IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20180143571A1
• Filed: 11/17/2017
• Published: 05/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oki Data Corporation (OKI Electric Industry Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Oki Data Corporation (OKI Electric Industry Company Limited)
• Inventors: TAKAZAWA, Takayuki
• Granted Patent: US 10,452,004 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0131 for transferring a pattern to a second base
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0189 primary transfer to an intermediate transfer belt G03G15/0184 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/1605 using at least one intermediate support G03G15/1625 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/1675 with means for controlling the bias applied in the transfer nip
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/1695 with means for preconditioning the paper base before the transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/235 the image receiving member being preconditioned before transferring the second image, e.g. decurled, or the second image being formed with different operating parameters, e.g. a different fixing temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/36 Editing, i.e. producing a composite image by copying one or more original images or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6558 Feeding path after the copy sheet preparation and up to the transfer point, e.g. registering; Deskewing; Correct timing of sheet feeding to the transfer point
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6579 Refeeding path for composite copying
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6582 Special processing for irreversibly adding or changing the sheet copy material characteristics or its appearance, e.g. stamping, annotation printing, punching
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6585 by using non-standard toners, e.g. transparent toner, gloss adding devices
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6591 characterised by the recording material, e.g. plastic material, OHP, ceramics, tiles, textiles details transferring the toner pattern onto particular materials G03G15/1625
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0129 horizontal medium transport path at the secondary transfer

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section and a transfer section. The image forming section includes a first image forming unit that forms a first developer image and a second image forming unit that forms a second developer image. The transfer section transfers, on a basis of a first transfer condition, the first developer image onto a medium, and transfers, on a basis of a second transfer condition, the second developer image onto the medium onto which the first developer image has been transferred. The second transfer condition is different from the first transfer condition.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image forming section including a first image forming unit that forms a first developer image and a second image forming unit that forms a second developer image; and

a transfer section that transfers, on a basis of a first transfer condition, the first developer image onto a medium, and transfers, on a basis of a second transfer condition, the second developer image onto the medium onto which the first developer image has been transferred, the second transfer condition being different from the first transfer condition.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first transfer condition comprises a first current density used upon the transfer of the first developer image onto the medium, and

the second transfer condition comprises a second current density used upon the transfer of the second developer image onto the medium.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the first developer image comprises a transparent image,

the second developer image comprises a colored image, and

the first current density is higher than the second current density.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first transfer condition comprises a first transfer voltage used upon the transfer of the first developer image onto the medium, and

the second transfer condition comprises a second transfer voltage used upon the transfer of the second developer image onto the medium.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the first developer image comprises a transparent image,

the second developer image comprises a colored image, and

the first transfer voltage is higher than the second transfer voltage.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first transfer condition comprises a first conveyance speed at which the medium is to pass through the transfer section, and

the second transfer condition comprises a second conveyance speed at which the medium is to pass through the transfer section.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the first developer image comprises a transparent image,

the second developer image comprises a colored image, and

the first conveyance speed is lower than the second conveyance speed.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first transfer condition comprises a first pressure that is to be applied to the medium when the transfer section transfers the first developer image, and

the second transfer condition comprises a second pressure that is to be applied to the medium when the transfer section transfers the second developer image.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the first developer image comprises a transparent image,

the second developer image comprises a colored image, and

the first pressure is higher than the second pressure.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fixing section that fixes the first developer image to the medium after the transfer section has transferred the first developer image onto the medium and before the transfer section transfers the second developer image onto the medium, and fixes the second developer image to the medium after the transfer section has transferred the second developer image onto the medium.

11. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image forming section including a first image forming unit that forms a first developer image and a second image forming unit that forms a second developer image;

a transfer section that transfers the first developer image onto a medium and transfers the second developer image onto the medium onto which the first developer image has been transferred; and

a fixing section that fixes, on a basis of a first fixing condition, the first developer image to the medium after the transfer section has transferred the first developer image onto the medium and before the transfer section transfers the second developer image onto the medium, and fixes, on a basis of a second fixing condition, the second developer image to the medium after the transfer section has transferred the second developer image onto the medium, the second fixing condition being different from the first fixing condition.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the first fixing condition comprises a first pressure that is to be applied to the medium when the fixing section fixes the first developer image to the medium, and

the second fixing condition comprises a second pressure that is to be applied to the medium when the fixing section fixes the second developer image to the medium.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the first developer image comprises a transparent image,

the second developer image comprises a colored image, and

the first pressure is higher than the second pressure.

14. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image forming section that performs a first image forming operation and a second image forming operation, the first image forming operation forming a first developer image, the second image forming operation sequentially forming a second developer image and a third developer image after the first image forming operation has been performed, the first developer image being a first transparent image or a white image, the second developer image being a second transparent image, the third developer image being a colored image; and

a transfer section that performs a first transfer operation and a second transfer operation, the first transfer operation transferring the first developer image onto a medium before the image forming section performs the second image forming operation, the second transfer operation transferring the third developer image and the second developer image onto the first developer image having been transferred onto the medium to allow the third developer image and the second developer image to be stacked in order on the first developer image having been transferred onto the medium.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the transfer section includes

a primary transfer section that performs first primary transfer and second primary transfer, the first primary transfer transferring the first developer image onto an intermediate transfer member, the second primary transfer transferring the second developer image and the third developer image onto the intermediate transfer member, and

a secondary transfer section that performs first secondary transfer and second secondary transfer, the first secondary transfer transferring, onto the medium, the first developer image that has been transferred onto the intermediate transfer member, the second secondary transfer transferring, onto the first developer image that has been transferred onto the medium, the second developer image and the third developer image that have been transferred onto the intermediate transfer member.