Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
121 words
A liquid electrophoretic developer composition for developing electrostatic latent images, which composition comprises pigment particles which in association with at least two polymers are dispersed 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, characterised in that the composition comprises at least one polymer (hereafter called "polymer A") which forms a coating on the pigment particles and has a poor solubility in said liquid as determined by Test A herein described, and at least one polymer (hereafter called "polymer B") which is chemically linked to the pre-coated polymer A, said polymer B having a good solubility in said liquid as determined by Test B herein described.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
121 words
A liquid electrophoretic developer composition for developing electrostatic latent images, which composition comprises pigment particles which in association with at least two polymers are dispersed 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, characterised in that the composition comprises at least one polymer (hereafter called "polymer A") which forms a coating on the pigment particles and has a poor solubility in said liquid as determined by Test A herein described, and at least one polymer (hereafter called "polymer B") which is chemically linked to the pre-coated polymer A, said polymer B having a good solubility in said liquid as determined by Test B herein described.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
146 words
A developer composition according to claim 1, wherein polymer A contains structural units derived from monomers being non-solvatable by the carrier liquid and belonging to the the following group: (a) ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid esters having in the ester group C 1 -C 4 alkyl, C 1 -C 4 haloalkyl, C 1 -C 4 alkoxyalkyl, C 1 -C 4 acylalkyl, C 1 -C 4 cyanoalkyl, aralkyl, or an aryl group; (b) ethylenically unsaturated carbonitriles, (c) ethylenically unsaturated carbonamides, (d) halogenated aliphatically unsaturated hydrocarbons, (e) styrene, methylstyrene, methoxystyrene and halogenated styrene, (f) vinyl alkyl ethers having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl group; (g) vinyl ketones having an alkyl group of at most 4 carbon atoms, (h) vinyl alcohol esters of aliphatic, araliphatic, aromatic or heterocyclic acids wherein alkyl, if present, is C 1 -C 4 alkyl, (i) vinyl acetals, and (j) N-vinyl pyrrolidinone.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
108 words
A developer composition according to claim 1, wherein polymer B contains structural units derived from monomers being solvatable by the carrier liquid and belong to the the following group: (a) alkylstyrenes having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, (b) alkoxystyrenes having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, (c) alkyl acrylates and methacrylates having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, (d) vinyl alkyl ethers having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, (e) vinyl esters of alkanoic acids having from 6 to 22 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, and (f) alkyl substituted polysiloxanes.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
A developer composition according to claim 1, wherein at least one structural unit of polymers A and B contains a chemically reactive group capable of addition, elimination or condensation reaction.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
97 words
A developer composition according to claim 4, wherein said chemically reactive groups belong to one of the following categories: (a) an alkaline primary, secondary or tertiary amino group or quaternary ammonium base group, (b) a carboxylic acid, sulphonic acid or phosphonic acid group, (c) an epoxy group, (d) an isocyanate group, (e) an acid halide group, (f) an acid anhydride group, (g) a hydroxy or thiol group, (h) an alkyl halide group, (i) an active methylene group, (j) a ketone or aldehyde group, (k) an oxime group, (l) an hydroxamic acid group, or (m) a chloroformiate group.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
41 words
A developer composition according to claim 5, wherein at least one said alkaline group (a) is present in structural polymer units derived from one of the following monomers: tert.-butylaminoethyl methacrylate, N,N-dialkylaminoethyl acrylate, N,N-dialkylaminoethyl methacrylate, dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide, methacrylamido-n-propylene-trimethylammonium hydroxide, and vinyl pyridine.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
60 words
A developer composition according to claim 5, wherein at least one said acidic group (b) is present in structural polymer units derived from one of the following monomers: acrylamido-hydroxyacetic acid, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, carboxyethyl acrylate, crotonic acid, itaconic acid, vinyl benzoic acid, vinylphenylacetic acid, 9(10)-acrylamidostearic acid, monoallylphthalic acid, sulphoethyl(meth)acrylate, sulphopropyl(meth)acrylate, sulphobutyl(meth)acrylate, acrylamido-2-propane-sulphonic acid, vinyl sulphonic acid, and styrenesulphonic acid.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
15 words
A developer composition according to claim 1, wherein the carrier liquid is a hydrocarbon liquid.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
A developer composition according to claim 1, wherein the pigment particles consist of or contain carbon black or a pigment dye.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
A developer composition according to claim 1, wherein an oil-soluble ionogenic substance conferring electric charges on said particles is present.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
85 words
A developer composition according to claim 10, wherein said ionogenic substance is a bivalent or trivalent metal salt of: (a) a monoester or diester of an oxyacid derived from phosphorus, (b) an oxyacid derived from phosphorus and containing one or two organic groups linked to the phosphorus atom by a carbon atom, or (c) an oxyacid derived from phosphorus and containing an ester group and an organic group linked by a carbon atom to the phosphorus atom, said organic group being aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aromatic.