Electrospray fog generation for fountain solution image generation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12017245-B2
Application number	US-202117155347-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2021
Priority date	Jan 22, 2021
Publication date	Jun 25, 2024
Grant date	Jun 25, 2024

Abstract

An electrospray apparatus and a method of operating the electrospray apparatus can include an array of emitters that can emit a fog of charged droplets, wherein the charged droplets can be produced in a carrier gas by the array of emitters and directed into a development zone of a charge image. Each emitter among the array of emitters can be implemented as a cone-shaped emitter. The array of emitters can be implemented as a cone jet electrospray micro-array that can produce a high liquid concentration of the charged droplets in the carrier gas. The charged droplets can comprise charged fountain solution droplets, and the charge image can be a fountain solution image that can be transferrable to a blanket for control and subsequent ink transfer to a receiving medium.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrospray apparatus, comprising:
an array of cone-shaped emitters that emits a fog of charged droplets, wherein the charged droplets are produced in a carrier gas by the array of emitters and directed into a development zone of a charge image;
a coaxial droplet generator; and
a volatile conducting liquid shell, wherein the array of cone-shaped emitters electro-sprays an insulating liquid as the fog of the charged droplets by the coaxial droplet generator with the volatile conducting liquid shell.

2. The electrospray apparatus of claim 1 wherein the array of cone-shaped emitters comprises a cone jet electrospray micro-array.

3. The electrospray apparatus of claim 1 wherein the array of cone-shaped emitters comprises a cone jet electrospray micro-array that produces a high liquid concentration of the charged droplets in the carrier gas.

4. The electrospray apparatus of claim 1 wherein the charged droplets comprise charged fountain solution droplets.

5. The electrospray apparatus of claim 1 wherein the charge image comprises a fountain solution image that is transferrable to a blanket for control and subsequent ink transfer to a receiving medium.

6. The electrospray apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the carrier gas comprises a slow moving carrier gas; and
the charged droplets are slowed in the slow moving carrier gas by viscous drag.

7. The electrospray apparatus of claim 1 wherein the array of cone-shaped emitters electro-sprays an insulating liquid as the fog of the charged droplets by an addition of a charge control agent.

8. The electrospray apparatus of claim 1 wherein the charged droplets are slowed in the carrier gas by viscous drag.

9. An electrospray apparatus, comprising:
an array of cone-shaped emitters that emits a fog of charged droplets, wherein the charged droplets are produced in a carrier gas by the array of cone-shaped emitters and directed into a development zone of a charge image, and wherein the array of cone-shaped emitters comprises a cone jet electrospray micro-array that produces a high liquid concentration of the charged droplets in the carrier gas;
a coaxial droplet generator; and
a volatile conducting liquid shell, wherein the array of cone-shaped emitters electro-sprays an insulating liquid as the fog of the charged droplets by the coaxial droplet generator with the volatile conducting liquid shell.

10. The electrospray apparatus of claim 9 wherein the charged droplets comprise charged fountain solution droplets.

11. The electrospray apparatus of claim 9 wherein the charge image comprises a fountain solution image that is transferrable to a blanket for control and subsequent ink transfer to a receiving medium.

12. The electrospray apparatus of claim 9 wherein:
the carrier gas comprises a slow moving carrier gas; and
the charged droplets are slowed in the slow moving carrier gas by viscous drag.

13. The electrospray apparatus of claim 9 wherein the array of emitters electro-sprays an insulating liquid as the fog of the charged droplets by an addition of a charge control agent.

14. The electrospray apparatus of claim 9 wherein the charged droplets are slowed in the carrier gas by viscous drag.

15. A method of operating an electrospray apparatus, comprising:
emitting a fog of charged droplets from an array of cone-shaped emitters;
producing the charged droplets in a carrier gas by the array of cone-shaped emitters;
directing the charged droplets into a development zone of a charge image; and
wherein the array of cone-shaped emitters electro-sprays an insulating liquid as the fog of the charged droplets by a coaxial droplet generator with a volatile conducting liquid shell.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the array of cone-shaped emitters comprises a cone jet electrospray micro-array.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the array of cone-shaped emitters comprises a cone jet electrospray micro-array that produces a high liquid concentration of the charged droplets in the carrier gas.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the charged droplets comprise charged fountain solution droplets.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the charge image comprises a fountain solution image that is transferrable to a blanket for control and subsequent ink transfer to a receiving medium.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein:
the carrier gas comprises a slow moving carrier gas; and
the charged droplets are slowed in the slow moving carrier gas by viscous drag.

Assignees

• Palo Alto Res Ct Inc
• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Biegelsen David K
• Murphy Kathryn F

Classifications

• H01J49/167

  Capillaries and nozzles specially adapted therefor; (electrostatic spraying per se B05B5/00) · CPC title

• B41F7/32

  Ducts, containers, or like supply devices for liquids · CPC title

• G03G15/22 Primary

  involving the combination of more than one step according to groups G03G13/02 - G03G13/20 (G03G15/01 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B05B5/0533

  Electrodes specially adapted therefor; Arrangements of electrodes · CPC title

• B05B5/0255 Primary

  spraying and depositing by electrostatic forces only · CPC title