Method of using a liquid toner developing module for electrographic recording

Claim 1

A method of depositing liquid toner on an imaging surface of a photoconductor drum comprises the steps of: activating a pump mechanism to supply liquid toner to a development electrode of a toner developing module; activating a vacuum source to provide vacuum pressure to draw liquid toner across the development electrode; rotating the photoconductor drum about its axis; moving the developing module from the predeveloping position wherein the developing module is spaced from the photoconductor drum to a developing position wherein the development electrode of the developing module is in closely spaced proximity to the imaging surface of the drum so that the liquid toner flowing across the development electrode is in contact with the imaging surface of the rotating drum and is deposited thereon; deactivating the pump mechanism so that liquid toner is no longer supplied to the development electrode; and moving the developing module from the developing position to the predeveloping position so that excess liquid toner on the imaging surface of the rotating photoconductor drum is removed by vacuum pressure provided by the vacuum source.

Claim 2

A method of depositing liquid toner on an imaging surface of a photoconductor drum comprises the steps of: activating a pump mechanism to supply liquid toner to a development electrode of a toner developing module; activating a vacuum source to provide vacuum pressure to draw liquid toner across the development electrode; rotating the photoconductor drum about its axis; moving the developing module from the predeveloping position wherein the developing module is spaced from the photoconductor drum to a developing position wherein the development electrode of the developing module is in closely spaced proximity to the imaging surface of the drum so that the liquid toner flowing across the development electrode is in contact with the imaging surface of the rotating drum and is deposited thereon; deactivating the pump mechanism so that liquid toner is no longer supplied to the development electrode; and moving the developing module from the developing position to the predeveloping position so that excess liquid toner on the imaging surface of the rotating photoconductor drum is removed by vacuum pressure provided by the vacuum source.

Claim 3

A method of aligning a liquid toner development electrode with an outer circumferential imaging surface of a photoconductor drum comprises the steps of: activating a pump mechanism to supply liquid toner to a laterally extending development electrode; activating a vacuum source to provide vacuum pressure to the draw liquid toner in a longitudinal flow across the development electrode; rotating the photoconductor drum counterclockwise about a laterally extending axis thereof, with the outer circumferential imaging surface of the photoconductor drum rotating in the same direction as the longitudinally moving flow of liquid toner; positioning the development electrode in a predeveloping position along an alignment plane which is tangent to a radial line from the laterally extending axis of the drum for longitudinal movement of the development electrode relative to the photoconductor drum, with the alignment plane having a portion closely laterally spaced from the outer circumferential imaging surface of the drums; and moving the development electrode longitudinally along the alignment plane from the predeveloping position wherein the development electrode is longitudinally spaced from the photoconductor drum to a developing position wherein the development electrode is closely laterally spaced from the drum so that the flow of liquid toner on the development electrode sweeps into a desired contact with the outer circumferential imaging surface of the rotating drum.

Claim 4

A method of aligning a liquid toner development electrode with an outer circumferential imaging surface of a photoconductor drum comprises the steps of: activating a pump mechanism to supply liquid toner to a laterally extending development electrode; activating a vacuum source to provide vacuum pressure to the draw liquid toner in a longitudinal flow across the development electrode; rotating the photoconductor drum counterclockwise about a laterally extending axis thereof, with the outer circumferential imaging surface of the photoconductor drum rotating in the same direction as the longitudinally moving flow of liquid toner; positioning the development electrode in a predeveloping position along an alignment plane which is tangent to a radial line from the laterally extending axis of the drum for longitudinal movement of the development electrode relative to the photoconductor drum, with the alignment plane having a portion closely laterally spaced from the outer circumferential imaging surface of the drums; and moving the development electrode longitudinally along the alignment plane from the predeveloping position wherein the development electrode is longitudinally spaced from the photoconductor drum to a developing position wherein the development electrode is closely laterally spaced from the drum so that the flow of liquid toner on the development electrode sweeps into a desired contact with the outer circumferential imaging surface of the rotating drum.