Method of developing an electrostatic image with an electrically charged liquid aerosol

Claim 1

A METHOD OF DEVELOPING A LATENT ELECTROSTATIC IMAGE CARRIED BY A PHOTOCONDUCTIVE LAYER WHICH COMPRISES TREATING THE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE LAYER WITH AN ELECTRICALLY CHARGED LIQUID AEROSOL CONTINUOUSLY GENERATED AND SIMULTANEOUSLY CHARGED DURING THE DEVELOPMENT BY ELECTROSTATIC ATOMIZATION OF A LIQUID DEVELOPER COMPOSED OF A SOLUTION OF AT LEAST ONE DYESTUFF IN A SOLVENT HAVING AN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY OF BETWEEN 10**-3 AND 10**-8 OHM-1 CM.-1, SAID CHARGED LIQUID AEROSOL BEING GENERATED CONTINUOUSLY DURING THE DEVELOPMENT FROM STRONGLY CURVED SURFACES OF AN ELECTROSTATIC ATOMIZING ELECTRODE BY THE ACTION OF A STRONG NON-HOMOGENOUS ELECTRIC FIELD OF THE ELECTROSTATIC ATOMIZING ELECTRODE, THE SAID CHARGED LIQUID AEROSOL BEING PROJECTED THROUGH THE OPPOSITELY CHARGED CONDUCTIVE GRID OF AN INTERMEDIATE ELECTRODE, WHICH IS ARRANGED PARALLEL TO AND AT A DISTANCE OF BETWEEN 1 TO 20 MM. FROM THE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE LAYER AND WHICH GRID HAS THE SAME CHAGE AS THE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE LAYER, INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN THE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE LAYER AND THE GRID ELECTRODE WHEREBY THE CHARGED LIQUID AEROSOL IS DEPOSITED IN ACCORDANCE WITH A LATENT ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE ONTO THE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE LAYER, ATOMIZING ELECTRODES IN THE FORM OF FILAMENTS OF ELECTRICALLY NON-CONDUCTING MATERIALS BEING USED, THE SURFACE OF THE ELECTRODES BEING MADE SUFFICIENTLY CONDUCTIVE FOR THE ATOMIZING EFFECT BY CONTINUOUSLY WETTING WITH SAID DEVELOPED LIQUID WHICH IS TO BE ATOMIZED.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF DEVELOPING A LATENT ELECTROSTATIC IMAGE CARRIED BY A PHOTOCONDUCTIVE LAYER WHICH COMPRISES TREATING THE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE LAYER WITH AN ELECTRICALLY CHARGED LIQUID AEROSOL CONTINUOUSLY GENERATED AND SIMULTANEOUSLY CHARGED DURING THE DEVELOPMENT BY ELECTROSTATIC ATOMIZATION OF A LIQUID DEVELOPER COMPOSED OF A SOLUTION OF AT LEAST ONE DYESTUFF IN A SOLVENT HAVING AN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY OF BETWEEN 10**-3 AND 10**-8 OHM-1 CM.-1, SAID CHARGED LIQUID AEROSOL BEING GENERATED CONTINUOUSLY DURING THE DEVELOPMENT FROM STRONGLY CURVED SURFACES OF AN ELECTROSTATIC ATOMIZING ELECTRODE BY THE ACTION OF A STRONG NON-HOMOGENOUS ELECTRIC FIELD OF THE ELECTROSTATIC ATOMIZING ELECTRODE, THE SAID CHARGED LIQUID AEROSOL BEING PROJECTED THROUGH THE OPPOSITELY CHARGED CONDUCTIVE GRID OF AN INTERMEDIATE ELECTRODE, WHICH IS ARRANGED PARALLEL TO AND AT A DISTANCE OF BETWEEN 1 TO 20 MM. FROM THE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE LAYER AND WHICH GRID HAS THE SAME CHAGE AS THE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE LAYER, INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN THE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE LAYER AND THE GRID ELECTRODE WHEREBY THE CHARGED LIQUID AEROSOL IS DEPOSITED IN ACCORDANCE WITH A LATENT ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE ONTO THE PHOTOCONDUCTIVE LAYER, ATOMIZING ELECTRODES IN THE FORM OF FILAMENTS OF ELECTRICALLY NON-CONDUCTING MATERIALS BEING USED, THE SURFACE OF THE ELECTRODES BEING MADE SUFFICIENTLY CONDUCTIVE FOR THE ATOMIZING EFFECT BY CONTINUOUSLY WETTING WITH SAID DEVELOPED LIQUID WHICH IS TO BE ATOMIZED.