Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
181 words
A liquid developer composition that is suitable for rendering visible electrostatically charged areas which composition contains in an electrically insulating non-polar carrier liquid having a volume resistivity of at least 10 9 ohm.cm and a dielectric constant less than 3, dispersed colouring matter acting as toner particles and at least one onium salt polymer including recurring units incorporating an onium group together with an anion, characterized in that the said anion has at least one of the characteristics (1) to (4) as follows: (1) contains a negatively charged atom or group of atoms which is sterically embraced by at least two non-ionic substituents containing at least 4 C atoms; (2) contains a negatively charged atom which is sterically embraced by at least 4 atoms selected from the group consisting of oxygen and halogen; (3) contains a negatively charged atom or group of atoms the negative charge of which is delocalized over other atoms linked to said atom or group of atoms; (4) is a radical anion, whereby the said polymer is adsorbed with a net positive charge on the toner particles.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
181 words
A liquid developer composition that is suitable for rendering visible electrostatically charged areas which composition contains in an electrically insulating non-polar carrier liquid having a volume resistivity of at least 10 9 ohm.cm and a dielectric constant less than 3, dispersed colouring matter acting as toner particles and at least one onium salt polymer including recurring units incorporating an onium group together with an anion, characterized in that the said anion has at least one of the characteristics (1) to (4) as follows: (1) contains a negatively charged atom or group of atoms which is sterically embraced by at least two non-ionic substituents containing at least 4 C atoms; (2) contains a negatively charged atom which is sterically embraced by at least 4 atoms selected from the group consisting of oxygen and halogen; (3) contains a negatively charged atom or group of atoms the negative charge of which is delocalized over other atoms linked to said atom or group of atoms; (4) is a radical anion, whereby the said polymer is adsorbed with a net positive charge on the toner particles.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
47 words
Liquid developer composition according to claim 1, characterized in that the anion is a polyatomic anion the negative charge of which is localized on an atom or group of atoms which is sterically embraced by at least two non-ionic hydrocarbon substituents containing at least 4 carbon atoms.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
86 words
Liquid developer composition according to claim 2, characterized in that the anion is a sterically hindered phenolate or aromatic carboxylate having as substituents C 4 -C 20 alkyl, aralkyl, cycloalkyl or aryl groups to embrace the --O - or --COO - group; or is a tetrahydrocarbon substituted boride anion according to the following general formula: ##STR17## wherein: each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 (same or different) represents a C 4 -C 20 alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aralkyl or aryl group.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
Liquid developer composition according to claim 1, characterized in that the anion is a polyatomic anion which contains a negatively charged central atom embraced by at least 4 oxygen atoms.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
39 words
Liquid developer composition according to claim 1, characterized in that the anion is a polyatomic anion containing a negatively charged central borine, arsenic, aluminium, silicon, phosphorus, tin, antimony, tantalum or bismuth atom surrounded by at least 4 fluorine atoms.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
43 words
Liquid developer composition according to claim 1, characterized in that the anion is a polyatomic anion wherein the negative charge is delocalized over an aromatic conjugated system of alternating single and double bonds by the presence thereon of one or more electron-withdrawing substituents.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
54 words
Liquid developer composition according to claim 6, characterized in that said anion corresponds to the following general formula: ##STR18## wherein: Y - represents a --O - or --S - group, and R 11 , R 12 and R 13 (same or different) is an --NO 2 , halogen, --CN, --CF 3 or --CHO group.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
Liquid developer composition according to claim 1, characterized in that the anion is the anion of an anionic dye having in the anion a delocalized negative charge.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
Liquid developer composition according to claim 8, characterized in that the anionic dye is a phthalocyanine dye, an oxonol dye or a phenolphthaleine dye.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
133 words
Liquid developer composition according to claim 1, characterized in that the recurring units are derived from one of the following monomers having general formulae (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), (F) or (G): ##STR19## wherein: each of R 1 , R 2 and R 3 (same or different) represents hydrogen, an alkyl, a cycloalkyl, an aralkyl or an aryl group, each of R 4 and R 5 is hydrogen or lower (C 1 -C 4 ) alkyl, Q represents the atoms necessary to complete a 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic ring, Z is selected from the group consisting of --R 6 --, ##STR20## wherein: R 6 is alkylene, arylene or arylenealkylene having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, n is 0 or 1, and X - is an anion as set forth in claim 1.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
Liquid developer composition according to claim 1, characterized in that the said onium polymer is a copolymer of an onium salt and a solvatable monomer whereby the copolymer becomes solvatable by the carrier liquid.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
92 words
Liquid developer according to claim 11, characterized in that said solvatable monomer is a non-ionic hydrophobic monomer selected from the group comprising: alkylstyrenes having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, alkoxystyrenes having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, alkyl acrylates and alkyl methacrylates having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the alkyl group vinyl alkyl ethers having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, vinyl esters of alkanoic acids having from 6 to 22 carbon atoms in the alkyl group.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
90 words
Liquid developer composition according to claim 11, characterized in that the copolymer also comprises recurring units of non-ionic practically non-solvatable monomers selected from the group comprising: (a) α,β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid alkyl esters in which the alkyl group is a C 1 -C 4 group, (b) styrene, methylstyrene, methoxystyrene and halogenated styrene; (c) vinyl alkyl ethers having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, and (d) vinyl esters of alkanoic acids having from about 1 to about 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl groups, and mixtures thereof.