Printer or copier for simultaneously printing a supporting material on both sides

• US 6,556,804 B1
• Filed: 04/18/2001
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Oce Printing Systems GmbH (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Oce Printing Systems GmbH & Co KG (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Löbel, Markus, Gerstner, Albrecht, Eggerstorfer, Vilmar, Viechter, Manfred, Zappe, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Sophia S.
• Application Number:
  US09/786,257
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 399/306, 399/297, 399/296, 399/66, 399/82, 399/302
• US Class Current: 399/306
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/16 of a toner pattern, e.g. a powder pattern , e.g. magnetic transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/163 using the force produced by an electrostatic transfer field formed between the second base and the electrographic recording member, e.g. transfer through an air gap
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/231 Arrangements for copying on both sides of a recording or image-receiving material
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/1609 Corotron

Abstract

A printer or copier operates to print a carrier material on both sides. A transfer station in the printer or copier has two transfer bands which transfer toner images onto the supporting material. A transfer corotron recharges the toner particles to a polarity for transfer to the carrier material at a transfer location. A first transfer mode provides for accumulating a plurality of toner images on the transfer band before transfer to the carrier material. A second transfer mode provides continuous transfer of the toner image to the carrier material.

Claims

1. A printer or copier, comprising:

a transfer station for simultaneous both-sided printing of a carrier material;

a first transfer module at said transfer station, including;

a first endless transfer band operable to carry toner particles of a first polarity in a region of a transfer printing location;

a second transfer module at said transfer station, including;

a second endless transfer band operable to carry toner particles of a second polarity in the region of the transfer printing location;

apparatus operable to guide the carrier material at the transfer printing location between said first endless transfer band and said second endless transfer band;

an electrostatic field generator at the transfer printing location that effects separation of the toner particles of each transfer band from said respective transfer band as a result of electrostatic forces and causes the toner particles to adhere to a surface of the carrier material lying opposite said respective transfer band;

a switchable transfer printing station in each of said first and second transfer modules,

in a first operating mode, said switchable transfer printing station initially keeps said respective transfer band at a distance from the carrier material so that a plurality of toner images are arranged on top of one another on said respective transfer band and the carrier material does not move forward at the transfer printing location and then conducts said respective transfer band close to the carrier material in order to transfer the toner images arranged on top of one another onto the carrier material in common, and

in a second operating mode, said switchable transfer printing station conducts said respective transfer band close to the carrier material in order to continuously print monochromatic toner images onto the carrier printer.

2. A printer or copier as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first operating mode is a collecting and printing mode, and said second operating mode is a continuous printing mode.

3. A printer or copier according to claim 1, wherein said first and second endless transfer bands, as viewed in a delivery direction of the carrier material, have toner images with toner particles of a same polarity in a section preceding said transfer printing location;

and further comprising;

a charge reversing Korotron arranged along one of said first and second endless transfer bands preceding said transfer printing location, said charge reversing Korotron operable to generate an electrical field that reverses polarity of the toner particles on said one of said first and second endless transfer bands by charge reversal.

4. A printer or copier according to claim 3, wherein the toner particles in a section preceding said charge reversing Korotron are of a positive polarity.

5. A printer or copier according to claim 3, wherein the toner particles in a section preceding said charge reversing Korotron are of a negative polarity.

6. A printer or copier according to claim 1, further comprising:

two transfer drums disposed opposite one another at the transfer printing location; and

a DC voltage source applied to said two transfer drums to generate an electrical field for transfer printing of the toner particles.

7. A printer or copier according to claim 6, wherein one of said two transfer drums carries ground potential.

8. A printer or copier according to claim 6, wherein said two transfer drums have a symmetrical potential to ground.

9. A printer or copier as claimed in claim 6, wherein said two transfer drums have an asymmetrical potential to ground.

10. A printer or copier according to claim 6, wherein said two transfer drums are arranged such that the carrier material wraps said two transfer drums by a predetermined wrap angle.

11. A printer or copier according to claim 6, further comprising:

two guide elements are arranged preceding said two transfer drums as viewed in a delivery direction of the carrier material, said first and second endless transfer bands and the carrier material being guided between said two guide elements.

12. A printer or copier according to claim 11, further comprising:

an electrical connection to a first of said two transfer drums and a first of said two guide elements lying diagonally opposite it to generate an electrical field between said first transfer drum and said first guide element for transfer printing of the toner particles.

13. A printer or copier according to claim 12, wherein a second of said two transfer drums and a second of said two guide elements are at a floating potential.

14. A printer or copier according to claim 12, wherein said two guide elements are rollers.

15. A printer or copier according to claim 12, wherein said two guide elements are rigid deflection bows whose sliding surfaces are arranged close to the transfer drums.

16. A printer or copier according to claim 12, further comprising:

two delivery elements disposed preceding said two guide elements as viewed in the delivery direction of the carrier material, the transfer bands and the carrier material being guided between said delivery elements.

17. A printer or copier according to claim 16, wherein said two delivery elements have ground potential.

18. A printer or copier according to claim 6, wherein said two transfer drums have a metallic core and an elastic coating having a predetermined electrical conductivity on said metallic core.

19. A printer or copier according to claim 18, wherein said predetermined electrical conductivity of said elastic coating lies in a range from 0.5×

10<sup>−

6</sup> through 5×

10¹² Ω

cm.

20. A printer or copier as claimed in claim 19, wherein said range is from 0.5×

10⁵ through 5×

10⁹ Ω

cm.

21. A printer or copier according to claim 18, wherein said elastic coating has a Shore hardness in a range from 10 through 90 Sh(A).

22. A printer or copier as claimed in claim 21, wherein said elastic coating has a Shore hardness range from 20 through 70 Sh(A).

23. A printer or copier according to claim 18, wherein said elastic coating has a thickness from 0.2 through 15 mm.

24. A printer or copier as claimed in claim 23, wherein said elastic coating has a thickness from 0.5 through 2 mm.

25. A printer or copier according to claim 18, wherein said elastic coating includes an additional coating of fluorine-containing plastic material.

26. A printer or copier as claimed in claim 25, wherein said additional coating is of a material selected from the list consisting of:

PFA, ETFE, FEP, PVDC, Teflon and polyimide.

27. A printer or copier according claim 25, wherein said additional layer is electrically insulating and has a maximum thickness of 40 μ

M.

28. A printer or copier as claimed in claim 27, wherein said additional layer is of a thickness of from 0.1 through 20 μ

m.

29. A printer or copier according to claim 25, wherein said additional coating has a conductive filler added to it.

30. A printer or copier as claimed in claim 29, wherein said conductive filler of said additional coating is one of lampblack, silicates, and oxides.

31. A printer or copier according to claim 18, wherein said elastic coating has conductive filler added to it.

32. A printer or copier as claimed in claim 31, wherein said conductive filler is selected from lampblack, silicates, and oxides.

33. A printer or copier according to claim 1, wherein the carrier material is a band material.

34. A printer or copier as claimed in claim 33, wherein said band materials is one of a paper web and single sheets.

35. A printer or copier according to claim 1, wherein each transfer module contains a corotron device.