Xerox Corporation

Anthony G Poletto

James M Casella

Arthur Harold Kahn

Robert Edward Hildebrand

Daniel H Burnett

Kenneth E Giunta

Youti Kuo

Frank Albert Porter

Steven J Fiore

Donald E Johnston

Roger C Male

Edward T Hinton

Alfred Zielinski

Carmen J Sofia

Harry Ramos

Anand Narayan

Karl Sweitzer

A document handling system includes an imaging area; a light source located in proximity to the imaging area; a raster imaging scanning system located in proximity to the imaging area; and a looped document path, located in proximity to the imaging area, having an entrance and an exit. The exit of the looped document path is positioned such that an exiting document is placed upon the imaging area a second time. Alternatively, the document handling system includes a semicircular document path, located in proximity to a first imaging area, having an entrance and an exit; and a second imaging area located in proximity to the exit of the semicircular document path. A bidirectional fiber optic element is located between the first and second imaging areas to transmit light from the light source to the second imaging area and light reflected from the second imaging area to the first imaging area.

Single pass duplex document path for a digital scanner

A document handling system includes an imaging area; a light source located in proximity to the imaging area; a raster imaging scanning system located in proximity to the imaging area; and a looped document path, located in proximity to the imaging area, having an entrance and an exit. The exit of the looped document path is positioned such that an exiting document is placed upon the imaging area a second time. Alternatively, the document handling system includes a semicircular document path, located in proximity to a first imaging area, having an entrance and an exit; and a second imaging area located in proximity to the exit of the semicircular document path. A bi-directional fiber optic element is located between the first and second imaging areas to transmit light from the light source to the second imaging area and light reflected from the second imaging area to the first imaging area.

A tandem printing system includes two printers separated by a dual finisher station centered between the two printers. The system's two input/output terminals are controlled to act as one high-speed print engine. With this arrangement, improved productivity is realized if one printer is not functional (i.e., 50% instead of 0%). The centrally positioned dual finisher station simplifies the paper path for the second of the dual finishers.

Tandem printing apparatus with a center positioned dual finisher station

A quad roll sheet curl control apparatus uses elastomer first and second rolls forming first and second nips with third and fourth rolls. The first and second rolls have compressible surfaces, while the third and fourth roll surfaces are formed of a substantially uncompressible material. A pivotable gate member in operating relationship with the first and second nips directs sheets to either the first or the second nip whereby the desired decurling orientation is achieved for the sheet by either the elastomer first roll or the elastomer second roll. Switching nips and curl to be induced does not require drive reversal as previous decurler arrangements do. The degree of decurling can be adjusted with at least one cam in communication with at least one of the first and second rolls.

Quad-roll decurler

A tri-roll sheet curl control apparatus is described which includes an elastomer first roll forming a first nip with a second roll, the first roll having a compressible surface. The apparatus includes an elastomer third roll having a compressible surface which forms a second nip with the second roll surface. The second roll surface is formed of a material having a substantially noncompressible surface. The apparatus further includes a pivotable gate member that is in operating relationship with the first, second and third rolls so as to direct a sheet to either the first or the second nip so that the desired decurling orientation is achieved for the sheet by either the elastomer first roll or the elastomer third roll.

Tri-roll decurler

Manufacturing a drive system with a mating gear set with substantially reduced gear axis misalignment drive motion non-uniformity error with half-crowned gear teeth, crowned on only one side, to allow for simple and low cost gear molding, but with the mating gears mounted to oppositely mesh their respectively half-crowned sides. The amount of crowning may be in the range of approximately 75-100 microns.

Manufacturing of half-crowned gear drives for motion quality improvement

In a printing apparatus with a component such as an imaging surface having critical drive motion uniformity, there is provide a drive system with at least one meshing pair of rotatable first and second drive gears, with at least one gear having gear teeth with a crowned outer engagement edge, with crowning sufficient to substantially increase the drive motion uniformity of the drive system in spite of alignment variations of said first and second gear axes of gear rotation. Preferably each meshing gear has all its gear teeth only half-crowned, on only one side, to allow for simple and low cost gear molding, but the gears are mounted to oppositely mesh their respectively half-crowned sides. The amount of crowning may be in the range of approximately 75-100 microns.

Printer motion quality improvement with crowned gear drive systems

A drive module for a photoreceptor in an electrophotographic printing machine. The drive module has retractable features that allow the insertion and removal of the xerographic CRU without causing damage to the photoreceptor and other critical subsystems. The unit further has many locating members for other subsystems so that critical tolerances are maintained. A single handle assembly retracts/unlocks and extends/locks the drive module and the associated CRU subsystems into an operative position. The drive module also has electrical and drive connections for the cleaning system, the charging system and transfer/detack.

Photoreceptor drive module

A self adjusting jam prevention guide and jam clearance baffle for a printing machine. A moveable guide is attached to a machine subsystem module and is moveable from a first position to a second position. In the first position the guide bridges a gap between the machine subsystem module and a preceding subsystem module. In the second position, the guide is retracted from the gap to allow easy removal of one of the subsystem modules. The moveable guide is preferably self actuated by the use of a biasing device and a ramped section so that the movement of one of the adjacent subsystem modules causes extension and retraction of the guide. A jam clearance aid is further attached to the exit of the machine subsystem module. The clearance aid uses a J-shaped channel to cause a sheet fed into a jammed sheet to buckle and cause both the first jammed sheet and subsequent sheets to be partially ejected from the paper path for easy removal therefrom.

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Fairport, NY, United States of America

Anthony G Poletto