Air conditioning device for a printer

• US 5,481,339 A
• Filed: 06/08/1994
• Issued: 01/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Punch Graphix International NV (ColourOz TopCo)
• Original Assignee: Xeikon NV (ColourOz TopCo)
• Inventors: Elsermans, Johan D. G., Verluyten, Ludo, De Schamphelaere, Lucien A., De Cock, Etienne M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Royer, William J.
• Application Number:
  US08/257,048
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/200, 355/215, 355/245, 15/301, 454/49, 454/56, 454/184, 454/186
• US Class Current: 399/93
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0887 Arrangements for conveying and conditioning developer in the developing unit, e.g. agitating, removing impurities or humidity
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/203 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/206 Conducting air through the machine, e.g. for cooling, filtering, removing gases like ozone

Abstract

An electrostatographic printer is described for forming an image onto a moving web or sheet. The printer includes a number of toner image-producing electrostatographic stations having rotatable drums onto which a toner image can be formed. A development station forms a toner image on the drums. Drive rollers convey the web past the image-producing stations. Corona discharge devices transfer the toner image on the drum surface onto the moving web. The printer also has an air-conditioning device which has filters for removing dust and ozone from air leaving the environment of the image-producing station, a heat exchanger and a humidifier for adjusting the temperature and humidity of air leaving the environment of the image-producing station, and an inlet manifold for introducing a stream of the conditioned clean air into the environment of the image-producing stations.

Claims

1. An electrostatographic printer for forming an image onto a moving receptor element, which printer comprises:

(i) a plurality of toner image-producing electrostatographic stations;

(ii) means for conveying the moving receptor element past said image-producing stations, each of said image producing stations having rotatable endless surface means onto which a toner image can be formed, a development station for forming a toner image on said rotatable endless surface means and means for transferring said toner image on said rotatable endless surface means onto said moving receptor element; and

(iii) an air-conditioning device comprising means for adjusting the temperature and humidity of air to produce conditioned air, and means for introducing a stream of said conditioned air into the environment of said image-producing stations, wherein air leaving the environment of said image-producing stations is recycled to, and reconditioned by, said air-conditioning device.

2. A printer according to claim 1, wherein said moving receptor element is a paper web.

3. A printer according to claim 1, wherein said air-conditioning device further comprises means for removing dust and ozone from air leaving the environment of said image-producing stations.

4. A printer according to claim 3, wherein said means for removing dust from air leaving the environment of said image-producing stations comprises a dust-retaining filter.

5. A printer according to claim 3, wherein said means for removing ozone from air leaving the environment of said image-producing stations is a device selected from an ozone-sorption and an ozone-decomposing device.

6. A printer according to claim 3, wherein said means for removing dust and ozone from air leaving the environment of each of said image-producing stations is so constructed and positioned to remove said air from the vicinity of said development station.

7. A printer according to claim 6, wherein each of said development stations comprises a development station box, said box having an outlet for the removal of said air therefrom.

8. A printer according to claim 7, wherein said development station box further comprises an inlet for introducing a stream of separately conditioned air.

9. A printer according to claim 8, wherein said plurality of image-producing stations are housed in a cabinet, said air-conditioning device including a common inlet for introducing a stream of said conditioned air into said cabinet, and wherein said air-conditioning device further comprises means for introducing a stream of air of a first condition directly to each development station and means for introducing air of a second condition simultaneously via a common inlet into said cabinet of said printer.

10. A printer according to claim 1, wherein said image-producing stations are housed in a cabinet having at least one inlet for said conditioned air and at least one outlet for air containing dust and ozone.

11. A printer according to claim 1, wherein said air-conditioning device further comprises sensing means for providing signals indicative of the temperature and humidity of air leaving the environment of said image-producing stations.

12. A printer according to claim 1, wherein said means for adjusting the temperature and humidity of air comprises a cooling unit.

13. A printer according to claim 12, wherein said cooling unit contains, as a cooling medium, water which is kept at a reference temperature by means of a refrigeration device.

14. A printer according to claim 1, wherein said air-conditioning device includes an outlet manifold for introducing a separate stream of said conditioned air into the environment of each of said image-producing stations.

15. A printer according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of image-producing stations are housed in a cabinet, said air-conditioning device including a common inlet for introducing a common stream of said conditioned air into said cabinet.

16. A printer according to claim 1, wherein said air-conditioning device includes an outlet manifold for removing air from the environment of each of said image-producing stations.

17. A printer according to claim 1, wherein said means for introducing a stream of said conditioned air into the environment of said image-producing stations is so constructed and positioned to direct said conditioned air towards said rotatable endless surface means at a position adjacent said development station.

18. A printer according to claim 1, wherein each said development station has a double-walled construction.

19. A method for forming an image onto a moving receptor element in an electrostatographic printer which includes a plurality of toner image-producing electrostatographic stations, each of said image-producing stations having rotatable endless surface means onto which a toner image can be formed, the method comprising:

forming a toner image on each of said rotatable endless surface means;

conveying said moving receptor element past said image-producing stations;

transferring said toner image on each of said rotatable endless surface means onto said moving receptor element;

adjusting the temperature and humidity of air to produce conditioned air,

introducing a stream of said conditioned air into the environment of said image-producing stations,

recycling air leaving the environment of said image-producing stations, and

re-conditioning the air recycled from the environment of said image-producing stations.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein said moving receptor element is a paper web.