Black Toners Containing Infrared Transmissive

• US 20090098476A1
• Filed: 01/29/2008
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lexmark International Incorporated (Ninestar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lexmark International Incorporated (Ninestar Corporation)
• Inventors: Ravitz, Cary Patterson, Denton, Gary Allen
• Granted Patent: US 8,133,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 430/108.9
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/0904 Carbon black
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/0926 characterised by physical or chemical properties

Abstract

A toner formulation is disclosed comprising a binder, an IR absorbing colorant, and one or more infrared transmissive colorants, wherein the colorants are configured to provide a low reflectivity in the visible region of the spectrum and an intermediate reflectivity in the near infrared region of the spectrum when the toner is printed and fused onto paper.

Claims

1. A black toner formulation comprising:

a binder and an IR absorbing colorant and one or more infrared transmissive colorants wherein the formulation indicates the following spectral characteristics when fused on white paper at a L* value of 9-24;

% R_{800-1200 nm}≧

(0.00082×

Rvis+0.0078)(λ

)+1.98Rvis−

9.6

and

% R_{800-1200 nm}≦

(0.00082×

Rvis+0.0078)(λ

)+1.98Rvis+10.0

wherein % R_{800-1200 nm} is the percent reflectance for a given wavelength (λ

) in the range 800-1200 nm, Rvis is the average percent reflectance of the fused toner formulation for the 380-730 nm region of the spectrum, and the value of % R_{800-1200 nm} at said given wavelength is less than or equal to 70%.

2. The toner formulation of claim 1 wherein the IR absorbing colorant comprises carbon black at a concentration of 0.25-2.0% and said black toner has a Chroma C* of less than or equal to 15.0 for all half-tone shade levels printed on white paper.

3. The toner formulation of claim 1 wherein said infrared transmissive colorants configured to provide a black color comprise two or more of the following:

blue pigment, cyan pigment, green pigment, yellow pigment, orange pigment, brown pigment, red pigment, magenta pigment, violet pigment.

4. The toner formulation of claim 3 wherein said black color comprises a color having a chroma C* of less than or equal to 15.0 for all half-tone shade levels printed on white paper.

5. The toner formulation of claim 3 wherein said blue pigment absorbs at a wavelength of 510-700 nm, said cyan pigment absorbs at a wavelength of 550-700, said green pigment absorbs at a wavelength of 400-450 nm and 580-700 nm, said yellow pigment absorbs at a wavelength of 400-500 nm, said orange pigment absorbs at a wavelength of 400-550, said brown pigment absorbs at a wavelength of 400-580 nm, said red pigment absorbs at a wavelength of 400-580 nm, said magenta pigment absorbs at a wavelength of 500-580 nm, said violet pigment absorbs at a wavelength of 500-600 nm.

6. The toner according to claim 1 wherein the infrared transmissive colorants comprise one of the following color combinations:

(a) cyan and orange;

(b) cyan and red;

(c) cyan, orange and red.

7. The toner formulation of claim 1 wherein said one or more infrared transmissive colorants is present at a level of less than or equal to 15.0% by weight.

8. The toner formulation of claim 1 wherein said formulation exhibits a bulk reflectivity at about 940 nanometers, for toner particle sizes of 5.5 to 10 microns, of greater than 7.5% and less than or equal to 60%.

9. The toner formulation of claim 1 wherein said formulation is contained in an image forming apparatus.

10. The toner formulation of claim 1 wherein said formulation is contained in a printer cartridge.