Patent ID: 6725006
Filing Date: 2004-04-20
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
A liquid developer image forming apparatus, using first, second, third and fourth liquid developers respectively containing a solvent and a plurality of toner particles, comprising;a latent image retaining body comprising a photosensitive layer, the photosensitive layer configured to keep a latent image and have a relative dielectric constant &egr;p [C2/Nm2] and an average thickness dp [m]; a first developing surface facing the latent image retaining body at a first developing station, supplied with an electrical potential for a first development, and configured to provide the first liquid developer to the latent image retaining body retaining a first latent image; a latent image forming unit facing the latent image retaining body and configured to form a second latent image comprising image and non-image regions of the photosensitive layer supporting an image of the first liquid developer; and a second developing surface facing the latent image retaining body at a second development station and supplied with an electrical potential for a second development, the electrical potential for the second development having an electrical potential difference &Dgr;V from an electrical potential of the non-image region of the second latent image, the second developing surface configured to provide the second liquid developer to the latent image retaining body supporting the image of the first liquid developer and the second latent image, the plurality of toner particles of the first liquid developer at the second development station having a volume density of toner particles pm [kg/m3], a surface density mr [kg/m2], a relative dielectric constant &egr;r [C2/Nm2], an average radius r [m], and a density of electrical charge qr [C/kg], the first image having an average thickness dr [m] at the second development station, the second liquid developer having an average thickness dt [m] at the second development station, and a relative dielectric constant &egr;t [C2/Nm2], wherein the following equations are satisfied; 1Ã—10-11&af;[N]&leq;4&it;â€ƒ&it;Ï€&it;â€ƒ&it;r3&it;Ï m&it;qr3&it;(-qr&it;mr&varepsilon;r&it;dr&it;(dr-1A&it;drmr&it;(-Î”&it;â€ƒ&it;Vqr+(dr2&it;â€ƒ&it;&varepsilon;r+dt&varepsilon;t)&it;mr)))&leq;8Ã—10-9&af;[N],and&it;â€ƒ&it;A=dp&varepsilon;p+dr&varepsilon;r+dt&varepsilon;t.a third developing surface facing the latent image retaining body at a third developing station, supplied with an electrical potential for a third development, and configured to provide, the third liquid developer to the latent image retaining body supporting an image of the first and second liquid developers and retaining a third latent image; and a fourth developing surface facing the latent image retaining body at a fourth developing station, supplied with an electrical potential for a fourth development, and configured to provide the fourth liquid developer to the latent image retaining body supporting an image of the first, second and third liquid developers and retaining a fourth latent image.