Ultrasonic drying of saturated porous solids via second sound

• US 6,376,145 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2000
• Issued: 04/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Meyer, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): GOODROW, JOHN L
• Application Number:
  US09/699,876
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 430/124, 430/125, 430/97, 342/79
• US Class Current: 430/97
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/1605 using at least one intermediate support G03G15/1625 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/161 with means for handling the intermediate support, e.g. heating, cleaning, coating with a transfer agent

Abstract

A method for drying a porous solid saturated with a fluid including the steps of subjecting the saturate porous image to an ultrasonic signal to release the fluid from the saturated porous image layer; removing the fluid from said saturated porous solid, said subjecting step includes applying a predefined acoustic slow wave frequency based upon the particle sizes in said porous image layer thereby causing the fluid to move from an interior of said porous particulate image to an outer surface of said porous image, where fluid can be removed by conventional image.

Claims

1. A method for drying a porous solid having a predefined particle size saturated with a fluid comprising the steps of:

subjecting the porous solid saturated to an ultrasonic signal to release the fluid from the porous solid saturated, said subjecting step includes applying a predefined acoustic slow wave frequency based upon the predefined particle size in said porous solid saturated thereby causing the fluid to move from an interior of said porous solid saturated to an outer surface of said porous solid saturated, where fluid can be removed; and

removing the fluid from said saturated porous solid.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said acoustic slow wave frequency determine by the following equation:

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the ultrasonic frequency is about −

15% to +15% of f_c.

4. A method for drying a saturated porous image composed of liquid developer including toner particles and carrier fluid comprising the steps of:

subjecting the saturated porous image to an ultrasonic signal to release the carrier fluid from the saturated porous image, said subjecting step includes applying a predefined acoustic slow wave frequency based upon the particle sizes in said saturated porous image layer thereby causing the fluid to move from an interior of said saturated porous image to an outer surface of said saturated porous image; and

removing the carrier fluid from said saturated porous image.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein is said acoustic slow wave frequency determine by the following equations:

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the ultrasonic frequency is about −

15% to +15% of f_c.