Patent ID: 6289191
Filing Date: 2001-09-11
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
An imaging system for effecting single-pass, multicolor printing of a color image, comprising:a plurality of contact electrostatic printing engines operable in serial fashion upon a copy substrate, wherein each contact electrostatic printing engine includes an assembly for imaging and developing a respective electrostatic latent image representative of a component of the color image, and an assembly for subsequently transferring the developed component image to the copy substrate as the copy substrate proceeds in a single pass through the imaging system;wherein at least one of the contact electrostatic printing engines further comprises:a first movable member for having an electrostatic latent image formed thereon including image areas defined by a first voltage potential and non-image areas defined by a second voltage potential;a second movable member for having a layer of liquid developing material coated thereon comprising toner particles and a liquid carrier; anda process nip formed by operative engagement of said first movable member and said second movable member for positioning the layer of liquid developing material in pressure contact with said first movable member, wherein the electrostatic latent image on said first member generates imagewise electric fields across the layer of liquid developing material in said process nip;said process nip being defined by a nip entrance and a nip exit, and having a preestablished nip gap, said developing material developed in said nip gap to have imagewise separation of the liquid developing material to create a developed image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image and a background image, said developed image and said background image each having a thickness greater than one half the nip gap.