JP2001337570A - Device and method for reproducing recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for reproducing recording medium where infiltration of liquid into material to be recorded is accelerated by having a toner layer destroyed before dipping process. SOLUTION: The device 1 for reproducing recording medium 1 is provided with a paper curving means 14 by which at least the part of paper where toner is stuck is curved before feeding the liquid 25 to a surface of the paper 4 at the dipping part 23 and generating a bending stress in the part of the paper.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a recording medium reproducing apparatus and method for removing a printing material (eg, toner, ink) printed on a recording medium (eg, copy paper, print paper, OHP sheet). Specifically, the present invention relates to a recording medium reproducing apparatus and a method for removing a printing material fixed on the recording medium after the recording medium is brought into contact with a liquid.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION From the viewpoint of resource reuse, there are various apparatuses for reproducing a recording medium by removing toner from a recording material (copied or printed) on which an image has been formed by an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer. Proposed.

[0003] Among such recording medium reproducing apparatuses, an apparatus using a dedicated sheet having a water-swellable surface layer as a recording material is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-140554 (here, "water"). The term "swellable" means that it absorbs an aqueous solution (including water) and swells, but does not dissolve in the aqueous solution.) When the sheet is used, the recording material is immersed in a liquid mainly composed of water, so that the liquid penetrates into the surface layer and the contact force between the toner and the surface layer is reduced (immersion step). Subsequently, the toner is removed by a toner removing unit using a mechanical rubbing force such as a brush.

In this recording medium reproducing apparatus, when the ratio of the image on the recording material is relatively small, the toner can be sufficiently removed from the recording material. However, when reproducing a recording medium having a large ratio, when a liquid is penetrated into a recording material having a water-swellable surface layer as described above, a toner-attached portion on the recording material (hereinafter referred to as a toner layer in the present application). ) Impedes the penetration of the liquid, so that a long time is required for the immersion step, and furthermore, the toner cannot be sufficiently removed.

Therefore, in the present invention, the permeation of the liquid into the recording material is promoted by breaking the toner layer before performing the immersion step.

[0006]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, “downstream with respect to the paper transport direction” and “upstream with respect to the paper transport direction” are simply referred to as “downstream”, respectively.
Called "upstream".

(1) First Embodiment of Recording Medium Reproducing Apparatus FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of a recording medium reproducing apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as "reproducing apparatus"). The reproducing apparatus 1 is configured to copy or print a toner image on a special paper surface using an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
The toner is removed and the paper is reproduced in a reusable state.

(2) Paper This special paper has a three-layer structure in which an intermediate adhesive layer and a surface layer are sequentially laminated on one surface of a base material layer, or an intermediate adhesive layer and a surface layer are provided on both surfaces of the base material layer, respectively. It has a five-layer structure. As the base material layer, a plastic film, paper, or the like is used. The intermediate adhesive is for bonding the surface layer to the base material layer, and for example, a urethane resin, an acrylic resin, a styrene resin, or the like is used. If the adhesion between the substrate layer and the surface layer is good, the intermediate adhesive layer can be omitted. The surface layer is made of a water-swellable resin obtained by crosslinking a water-soluble resin. In addition,
For paper, and the composition of each layer constituting paper, etc.
This is described in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-218955 by the present applicant.

(3) Paper Feeding Unit Next, the configuration of the reproducing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The playback device 1 has a housing 2 that forms the appearance of the playback device 1. On the left side wall of the housing 2 on the drawing,
A paper feed unit 3 for storing and feeding the paper before the reproduction process is provided. The paper supply unit 3 includes a paper supply tray 5 or a cassette that supports the stacked papers 4 and a first paper transporter that transports the uppermost papers 4 in the same manner as a paper supply unit attached to a copying machine or a printer. It has a paper feed mechanism 6 for delivery to the mechanism. The paper feed mechanism 6 generally includes a paper feed roller 7 arranged to be in contact with the upper surface of the uppermost sheet 4 and a motor (not shown) for rotating the paper feed roller 7.

(4) Pre-drying section The first paper transport mechanism 8 includes a paper guide 9 extending from the paper feeding section 3 to a toner layer breaking section described later. A pre-drying unit 10 is provided in the middle of the first paper transport mechanism 8,
The sheet 4 before the reproduction is heated and its surface layer is dried appropriately. Then, when the surface layer comes into contact with a liquid, it absorbs moisture in a short time and swells. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the pre-drying unit 10 includes two rollers 11, 1 arranged above and below the sheet conveyance path along the sheet guide 9.
Consists of two. Of these rollers 11, 12, the upper roller 11 has a heater 13 as a heating source inside. The two rollers 11 and 12 are supported in parallel and with their respective outer peripheral surfaces pressed against the other outer peripheral surface, and one roller is connected to a motor (not shown). In consideration of shortening the pre-drying time and regenerating the paper 4 having a five-layer structure in which an intermediate adhesive layer and a surface layer are provided on both sides of the base material layer, a heater (see FIG. (Not shown), whereby the paper 4 may be heated from both sides.

(5) Toner layer breaking portion The toner layer breaking portion 14 is for bending the sheet 4 to generate a bending stress, thereby causing a crack in the toner layer on the sheet 4. Specifically, the toner layer destruction part 1
4, a plurality of rollers (three rollers 1 in this embodiment) arranged in the left-right direction of the drawing, as best shown in FIG.
5 (15A, 15B), 16 (16A, 16B), 17
(17A, 17B)) and belts 18 (18A, 18B) suspended by these rollers.
Are roller pairs 15A and 15B, roller pairs 16A and 16
B and a pair of rollers 17A and 17B are arranged so as to face each other. The nip portion of the roller pair 15A, 15B is located near the downstream end of the paper guide 9, and the nip portion of the roller pair 17A, 17B is a paper guide 20 (FIG. 1) for transporting the paper 4 to an immersion portion described later. Is located near the upstream end. In order to smoothly supply the paper 4 to the nip portion of the first roller pair of the immersion portion described later, the downstream end of the paper guide 20 is located near the upstream side of the nip portion of the first roller pair. positioned. Rollers 15A, 16
One of A and 17A is connected to a motor (not shown). Further, one of the rollers 15B, 16B, 17B is connected to a motor (not shown).

In a region surrounded by the rollers 15A and 16A of the unit 19A and the rollers 15B and 16B of the unit 19B, the roller 15A and 16A are adjacent to each other (the roller pair 15).
The first small roller 21 is disposed (above the line connecting the nip portions of the rollers A and 15B and the nip portions of the roller pairs 17A and 17B). In a region surrounded by the rollers 16A and 17A of the unit 19A and the rollers 16B and 17B of the unit 19B, a second small roller 22 is arranged close to the rollers 16B and 17B (below the line). These small rollers 21 and 22 are in contact with the belts 18B and 18A, respectively, and are rotatable in the direction of the arrow in the figure following the movement of the belts 18A and 18B. According to this configuration, the sheet 4 guided to the toner layer breaking unit 14 is attached to the lower unit 19B of the upper unit 19A and the lower unit 19B.
Is guided upward by the first small roller 21 and subsequently downward by the second small roller 22 while being guided between the belt upper part.

(6) Immersion Unit Returning to FIG. 1, the immersion unit 23 has a container 24 having a predetermined shape and size, and the container 24 contains a liquid 25. The liquid 25 is usually composed of water and a surfactant that enhances the penetration of water into the surface layer of the paper 4. However, the surfactant is not an essential material, and the liquid 25 may contain only water. Further, another material may be added to the liquid 25 as needed.

In the regenerating apparatus 1 using the liquid 25 for peeling off the toner, the temperature of the liquid 25 is maintained at about 5 to 65 ° C., preferably about 25 to 45 ° C., and most preferably about 35 ° C. by a heat retaining means (not shown). It is desirable to do. If the temperature is low, the releasability of the toner is inferior, which is not preferable.

In the container 24, a second paper transport mechanism 26 is provided to transport the paper 4 supplied from the upstream side of the container 24 to the downstream side of the container 24 while maintaining the paper 4 in the liquid 25. Is provided. The second sheet transport mechanism 26 includes a first pair of rollers 27 disposed on the upstream side of the container 24, a second pair of rollers 28 disposed on the downstream side of the container 24, and a first and a second pair of these rollers. And a paper guide 29 disposed between the roller pairs 27 and 28. One of the first roller pair 27 is connected to a motor (not shown), and
The first roller pair 27 is arranged in parallel with each other and with one outer peripheral surface pressed against the other outer peripheral surface, so that the sheet 4 is conveyed between the first roller pairs 27. ing. Similarly, one of the second roller pair 28 is connected to a motor (not shown), and the second roller pair 28 pushes one outer peripheral surface to the other outer peripheral surface in parallel with each other. Paper 4
Is conveyed between the roller pairs 28 of the first and second rollers. On the other hand, the paper guide 29 is disposed between the nip portion of the first roller pair 27 and the nip portion of the second roller pair 28, and the paper 4 sent out from the nip portion of the first roller pair 27. Are guided toward the nip portion of the second roller pair 28.

In this embodiment, only one container 24 is provided in the immersion section 23. However, in order to always maintain a constant amount of liquid 25 in the container 24, in addition to the container 24, a liquid replenisher is provided. And the container 24 and the liquid replenisher may be appropriately connected by a liquid supply pipe.

(7) Third Paper Transport Mechanism The third paper transport mechanism 30 includes a paper guide 31 extending from the second roller pair 28 to the vicinity of the right side wall of the housing 2. Further, in order to smoothly transfer the paper 4 that has passed through the nip portion of the second roller pair 28 to the paper guide 31, the upstream end of the paper guide 31 is located downstream of the nip portion of the second roller pair 28. It is located near.

(8) Toner Removal Unit A toner removal unit 32 is disposed in the middle of the third paper transport mechanism 30 to remove toner from the paper 4 in which the liquid 25 has penetrated into the surface layer. In the present embodiment, the toner removing unit 32 is configured by a pair of brush rollers 32 arranged vertically above and below a paper conveyance path along the paper guide 31. Each of the brush rollers 32 includes a central shaft connected to a motor (not shown) and a number of brushes implanted around the central axis. The brush tips of the brushes 32 are conveyed along the paper guide 31. To be in contact with the opposite surface.

(9) Washing Unit In order to wash the paper 4 from which the toner has been removed by the toner removing unit 32 and wash away foreign substances remaining on the paper 4, a washing unit 34 is provided downstream of the toner removing unit 32. Is arranged. The cleaning section 34 has a tank 35 disposed above the paper guide 31.
6 are accommodated. One end of a liquid supply pipe 37 is connected to the bottom of the tank 35. The other end of the liquid supply pipe 37 is located on the downstream side of the toner
Is disposed at a watering position 38 above the cleaning liquid 3 at the watering position 38 for the sheet 4 that has passed through the toner removing unit 32.
6 is sprayed. The liquid supply pipe 37 is provided with a suitable valve (not shown) for adjusting the amount of water sprayed with the cleaning liquid 36.

As the cleaning liquid 36, it is preferable to use the same liquid as the liquid 25 contained in the container 24. In this case, a pipe 39 for connecting the tank 35 to the container 24, a pump 40 for sending the liquid 25 (the cleaning liquid 36) from the container 24 to the tank 35 or from the tank 35 to the container 24 through the pipe 39, and a liquid level of the container 24 A detector or the like for measuring the level is provided, and the pump 40 is driven according to the output of the detector, whereby the liquid level of the container 24 can be maintained constant.

Further, in order to collect foreign matters (for example, toner separated from the paper 4) in the liquid 25, a foreign matter collection filter 41 may be provided in the middle of the pipe 39.

In the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid tank 35
Is provided above the paper guide 31, and the cleaning liquid 36 is allowed to flow naturally through the liquid supply pipe 37 by gravity, whereby the cleaning liquid 36 is sprinkled on the upper surface of the paper 4. In consideration of this, a device for spraying the cleaning liquid 36 on the lower surface of the paper 4 may be further provided.

(10) Liquid removing unit The washing unit 34 removes the liquid 2 from the paper 4 on which the washing liquid 36 is sprinkled.
In order to remove 5 (the cleaning liquid 36), a liquid removing section 42 is provided downstream of the watering position 38. In the present embodiment, the liquid removing unit 42 includes a pair of squeezing rollers 43 arranged vertically above and below a sheet conveying path along the sheet guide 31. These squeezing rollers 43 are arranged in parallel with each other and with one outer peripheral surface pressed against the other outer peripheral surface.

In order to dry the sheet 4 from which the liquid 25 has been removed until it can be reused by a copying machine or the like, it is preferable to provide a post-drying section (not shown) downstream of the liquid removing section 42. The dryer used in the post-drying section may be a blower that simply blows air at room temperature onto the paper 4 or a blower with a built-in heater that can blow hot air. Alternatively, the heating roller type heater used in the pre-drying unit 10 may be used.

(11) Discharge Unit The discharge unit 44 is provided on the right side wall of the housing 2 with the liquid removal unit 4.
2 has a tray 45 for receiving the sheet 4 that has passed therethrough.

(12) Reproduction Operation The operation of the reproduction apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described. The paper 4 to be reproduced by the reproducing device 1 is stacked on the tray 5 of the paper feed unit 3. The stacked papers 4 are fed from the uppermost paper contacted by the paper feed roller 7 to the paper guide 9 of the first paper transport mechanism 8.
It is sent out and supplied to the pre-drying unit 10. In the pre-drying unit 10, the paper 4 is pre-dried to increase the liquid penetration into the surface layer. The preheated sheet 4 is then guided by the toner layer breaking section 14, and is conveyed along the outer peripheral surfaces of the first and second small rollers 21 and 22 while being sandwiched between the belts 18A and 18B. A bending stress is applied, and as a result, the toner layer on the paper 4 is cracked. The paper 4 is subsequently sent into the container 24 of the immersion section 23 and immersed in the liquid 25. Specifically, the paper 4 is delivered to a second paper transport mechanism 26 and supplied onto a second paper guide 29 by a first pair of rollers 27, and if necessary, covers the entire surface layer of the paper 4. It waits on the second paper guide 29 until the liquid 25 has completely penetrated. In the present invention, the paper 4 is immersed in the liquid 25 in a state in which the toner layer on the paper 4 is cracked, so that the liquid 25 can be easily removed from the crack in the toner layer.
Can penetrate into. As a result, the surface layer of the paper 4 swells, the adhesive force between the toner fixed on the surface and the surface layer is lost, and the toner becomes separable by applying a slight mechanical force.

Paper 4 with sufficient liquid 25 permeating the surface layer
Is fed onto the paper guide 31 of the third paper transport mechanism 30 by the second roller pair 28 of the second paper transport mechanism 26. Next, in the toner removing unit 32, the front and back surfaces of the paper 4 are in contact with the bristle tips of the rotating brush roller 29, and the printing material, that is, the toner attached to the front surface (and the back surface) is scraped off. Subsequently, the paper 4 is transferred to the cleaning unit 3.
4 at the second watering position 38 of the cleaning liquid 36 (liquid 2
5) is sprinkled, foreign matter remaining on the front surface (and the back surface when the cleaning liquid is also sprinkled on the back surface of the paper 4) is removed, the liquid 25 is removed by the liquid removing unit 42, and the discharging unit 44
Is discharged to the tray 45.

(13) Experiment 1 Using the reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, experiments (Examples 1 to 7) for removing toner from paper were performed. The conditions of the experiment are as follows. Further, as a comparative example, an experiment of toner removal was performed without providing a toner layer breaking portion. Then, in each of the examples and comparative examples, the “deinking property” was evaluated.

(Example 1) Paper Base layer: CF paper (trade name) manufactured by Minolta was used. Intermediate adhesive layer: water-dispersible urethane resin solution (H Asahi Denka H
A mixed solution obtained by adding 5 g of a melamine-formaldehyde resin (Sumitomo Chemical's Sumireze 613) and 0.1 g of polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether to 100 g of UX-232) was stirred for 5 minutes to obtain a resin solution of the intermediate adhesive layer. . Next, this intermediate adhesive layer solution was applied to one surface of the base material layer using a bar coater. The coating solution was dried at 120 ° C. for 5 minutes, and further subjected to a corona discharge treatment to obtain a 5 μm-thick intermediate adhesive layer. Surface layer: 16 g of anion-modified polyvinyl alcohol (KL-318 manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd.) as water-soluble resin and 184 g of water
To prepare a resin solution. Next, an epoxy-based crosslinking agent (Denacol EX-Nagase Kasei) was added to the resin solution.
313) 3.2 g and 0.4 g of polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether were added, and the mixture was stirred for 15 minutes. The obtained liquid was applied on the intermediate adhesive layer with a bar coater,
C. for 2 hours to obtain a surface layer having a thickness of 9 .mu.m.

Printing conditions Printing machine: CF910 manufactured by Minolta Co., Ltd. Area ratio of image area (B / W ratio): 100% (solid image) Size of printing paper: A4

Playback device specifications a. Paper transport A4 size printing paper was transported vertically at a transport speed of 7 mm / s. b. Pre-drying section 10 Roller 11 surface temperature: 60 ° C. c. Immersion part 23 Liquid 25: A liquid obtained by adding 0.01% of a surfactant (Nonipol 60 manufactured by Sanyo Chemical Industries) to water was used. Liquid capacity of container 24: 30 liters Liquid temperature of container 24: 30 ° C. d. Toner removing section 32 Brush roller 33: Nylon brush e. Cleaning part 34 Cleaning liquid: same as liquid for immersion part Liquid capacity of tank 35: 20 liters Watering flow rate of liquid supply pipe 37: 4 liters per minute

Toner layer breaking portion 14 Rollers 15, 16, 17: radius 20 mm Belt 18: urethane rubber, thickness 0.5 mm Small rollers 21, 22: radius 5 mm (at this time, radius of curvature of curved paper portion: 5.5 mm) )

Type of toner Black toner (CF 910 toner manufactured by Minolta)

Deinkability The immersion time in the immersion section 23 was set to 20 minutes. ：: 90% or more of the image area of the toner was removed. Δ: 70 to 90% of the image area of the toner was removed. X: Image area. Less than 70% of the toner was removed

(Comparative Example 1) An experiment was performed under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the toner layer breaking portion was not provided.

(Examples 2 to 7) An experiment was performed under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the radii of the small rollers 21 and 22 were changed.

The experimental results are shown in the following table.

As can be seen from the above table, the deinking property can be improved by providing the toner layer breaking portion. However, if the radius of curvature of the curved paper portion is large, the effect of breaking the toner layer is reduced. A preferred radius of curvature is 3
３０30 mm, more preferably 3３10 mm. If it is smaller than 3 mm, the paper curls or the sheet conveyance force increases, which is not preferable. If it is larger than 30 mm, the toner layer cannot be sufficiently broken.

(14) Second Embodiment of Playback Device FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the playback device according to the present invention. As shown in FIG.
Roller 50 provided with minute projections 48 on the surface as shown in FIG.
And a rubber roller 51 that comes into contact with the protruding roller 50 across the sheet conveyance path along the sheet guide 9 ′. In the present embodiment, assuming that a toner layer is formed on both surfaces of the sheet 4, the roller pair 50 </ b> A and 51 </ b> A having the projection 48 facing the front side of the sheet 4 and the projection 48 facing the back side of the sheet 4. Two sets of the paired rollers 50B and 51B are provided. Each of the protrusion rollers 50A and 50B is connected to a motor (not shown). Also, the rubber roller 51
A and 51B are configured to be able to rotate following the rotation of the projection rollers 50A and 50B, respectively. According to this configuration, the sheet 4 receives the pressing force from the protrusion rollers 50A and 50B in the toner layer breaking portion 14a, and as a result, the toner layer is collapsed and broken. In this state, when the sheet 4 is immersed in the liquid 25 in the immersion section 23, the liquid 25 easily penetrates the sheet 4 from the depressed / broken portion.

(15) Experiment 2 Experiments for removing toner from paper (Examples 8 to 17) were performed using the reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 3 to evaluate the deinking property. The conditions of the experiment are as follows.

Example 8 Projection Rollers 50A, 50B After forming a frustoconical projection on the SUS sheet metal surface by etching, the sheet metal was wound around the roller. Density of projections 48: 4 pieces / mm ² Height L _{1 of} projections 48: 90 μm Tip diameter L _{2 of} projections 48: 40 μm Pressing force (linear pressure): 500 g / cm (L ₁ and L ₂ are shown in FIG. 4) The experiment was performed under the same conditions as in Example 1 except for the above.

(Examples 9 to 17) Experiments were performed under the same conditions as in Example 8 except that the height L ₁ and the tip diameter L ₂ of the projection roller were changed.

The experimental results are shown in the following table.

As can be seen from the above table, the provision of the projection rollers can improve the deinking property. Further, according to the above experiment and other experiments, the protrusion tip diameter suitable for breaking the toner layer is 10 to 500 μm and the protrusion height is 10 μm.
μm or more (this is a condition that makes the thickness of the toner layer or more), the projection density is 0.1 to 10 protrusions / mm ² , and the pressing force (linear pressure) is 10 to 5000 g / cm. As compared with the above conditions, when the protrusion tip diameter is large, the protrusion height is small, the protrusion density is large, and the pressing force is small, the effect of destroying the toner layer is reduced. Conversely, when the protrusion tip diameter is small, the protrusion height is large, the protrusion density is small, and the pressing force is large, the mechanical strength of the protrusion is low and the durability is poor.

In place of the projection roller, a roller having a knurl on the surface can be suitably used. As one form of the knurl roller, a roller in which the knurl is cut linearly (that is, a protrusion is linearly provided on the surface) can be suitably used in the present embodiment. It is necessary to increase the pressing force in comparison.

(16) Third Embodiment of Playback Device FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the playback device according to the present invention. In this reproducing apparatus 1b, the toner layer breaking members (units 19A and 19B) used in the reproducing apparatus 1 (FIG. 1) are arranged in the immersion section 23b, so that the paper 4 passes through the toner breaking member and the liquid 25 at the same time. It is immersed inside.

(17) Experiment 3 Using the reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 5, experiments (Examples 18 to 24) for removing toner from paper were performed, and the above-described deinking properties were evaluated.
The conditions of the experiment are as follows.

Examples 18 to 24 are Examples 1 to 7, respectively, except that the toner layer breaking member is provided in the container in the immersion section.
The experiment was performed under the same conditions as in the above.

The experimental results are shown in the following table.

As can be seen from the above table, the deinking property can be improved by providing the toner layer breaking member in the immersion portion. However, if the radius of curvature of the curved paper portion is large, the effect of breaking the toner layer is reduced. A preferred radius of curvature is 3 to 30 mm, more preferably 3 to 1 mm.
0 mm. If it is smaller than 3 mm, the paper curls or the sheet conveyance force increases, which is not preferable. If it is larger than 30 mm, the toner layer cannot be sufficiently broken.

(18) Fourth Embodiment of Reproducing Apparatus FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the reproducing apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a first brush roller 60A and a first opposing roller 6 close to the brush roller 60A are provided on the toner layer breaking portion 14c of the reproducing apparatus 1c.
1A, a second brush roller 60B, a second opposing roller 61B adjacent to the brush roller 60B, and a roller pair 62 are sequentially arranged in the sheet transport direction.

More specifically, the roller pair 1 of the pre-drying section 10
The sheet 4 that has passed through the nip portions 1 and 12 is conveyed along the outer periphery of the first opposing roller 61A, and subsequently (toward the outer surface of the second opposing roller 61B disposed on the upper side in the drawing).
In the vicinity of the outer surface of the first opposing roller 61A, a first curved guide 63A that is curved at approximately 90 degrees with a constant interval from the outer surface of the opposing roller 61A is provided so as to be deflected by about 90 degrees. . The first opposing roller 61A is connected to a motor (not shown). In the first curved guide 63A,
As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of holes 64 extending in the transport direction of the paper 4 are provided along the long axis direction of the first opposing roller 61A. The first brush roller 60A includes a roller portion 65A connected to a motor (not shown) and a roller portion 65A.
Of the paper 4 conveyed along the first opposing roller 61A, and the first curved guide 6
The contact can be made through a hole 64 provided in 3A.

The paper 4 is conveyed along the second opposing roller 61B disposed downstream of the first opposing roller 61A, and the paper 4 is again transported (to the nip portion of the roller pair 62 disposed on the right side in the drawing). ) Near the outer surface of the second opposing roller 61B so as to be deflected by about 90 degrees.
A second curved guide 63B that is curved at approximately 90 degrees with a constant interval from the outer surface of the second curved guide 63B is provided. Second opposed roller 61
B is connected to a motor (not shown). Like the first curved guide 63A, the second curved guide 63B has
A plurality of holes extending in the transport direction of the paper 4 are provided along the long axis direction of the second opposed roller 61B. The second brush roller 60B includes a roller portion 65B connected to a motor (not shown) and a number of brushes 66B planted around the roller portion 65B.
The sheet 4 conveyed along the opposing roller 61B can be brought into contact with the opposing surface of the sheet 4 through a hole provided in the second curved guide 63B.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the brush roller 60A in which the brush 66A is in contact with the back surface of the paper 4 and the brush roller 60B in which the brush 66B is in contact with the front surface of the paper 4 are used. The reason is that it is assumed that toner layers are formed on both sides of the sheet 4.

One of a pair of rollers 62 disposed downstream of the second opposed roller 61B is connected to a motor (not shown), and the pair of rollers 62 are parallel to each other and have one outer peripheral surface. Is pressed against the other outer peripheral surface, so that the sheet 4 is conveyed between the pair of rollers 62.

According to such a configuration, the paper 4 is bent by the first opposing roller 61A and receives bending stress in the toner layer breaking portion 14c, so that the toner layer on the paper 4 is cracked. At the same time, the back of the paper is
The mechanical frictional force is applied by the brush roller 60A, and the adhesive force between the toner adhering to the back surface and the paper 4 is weakened. Subsequently, the sheet 4 is bent in the reverse direction by the second opposing roller 61B and receives bending stress, so that the toner layer on the sheet 4 is further broken. At the same time, the paper surface is mechanically rubbed by the second brush roller 60B, so that the adhesion between the toner adhered to the surface and the paper 4 is weakened.

(19) Experiment 4 Using the reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 6, an experiment (Examples 25 to 27) for removing the toner from the paper was performed to evaluate the deinking property.
The conditions of the experiment are as follows.

(Example 25) • Opposite rollers 61A, 61B Radius: 8 mm Paper deflection angle: 90 ° • Brush rollers 60A, 60B Material of brush: Nylon Brush implantation density: 400 brushes / cm ² Brush thickness : 90 μm Length of brush: 10 mm Maximum contact length of brush against paper: 3 mm Peripheral speed of brush tip: 210 mm / s The experiment was performed under the same conditions as in Example 1 except for this.

(Example 26) Brush density of brush roller 60A, 60B: 600 brushes / cm ² Brush thickness: 65 μm Brush length: 8 mm Maximum contact length of brush against paper: 2 mm Was conducted under the same conditions as in Example 25.

(Example 27) Brush density of brush rollers 60A, 60B: 800 pieces / cm ² Brush thickness of brush: 45 μm Brush length: 6 mm Maximum contact length of brush to paper: 2 mm Was conducted under the same conditions as in Example 25.

In each of the examples, the toner was sufficiently removed (ink removal property ○). As you can see from this experiment, the brush
Any conditions may be set as long as the conditions are sufficient to rub the paper.

According to another experiment, a preferable radius of curvature of the opposed roller is 3 to 30 mm, more preferably, 3 to 30 mm.
It was found to be 〜１０10 mm. If it is smaller than 3 mm, the paper curls or the conveying force by the opposing roller increases, which is not preferable. If it is larger than 30 mm, the toner layer cannot be sufficiently broken.

(20) Fifth Embodiment of Reproducing Apparatus FIG. 9 shows a fifth embodiment of the reproducing apparatus according to the present invention. Instead of the brush roller 60A and the opposing roller 61A in the toner layer breaking portion 14c of the reproducing device 1c (FIG. 6), the toner layer breaking portion 14d of the reproducing device 1d
1A, and a projection roller 70B and a rubber roller 71B in contact with the projection roller 70B are provided instead of the brush roller 60B and the opposing roller 61B (a guide for deflecting the sheet 4 is not shown). .). Each of the projection rollers 70A and 70B is connected to a motor (not shown). Further, the rubber rollers 71A and 71B can be rotated following the rotation of the projection rollers 70A and 70B, respectively. According to this configuration, the paper 4
Is the protrusion roller 70 at the toner layer breaking portion 14d.
A, nip portion of rubber roller 71A, and projection roller 70
B, is conveyed through the nip of the rubber roller 71B.
At this time, the sheet 4 receives the pressing force from the projection rollers 70A and 70B and is curved by the rubber rollers 71A and 71B, and as a result, the toner layer is depressed and broken.

(21) Experiment 5 Using the reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 9, an experiment (Examples 28 to 30) for removing toner from paper was performed to evaluate the deinking property.
The conditions of the experiment are as follows.

(Example 28) Projection rollers 70A, 70B The same projection rollers as in Example 8 were used, and the pressing force was also the same (500 g / cm). Circumferential speed: 7 mm / s ・ Rubber rollers 71A, 71B Radius: 10 mm Circumferential speed: 7 mm / s

Example 29 An experiment was performed under the same conditions as in Example 28 except that the same projection roller as in Example 9 was used.

Example 30 An experiment was performed under the same conditions as in Example 28 except that the same projection roller as in Example 10 was used.

In each of the examples, the toner was sufficiently removed (the deinking property ○). As described above, by bending the sheet and applying the pressing force, the toner layer can be more effectively destroyed.

(22) Other Embodiments Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the heat roller 11 is used as the drying (heating) means of the pre-drying unit 10, but instead, a belt may be used for drying, or hot air drying, dehumidification drying, vacuum drying, or the like. Any configuration may be used as long as it removes moisture from the paper.

In the above embodiment, the toner is applied to the paper 4
As a method of removing from above, the rubbing force of the brush roller 32 was used.
As shown in No. 23, the peeling member may be pressed against the paper to peel off the toner from the paper.

Further, in order to supply the liquid 25 to the paper 4, in the above embodiment, the method of immersing the paper 4 in the liquid 25 is used, but the present invention is not limited to this.
Alternatively, the liquid may be sprayed onto the paper in a shower shape, or a roller having the liquid applied on the outer circumference may be brought into contact with the paper.

In order to sufficiently remove the toner, it is optimal that the paper is provided with a surface layer having water swelling properties. This is effective for all papers having a configuration in which the toner is easily peeled.

In addition to the electrophotographic toner, the reproducing apparatus according to the present invention includes a thermal transfer ink, a printing ink, a printing material written with a writing instrument (crayon, pencil, ballpoint pen, sign pen, marker pen, etc.), an ink jet printer. It is also possible to remove ink that forms a film on the paper surface, such as ink for use.

[0074]

According to the reproducing apparatus of the present invention, since the printing material layer on the recording medium is destroyed in advance, the liquid easily permeates the recording medium surface when the liquid is supplied. A state in which the printing material is easily separated from the recording medium can be realized more quickly. Therefore, the reproduction speed (cleaning speed) of the reproduction device can be increased. Further, for example, when paper (pulp) is used for the base material layer of the paper, it is possible to realize a state in which the printing material is easily peeled off before the liquid permeates into the base material layer, so that the paper is prevented from waving. ,
Alternatively, there is an effect that the post-drying time can be shortened or omitted. Further, when the immersion method is used to supply the liquid, the immersion time can be shortened, so that the size of the container for storing the liquid can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of a recording medium reproducing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a toner layer breaking portion in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the recording medium reproducing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of an outer peripheral surface of a projection roller of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of the recording medium reproducing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a recording medium reproducing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a toner layer breakage portion in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the opposing roller and the curved guide of FIGS.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a fifth embodiment of the recording medium reproducing apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: reproduction device, 4: paper, 14: toner layer breaking portion, 2
1: small roller, 22: small roller, 23: immersion part, 50:
Projection roller, 60: brush roller, 61: opposing roller,
63: curved guide, 70: projection roller, 71: opposing roller.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C061 AS02 BB37 GG03 GG07 GG15 GG40 2H034 FA00

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A recording medium reproducing apparatus for removing a printing material from a recording material after supplying a liquid to the surface of the recording material, comprising: a storage section for storing the liquid; and a printing method for destroying a printing material layer on the recording material. A recording medium reproducing apparatus, comprising: a material layer breaking means; wherein the recording material is immersed in a liquid stored in the storage section after the printing material layer is broken by the printing material layer breaking means. 2. A recording medium reproducing apparatus for removing a printing material from a sheet, wherein a liquid supply means for supplying a liquid to the sheet surface, and at least the printing material adheres before the liquid is supplied by the liquid supply means. Bending means for bending the sheet portion to generate bending stress in the sheet portion, wherein the curvature radius of the sheet portion curved by the bending means is 1
A recording medium reproducing apparatus characterized in that the distance is 0 mm or less. 3. The recording medium reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a rubbing unit that comes into contact with the sheet portion curved by the bending unit, thereby applying a mechanical rubbing force. 4. A recording medium reproducing apparatus for removing a printing material from a recording material, wherein the printing material layer destroying means for destroying the printing material layer on the recording material, and the printing material layer is destroyed by the printing material layer destroying means. And a liquid supply means for supplying a liquid to the surface of the recording medium during the recording. 5. A recording medium reproducing apparatus for removing a printing material from a recording material, wherein the printing material layer destroying means for destroying the printing material layer on the recording material, and the printing material layer is destroyed by the printing material layer destroying means. And a liquid supply means for supplying a liquid to the surface of the recording material, and the printing material layer breaking means is a rotating body having a plurality of minute projections on an outer peripheral surface. A recording medium reproducing device, which is brought into contact with a recording material. 6. A recording medium reproducing method for removing a printing material from a recording material, comprising: an immersion step of immersing the sheet in a liquid; and a printing method in which the printing material layer on the recording material is destroyed before the immersion step. A recording medium reproducing method including a material layer breaking step. 7. A recording medium reproducing method for removing a printing material from a sheet, comprising: a liquid supply step of supplying a liquid to the surface of the recording material; and a sheet portion to which at least the printing material is attached before the liquid supply step. And causing a bending stress to be generated in the sheet portion, whereby the curvature radius of the curved sheet portion is 10 mm or less. 8. The recording medium reproducing method according to claim 7, further comprising: a rubbing step of applying a mechanical rubbing force to the curved sheet portion. 9. A recording medium reproducing method for removing a printing material from a recording material, the method comprising supplying a liquid to the surface of the recording material and simultaneously destroying a printing material layer on the recording material.