Metallic color image forming apparatus and metallic color image forming method

• US 9,753,390 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2016
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kabai, Takahito
• Primary Examiner(s): Gray, David M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Evans, Geoffrey T
• Application Number:
  US15/259,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20160378008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0121 for developing
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6585 by using non-standard toners, e.g. transparent toner, gloss adding devices
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0132 vertical medium transport path at the secondary transfer

Abstract

In accordance with one embodiment, an image forming apparatus forms a metallic toner image with the toner having metallic color tone. The plurality of developing sections includes either or both of a developing section for forming a black toner image with the black toner and a developing section for forming a white toner image with the white toner. The plurality of developing sections is provided with one or more than two developing sections for forming a metallic toner image with the toner having metallic color tone.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of image carriers of which the surfaces are charged to a given potential;

a plurality of electrostatic latent image forming sections configured to expose the surfaces of the plurality of image carriers respectively to form electrostatic latent images;

a plurality of developing sections configured to form a toner image on each electrostatic latent image formed on the surfaces of the plurality of image carriers;

a transfer section configured to transfer all the toner images to a recording medium; and

a fixing section configured to fix all the toner images on the recording medium;

wherein

the plurality of developing sections includes a developing section for forming a black toner image with black toner, a developing section for forming a white toner image with white toner and one or no less than two developing sections for forming a metallic toner image with toner having metallic color tone,

the metallic toner image is arranged on an image comprised of the black toner image and the white toner image on the recording medium and

the developing section for forming the black toner image and the developing section for forming the white toner image have a function of adjusting percentages of the black toner and the white toner so as to adjust brightness of the image.

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

the transfer section includes a transfer medium,

the plurality of developing sections are arranged along the running direction of the transfer medium respectively, and

the one or no less than two developing sections for forming the metallic toner image are arranged at the upstream side of other developing sections in the running direction.

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

the main component of the toner having metallic color tone is mica.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a function of selecting whether to form a pattern of the metallic toner image automatically or to form the pattern of the metallic toner image to be selectable from a plurality of patterns.

5. An image forming method, comprising:

an electrostatic latent image forming process of respectively exposing the surfaces of a plurality of image carriers which are charged to a given potential to form electrostatic latent images;

a developing process of forming a toner image on each electrostatic latent image formed on the surfaces of the plurality of image carriers by using a plurality of developing sections;

a transfer process of transferring all the toner images to a recording medium; and

a fixing process of fixing all the toner images on the recording medium, wherein

one or no less than two metallic toner image with toner having metallic color tone are arranged on an image comprised of a black toner image based on black toner and a white toner image based on white toner on the recording medium, and

percentages of the black toner and the white toner are adjusted so as to adjust brightness of an image comprised of the black toner image and the white toner image.

6. The image forming method according to claim 5, wherein

the main component of the toner having metallic color tone is mica.

7. The image forming method according to claim 5, further comprising:

an operation process of selecting whether to form a pattern of the toner image based on the toner having metallic color tone automatically or to form the pattern of the toner image to be selectable from a plurality of patterns.