Electrostatic printing plate possessing a tiered surface
AssigneeElectrox Corporation
InventorsDietmar C. Eberlein, Robert H. Detig
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for the electrostatic printing of dry or wet toners using a novel tiered printing plate allows for superior and efficient transfer of toner from the plate to the printed item. The process for producing the printing plate uses photo polymer film resist with a positive photo tool which after developing yields trenches between ridges of hardened photo polymer which hold the toner in desired pattern.
Claims11
An electrostatic printing apparatus having a printing plate which is comprised of a trenched printing plate having a patterned coating of a charge retention layer, said charge retention layer being sufficiently thick to maintain a gap between toner attached within said trenches and a surface to be printed, when said surface to be printed is in contact with said charge retention layer.
A method for preparing a trenched electrostatic printing plate comprising the steps of:
- A) coating an electrically conductive substrate with a charge retention layer said charge retention layer being sufficiently thick to maintain a gap between toner attached within said trenches and a surface to be printed, when said surface to be printed is in contact with said charae retention layer;
- and
- B) forming a pattern in said charge retention layer by removing portions of said charge retention layer, thereby forming a pattern of trenches of un-coated substrate between a pattern of charge retention layer.
A method for the electrostatic printing of toner on a receiving object, comprising the steps of
- A) applying an a sensitizing electrical charge to a trenched printing plate having a charge-retention layer patterned with charge-conducting trenches;
- B) developing the charged, trenched printing plate with toner having a same signed charge as said sensitizing electrical charge, thereby depositing toner in said trenches of said printing plate;
- C) placing said-charae retention layer of the toner developed printing plate in proximate contact with the receiving object, thereby maintaining a gap between the deposited toner on said charge conducting trenches and said receiving object;
- D) applying a charge to said receiving object, and thereby transferring said toner to said receiving object across said gap;
- E) removing said printing plate from said receiving object;
- and
- F) removing the charge from said receiving object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.