Patent ID: 8231760
Filing Date: 2012-07-31
Classification: B41M,G03G,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An image removing device for removing an image forming substance having thermoplastic properties from a recording material, the image removing device comprising: a roller peeling member onto which the recording material with the image forming substance is superposed, the roller peeling member having a thermoplastic composition layer formed on its surface; a heating unit configured to heat the image forming substance; a pressurizing unit configured to apply pressure to the roller peeling member and the recording material superposed thereon to cause the image forming substance heated by the heating unit to adhere to the roller peeling member; a separating unit configured to separate the recording material from the roller peeling member after the image forming substance has adhered to the roller peeling member, thereby removing the image forming substance from the recording material and transferring the image forming substance to the roller peeling member; a removing unit configured to remove, from the roller peeling member, the image forming substance that has been transferred from the recording material to the roller peeling member; a peeling member heating unit configured to heat the image forming substance on the recording material superposed on the roller peeling member, whereby the peeling member heating unit is not provided inside the roller peeling member but is provided only on the outside of the roller peeling member; and a forced cooling unit configured to forcibly cool the image forming substance on the recording material and the thermoplastic composition layer formed on the surface of the roller peeling member, wherein the removing unit comprises a transfer cleaning member whose surface is made of a material having adhesive properties with respect to the image forming substance, whereby the transfer cleaning member is not rotated by the roller peeling member, but is driven/conveyed in such a manner that the transfer cleaning member and the roller peeling member pressurize/contact/slide against each other, so that the image forming substance that has been transferred from the recording material to the roller peeling member is temporarily transferred to the transfer cleaning member before subsequently being removed from the transfer cleaning member, wherein the separating unit is provided at a separation position that is on a downstream side of a nip portion outlet formed by the pressurizing unit and the roller peeling member, wherein temperatures of the image forming substance on the recording material and the thermoplastic composition layer formed on the surface of the roller peeling member are lower at the separation position than a temperature of the nip portion outlet, and wherein the forced cooling unit is provided at a position which is on the downstream side of the nip portion outlet formed by the pressurizing unit and the roller peeling member, and on an upstream side of the separation position where the recording material is separated from the roller peeling member by the separating unit.