IMAGE FORMING METHOD

• US 20110052928A1
• Filed: 08/24/2010
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: SHIONOIRI, Momoko, Kabata, Toshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,828,475 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/500
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/1605 using at least one intermediate support G03G15/1625 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31855 Of addition polymer from unsaturated monomers

Abstract

An image forming method which applies a zinc-containing metal soap to a surface of an intermediate transfer belt including nitrogen on its surface. At least one of the following formulae is satisfied:

(1−C/D)×100(%)−(B/A)×100(%)≦10(%)

(F/E)×100(%)≦30(%)

wherein A and B represent a percentage content of nitrogen at the surface of the intermediate transfer belt before and after image formation on 1,000 sheets, respectively, C represents a percentage content of zinc at the surface of the intermediate transfer belt after the image formation on 1,000 sheets, D represents a percentage content of zinc based on all elements other than hydrogen in the zinc-containing metal soap, and E and F represent a percentage content of nitrogen at the surface of the intermediate transfer belt before and after application of the metal soap thereto for 5 minutes without image formation, respectively.

Claims

1. An image forming method, comprising:

applying a zinc-containing metal soap to a surface of an intermediate transfer belt including nitrogen on its surface to satisfy the following formula;

(1−

C/D)×

100(%)−

(B/A)×

100(%)≦

10(%)

wherein A (% by atom) and B (% by atom) represent a percentage content of nitrogen at the surface of the intermediate transfer belt before and after image formation on 1,000 sheets, respectively, measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), C (% by atom) represents a percentage content of zinc at the surface of the intermediate transfer belt after the image formation on 1,000 sheets, measured by XPS, and D (% by atom) represents a percentage content of zinc based on all elements other than hydrogen in the zinc-containing metal soap.

2. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the following formulae are satisfied:

(B/A)×

100(%)≦

30(%)

(1−

C/D)×

100(%)≦

30(%)

3. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the zinc-containing metal soap is a mixture of zinc stearate and zinc palmitate.

4. The image forming method according to claim 3, wherein a mixing ratio of the zinc stearate to the zinc palmitate is from 73/27 to 45/55.

5. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate transfer belt has linear convexities on its surface,

the linear convexities having a height of from 0.01 to 1 μ

m and a width of from 0.5 to 5 μ

m.

6. The image forming method according to claim 5, wherein the linear convexities divide the surface of the intermediate transfer belt into multiple regions, and each of the regions defined by the linear convexities has an area of from 1,000 to 30,000 μ

m².

7. An image forming method, comprising:

applying a zinc-containing metal soap to a surface of an intermediate transfer belt including nitrogen on its surface to satisfy the following formula;

(F/E)×

100(%)≦

30(%)

wherein E (% by atom) and F (% by atom) represent a percentage content of nitrogen at the surface of the intermediate transfer belt before and after application of the metal soap thereto for 5 minutes without image formation, respectively, measured by XPS.

8. The image forming method according to claim 7, wherein the zinc-containing metal soap is a mixture of zinc stearate and zinc palmitate.

9. The image forming method according to claim 8, wherein a mixing ratio of the zinc stearate to the zinc palmitate is from 73/27 to 45/55.

10. The image forming method according to claim 7, wherein the intermediate transfer belt has linear convexities on its surface,

the linear convexities having a height of from 0.01 to 1 μ

m and a width of from 0.5 to 5 μ

m.

11. The image forming method according to claim 10, wherein the linear convexities divide the surface of the intermediate transfer belt into multiple regions, and each of the regions defined by the linear convexities has an area of from 1,000 to 30,000 μ

m².

12. An image forming method, comprising:

applying a zinc-containing metal soap to a surface of an intermediate transfer belt including nitrogen on its surface to satisfy the following formulae;

(F/E)×

100(%)≦

30(%)

(1−

C/D)×

100(%)−

(B/A)×

100(%)≦

10(%)

wherein E (% by atom) and F (% by atom) represent a percentage content of nitrogen at the surface of the intermediate transfer belt before and after application of the metal soap thereto for 5 minutes without image formation, respectively, measured by XPS, and

wherein A (% by atom) and B (% by atom) represent a percentage content of nitrogen at the surface of the intermediate transfer belt before and after image formation on 1,000 sheets, respectively, measured by XPS, C (% by atom) represents a percentage content of zinc at the surface of the intermediate transfer belt after the image formation on 1,000 sheets, measured by XPS, and D (% by atom) represents a percentage content of zinc based on all elements other than hydrogen in the zinc-containing metal soap.

13. The image forming method according to claim 12, wherein the following formulae are satisfied:

(B/A)×

100(%)≦

30(%)

(1−

C/D)×

100(%)≦

30(%)

14. The image forming method according to claim 12, wherein the zinc-containing metal soap is a mixture of zinc stearate and zinc palmitate.

15. The image forming method according to claim 14, wherein a mixing ratio of the zinc stearate to the zinc palmitate is from 73/27 to 45/55.

16. The image forming method according to claim 12, wherein the intermediate transfer belt has linear convexities on its surface,

the linear convexities having a height of from 0.01 to 1 μ

m and a width of from 0.5 to 5 μ

m.

17. The image forming method according to claim 16, wherein the linear convexities divide the surface of the intermediate transfer belt into multiple regions, and each of the regions defined by the linear convexities has an area of from 1,000 to 30,000 μ

m².