Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9996038-B2
Application number	US-201715622565-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2017
Priority date	Jun 17, 2016
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member configured to bear a toner image formed using a liquid developer containing toner particles and a carrier liquid, a transfer member, an input portion into which information on a kind of a recording material is inputted, an adjusting device configured to adjust an amount of the carrier liquid of the toner image, and an executing portion configured to execute an operation of the adjusting device depending on the information when the toner image is in the adjusting position. The executing position executes either of a plurality of operations including a first operation in which the amount of the carrier liquid of the toner image is increased, a second operation in which the amount of the carrier liquid is decreased, and a third operation in which the amount of the carrier liquid is not adjusted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image bearing member movable in a predetermined movement direction and configured to bear a toner image formed at an image forming position by using a liquid developer containing toner particles and a carrier liquid;
a transfer member configured to transfer the toner image onto a recording material at a transfer portion formed between said transfer member and said image bearing member;
an input portion into which information on a kind of the recording material onto which the toner image is transferred is inputted;
an adjusting device configured to adjust an amount of the carrier liquid of the toner image on said image bearing member, wherein said adjusting device is provided at an adjusting position opposing a position of said image bearing member upstream of the transfer portion and downstream of the image forming position with respect to the movement direction and includes a carrier liquid container configured to store the carrier liquid, a rotatable adjusting roller configured to carry the carrier liquid stored in said carrier liquid container, and a contacting-and-spacing mechanism movable between a contact position where said adjusting roller is contacted to said image bearing member and a spaced position where said adjusting roller is spaced from said image bearing member; and
an executing portion configured to execute an operation of said adjusting device depending on the information inputted in said input portion when the toner image on said image bearing member is at the adjusting position, wherein said executing portion executes any of a plurality of operations including a first operation in which the amount of the carrier liquid of the toner image on said image bearing member is increased by said adjusting device, a second operation in which the amount of the carrier liquid is decreased by said adjusting device, and a third operation in which the amount of the carrier liquid is not adjusted by said adjusting device.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said executing portion sets the amount of the carrier liquid, carried by said adjusting roller in the first operation, to a first amount, and sets the amount of the carrier liquid, carried by said adjusting roller in the second operation, to a second amount less than the first amount or at a state in which the carrier liquid is not carried.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said adjusting device includes a rotatable supplying roller configured to supply the carrier liquid to said adjusting roller while carrying the carrier liquid stored in said carrier liquid container, and
wherein said executing portion moves said supplying roller to a contact position where said supplying roller simultaneously contacts both of said adjusting roller and the carrier liquid in the first operation, and moves said supplying roller to a spaced position where said supplying roller is spaced from at least one of said adjusting roller and the carrier liquid in the second operation.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said adjusting device includes an adjusting roller regulating member configured to regulate the amount of the carrier liquid carried by said adjusting roller.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said adjusting roller regulating member is a blade-shaped member.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said adjusting roller regulating member is a roller-shaped member.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said adjusting device includes a supplying roller regulating member configured to regulate the amount of the carrier liquid carried on said supplying roller.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said supplying roller regulating member is a blade-shaped member.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said supplying roller regulating member is a roller-shaped member.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said adjusting device includes a voltage source configured to apply a voltage, of the same polarity as a charge polarity of the toner, to said adjusting roller, and
wherein said executing portion causes said voltage source to apply the voltage to said adjusting roller during execution of the first operation and the second operation.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the information on the kind of the recording material indicates plain paper, said executing portion executes the first operation.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the information on the kind of the recording material indicates an overhead transparency sheet, said executing portion executes the second operation.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the information on the kind of the recording material indicates coated paper, said executing portion executes the third operation.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Okumura Shohei

Classifications

• G03G15/16

  of a toner pattern, e.g. a powder pattern {, e.g. magnetic transfer} · CPC title

• G03G15/11

  Removing excess liquid developer, e.g. by heat · CPC title

• G03G15/5029 Primary

  by measuring the copy material characteristics, e.g. weight, thickness · CPC title

• G03G15/101

  for wetting the recording material · CPC title

• G03G15/161

  with means for handling the intermediate support, e.g. heating, cleaning, coating with a transfer agent · CPC title