US4957774A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of heat-fixing toner image
Assignee: Canon Inc
•
Filing: 1989-12-13
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Granted: 1990-09-18
•
Expires: 2009-12-13
Abstract
Abstract A method of heat-fixing a visible image of toner to a recording medium comprises applying a toner image onto the recording medium, wherein the toner to form said toner image or the resin component of the toner has the properties such that the melt viscosity η' measured by an overhead-type flow tester is from 10 3 to 10 6 poise at a temperature within the temperature range of from 120° C. to 150° C., and the absolute value of the inclination of a graph is not more than 0.50 ln (poise)/°C. when the natural logarithms lnη of the melt viscosities at 120° C. and 150° C. are plotted with respect to the temperatures; and heat-fixing the toner image retained on the recording medium to the recording medium by use of a heater element as stationarily supported and a pressure member that brings said recording medium into close contact with said heater element through a film interposed between them.
Inventors
- 👤 Shinji Doi
- 👤 Satoshi Yoshida
- 👤 Satoshi Matsunaga
- 👤 Hiroaki Kawakami
- 👤 Takashige Kasuya
- 👤 Yasuhide Goseki
- 👤 Yusuke Karami
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 22:44
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03G; G03G15/00; G03G15/20; G03G15/2003; G03G15/2014; G03G15/2064; G03G13/00; G03G13/20; G03G9/00; G03G9/08; G03G9/0821; G03G9/087; G03G9/08784; G03G9/08793; G03G9/097; G03G9/09783
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 40
Claim 1
Independent Claim
159 words
A method of heat-fixing a visible image of toner to a recording medium, which comprises applying a toner image onto the recording medium, wherein the toner to form said toner image or the resin component of the toner has the properties such that the melt viscosity η' measured by an overhead-type flow tester is from 10 3 to 10 6 poise at a temperature within the temperature range of from 120° C. to 150° C., and the absolute value of the inclination of a graph is not more than 0.50 ln (poise)/°C. when the natural logarithms lnη of the melt viscosities at 120° C. and 150° C. are plotted with respect to the temperatures; and heat-fixing the toner image retained on the recording medium to the recording medium by use of a heater element as stationarily supported and a pressure member that brings said recording medium into close contact with said heater element through a film interposed between them.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
159 words
A method of heat-fixing a visible image of toner to a recording medium, which comprises applying a toner image onto the recording medium, wherein the toner to form said toner image or the resin component of the toner has the properties such that the melt viscosity η' measured by an overhead-type flow tester is from 10 3 to 10 6 poise at a temperature within the temperature range of from 120° C. to 150° C., and the absolute value of the inclination of a graph is not more than 0.50 ln (poise)/°C. when the natural logarithms lnη of the melt viscosities at 120° C. and 150° C. are plotted with respect to the temperatures; and heat-fixing the toner image retained on the recording medium to the recording medium by use of a heater element as stationarily supported and a pressure member that brings said recording medium into close contact with said heater element through a film interposed between them.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said toner has an endothermic peak T D at a temperature of from 40° to 120° C.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said toner has an endothermic peak T D at a temperature of from 55° to 100° C.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said film is peeled from the toner image after the heat-fixing of the toner image, and the surface temperature of said film at the time of being peeled is at least 30° C. higher than the temperature of the endothermic peak T D of said toner.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method according to claim 4, wherein the surface temperature of said film at the time of being peeled is from 40° to 140° C. higher than the temperature of the endothermic peak T D of said toner.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said toner comprises a binder resin and at least one of a colorant and a magnetic powder.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
13 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said toner comprises a cross-linked resin.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to claim 7, wherein said cross-linked resin comprises a polyester resin or a polymer or copolymer formed from an α,β-ethylenically unsaturated monomer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
86 words
A method according to claim 7, wherein said cross-linked resin comprises; (A) an etherified diphenol; (B) not less than 30 mol % of an aromatic dicarboxylic acid, based on the total amounts of acids; (C) from 5 to 40% by weight of at least one of an alkenyl-substituted dicarboxylic acid and an alkyl-substituted dicarboxylic acid, based on the total amount of acids; and (D) at least one of a polycarboxylic acid with three or more carboxylic groups and a polyol with three or more hydroxyl groups.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 9, wherein said alkenyl-substituted dicarboxylic acid has an alkenyl group having 6 to 18 carbon atoms.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 9, wherein said alkyl-substituted dicarboxylic acid has an alkyl group having 6 to 18 carbon atoms.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to claim 8, wherein said cross-linked polyester resin has an acid value of from 5 to 60.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 12, wherein said cross-linked polyester resin is melt-kneaded with an organic metal compound containing a metal of two or more valences.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method according to claim 13, wherein said organic metal compound comprises a polyvalent metal selected from the group consisting of Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, Sr and Zn.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 14, wherein said organic metal compound comprises a carboxylate, an alkoxylate, an organic metal complex, or a chelate compound.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method according to claim 14, wherein said organic metal compound comprises an acetylacetone metal complex, a salicylic acid metal salt, or a salicylic acid metal complex.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method according to claim 8, wherein said α,β-ethylenically unsaturated monomer is a vinyl monomer.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to claim 8, wherein said cross-linked resin comprises a cross-linked styrene polymer or a cross-linked styrene copolymer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to claim 18, wherein said cross-linked resin comprises a styrene polymer or styrene copolymer cross-linked with divinylbenzene.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said heater element has a temperature of from 100° to 300° C.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said toner image is heated with a heater element having a temperature of from 100° to 300° C., through a film of from 1 to 100 μm thick.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
12 words
A method according to claim 21, wherein said film has heat resistance.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method according to claim 22, wherein said film has a layer formed of a polymer selected from the group consisting of a polyimide, a polyester, a polyethylene terephthalate, a tetrafluorothylene/perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer, a polytetrafluoroethylene, and a polyamide.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 22, wherein said film has a layer formed of a metal.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 22, wherein said film has at least one of a release layer and a low-resistant layer.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 22, wherein said film comprises a layer of a polyimide film and a fluorine resin layer.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method according to claim 26, wherein said fluorine resin layer has a conductive material dispersed therein.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
14 words
A method according to claim 26, wherein said fluorine resin layer comprises a polytetrafluoroethylene.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said film is pressed against the heater element by a pressure member under a total pressure of from 4 to 20 kg.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 29, wherein said pressure member is provided with a pressure roller having a rubber elastic layer.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to claim 30, wherein said pressure member is provided with a pressure roller having an elastic layer formed of a silicone rubber.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said heater element is heated by applying an electric current of a pulse-like waveform to a resistor.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said heater element has a low heat capacity and is of linear structure.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
97 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said heater element is provided with a resistance material and a temperature sensor, where, assuming the temperature of said heater element detected by the temperature sensor as T 1 , the surface temperature T 2 of the film opposed to the resistance material is about 10° C. to about 30° C. lower than the temperature T 1 , and the surface temperature T 3 of the film on the part at which said film is peeled from the fixed toner image is substantially equal to the temperature T 2 .
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said toner is prepared by melt-kneading a mixture containing at least a binder resin and a colorant or a magnetic powder, cooling and pulverizing the resulting kneaded product, followed by classification.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said toner is of capsule structure having a core particle and a shell.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
103 words
A method according to claim 36, wherein said toner is of capsule structure having a core particle and a shell, and the resin that constitutes the shell has the properties such that the melt viscosity η' measured by an overhead-type flow tester is from 10 3 to 10 6 poise at a temperature within the temperature range of from 120° C. to 150° C., and an absolute value of the inclination of a graph is not more than 0.50 ln (poise)/°C. when the natural logarithms lnη of the melt viscosities at 120° C. and 150° C. are plotted with respect to the temperatures.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said toner is a toner prepared by suspension polymerization.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said toner has colloidal silica on the toner particle surfaces.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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