Fiber-reinforced intermediate transfer member for electrophotography, and electrophotographic apparatus including same
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsHiroyuki Kobayashi, Akihiko Nakazawa, Atsushi Tanaka, Tsunenori Ashibe, Takashi Kusaba
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Abstract
An intermediate transfer member suitable for full-color image formation by electrophotography is formed by an elastic base layer and a fibrous core member embedded with the base layer. The core member is formed of fibers which are disposed within the base layer at a spacing between adjacent fibers of 50-3000 μm. As a result, the intermediate transfer member is reinforced to exhibit improved superposed transfer performance free from color deviation while retaining good transfer performance.
Claims13
An electrophotographic intermediate transfer member having an outer surface for carrying a toner image thereon, exhibiting an electrical resistance of 1×104-1×1011Ω, comprising:
- a base layer comprising an elastic material and an electroconductivity-imparting additive;
- and
- non-conductive fibers embedded in the base layer and each having a diameter of 100-200 μm,
- wherein the fibers are disposed with a spacing of 50-3000 μm,
- wherein a fiber diameter “A” and a distance between an upper edge of the fiber and an outer surface of the intermediate transfer member “B” satisfies the following relation:
- B/A≧1,
- and wherein the base layer has a treated-surface constituting the outer surface of the intermediate transfer member, or has a coating-layer of a thickness of 1 to 500 μm on the base layer, the surface of the coating layer constituting the outer surface of the intermediate transfer member.
An electrophotographic intermediate transfer member having an outer surface to which a toner image is transferred from an electrophotographic photosensitive member under application of a transfer bias, and from which a transferred toner image thereon is transferred to a transfer-receiving material under application of a transfer bias, exhibiting an electrical resistance of 1×104-1×1011Ω, the intermediate transfer member comprises:
- a base layer comprising an elastic material and an electroconductivity-imparting additive;
- and
- non-conductive fibers embedded in the base layer and having a diameter of 100-200 μm,
- wherein the fibers are disposed with a spacing of 50-3000 μm,
- wherein a fiber diameter “A” and a distance between an upper edge of the fiber and an outer surface of the intermediate transfer member “B” satisfies the following relation:
- B/A≧1
- and wherein the base layer has a treated-surface constituting an outer surface of the intermediate transfer member, or has a coating-layer of a thickness of 1 to 500 μm on the base layer, the surface of the coating layer constituting the outer surface of the intermediate transfer member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.