Imaging color toner, color image forming method and color image forming apparatus

1. An imaging color toner comprising at least a binder resin, a colorant and an infrared absorber, wherein

the binder resin contains, as a principal component, a polyester resin obtained by mixing a first polyester resin with a second polyester resin in a weight ratio of 80:20 to 20:80;

the first polyester resin is a crosslinked polyester resin having a softening point Tsp of not lower than 120° C. and lower than 170° C., and also contains 1 to 25 parts by weight of a chloroform-insoluble content as the component; and

the second polyester resin is a non-crosslinked polyester resin having a softening point Tsp of not lower than 80° C. and lower than 110° C., wherein the toner is capable of being photofixed; and

wherein an acid value of the first polyester resin is from 20 to 40, an acid value of the second polyester resin is from 5 to 20, and an acid value of the entire polyester resin is from 15 to 35.

2. The imaging color toner according to claim 1 , wherein the infrared absorber is a compound which shows a light absorption peak at a wavelength ranging from 700 to 1000 nm.

3. The imaging color toner according to claim 2 , wherein the infrared absorber is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of cyanine, anthaquinone, phthalocyanine, naphthalocyanine, polymethine, nickel complex, aminium, diimonium, tin oxide, ytterbium oxide, ytterbium phosphate, and cerium oxide.

4. The imaging color toner according to claim 1 , wherein the first polyester resin is a polyester resin originating from an alkylene oxide adduct of bisphenol A represented by the following formula (I):

wherein R represents a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, and x and y each represents an integer of 1 or more.

5. The imaging color toner according to claim 1 , wherein said second polyester resin is a polymerization product of polyoxypropylene (2.2)-2, 2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, polyoxyethylene (2.2)-2, 2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane and terephthalic acid in the absence of a crosslinking component.

6. A method of forming a color image on a recording medium which comprises the steps of forming an electrostatic latent image by image exposure, visualizing the electrostatic latent image by development, transferring the visualized image onto the recording medium and fixing the transferred image, wherein

a developing agent comprising a color toner, which comprises at least a binder resin, a colorant and an infrared absorber, is used in the step of developing the electrostatic latent image,

the binder resin containing, as a principal component, a polyester resin obtained by mixing a first polyester resin with a second polyester resin in a weight ratio of 80:20 to 20:80;

the first polyester resin being a crosslinked polyester resin having a softening point Tsp of not lower than 120° C. and lower than 170° C., and also containing 1 to 25 parts by weight of a chloroform insoluble content as the component; and

the second polyester resin being a polyester resin having a softening point Tsp of not lower than 80° C. and lower than 110° C., said second polyester resin being a polymerization product of polyoxypropylene (2.2)-2, 2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, polyoxyethylene (2.2)-2, 2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane and terephthalic acid in the absence of a crosslinking component; and

a photofixing system is used at a light emission energy density ranging from 1.0 to 6.0 J/cm 2 in the step of fixing the transferred image after transferring the image visualized by using the developing agent onto the recording medium;

wherein an acid value of the first polyester resin is from 20 to 40, an acid value of the second polyester resin is from 5 to 20, and an acid value of the entire polyester resin is from 15 to 35.

7. The color image forming method according to claim 6 , wherein the infrared absorber is a compound which shows a light absorption peak at a wavelength ranging from 700 to 1000 nm.

8. The color image forming method according to claim 7 , wherein the infrared absorber is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of cyanine, anthaquinone, phthalocyanine, naphthalocyanine, naphthalocyanine, polymethine, nickel complex, aminium, diimonium, tin oxide, ytterbium oxide, ytterbium phosphate, and cerium oxide.

9. An apparatus for forming a color image on a recording medium comprising an image exposing device for forming an electrostatic latent image, a developing device for visualizing the electrostatic latent image, an image transferring device for transferring the visualized image onto the recording medium, and an imaging fixing device for fixing the transferred image onto the recording medium, wherein

the developing device is loaded with a developing agent containing a color toner, which comprises at least a binder resin, a colorant and an infrared absorber,

the binder resin containing, as a principal component, a polyester resin obtained by mixing a first polyester resin with a second polyester resin in a weight ratio of 80:20 to 20:80;

the first polyester resin being a crosslinked polyester resin having a softening point Tsp of not lower than 120° C. and lower than 170° C., and also containing 1 to 25 parts by weight of a chloroform-insoluble content as the component; and

the second polyester resin being a polyester resin having a softening point Tsp of not lower than 80° C. and lower than 110° C., said second polyester resin being a polymerization product of polyoxypropylene (2.2)-2, 2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, polyoxyethylene (2.2)-2, 2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane and terephthalic acid in the absence of a crosslinking component; and

the image fixing device being provided with a photofixing device having a light emission energy density ranging from 1.0 to 6.0 J/cm 2 ;

wherein an acid value of the first polyester resin is from 20 to 40, an acid value of the second polyester resin is from 5 to 20, and an acid value of the entire polyester resin is from 15 to 35.

10. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the infrared absorber is a compound which shows a light absorption peak at a wavelength ranging from 700 to 1000 nm.

11. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the infrared absorber is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of cyanine, anthaquinone, phthalocyanine, naphthalocyanine, polymethine, nickel complex, aminium, diimonium, tin oxide, ytterbium oxide, ytterbium phosphate, and cerium oxide.

12. An imaging color toner comprising at least a binder resin, a colorant and an infrared absorber, wherein;

the binder resin contains, as a principal component, a polyester resin obtained by mixing a first polyester resin with a second polyester resin in a weight ratio of 80:20 to 20:80;

the first polyester resin is a crosslinked polyester resin having a softening point Tsp of not lower than 120° C. and lower than 170° C., and also contains 1 to 25 parts by weight of a chloroform-insoluble content as the component; and

the second polyester resin is a linear polyester resin having a softening point Tsp of not lower than 80° C. and lower than 110° C., wherein the toner is capable of being photofixed;

and wherein an acid value of the first polyester resin is from 20 to 40, an acid value of the second polyester resin is from 5 to 20, and an acid value of the entire polyester resin is from 15 to 35.

13. The imaging color toner according to claim 12 , wherein said second polyester resin is a polymerization product of polyoxypropylene (2.2)-2, 2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, polyoxyethylene (2.2)-2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane and terephthalic acid in the absence of a crosslinking component.