Color image reproduction sheet employed in photoelectrophoretic imaging

Claim 1

A color image reproduction sheet for reproducing a directly visible color image thereon, the sheet consisting essentially of an electrophoretic suspension layer having a white colored opaque electrically insulating suspending medium and at least three differently colored photosensitive electrophoretic materials in the form of finely divided powder suspended in said white colored opaque suspending medium, said white colored opaque electrically insulating suspending medium being non-fracturable during the image reproduction and said at least three differently colored photosensitive electrophoretic materials consisting essentially of cyan colored material which is principally photosensitive to red light, magenta colored material which is principally photosensitive to green light, and yellow colored material which is principally photosensitive to blue light, and a base on which Said suspension layer is supported, whereby when said sheet is passed between a substantially transparent first electrode and a second electrode which are spaced from and opposed to each other with the electrodes against the two opposite major surfaces of said suspension layer, respectively, with the transparent electrode against the free surface of the suspension layer, and a D.C. electric field is applied across the suspension layer between said electrodes, and said suspension layer is exposed to a color image through said transparent electrode, the D.C. electric field changes electrophoretically, in cooperation with the color image, the spatial distribution of said at least three differently colored photosensitive electrophoretic materials so that the optical reflective property of the suspension layer changes in accordance with said color image, a directly visible color image being thus reproduced on said sheet without fracturing said electrophoretic suspension layer.