Colored cyber toner using multicolored gyricon spheres

• US 20030087068A1
• Filed: 11/06/2001
• Published: 05/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Chopra, Naveen, Kazmaier, Peter M., Torres, Francisco E., Vandebroek, Sophie V., Tam, Man C., Georges, Steven, Ro, Sammy Y.H.
• Granted Patent: US 6,699,570 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/199
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2554/00 Paper of special types, e.g. banknotes
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/02 characterised by structural features of a fibrous or filamentary layer layer formed of metallic wires B32B15/02; layer formed of natural mineral fibres B32B19/02; layer formed of wood fibres B32B21/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24835 including developable image or soluble portion in coating or impregnation [e.g., safety paper, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/25 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component and including a second component containing structurally defined particles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2915 including textile, cloth or fabric
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2982 Particulate matter [e.g., sphere, flake, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/2418 Coating or impregnation increases electrical conductivity or anti-static quality

Abstract

A dynamic reimageable document or electric paper can be formed from ordinary substrates such as paper, transparencies or fabric by printing of microencapsulated Gyricon beads onto one or more discrete surface areas of the substrate. The substrate can include both fixed print regions formed by conventional fixed ink processes and dynamic reimageable regions formed by the Gyricon beads. The Gyricon beads are preferably bichromal and of contrasting colors, such as black/white so as to be changeable to display two states by selective application of electromagnetic force to the beads. By providing bichromal beads in differing color combinations, such as red/white and black/white, a multi-colored document can be achieved in which various fields of the document, representing text, images or graphics, may be in differing colors. Moreover, operations to perform both imaging or erasure can act on the discrete reimageable regions so that the versatility of the electric paper can be enhanced. The Gyricon beads may be dispersed in a solution to form a liquid Gyricon toner that can be directly marked, such as by a jet nozzle, into a desired pattern on the substrate.

Claims

1. A dynamically reimageable document, comprising:

a substrate having a surface;

one or more discrete regions on the surface of the substrate containing a plurality of microencapsulated Gyricon beads that define one or more dynamic reimageable image regions each with a particular pattern; and

one or more fixed image regions containing fixed printing.

2. The dynamically reimageable document of claim 1, wherein at least one of the dynamic reimageable image regions is of a different color than one of the fixed image regions to form a multi-colored document.

3. The dynamically reimageable document of claim 2, wherein at least two dynamic reimageable image regions are provided and the Gyricon beads of one of the two dynamic regions differ in color from the Gyricon beads of the other dynamic region.

4. The dynamically reimageable document of claim 1, wherein the Gyricon beads are dispersed in a liquid solution and form a toner that is printed on the dynamic reimageable image regions.

5. The dynamically reimageable document of claim 4, wherein the solution includes a binder.

6. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 4, wherein the solution is an aqueous solution.

7. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 6, wherein the solution is a mixture of non-aqueous and aqueous solutions, with the non-aqueous solution being selected from the group of MeOH and EtOH.

8. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 4, wherein the solution is a nonaqueous solution.

9. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 8, wherein the non-aqueous solution is selected from the group of acetone, iPrOH, MeOH, EtOH, Isopars, and Dow silicone fluids.

10. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 1, wherein at least one of the dynamic reimageable image regions is patterned in the shape of an object selected from the group of text and graphics.

11. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 10, wherein the object can be reimaged by erasure of the object by reversal of a charge on the Gyricon beads forming the object.

12. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 1, wherein the substrate is paper.

13. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a transparency.

14. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 1, wherein the substrate is fabric.

44. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 1, wherein the one or more fixed image regions contains fixed data fields and at least one of the dynamic reimageable image regions contains variable data fields.

15. A method of printing of a dynamic document, comprising:

forming a plurality of microencapsulated Gyricon beads;

providing a substrate;

selectively printing the microencapsulated Gyricon beads onto discrete surface areas of the substrate to form at least one dynamic reimageable image region on the substrate on which one or more objects of a particular pattern can be imaged and dynamically reimaged by application of electromagnetic force to the at least one dynamic reimageable image region.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising a step of dispersing the plurality of Gyricon beads into a solution to form a liquid Gyricon toner.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of selectively printing includes direct printing of the liquid Gyricon toner onto the discrete surface areas.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the direct printing includes dispensing of a slurry of the Gyricon toner through a jet nozzle.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the solution includes a binder that allows the Gyricon toner to adhere to the surface of the substrate.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the substrate is paper.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the substrate is a transparency.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the substrate is a fabric.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising a step of coating an adhesive onto at least the discrete areas forming the dynamic reimageable imaging regions prior to the selective printing.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of forming a plurality of Gyricon beads includes forming bichromal Gyricon beads in multiple colors;

and

the step of selectively printing includes forming a first dynamic reimageable image region with Gyricon beads of a first color and forming a second dynamic reimageable image region with Gyricon beads of a second color.

25. The method of claim 15, further comprising a step of forming a fixed image region on the surface of the substrate using a non-dynamic ink.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of printing results in a monolayer of Gyricon beads.

27. A dynamically reimageable document, comprising:

a substrate having a surface; and

at least two discrete regions on the surface of the substrate containing a plurality of microencapsulated Gyricon beads that define one or more dynamic reimageable image regions each with a particular pattern,

wherein a first of the two discrete regions contains Gyricon beads of a color different than Gyricon beads in a second of the two discrete regions so as to provide a multicolored document.

28. The dynamically reimageable document of claim 27, wherein the Gyricon beads are bichromal with contrasting colors.

29. The dynamically reimageable document of claim 27, wherein at least some of the Gyricon beads have black/white hemispheres.

30. The dynamically reimageable document of claim 27, wherein the Gyricon beads are dispersed in a liquid solution and form a toner that is printed on the dynamic reimageable image regions.

31. The dynamically reimageable document of claim 30, wherein the solution includes a binder.

32. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 31, wherein the binder is selected from the group of silicone elastomer, shellac and epoxy.

33. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 30, wherein the solution is an aqueous solution.

34. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 33, wherein the solution is a mixture of non-aqueous and aqueous solutions, with the non-aqueous solution being selected from the group of MeOH and EtOH.

35. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 30, wherein the solution is a non-aqueous solution.

36. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 35, wherein the non-aqueous solution is selected from the group of acetone, iPrOH, MeOH or EtOH.

37. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 27, wherein at least one of the dynamic reimageable image regions is patterned in the shape of an object selected from the group of text and graphics.

38. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 37, wherein the object can be reimaged by erasure of the object by reversal of a charge on the Gyricon beads forming the object.

39. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 27, wherein the substrate is paper.

40. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 27, wherein the substrate is a transparency.

41. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 27, wherein the substrate is fabric.

42. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 27, further comprising one or more fixed image regions containing fixed printing.

43. The dynamic reimageable document of claim 42, wherein the one or more fixed image regions contains fixed data fields and at least one of the dynamic reimageable image regions contains variable data fields.