed adjacent said multichannel toner packet forming region for delivering toner to each of said channels,
- said toner forming section including toner control means for independently controlling the amount of toner in the packets in each of said channels in said packet forming region and for delivering the packets to the corresponding channel in said toner transport region whereby each of the toner packets delivered to said toner packet transfer region for delivery to the image receiving surface forms a pixel of selected depth.
A printing apparatus for supplying toner particles from a toner source to pixel sites on an image receiving surface of predetermined width to form images on said surface including:
- a writing head having a toner packet forming region and a toner packet transport region having one end for delivering toner packets to said pixel sites on said image receiving surface,
- said writing head comprising a substrate having a plurality of spaced parallel thin film transport electrodes extending substantially coextensive with the width of said image receiving surface,
- a source of AC multiphase voltage connected to said electrodes to form a traveling wave for transporting toner packets,
- a plurality of spaced parallel thin film barrier electrodes insulated from and extending substantially perpendicular to said transport electrodes to form a plurality of side-by-side packet transport channels, said barrier electrodes also forming a plurality of side-by-side channels in said toner packet forming region,
- a toner delivery system including a toner delivery surface disposed adjacent said toner packet forming region for delivering toner to each of said channels, and
- thin film toner loading electrodes in each of said channels extending between and parallel to said barrier electrodes in the toner packet forming region for independently loading toner into the channels of said packet forming region to form packets of toner.
A method of applying toner to an image receiving member to form a line of pixels each having a predetermined amount of toner which comprises the steps of:
- conditioning a print head having a plurality of side-by-side columns of spaced imaging electrodes having a transfer end to control the size of toner packets formed in each column during a print cycle,
- supplying toner to said imaging electrodes whereby each of said toner packets are formed with a predetermined amount of toner,
- positioning said image receiving member adjacent a transfer end of said print head,
- conveying said toner packets along said columns to said transfer end, and
- transferring said toner packet to said image receiving member to form a pixel for each of said columns, each pixel having said predetermined amount of toner, with each of said print cycles creating a line of pixels.
A method of applying toner to an image receiving member to form a line of pixels each having a predetermined amount of toner which comprises the steps of:
- positioning a toner source adjacent a print head having a plurality of side-by-side columns of spaced electrodes having a transfer end,
- applying voltage traveling waves to said electrodes to convey toner packets along said columns,
- applying a voltage to an imaging electrode in each of said columns to control the amount of toner loaded from said toner source to each of said packets in each of said columns to form packets with a predetermined amount of toner,
- positioning said image receiving member adjacent a transfer end of said print head,
- conveying said toner packets along said columns to said transfer end, and
- causing said conveyed toner packets to transfer to said image receiving member to form a pixel for each packet for each of said columns, each pixel having said predetermined amount of toner.
A toner cartridge for supplying toner particles to an image receiving surface including:
- a toner reservoir,
- a toner charging means, and
- a writing head having a toner packet forming region and a toner packet transport region for delivering toner packets to pixel sites on said image receiving surface,
- said toner packet forming region including toner control means for controlling the amount of toner in each toner packet and delivering the packets to said toner packet transport region whereby the packet or packets delivered to each of said pixel sites on said receiving surface forms a pixel corresponding to the amount of toner delivered in each packet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.