Image recording body and image forming apparatus by use of the same

Abstract

There is provided improvement of a light-heat conversion in a light-stimulated writing method. An image recording body includes an element, which absorbs light (electromagnetic wave), provided in a surface of a recording body 10 , or in a recording layer formed on uppermost layer of the recording body having a material exhibiting thermal changeable character of wettability, or in a substrate or an intermediate layer of the recording body. After a liquid is on the recording body 10 by a liquid forming means 3 , light-stimulated writing is carried out. When the light-stimulated writing is carried out with light (electromagnetic wave) from a light (electromagnetic wave) source according to image information, an efficiency of light-heat conversion can be enhanced by a light(electromagnetic wave)-absorbing element.

1 . An image recording body comprising an element, which absorbs light in response to image information to achieve recording, provided in a recording layer of said image recording body formed on an uppermost layer thereof comprising a material having thermal changeable character of wettability, or in a substrate of said image recording body or an intermediate layer thereof.  
     
     
         2 . The image recording body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said material having the thermal changeable character of wettability comprises an organic material and said organic material comprises an element having changeable character of wettability and an element which absorbs light in response to image information to achieve recording.  
     
     
         3 . The image recording body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a dye or pigment absorbing light in response to image information to achieve recording is included in said recording layer at a dissolution or dispersion state.  
     
     
         4 . The image recording body as claimed in  claim 2  or  3 , further comprising a reflecting layer which reflects light and are provided between said recording layer comprising the thermal changeable character of wettability and said substrate.  
     
     
         5 . The image recording body as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein said reflecting layer has a rough surface thereof.  
     
     
         6 . An image forming apparatus for use in a recording body comprising a material having thermal changeable character of wettability, said image forming apparatus comprising: 
 a light source emitting scannable light (including an electromagnetic wave); and    liquid forming layer means for forming a liquid layer on a surface of said recording body exposed to light during writing operation.    
     
     
         7 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said liquid layer forming means is means for forming a gel-like element.  
     
     
         8 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said liquid layer forming means is means for forming a layer comprising a microcapsule-like fine particle element containing a liquid.  
     
     
         9 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said liquid layer forming means comprises a light transmissible film to hold said liquid layer between a surface of said recording body and said means so as to form said film on said surface of said recording body in a state where said liquid layer is placed between said means and said recording body.  
     
     
         10 . An image recording body comprising: 
 a recording layer;    a light-heat converting layer;    a base body; and    a regular reflection-preventing layer between said base body and said light-heat converting layer to inhibit regular reflection of light which is used for recording.    
     
     
         11 . An image recording body comprising: 
 a recording layer;    a light-heat converting layer; and    a base body,    wherein said base body has a finely irregular structure provided on a surface of a light-heat converting layer side in order to inhibit regular reflection of light which is used for writing.    
     
     
         12 . An image recording body comprising: 
 a recording layer having a light-heat converting agent dispersed therein;    a regular reflection-preventing layer to inhibit regular reflection of light which is used for recording and passes through said recording layer; and    a base body carrying said regular reflection-preventing layer.    
     
     
         13 . An image recording body comprising: 
 a recording layer having a light-heat converting agent dispersed therein; and    a base body carrying said recording layer,    wherein said base body has a finely irregular structure provided on a surface of a recording layer side of said base body in order to inhibit regular reflection of light which is used for writing and passes through said recording layer.    
     
     
         14 . An image recording body comprising: 
 a recording layer;    a light-heat converting layer;    a transparent base body carrying said light-heat converting layer; and    a regular reflection-preventing layer provided on a back surface in an opposite side of said light-heat converting layer to said transparent base body in order to inhibit regular reflection of light which is used for recording.    
     
     
         15 . An image recording body comprising: 
 a recording layer;    a light-heat converting layer; and    a transparent base body carrying said light-heat converting layer,    wherein said transparent base body has a finely irregular structure provided on a back side in an opposite side of said transparent base body to said light-heat converting layer.    
     
     
         16 . An image recording body comprising: 
 a recording layer having a light-heat converting agent dispersed therein;    a transparent base body carrying said recording layer; and    a regular reflection-preventing layer provide on a back surface in an opposite side of said transparent base body to said recording layer in order to inhibit regular reflection of light which is used for recording.    
     
     
         17 . An image recording body comprising: 
 a recording layer having a light-heat converting agent dispersed therein; and    a transparent base body carrying said recording layer,    wherein said transparent base body has a finely irregular structure provided on a back surface in an opposite side of said transparent base body to said transparent base body.    
     
     
         18 . A carrier for an image recording body carrying a image recording medium on a surface of said carrier, said image recording medium being transparent for light which is used for recording, said carrier comprising a reflecting layer provided on said surface of said carrier in order to inhibit regular reflection of incident light which is used for recording.  
     
     
         19 . A carrier for an image recording body carrying a image recording medium on a surface of said carrier, said image recording medium being transparent for light which is used for recording, said carrier comprising a surface thereof having a finely irregularly structure.  
     
     
         20 . An image recording body for use in an image forming apparatus in which said image recording body comprising: a recording layer having thermal changeable character of wettability; and a substrate carrying said recording layer being heated to form a latent image on said recording layer and said latent image being then developed to transfer to a recording paper, wherein said recording body has a surface having a roughness of less than 20 μm.  
     
     
         21 . An image recording body for use in an image forming apparatus in which said image recording body comprising: a recording layer having thermal changeable character of wettability; and a substrate carrying said recording layer being heated to form a latent image on said recording layer and said latent image being then developed to transfer to a recording paper, 
 wherein said recording layer has a pencil hardness of more than H.    
     
     
         22 . An image recording body for use in an image forming apparatus in which said image recording body comprising: a recording layer having thermal changeable character of wettability; and a substrate carrying said recording layer being heated to form a latent image on said recording layer and said latent image being then developed to transfer to a recording paper, 
 wherein said recording layer has a Young's modulus of less than 1.0×10 7  N/m 2  and a thickness of more than 2 μm.    
     
     
         23 . An image recording body for use in an image forming apparatus in which said image recording body comprising: a recording layer having thermal changeable character of wettability; and a substrate carrying said recording layer being heated to form a latent image on said recording layer and said latent image being then developed to transfer to a recording paper, 
 wherein said substrate has a Young's modulus of less than 1.0×10 8  N/m 2  and a thickness of more than 25 μm.    
     
     
         24 . An image recording body for use in an image forming apparatus in which said image recording body comprising: a recording layer having thermal changeable character of wettability; a substrate; and a cushion layer having a elastic property and provided between said substrate, said recording layer being heated to form a latent image on said recording layer and said latent image being then developed to transfer to a recording paper, 
 wherein said cushion layer has a Young's modulus of less than 8.0×10 7  N/m 2  and a thickness of more than 5 μm.    
     
     
         25 . A method for removing an ink remaining on an image recording body having thermal changeable character of wettability, said method comprising the steps of: 
 coating a liquid which is compatible with a resin and a pigment which are contained in a recording ink on said recording body; and then    wiping said liquid thus coated.    
     
     
         26 . A method for removing an ink remaining on an image recording body having thermal changeable character of wettability, said method comprising the steps of: 
 coating an involatilizable or a volalilizable solvent which is contained in a recording ink on said recording body; and then    wiping said solvent thus coated.    
     
     
         27 . A method for removing an ink remaining on an image recording body having thermal changeable character of wettability, said method comprising the steps of: 
 coating a liquid which is compatible with a resin and a pigment which are contained in a recording ink on said recording body; and then    supersonically cleaning said recording body.    
     
     
         28 . A method for removing an ink remaining on an image recording body having thermal changeable character of wettability, said method comprising the steps of: 
 coating an involatilizable solvent which is contained in a recording ink on said recording body; and then    supersonically cleaning said recording body.    
     
     
         29 . A method for removing an ink remaining on an image recording body, said method comprising the steps of: 
 removing said ink remaining on said recording body by the method according to any one of  claims 25  to  28 ; and then    cleaning a surface of said recording body.    
     
     
         30 . A method for removing an ink remaining on a surface of an image recording body having thermal changeable character of wettability, said method comprising the steps of: 
 bringing a adhesive element into contact with said surface of said recording body developed already; and then    stripping said adhesive element from said surface of said recording body so as to remove said remaining ink on said surface of said recording body together with said adhesive element.    
     
     
         31 . A method for removing an ink remaining on a surface of an image recording body having thermal changeable character of wettability, said method comprising the steps of: 
 bringing an element having a rougher surface that that of said recording body into contact with said surface of said recording body developed already; and then    stripping said element from said surface of said recording body so as to remove said remaining ink on said surface of said recording body together with said element.    
     
     
         32 . A method for removing an ink remaining on a surface of an image recording body having thermal changeable character of wettability, said method comprising the steps of: 
 forming a solid film on said surface of said recording body developed already; and then    stripping said solid film from said surface of said recording body so as to remove said remaining ink on said surface of said recording body together with said solid film.    
     
     
         33 . A method for removing an ink remaining on a surface of an image recording body having thermal changeable character of wettability, said method comprising the steps of: 
 completely curing said ink remaining on said surface of said recording body by an air drying; and then    removing said ink by the method according to any one of  claims 30  to  32 .    
     
     
         34 . A method for removing an ink remaining on a surface of an image recording body having thermal changeable character of wettability, said method comprising the steps of: 
 completely curing said ink remaining on said surface of said recording body compulsorily; and then    removing said ink remaining on said surface of said recording body by the method according to any one of  claims 30  to  32 .    
     
     
         35 . An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming means for forming a latent image on an image region by selectively heating a non-image region of a recording body, in which said latent image formed on said recording body being developed to transfer into a recording paper, 
 wherein said image forming means comprises a plurality of heating sources (i.e., multi-head) for heating said recording body and said plurality of heating sources are capable of writing the same pixel.    
     
     
         36 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in  claim 35 , wherein when said heating source is always heated to produce a failed heating source and said failed heating source is located at a marginal region, a region to be written by said failed heating source is not compensated by other heating source.  
     
     
         37 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in  claim 35  or  36 , wherein said image forming means comprises a multi-head having a broader recording width than that of an image formation region and means for moving said multi-head in a main scanning direction each time a predetermined printing is carried out.  
     
     
         38 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 35  to  37 , wherein said image forming means comprises a multi-head having a broader recording width than that of an image formation region and means for moving said multi-head in a main scanning direction every predetermined period.  
     
     
         39 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 35  to  38 , wherein said image forming means comprises heating means for heating an image region and heating means for heating a marginal region.  
     
     
         40 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in  claim 39 , wherein said heating means for heating said marginal region comprises a multi-head having a lower resolution than that of said heating means for heating said image region.  
     
     
         41 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 35  to  40 , wherein detection is carried out for a resistance value of each heating source of said multi-head and/or a voltage across a resistive element connected in series with said heating source so as to examine whether or not a failed heating source is present by comparing a detected voltage with a defined voltage.  
     
     
         42 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 35  to  41 , wherein said image forming means heats a recording body in a state where said recording body is in contact with an element selected from a liquid and/or a solid, said recording body having surface characteristics in which a recording contact angle decreases (a liquid-attracting state) when said recording body comes into contact with said liquid in a heated state thereof and said receding contact angle increases (a liquid-repelling state) when said recording body is heated in a non-contact state with said liquid, or is brought into contact with said element selected from said liquid and/or said solid right after heating a surface of said recording body to decrease said receding contact angle of said surface of said recording body (a liquid-attracting treatment), so that an entire area of said surface becomes liquid-attracting state and a only non-image region of said recording body is then heated selectively in the absence of a contacting element which is a liquid and/or a solid to make said non-image region liquid-repelling state.  
     
     
         43 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 35  to  42 , wherein said image forming means comprises a plurality of image forming means corresponding to each color of respective recording colors.  
     
     
         44 . An image forming apparatus comprising an image forming means for forming a latent image on an image region by selectively heating a non-image region of a recording body, in which said latent image formed on said recording body being developed to transfer into a recording paper, 
 wherein said image forming means has a function that a writing heat amount can be adjusted.    
     
     
         45 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in  claim 44 , wherein said image forming means has a function that said writing heat amount is adjusted according to temperature information of said recording body.  
     
     
         46 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in  claim 44  or  45 , wherein said image forming means has a function that said writing heat amount is adjusted according to heating information of a pixel adjacent to a pixel to be heated (a pixel of interest) and said pixel written with said pixel of interest at the same time or said pixel written already.  
     
     
         47 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 44  to  46 , wherein said heating amount is changed in accordance with a heat record of a plurality of written lines which are in the same scanning direction or are in a near position.  
     
     
         48 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 44  to  47 , wherein said image forming means comprises a multi-head having a plurality of heating sources for said recording body and a heating amount from said multi-head is changed according to the number of said heating sources driving simultaneously.  
     
     
         49 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 44  to  48 , wherein said image forming means writes more than every at least other pixel or other line in a main scanning direction or a sub-scanning direction.  
     
     
         50 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 44  to  49 , wherein said image forming means changes a writing rate according to image information.  
     
     
         51 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 44  to  50 , wherein said image forming means changes said writing rate according to an increased temperature of said recording body.  
     
     
         52 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 44  to  51 , wherein said image forming means increases a heating amount at the beginning of writing so as to achieve image formation.  
     
     
         53 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 44  to  52 , wherein said image forming means comprises a multi-head and a pixel in the same line is written more than every at least other pixel.  
     
     
         54 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 44  to  52 , wherein said image forming means comprises a multi-head having heating sources formed more than every other pixel.  
     
     
         55 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 44  to  54 , wherein said image forming means comprises a multi-head, and writing is carried out more than every at least other pixel in the same line and writing is also performed in a spiral line.  
     
     
         56 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 44  to  55 , wherein said image forming means comprises a multi-head, and writing is carried out more than every at least other pixel in the same line and after completing an end line said image forming apparatus or said recording body is moved in a main direction so as to continue to form an image.  
     
     
         57 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 44  to  56 , wherein said image forming means heats a recording body in a state where said recording body is in contact with an element selected from a liquid and/or a solid, said recording body having surface characteristics in which a recording contact angle decreases (a liquid-attracting state) when said recording body comes into contact with said liquid in a heated state thereof and said receding contact angle increases (a liquid-repelling state) when said recording body is heated in a non-contact state with said liquid, or is brought into contact with said element selected from said liquid and/or said solid right after heating a surface of said recording body to decrease said receding contact angle of said surface of said recording body (a liquid-attracting treatment), so that an entire area of said surface becomes liquid-attracting state and a only non-image region of said recording body is then heated selectively in the absence of a contacting element which is a liquid and/or a solid to make said non-image region liquid-repelling state.  
     
     
         58 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in any one of  claims 44  to  57 , wherein said image forming means comprises a plurality of image forming means corresponding to each color of respective recording colors.  
     
     
         59 . An image forming apparatus for use in formation of a latent image on a recording body in response to image information by laser light, said image forming apparatus comprising: 
 a laser source controlled to emit said laser light according to image information;    a rotating multi-face mirror for scanning said laser light from said laser source;    a motor for rotating said rotating multi-face mirror; and    said recording body to be irradiated with said laser light reflected by said rotating multi-face mirror, wherein said recording body is a low sensitive recording body comprising a light-heat converting agent which converts said laser light irradiated onto said recording body into heat and said rotating multi-face mirror is rotatable by said motor through a rate reducing means.    
     
     
         60 . The image forming apparatus as claimed in  claim 60 , wherein a rotating axis of said motor or said rotating multi-face mirror is provided with a disk-like mass member having a weight equal to or more than that of said rotating multi-face mirror.