JPH0569764U - Decoloring toner developing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [PROBLEMS] To provide a developing device for decoloring toner, which is improved in reliability by preventing undesired fading or discoloration of the decoloring toner stored inside. A developing roller 6, a conveying member 15, and a decoloring toner 1 are housed inside a housing 7 of a developing machine 2,
An opening 14 is provided at the end of the housing 7 facing the photosensitive drum 4.
Is formed. A light shielding film 16 that blocks the passage of near infrared rays is fixed to the inner peripheral edge of the opening 14.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a developing device for decolorizing toner, which loses its color when irradiated with near infrared rays.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 In recent years, the reuse and recycling of used paper has been reviewed to protect nature, especially forest resources and reduce waste in urban areas. As part of these efforts, the reuse of used copy paper, printed matter, facsimile paper, etc. that is no longer needed in a company's office is being considered.

However, since most of these papers are internal company confidential documents that are generally regarded as trade secrets, it is extremely difficult to collect and recycle these papers outside the company. Moreover, since the recorded and printed parts of printed matter, copied materials, etc. cannot be easily erased, they must be incinerated, crushed and disposed of, and it is virtually impossible to reuse such papers. Was believed to be.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 Therefore, as a result of intensive studies in view of the above-mentioned conventional techniques, the present inventors have found a near-infrared light erasable recording material capable of absorbing, decomposing and erasing near-infrared rays, and using such a recording material. Toners have been developed (Japanese Patent Application No. 2-194187 and Japanese Patent Application No. 3-277725).

When electrostatic copying is performed using the decoloring toner, an image, a print, or the like recorded on a copy sheet can be erased only by irradiating with near-infrared rays, and electrostatic copying can be performed again after the erasing. This makes it possible to reuse the copy paper, and when discarding used copy paper, recorded images, prints, etc. can be erased by irradiating near infrared rays, so it is confidential. There are many advantages such as being able to prevent external leakage of matters and being able to collect and recycle the duplication paper.

On the other hand, when such a decoloring toner is stored in a developing machine and used by being loaded in a copying machine or an electrophotographic apparatus, the decoloring toner stored in the housing of the developing machine is It is attracted to the developing roller by electrostatic attraction between the housing and the image forming roller that is arranged facing the opening formed on the side facing the photosensitive drum, and is conveyed to the photosensitive drum side as the developing roller rotates. Adhere to the photosensitive drum. For example, a substantially transparent polyester film is provided around the periphery of the opening to prevent toner scattering.

Here, in the vicinity of the developing device, in the vicinity of the developing drum, light from a halogen lamp that irradiates an original document as an example for forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum, or after the transfer process is performed. In a static elimination lamp or electrophotographic process that removes charges on the photosensitive drum, there is light from an eraser that removes charges from unnecessary areas on the recording paper where recording is not performed. The contained near infrared rays may reach the inside of the housing through the opening of the developing machine even if the polyester film is attached. In such a case, the original color of the color erasing toner, blue, may be faded or discolored, and the color erasing function of the color erasing toner may be lost before the copying operation. There is a problem that the reliability of the developing machine is low.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problems and to effectively prevent undesired discoloration or discoloration phenomenon of the decoloring toner housed inside, thereby improving reliability. An object of the present invention is to provide a developing device for decoloring toner.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The present invention relates to a developing machine that uses a decoloring toner that absorbs near infrared rays and loses its color. A housing having an opening at one end, a developing roller arranged to face the opening of the housing, and a housing A decoloring toner developing machine, comprising: a near-infrared ray blocking member that is disposed at a peripheral portion of the opening and blocks near-infrared ray passage.

Examples of the near-infrared absorber include phthalocyanine compounds, anthraquinone compounds, naphthalocyanine compounds, and trisazo dyes. In addition, nitroso compounds and their metal complex salts, cyanine dyes, squarylium dyes, dicyanonaphthoquinone dyes, thiol nickel complex salts (including complex salts of cobalt, platinum and palladium), triarylmethane dyes, immoniums, diimmonium dyes. Any of naphthoquinone dyes, anthraquinone dyes, and the like, or a combination of a plurality of these are appropriately used. Aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), or the like is appropriately used as the metal powder. Further, as the inorganic compound, titanium oxide, calcium carbonate or the like is appropriately used.

[0011]

[Action]

 The decolorizing toner developing machine of the present invention accommodates decoloring toner that absorbs near infrared rays and loses its color in the housing. An opening is formed at one end of the housing, and the developing roller is arranged facing the opening. A near-infrared ray blocking member that blocks the passage of near-infrared rays is provided on the periphery of the opening of the housing. Therefore, even if there is light containing near-infrared rays outside the developing machine for the decolorizing toner, the near-infrared rays contained in the light are prevented from entering the housing, and the decoloring material stored in the housing is prevented. Undesired fading or discoloration of the toner is prevented.

[0012]

【Example】

 The toner that is erased by irradiation of near-infrared rays stored in the toner container of the present invention is an optically decolorizable toner. For example, a dye and an organic boron ammonium salt are contained in a styrene resin. It is distributed and configured. The dye is represented by the following chemical formula 1, for example.

[0013]

[Chemical 1]

The styrene resin described above is widely used as a binder resin for toner. The dye represented by the above chemical formula 1 is one of cyanine dyes. When coexisting with an organic boron ammonium salt, when near infrared rays are irradiated, near infrared rays are absorbed and an irreversible reaction occurs, and the blue color disappears. Become colorless and transparent. As the organic boron ammonium salt, for example, tetrabutylammonium n-butyltriphenylboron represented by the following chemical formula 2 is used.

[0015]

[Chemical 2]

The near-infrared color erasable toner used in the following examples was prepared as follows. Dye, organic boron ammonium salt, and wax were mixed with styrene resin in the ratios shown in Table 1, and were kneaded with a pressure kneader at 120 ° C for 5 minutes. The kneaded product was cooled and solidified, and then ground with a jet mill. Then, using a classifier, toner powder having a particle size of about 5 to 20 μm and an average particle size of about 10 μm was prepared. Next, as an external additive, 0.5 part by weight of silica-based fine powder (Silica R972 manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.) was added per 100 parts by weight of the toner, and mixed with a Henschel mixer to obtain a toner.

[0017]

[Table 1]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a developing machine 2 that stores a two-component developer containing a decolorizing toner 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the developing machine 2. FIG. 3 is a system diagram of the electrophotographic apparatus 3 in which the developing machine 2 is used. The electrophotographic apparatus 3 is provided with a photosensitive drum 4 that rotates in the direction of arrow A1. Light 5 is incident. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 4, and the decoloring contained in the housing 7 of the developing device 2 is performed by the developing roller 6 provided in the developing device 2 and rotating in the arrow A2 direction. The toner 1 adheres to the charge existing area on the photosensitive drum 4. Thereafter, the transfer charger 8 transfers the toner image onto the recording paper 9.

The recording paper 9 after transfer is subjected to a fixing process such as being heated by a fixing device. On the other hand, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 after the transfer is removed by the cleaner 10, and the static elimination lamp 11 irradiates the entire surface of the photosensitive drum 4 with light to remove the electric charge. After that, the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 is charged to a uniform predetermined potential by the charging charger 12. After that, the eraser 13 irradiates light on a portion of the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 which exceeds the size of the recording paper 9, for example, to remove the electric charge.

The developing machine 2 has the housing 7, and an opening 14 is formed at an end facing the photosensitive drum 4 with a length corresponding to the length of the photosensitive drum 4 in the axial direction. The interior of the housing 7 is divided into a decoloring toner storage portion 19 and a developer storage portion 20 by a partition wall 21. In the decoloring toner storage portion 19, the stored decoloring toner is moved to the partition wall 21 side. An agitator 22 is provided, and a replenishing roller 24, which is made of a porous material such as sponge and formed into a cylindrical shape, is arranged to close the through hole 23 of the partition wall 21. When the replenishment roller 24 rotates, the toner in the toner storage portion 19 drops into the developer storage portion 20.

Below the through hole 23 of the developer accommodating portion 20, a stirring member 25 for moving the dropped toner to the developing roller 6 side and stirring the carrier and the toner in the developer accommodating portion 20 is provided. Be done. Further, the developer accommodating portion 20 is provided with a toner concentration sensor 26 that detects the amount of toner in the developer inside by a magnetic action or the like. The supporting shafts of the agitator 22, the replenishing roller 24, the agitating member 25 and the developing roller 6 are projected to the side of the housing 7, and the gears 27, 28, 29 and 30 are fixed respectively, and the dynamic forces are transmitted to each other. To be done. In this embodiment, a near infrared ray blocking member made of a plastic film for blocking passage of near infrared rays in a peripheral portion of the opening 14 of the housing 7, specifically, a range extending from an upper edge portion to each side edge portion. A light shielding film 16 is provided.

The inventor of the present invention exposed a substantially transparent polyester film having a thickness of 0.05 mm to a developing machine 2 using a decolorizing toner containing a near-infrared absorbing cationic dye-boron anion complex. A part of the decoloring toner 1 in the image forming machine 2 was attached to the peripheral edge of the opening 14 of the developing roller 6 to prevent the decoloring toner 1 inside from scattering and was used for a copying machine for 10 hours. It was confirmed that discoloration or discoloration was observed and that the function of the decolorized toner was deteriorated.

In order to prevent such problems as described in the section of the prior art, a light-shielding film 16 is used in this embodiment, and aluminum is used as a base material 17 made of a polyester film having a thickness of 0.05 mm, for example. A metal coating film 18 was formed by vapor deposition of metal. As shown in FIG. 1, such a light-shielding film 16 is fixed to the peripheral portion of the opening 4 of the developing machine 2 for shielding near infrared rays from the outside to form the developing machine 2 of the present embodiment. When used for a copying machine for 100 hours, no fading or discoloration was observed. When the light-shielding film 16 is attached to the peripheral portion of the opening 14 as in this embodiment, the light-shielding film 16 has a function of blocking near-infrared rays and also having a function of preventing scattering of the decoloring toner 1 in the developing machine 2. Achieved together.

By using the light-shielding film 16 in the developing machine 2 that stores the decoloring toner 1 as described above, unwanted fading or discoloration of the decoloring toner 1 inside is prevented.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the light-shielding film 16 is made of a polyurethane film mixed with phthalocyanine 1PHR which is a near-infrared absorber, and a copying machine using such a developing machine 2 is operated for 50 hours. However, it was confirmed that no fading or discoloration was observed. That is, even with such a configuration example, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be achieved.

Examples of the near-infrared absorber include phthalocyanine compounds, anthraquinone compounds, naphthalocyanine compounds, and trisazo dyes. In addition, nitroso compounds and their metal complex salts, cyanine dyes, squarylium dyes, dicyanonaphthoquinone dyes, thiol nickel complex salts (including complex salts of cobalt, platinum and palladium), triarylmethane dyes, immoniums, diimmonium dyes. Any of naphthoquinone dyes, anthraquinone dyes, and the like, or a combination of a plurality of these are appropriately used. Aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), or the like is appropriately used as the metal powder. Further, as the inorganic compound, titanium oxide, calcium carbonate or the like is appropriately used.

As yet another embodiment of the present invention, a light-shielding film 16 is used as an example to form a laminate structure by laminating the base material 17 and an aluminum film. When the developing machine 2 equipped with such a light-shielding film 16 was used for a copying machine and operated for 100 hours, no fading or discoloration was observed.

[0028]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, the near-infrared ray blocking member for blocking the near-infrared ray is provided at the peripheral portion of the opening of the housing. Therefore, even if light containing near-infrared rays is present outside the image forming apparatus for decolorizing toner, the near-infrared rays included in this light are prevented from entering the housing and are stored in the housing. Undesired fading or discoloration of the decoloring toner is prevented. As a result, the reliability of the decolorizing toner developing machine is significantly improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a developing machine 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the developing machine 2.

FIG. 3 is a system diagram of an electrophotographic apparatus 3 in which a developing machine 2 is used.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a light shielding film 16.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Decoloring toner 2 Developing machine 14 Opening 16 Light-shielding film 17 Base material 18 Metal coating

Continuation of the front page (72) Kiichi Hosoda, 5-1, Ogimachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Showa Denko K.K.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A developing machine using a decoloring toner that absorbs near infrared rays and loses its color, a housing having an opening at one end, a developing roller arranged facing the opening of the housing, and a housing of the housing. A developing machine for decolorizable toner, comprising: a near-infrared ray blocking member disposed at a peripheral portion of the opening and blocking a near-infrared ray from passing therethrough.