Patent ID: 8611799
Filing Date: 2013-12-17
Classification: B41M,G03G

Abstract:
1. An achromatic apparatus comprising an achromatic unit that includes, in order to achromatize an achromatic toner image formed on at least one surface of a recording medium using an achromatic toner, a heating unit and a light emitting unit, wherein the achromatic toner includes a near-infrared ray absorbing colorant which is a cyanine-based colorant, and an organic boron-based compound, and wherein: the achromatic unit further includes a convey path where the recording medium formed with the achromatic toner image on at least one surface thereof is conveyed at a predetermined speed, the heating unit includes a pair of heat radiation heaters that heat the achromatic toner image on at least one surface of the recording medium conveyed through the convey path to a temperature at which the achromatic toner image is effectively achromatized, the light emitting unit includes LED array chips as a pair of light sources having a center wavelength within a wavelength range from 820 to 850 nm, the pair of heat radiation heaters are arranged so as to face one another such that the pair of heat radiation heaters are: (i) located in a vicinity of the convey path, (ii) arranged obliquely to a direction in which the recording medium is conveyed, and (iii) arranged across the convey path so that a first end of each of the pair of heat radiation heaters on an upstream side of the direction in which the recording medium is conveyed is relatively closer to the convey path and a second end of each of the pair of heat radiation heaters on a downstream side of the direction in which the recording medium is conveyed is relatively farther from the convey path, and the pair of light sources are arranged on the downstream side of the pair of heat radiation heaters in the direction in which the recording medium is conveyed, and are arranged so as to face one another across the convey path, wherein optical axes of the pair of light sources are obliquely arranged to emit, from a second end side of each of the pair of heat radiation heaters, light to the recording medium on which the achromatic toner image is formed on at least one surface and which is being heated by the heat radiation heater so as to achromatize the achromatic toner image formed on one or both surfaces of the recording medium.