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US5256509A
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US
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Image-forming member for electrophotography and manufacturing method for the same
Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co Ltd
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Filing: 1990-11-19
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Granted: 1993-10-26
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Expires: 2010-11-19
Abstract
Abstract An image-forming member for electrophotography and a manufacturing method for the same and an electrostatic photocopying machine are disclosed. The image-forming member comprises an organic photoconductive layer formed on a conductive substrate and a protective layer formed on the organic photoconductive layer. Hollows such as pinholes and cracks in the organic photoconductive layer are filled with insulating material, so that the organic photoconductive layer surface becomes even and thereby the protective layer such as a carbonaceous film having high hardness is formed on the organic photoconductive layer with a surface of the protective layer even such that foreign matters can not gather thereon. Because of evenness and hardness of the protective layer, the image-forming member is immune to wear or scratches, and consequently clear images having no image flow, blur of images, white strips, and voids are obtained on copying sheets with an electrostatic photocopying machine utilizing the image-forming member.
Inventors
- 👤 Shigenori Hayashi
- 👤 Shunpei Yamazaki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 16:06
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03G; G03G5/00; G03G5/005; G03G5/14; G03G5/147; G03G5/14704
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 37
Claim 1
Independent Claim
55 words
An image forming member for electrophotography comprising: an organic photoconductive layer formed on a conductive substrate; and a protective layer formed on said organic photoconductive layer, wherein a positive photoresist insulating material is provided to fill only hollow regions in said organic photoconductive layer in order to make smooth the surface of the photoconductive layer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
55 words
An image forming member for electrophotography comprising: an organic photoconductive layer formed on a conductive substrate; and a protective layer formed on said organic photoconductive layer, wherein a positive photoresist insulating material is provided to fill only hollow regions in said organic photoconductive layer in order to make smooth the surface of the photoconductive layer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography of claim 1 wherein said protective layer has a smooth surface in order not to gather foreign matters thereon.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography of claim 1 wherein a resistivity of said insulating material is from 10 8 to 10 12 Ωcm.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography of claim 1 further comprising an insulating layer interposed between said smoothed organic photoconductive layer and said protective layer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography of claim 4 wherein said insulating layer is made of said insulating material.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography of claim 1 wherein said organic photoconductive layer functions to generate electric charges therein by virtue of light and to transport the generated electric charges.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography of claim 1 wherein said organic photoconductive layer comprises a charge carrier generation layer and a charge carrier transport layer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography of claim 1 wherein said conductive substrate has a cylindrical or plate shape.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography of claim 1 wherein said conductive substrate is a conductor or an insulator having a conducting surface.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography of claim 1 wherein a Vickers hardness of said protective layer is from 100 to 3000 kg/mm 2 .
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
33 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography of claim 1 wherein said protective layer is selected from the group consisting of diamond like carbon layer, silicon nitride layer, silicon oxide layer, and silicon carbide layer.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography of claim 7 wherein said insulating material is a material of said charge carrier transport layer.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
54 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography comprising: a cylindrical aluminum substrate; a photoconductive layer formed on said cylindrical aluminum substrate; and a carbonaceous protective layer formed on said photoconductive layer, wherein only hollow regions in said photoconductive layer are filled with a positive photoresist in order to make smooth the surface of the photoconductive layer.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
54 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography comprising: a cylindrical aluminum substrate; a photoconductive layer formed on said cylindrical aluminum substrate; and a carbonaceous protective layer formed on said photoconductive layer, wherein only hollow regions in said photoconductive layer are filled with a positive photoresist in order to make smooth the surface of the photoconductive layer.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography of claim 13 wherein said carbonaceous protective layer is comprised of SP 3 bonds.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography of claim 13 wherein a Vickers hardness of said carbonaceous protective layer is from 100 to 3000 Kg/mm 2 .
Claim 18
Independent Claim
58 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography comprising the steps of: forming an organic photoconductive layer on a conductive substrate; filling only hollow regions in said organic photoconductive layer with a positive photoresist insulating material in order to render the surface of the photoconductive layer smooth; and forming a protective layer on said organic photoconductive layer.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
58 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography comprising the steps of: forming an organic photoconductive layer on a conductive substrate; filling only hollow regions in said organic photoconductive layer with a positive photoresist insulating material in order to render the surface of the photoconductive layer smooth; and forming a protective layer on said organic photoconductive layer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography in claim 16 further comprising the step of forming an insulating layer between said organic photoconductive layer and said protective layer.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography in claim 16 wherein said hollows are filled with said insulating material by rolling on said organic photoconductive layer a roller coated with said insulating material.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography in claim 16 wherein said organic photoconductive layer is coated with said insulating material and said insulating material is removed by a squeegee in order to fill said hollows with said insulating material.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography in claim 16 wherein said organic photoconductive layer comprises a charge carrier generation layer and a charge carrier transport layer.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography in claim 20 wherein said charge carrier transport layer is made of said insulating material.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography in claim 16 wherein a resistivity of said insulating material is from 10 8 to 10 12 Ωcm.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography in claim 16 wherein a Vickers hardness of said protective layer is from 100 to 3000 kg/mm 2 .
Claim 27
Independent Claim
84 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography comprising the steps of: forming an organic photoconductive layer superposed on a conductive substrate; fabricating a device for electrophotography from said organic photoconductive layer; subjecting said organic photoconductive layer to electrophotography processing repeatedly; detaching said organic photoconductive layer from said device; filling only hollow regions in said organic photoconductive layer with an insulating material in order to render the surface of the photoconductive layer smooth; and forming a protective layer on said organic photoconductive layer.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
84 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography comprising the steps of: forming an organic photoconductive layer superposed on a conductive substrate; fabricating a device for electrophotography from said organic photoconductive layer; subjecting said organic photoconductive layer to electrophotography processing repeatedly; detaching said organic photoconductive layer from said device; filling only hollow regions in said organic photoconductive layer with an insulating material in order to render the surface of the photoconductive layer smooth; and forming a protective layer on said organic photoconductive layer.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography in claim 24 further comprising the step of forming an insulating layer made of said insulating material between said organic photoconductive layer and said protective layer.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography in claim 24 wherein said organic photoconductive layer comprises a charge carrier generation layer and a charge carrier transport layer.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography in claim 26 wherein said charge carrier transport layer is made of said insulating material.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography in claim 24 wherein a resistivity of said insulating material is from 10 8 to 10 12 Ωcm.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography in claim 24 wherein a Vickers hardness of said protective layer is from 100 to 3000 kg/mm 2 .
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
19 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography of claim 1 wherein said insulating material consists only of a hardenable liquid material.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
26 words
An image-forming member for electrophotography of claim 30 wherein said insulating material consisting of a hardenable liquid material having a viscosity of 50 CPS or less.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography in claim 16 wherein said insulating material consists only of a hardenable liquid material.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method for manufacturing an image-forming member for electrophotography in claim 32 wherein said insulating material has a viscosity of at least 50 CPS when in liquid form.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-10-25 | 1997-04-26 | 1997-10-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-10-25 | 2001-04-26 | 2001-10-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-10-25 | 2005-04-26 | 2005-10-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |