Patent ID: 9551934
Date: 2017-01-24
CPC Classifications: B41F,G03F,G03G

Claim:
1. A variable data lithography system, comprising: a photoreceptor; a charging subsystem for applying a first electrostatic charge to the photoreceptor; an exposure subsystem disposed for selective exposure of the photoreceptor to form an exposure pattern from regions that are exposed and unexposed by the exposure subsystem on a surface of the photoreceptor, the exposure enabling altering of the electrostatic charge on the photoreceptor to define first regions of the photoreceptor having a first electrostatic charge state and second regions of the photoreceptor having a second electrostatic charge state; an image definition material subsystem disposed proximate to the photoreceptor for selectively applying an image definition material substantially over the first regions of the photoreceptor having the first electrostatic charge state and not over the second regions having the second electrostatic charge state to form an image definition material image on a surface of the photoreceptor corresponding to the exposure pattern; an inking subsystem disposed proximate to the photoreceptor for selectively applying ink over the photoreceptor such that the ink preferentially occupies regions over the image definition material to thereby form an inked image; an imaging member having a reimageable surface formed thereon, disposed proximate the photoreceptor such that the inked image is transferred to the reimageable surface; and an image transfer subsystem for transferring the inked image from the reimageable surface to a substrate, wherein: the first regions of the photoreceptor having the first electrostatic charge state have a first charge polarity, and the image definition material subsystem is configured such that the image definition material applied over comprises electrostatically charged particles having a second charge polarity, the first charge polarity being opposite the second charge polarity, and the image definition material comprises a dampening fluid, the dampening fluid comprising a carrier fluid in which the particles are disposed, and the carrier fluid is electrically insulative.