GB1581668A - Creation of Inventions and Patents with Artificial Intelligence

GB1581668A – Developing apparatus of photocopying equipment
– Google Patents

GB1581668A – Developing apparatus of photocopying equipment
– Google Patents
Developing apparatus of photocopying equipment

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Publication number
GB1581668A

GB1581668A
GB1781777A
GB1781777A
GB1581668A
GB 1581668 A
GB1581668 A
GB 1581668A
GB 1781777 A
GB1781777 A
GB 1781777A
GB 1781777 A
GB1781777 A
GB 1781777A
GB 1581668 A
GB1581668 A
GB 1581668A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
roller
application roller
application
pressure
contact
Prior art date
1978-01-04
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)

Expired

Application number
GB1781777A
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)

GAF GREAT BRITAIN Ltd

Original Assignee
GAF GREAT BRITAIN Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
1978-01-04
Filing date
1978-01-04
Publication date
1980-12-17

1978-01-04
Application filed by GAF GREAT BRITAIN Ltd
filed
Critical
GAF GREAT BRITAIN Ltd

1978-01-04
Priority to GB1781777A
priority
Critical
patent/GB1581668A/en

1980-12-17
Publication of GB1581668A
publication
Critical
patent/GB1581668A/en

Status
Expired
legal-status
Critical
Current

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Classifications

G—PHYSICS

G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY

G03D—APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING EXPOSED PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR

G03D5/00—Liquid processing apparatus in which no immersion is effected; Washing apparatus in which no immersion is effected

G03D5/06—Applicator pads, rollers or strips

G03D5/067—Rollers

Description

(54) DEVELOPING APPARATUS OF PHOTOCOPYING EQUIPMENT
(71) We, GAF (GREAT BRITAIN) LIMI
TED, of P.O. Box 70, Blackthorn Road,
Slough, Buckinghamshire, a British company, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement The present invention relates to photocopying systems and, more particularly to developing apparatus for developing light sensitive paper and polyester film. The development process requires the sensitive side of the copy material to be coated with a very
small amount of developer liquid, this liquid to be distributed evenly over the surface of the copy material, the quantities being in the order of 1.75 to 2.25 grams of liquid per square meter of paper.The major advantage of applying the liquid in such small quantities is that the copies emerge direct from the developing apparatus dry to the touch.
One existing system known as the “pressure diazo” system is disclosed in British Patent
Nos. 1,215,705, 1,349,597, 1,349,598,
1,349,599 and U.S. Patent Nos. 3,626,833 and 3,640,203. Basically the “pressure diazo”
system consists of a rotating roller with a rubber surface having a fine surface texture.
The rubber surface effectively transports developer liquid from the developer supply to the surface of the copy material as they meet in rolling contact with each other. The quantity of developer transported is limited by a metering blade which effectively only allows the small amounts of liquid held within “valleys” of the surface texture to reach the copy material. The transfer of developer liquid from the rubber surface to the copy material is assisted by a pressure applicator device which serves to press the copy material firmly against the rotating rubber surface.
Both the metering device and the pressure applicator device are blade members and are mounted in such a way that, under the influence of a control mechanism, they can be moved into and out of engagement with the roller surface. When engaged the metering blade traps a reservoir of developer liquid downstream of the pressure applicator blade.
When a print is presented to the unit, the copy material and the developer laden roller surface meet and are pressed together under the influence of the pressure applicator blade, this causes the major part of the liquid in the “valleys” to transfer onto the activated side of the copy material thus causing it to devèEop.
When the machine is in operation and the roller is rotating, but the unit is not processing copy material, the pressure of both blades acts directly onto the roller surface. The points of contact are lubricated to some extent by the developer liquid, but this degree of lubrication is not adequate when the roller is rotating at the minimum speed. In order to reduce contact friction and overcome this problem, the blades have been coated with a fluoro carbon plastic such as tetrafluorethylene polymer.
The movement of the blades, into and out of engagement with the roller surface, occurs when the machine is switched on or off respectively, which ensures that the blades do not bear down under pressure onto the surface of the roller when it is stationary. The effect of this if it should occur, for more than a few hours, would be to mark the surface of the roller with a smooth line measuring the same length as that of the blade. On a microscope scale, the “crests” of the surface texture become depressed into the spaces of the “valleys” of the same surface texture, thus reducing the liquid carrying capacity of the surface at the pressure set point. When the machine is then used normally, a line of poor development on the copy material will appear corresponding to the line on the roller.
It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide a developing apparatus in a photocopying system which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by including means to apply pressure on the copy paper against the surface of the application roller without causing marks on the surface of the roller and without requiring means to move the pressure application means away from the roller when the roller is stationary.
According to the present invention there is provided developing apparatus of photo copying equipment comprising a rotatably mounted application roller, means for dispensing developer material onto the surface of said application roller, a metering blade mounted for engagement with the surface of said application roller for wiping the surface of said application roller, and pressure application means matching the contour of the application roller mounted for applying pressure to copy paper as said copy paper passes in contact with the surface of said application roller for receiving developer material therefrom so that said copy paper is squeezed between said pressure application means and said application roller, said pressure application means remaining in direct contour with said application roller when said roller is stationary.
Preferably, the pressure application means is in the form of a curved pad which applies pressure over a substantial area of the application roller.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described in greater detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein the sole figure is a diagrammatic view of one preferred form of developing apparatus for use in a photocopying system.
Referring to the drawing, the developing apparatus includes an application roller 10, which is mounted for rotation on appropriate support means within a photocopying device. A developer dispensing tube 12 is mounted in the photocopying device in close proximity to the application roller 10 for feeding developer material 8 to the roller. A metering blade 14 is arranged for contact with the surface of the application roller for wiping the surface of the application roller to leave it lightly wetted with developer, and a movable blade support 16 for moving the metering blade 14 into and out of contact with the application roller 10 is provided in the device.
The apparatus further includes a pair of guides 18 for guiding copy paper into contact with the surface of the application roller, and pressure application means, to be described in greater detail hereinafter, which is designated by the reference numeral 20.
The Figure shows the developing apparatus in its operating position with metering blade 14 in contact with roller 10 and with roller 10 rotating.
The path that the copy paper takes is indicated by the arrowed broken lines 19, the activated side thereof being directed toward the application roller 10.
The application roller 10 is rubber covered and is driven by conventional means (not shown). The metering blade 14 is moved into contact with the surface of the application roller 10 by means of the support mechanism 16 as soon as the speed of rotation of the application roller exceeds a given minimum value. This minimum value is selected so that the blade 14 does not damage the roller when it is either started or stopped. It should be pointed out that this is standard practice employed in the known systems in particular the “pressure diazo” system disclosed in the above referred to Patents.
The pressure application means 20 includes a rigid square section tube 22, a pad of soft resilient material 24 carried on the tube 22, a strip of material 26 covering the exposed surface of the pad, two pairs of flat plates 28 and 30 between which ends of the stip 26 can be held, and screws 32 for clamping the ends of the strip 26 between the pairs of plates 28 and 30. The strip of material 26 which is preferably made of a polytetrafluoroethylene polymer has its respective ends held between the pairs of plates 28 and 30 with shims 29 between and clamped tightly in position by screws 32.
The pressure application means 20 is applied against the application roller 10 by means (not shown) which are well known in the art, such as spring loaded support arms or brackets. As shown in the drawing, the strip 26 conforms to the shape of the surface of the application roller 10, and the pad 24 gives or is otherwise resilient in its central zone to accommodate the inwards bulge of the strip 26. It should be noted that the ends of the pairs of flat plates 28 and 30 extend slightly beyond outer surface of the pad 24 to properly hold the ends of strip 26. The pad 24 is preferably made of spongy material such as foam rubber to urge the strip 26 into contact with the roller surface.
The above described pressure application means 20 is advantageous because it contacts the surface of the application roller 10 over a much larger area than the prior blade does, therefore the intensity of pressure (i.e. force per unit area) is correspondingly less. This is therefore much less damaging to the roller surface when the roller is sationary because the “crests” of the surface texture deform to a less degree under the lower pressure. Furthermore any deformation that may occur is distributed over a larger area and, consequently has a far less pronounced effect on the application of developer to the copy material.
The result therefore of replacing the pressure blade of the known systems with the above described pessure application means is that it can be fixed in position and there is no need for the device to be disengaged from the roller surface when the roller is stationary.
Thus only the metering blade has to be moved away from the roller surface, which means less mechanism with resulting lower maintenance costs.
WHAT WE CLAIM IS 1. Developing apparatus of photocopying equipment comprising a rotatably mounted
**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (8)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. copying equipment comprising a rotatably mounted application roller, means for dispensing developer material onto the surface of said application roller, a metering blade mounted for engagement with the surface of said application roller for wiping the surface of said application roller, and pressure application means matching the contour of the application roller mounted for applying pressure to copy paper as said copy paper passes in contact with the surface of said application roller for receiving developer material therefrom so that said copy paper is squeezed between said pressure application means and said application roller, said pressure application means remaining in direct contour with said application roller when said roller is stationary. Preferably, the pressure application means is in the form of a curved pad which applies pressure over a substantial area of the application roller. An embodiment of the present invention will now be described in greater detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein the sole figure is a diagrammatic view of one preferred form of developing apparatus for use in a photocopying system. Referring to the drawing, the developing apparatus includes an application roller 10, which is mounted for rotation on appropriate support means within a photocopying device. A developer dispensing tube 12 is mounted in the photocopying device in close proximity to the application roller 10 for feeding developer material 8 to the roller. A metering blade 14 is arranged for contact with the surface of the application roller for wiping the surface of the application roller to leave it lightly wetted with developer, and a movable blade support 16 for moving the metering blade 14 into and out of contact with the application roller 10 is provided in the device. The apparatus further includes a pair of guides 18 for guiding copy paper into contact with the surface of the application roller, and pressure application means, to be described in greater detail hereinafter, which is designated by the reference numeral 20. The Figure shows the developing apparatus in its operating position with metering blade 14 in contact with roller 10 and with roller 10 rotating. The path that the copy paper takes is indicated by the arrowed broken lines 19, the activated side thereof being directed toward the application roller 10. The application roller 10 is rubber covered and is driven by conventional means (not shown). The metering blade 14 is moved into contact with the surface of the application roller 10 by means of the support mechanism 16 as soon as the speed of rotation of the application roller exceeds a given minimum value. This minimum value is selected so that the blade 14 does not damage the roller when it is either started or stopped. It should be pointed out that this is standard practice employed in the known systems in particular the “pressure diazo” system disclosed in the above referred to Patents. The pressure application means 20 includes a rigid square section tube 22, a pad of soft resilient material 24 carried on the tube 22, a strip of material 26 covering the exposed surface of the pad, two pairs of flat plates 28 and 30 between which ends of the stip 26 can be held, and screws 32 for clamping the ends of the strip 26 between the pairs of plates 28 and 30. The strip of material 26 which is preferably made of a polytetrafluoroethylene polymer has its respective ends held between the pairs of plates 28 and 30 with shims 29 between and clamped tightly in position by screws 32. The pressure application means 20 is applied against the application roller 10 by means (not shown) which are well known in the art, such as spring loaded support arms or brackets. As shown in the drawing, the strip 26 conforms to the shape of the surface of the application roller 10, and the pad 24 gives or is otherwise resilient in its central zone to accommodate the inwards bulge of the strip 26. It should be noted that the ends of the pairs of flat plates 28 and 30 extend slightly beyond outer surface of the pad 24 to properly hold the ends of strip 26. The pad 24 is preferably made of spongy material such as foam rubber to urge the strip 26 into contact with the roller surface. The above described pressure application means 20 is advantageous because it contacts the surface of the application roller 10 over a much larger area than the prior blade does, therefore the intensity of pressure (i.e. force per unit area) is correspondingly less. This is therefore much less damaging to the roller surface when the roller is sationary because the “crests” of the surface texture deform to a less degree under the lower pressure. Furthermore any deformation that may occur is distributed over a larger area and, consequently has a far less pronounced effect on the application of developer to the copy material. The result therefore of replacing the pressure blade of the known systems with the above described pessure application means is that it can be fixed in position and there is no need for the device to be disengaged from the roller surface when the roller is stationary. Thus only the metering blade has to be moved away from the roller surface, which means less mechanism with resulting lower maintenance costs. WHAT WE CLAIM IS

1. Developing apparatus of photocopying equipment comprising a rotatably mounted
application roller, means for dispensing developer material onto the surface of said application, roller, a metering blade mounted for engagement with the surface of said application roller for wiping the surface of said application roller, and pressure application means matching the contour of the application roller mounted for applying pressure to copy paper as said copy paper passes in contact with the surface of said application roller for receiving developer material therefrom so that said copy paper is squeezed between said pressure application means and said application roller, said pressure application means remaining in direct contour contact with said application roller when said roller is stationary.

2. Developing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said pressure application means comprises a support mounted in close proximity to said application roller, a contact strip carried by said support, and means for urging said contact strip into pressure engagement with the surface of said application roller.

3. Developing apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said contact strip comprises a strip of polytetrafluoroethylene polymer material, and wherein said means for uging said contact strip into pressure engagement with said application roller comprises a pad of resilient material.

4. Developing apparatus according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein said support comprises a rigid square section tube.

5. Developing apparatus according to claim 4 further comprising means for clamping said contact strip in place on said rigid square section tube.

6. Developing apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said means for clamping said contact strip comprises two pair of plates carried on said square tube for supporting therebetween respective ends of said contact strip, and a screw associated with each pair of said plates for clamping said material therebetween.

7. Developing apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims further comprising means for moving said metering blade into and out of engagement with the surface of said application roller.

8. Developing apparatus of photocopying equipment substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

GB1781777A
1978-01-04
1978-01-04
Developing apparatus of photocopying equipment

Expired

GB1581668A
(en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number
Priority Date
Filing Date
Title

GB1781777A

GB1581668A
(en)

1978-01-04
1978-01-04
Developing apparatus of photocopying equipment

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number
Priority Date
Filing Date
Title

GB1781777A

GB1581668A
(en)

1978-01-04
1978-01-04
Developing apparatus of photocopying equipment

Publications (1)

Publication Number
Publication Date

GB1581668A
true

GB1581668A
(en)

1980-12-17

Family
ID=10101751
Family Applications (1)

Application Number
Title
Priority Date
Filing Date

GB1781777A
Expired

GB1581668A
(en)

1978-01-04
1978-01-04
Developing apparatus of photocopying equipment

Country Status (1)

Country
Link

GB
(1)

GB1581668A
(en)

1978

1978-01-04
GB
GB1781777A
patent/GB1581668A/en
not_active
Expired

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