Intermediate transfer member and image recording method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9690235-B2
Application number	US-201615143936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2016
Priority date	Jun 12, 2013
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

The invention provides an intermediate transfer member for use in an image recording method including the steps of applying a reaction liquid to the intermediate transfer member, applying an ink to the intermediate transfer member so as to overlap with at least a part of a region to which the reaction liquid has been applied, thereby forming an intermediate image, and transferring the intermediate image to a recording medium, wherein an average of a surface area per unit area of a surface of the intermediate transfer member is 1.2 or more and 10.0 or less.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An intermediate transfer member for use in an image recording method comprising the steps of applying a reaction liquid to the intermediate transfer member, applying an ink to the intermediate transfer member so as to overlap with at least a part of a region to which the reaction liquid has been applied, thereby forming an intermediate image, and transferring the intermediate image to a recording medium,
the intermediate transfer member comprising a surface having a plurality of protruded structures,
wherein the surface of the intermediate transfer member is such that 1.2≦S2/S1≦10, where S1 is a projection surface area in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the intermediate transfer member, S2 is an actual surface area of the intermediate transfer member, and S2/S1 is an average of a surface area per unit area of the surface of the intermediate transfer member.

2. The intermediate transfer member according to claim 1 , wherein when an average diameter of an ink droplet applied to the intermediate transfer member in the step of forming the intermediate image is regarded as R μm, a proportion of an area of portions where the protruded structures are present in a region of R μm×R μm in an ink-applicable portion on the surface of the intermediate transfer member is 90% or more.

3. The intermediate transfer member according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of the intermediate transfer member contains at least one selected from a fluorine compound and a silicone compound.

4. The intermediate transfer member according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of the intermediate transfer member is such that 1.4≦S2/S1≦5.

5. The intermediate transfer member according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of the intermediate transfer member is such that 1.4≦S2/S1≦2.5.

6. The intermediate transfer member according to claim 1 , wherein a shape of the intermediate transfer member is selected from a sheet shape, a roller shape, a drum shape, a belt shape, and an endless web shape.

7. The intermediate transfer member according to claim 1 , which has a drum-shaped support member and a surface layer member provided on an outer peripheral surface of the drum-shaped support member.

8. The intermediate transfer member according to claim 1 , wherein a shape in a section of a protruded structure of the plurality of protruded structures is a tetragon, a triangle, a trapezoid, or a combination thereof.

9. The intermediate transfer member according to claim 1 , which has a surface layer member hardness of 10 degrees to 100 degrees.

10. The intermediate transfer member according to claim 1 , which has a surface layer member hardness of 20 degrees to 60 degrees.

11. An image recording method comprising:
applying a reaction liquid to an intermediate transfer member;
applying an ink to the intermediate transfer member so as to overlap with at least a part of a region to which the reaction liquid has been applied, thereby forming an intermediate image; and
transferring the intermediate image to a recording medium,
wherein the intermediate transfer member is the intermediate transfer member according to claim 1 .

12. The image recording method according to claim 11 , wherein the reaction liquid contains a component increasing a viscosity of the ink.

13. The intermediate transfer member according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of the intermediate transfer member has an apparent contact angle of 20° or less.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Noguchi Mitsutoshi

Classifications

• G03G15/1605 Primary

  using at least one intermediate support (G03G15/1625 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B41J2002/012

  with intermediate transfer member · CPC title

• B41J2/01 Primary

  Ink jet · CPC title

• G03G13/14

  Transferring a pattern to a second base · CPC title

• B41J2/0057 Primary

  where an intermediate transfer member receives the ink before transferring it on the printing material · CPC title