JPH0346957A - Discharging device for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent curl from being generated to a transfer member expanded by pressure-heat fixing treatment in its attempt to return to the original shape after being discharged so as to keep the transfer member in the flat state by providing a discharging mechanism for transforming the transfer member in the opposite direction to the curling direction at the time of discharging the transfer member. CONSTITUTION:A transfer member 8 provided with glossiness being heated and fixed at a heat treatment device 14 is discharged with its image face side up by the rotation of the upper and lower rollers 101, 102 of a discharging device 100. Both ends of the upper and lower rollers 101, 102 are respectively of diagonal shape so as to discharge the transfer member 8 in the state of both shoulders thereof being bent downward against the proceeding direction A as shown by an arrow C. There are also gaps formed between both ends of the upper roller 101 and lower roller 102. Both ends of the transfer member 8 discharged in the direction C against the proceeding direction A are thereby forced to be transformed in the bent state so as to prevent the discharged transfer member 8 from curling.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an ejection device for an image forming apparatus that exposes an image onto a photosensitive member and forms the image as a visible image on another member.

[Prior art] A photosensitive film is coated with microcapsules on its surface containing a photosoftening substance and three types of color formers, yellow, magenta, and cyan. The color is developed by pressing and rupturing the microcapsules that do not harden, and after being transferred to the transfer member, a heat fixing process is performed to accelerate the development reaction by heating, and the surface is glossed to complete the formed image, and the image is transferred out of the device as it is. The common method was to discharge it.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above-mentioned prior art, a phenomenon occurs in which the transfer member curls upward in the longitudinal direction of the image surface some time after it is discharged from the apparatus after heat fixing. Therefore, when an image forming apparatus is provided with a discharge tray for accommodating transfer members after being discharged, the transfer members are stacked on the discharge tray in a curled state.
There is a problem in that both ends of the curl hit the ejecting portion of the transfer member and prevent the ejection of the next transfer member.

Another disadvantage is that it becomes difficult to see the image near curls. Furthermore, the appearance of the sample after image formation is poor if it curls.

The present invention aims to solve these problems, and its purpose is to ensure that the transfer member discharged outside the image forming apparatus after heat fixing remains flat even after a certain period of time has elapsed. To continue, an object of the present invention is to provide an ejection device of an image forming apparatus for ejecting both shoulders of the transfer member with the image surface turned to the back surface.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a photosensitive member having on its surface a large number of microcapsules in which at least a photosoftening substance or a photosoftening substance and a coloring agent are enclosed, and which is used as a transfer member before or after image exposure. After the images are overlapped and exposed, pressure is applied, and the coloring agent and the color developer formed on the transfer member are developed and fixed by causing a color reaction, and at least an area of the pressurized transfer member in which an image is formed. In an image process in which an image is heated and fixed using radiant heat to a temperature higher than the softening temperature of the material forming the image, the transfer member is characterized in that, after the heat and fixation, both shoulders of the transfer member are ejected with the image side transformed to the back side.

[Embodiment 2] An embodiment of the present invention in which an image is formed using the photosensitive member and transfer member described above will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

The unexposed photosensitive member ejected from the cassette 1, which is a photosensitive member container that stores the photosensitive member, is placed on an exposure table 2 constituting an exposure means, and is moved toward the right in FIG. 1 at the same speed as the photosensitive member 3. The image of the original on table 4 is exposed. This document is illuminated by an illumination mechanism 5 having a cooling mechanism. A transfer member 8 is conveyed by a pickup roller 7 from a transfer member cassette 6, which is a transfer member storage container, in accordance with the position of the exposed latent image, and is transferred to a pressure developing mechanism 9, which is a pressure developing means.
Components in the destroyed microcapsules are transferred onto the transfer member 8 in correspondence with the latent image of the photosensitive member 3 through pressure development. The photosensitive member 3 is pressed against the upper front pressure roller 1 by the pressure roller 10.
1, the cassette 1 is conveyed by this driving force and wound around the storage shaft 12 of the cassette 1. On the other hand, the transfer member 8
is conveyed to a heat treatment device 1114 by a feed roller 13, a coloring reaction is promoted by heating by a heater 15, gloss is imparted to the image surface, and the image is discharged through a discharge device 100 to the outside of the device.

The state of the ejected transfer member will be explained with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2(a) shows the state of the transfer member 8 after being ejected onto the ejection tray by a conventional ejection device. As shown in FIG. It curls in the B direction with respect to the traveling direction A. The reason for this is that the front and back surfaces of the transfer member are made of different materials and have a double structure, and the surface with a large number of microcapsules shrinks due to crystal shrinkage and heat shrinkage. Since the amount of shrinkage is larger than that due to heat shrinkage, as time passes, it curls in the direction B relative to the traveling direction A with the image plane facing upward.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2(b), it is necessary to deform both shoulders of the transfer member 8 in advance in the direction C in response to the advancing force A, and then discharge the transfer member 8.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the discharge device of the present invention. The schematic configuration of the discharge device of the present invention will be explained using FIG. 3.

The transfer member 8, which has been heat-fixed and given gloss by the heat treatment device 14, is discharged with the image surface facing upward by the rotation of the upper roller 101 and the lower roller 102 of the discharge device 100.

At this time, the upper roller 10 bends both shoulders of the transfer member downward in the direction of arrow C with respect to the traveling direction A and discharges the transfer member.
Both ends of the roller 1 and the lower roller 102 are obliquely shaped.

Also, a gap is provided at both ends of the upper roller 101 and the lower roller 102. As a result, when the transfer member 8 that has been heat-fixed in the heat treatment device 14 is ejected from the device by driving the roller, both ends of the transfer member are forced to move in the C direction with respect to the traveling direction A by passing through the gap. I was able to transform it so that it curved. As a result, the ejected transfer member did not curl.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an embodiment in which the upper and lower rollers are arranged at different levels in the discharging device of the present invention.

Both ends of the upper roller 101 have a larger diameter than the center. Further, since the lower roller 102 is made shorter than the length of the central portion of the upper roller 101, the upper and lower rollers have different levels.

When the transfer member 8, which has been heat-fixed by the heat treatment device 14, passes between rollers at different levels, both shoulders are pressed by both ends of the upper roller 101, and an effect similar to that of the embodiment described in FIG. 3 is obtained. Obtained.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an embodiment in which levers are attached near both ends of the roller in the discharge device of the present invention.

The lever 103 is installed obliquely to the extent that the transfer member 8 does not get caught on the tip of the lever and interfere with ejection. The transfer member 8 is heated and fixed by a heat treatment device 14, and then transferred to an upper roller 10.
1 and the lower roller 102 to be discharged out of the image forming apparatus, both shoulders are pushed by the tips of the levers 103, thereby making it possible to deform the paper in the direction of the arrow C with respect to the traveling direction A. . As a result, the ejected transfer member did not curl.

There is no problem even if the lever 103 of this embodiment is separately attached to the embodiment described in FIGS. 3 and 4.

In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which a device composed of an upper roller 101 and a lower roller 102 is provided outside the heat treatment apparatus 14, but the upper roller 101 and the lower roller 102 are installed on the paper discharge side of the heat treatment apparatus 14. Exactly the same effect can be obtained when used as a roller (not shown).

In this case, since the heat treatment device and the discharge device can be integrated, there is an advantage that the number of components can be reduced in the image forming apparatus.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, when a transfer member that has been heat-fixed in the present image forming apparatus is ejected, the transfer member is deformed in a direction opposite to the curling direction. By adopting a structure having a mechanism, it is possible to prevent the transfer member, which has been expanded by pressure and heat fixing processing after discharge, from curling when it tries to return to its original state, and to maintain a flat state.

Further, even if a plurality of transfer members discharged into the paper discharge tray are stacked, it is possible to prevent the discharge of the next transfer member from being obstructed. Therefore, another effect is obtained in that a larger number of sheets can be accommodated than the current paper ejection tray without requiring the installation location of the paper ejection tray to be lowered.

Furthermore, the sample after image formation gives a good impression to the user of the apparatus as a clean and easy-to-see sample.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2(a) is a perspective view showing the state of a transfer member after a certain period of time has elapsed in a transfer member ejected by a conventional ejection device. FIG. 2(b) is a perspective view showing the state of the transfer member when the transfer member is ejected using the ejection device of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the ejection device of the present invention. 4 and 5 are perspective views showing other embodiments of the present invention. 3...Photosensitive member 8...Transfer member 9...Pressure developing mechanism 14...Heat treatment device 15...Heater 100...Discharge device 101...Upper roller 102...Lower roller C/-5 Fig. 2(b)

Claims (1)

[Claims] A photosensitive member having on its surface a large number of microcapsules in which at least a photocurable substance or a photosoftening substance and a coloring agent are sealed is superimposed on a transfer member before or after image exposure, and pressurized after imagewise exposure to combine the coloring agent and the coloring agent. Developed and fixed by causing a color reaction with a color developer formed on the transfer member,
In an image process in which at least an image-formed area of the pressurized transfer member is heat-fixed to a temperature higher than the softening temperature of the material forming the image, both shoulders of the transfer member are deformed from the image side to the back side after heat-fixing. An ejecting device for an image forming apparatus, characterized in that the ejecting device ejects the image.