Lexmark International, Inc.

Danny Wayne Peters

Roger Steven Cannon

Philip Jerome Heink

Christopher Dane Jones

Richard Gordon Boyatt, Iii

Louis Anthony Wantland

Kevin Maichle Hargrave

Larry Steven Foster

Daniel Eugene Pawley

Daniel Richard Klemer

Randall Lee Hudson

Robert Flynt Strean

Dana Allen Dodds

Brent Steven Dupree

E Dawson Ward

A method and apparatus for attaching a mirror to a housing with a spring clip such that the spring clip applies a substantially constant force to the mirror when a fastener for attaching the spring clip to a mounting structure of the housing has an axis defining an angle with a surface of the mounting structure that is within a predetermined range of angles. An arched contact surface with an aperture for receiving the fastener is provided on the spring clip such that the fastener contacts the contact surface tangentially.

Spring Clip

A cover is adapted to form part of a housing of a laser scanning unit. The cover comprises a main body having walls for defining at least one opening adjacent a lens located in a base of a laser scanning unit housing. At least one of the walls comprising seal structure formed integral with an adjacent portion of the one wall. The seal structure is adapted to engage a side portion of the lens so as to seal a gap between the lens side portion and the one wall.

Laser scanning unit housing

A laser diode/pre-scan assembly associated with a printhead for a laser printer is presented. The laser diode/pre-scan assembly includes a pair of collimation lenses that are de-centered from the axes of a pair of laser beams to direct the pair of beams inwardly in a process direction and into a single pre-scan lens. A corresponding method of constructing a laser diode/pre-scan assembly for a laser printer is also presented.

Laser diode/pre-scan assembly

A laser diode assembly and a tens assembly associated with a pre-scan unit for use in a laser printer are presented. Further presented is a laser diode/collimation lens apparatus. Each of the laser diode assembly, the lens assembly and the laser diode/collimation lens apparatus includes a mounting bracket comprising a compressible section.

Laser diode and lens assemblies

The positioning of image data written along a laser beam scan path in the scan direction, e.g., the margin and/or line length is adjusted in a manner that compensates for changes in the laser beam scan path as a result of one or more operating conditions, such as changes in temperature. Further, the positioning of image data in the process direction may be adjusted in a manner that compensates for changes in the laser beam scan path as a result of the one or more operating conditions.

Systems and methods that compensate for scan path errors in a multi-beam electrophotographic imaging apparatus

Multiple light beams are reflected by a resonant oscillator through an optical system onto light sensitive drums of a printing system. Information is encoded onto the beams, and an image is printed based on the encoded information. Preferably four beams and four drums are used to print four colors. The oscillator includes an oscillating plate mounted on the torsion springs for resonant oscillation. A magnet is mounted on the oscillating plate and an oscillating magnetic field oscillates the magnet and the plate. Sensors detect the position of at least one of light beam to synchronize the operation and speed of the encoder, drums and oscillator. The oscillator may include multiple reflective surfaces on one or more sides of an oscillating plate, and one or more beams may be reflected from each surface.

Galvonometric scanning and imaging with multiple beams reflected from an oscillator

A laser scanning unit is provided comprising: a housing; a scanning device; a first pre-scan assembly generating a first light beam and directing the first light beam toward the scanning device; a second pre-scan assembly generating a second light beam and directing the second light beam toward the scanning device; a first post-scan assembly receiving the first light beam reflected from the scanning device and causing a first portion of the first light beam to scan along a first scan path; and a second post-scan assembly receiving the second light beam reflected from the scanning device and causing a first portion of the second light beam to scan along a second scan path. The first post-scan assembly further reflects a second portion of the first light beam in a direction away from the first scan path. A shield is associated with the housing for blocking the second portion of the first light beam reflected by the first post-scan assembly during at least a portion of the scan of the first portion of the first light beam along the first scan path so as to prevent the second portion of the first light beam from entering the second post-scan assembly.

Laser scanning unit including a shield

A pre-scan assembly for a laser scanning unit including printhead housing having a polygonal mirror and collimation assembly including a laser light source emitting a light beam along a light beam axis. The pre-scan assembly is located between the collimation assembly and the polygonal mirror and includes a pre-scan lens assembly including a carrier and a pre-scan lens supported in the carrier. The pre-scan assembly additionally includes a pre-scan mount for supporting the pre-scan lens assembly and defining angular alignment surfaces. The carrier includes outer side surfaces for engaging the angular alignment surfaces where engagement of the carrier side surfaces with the angular alignment surfaces aligns the pre-scan lens optical axis with the light beam axis in the scan direction.

Pre-scan assembly for aligning a pre-scan lens in a laser scanning unit

A laser scanning unit is provided. It comprises a housing; a scanning device; a pre-scan assembly generating a light beam and directing the light beam toward the scanning device; and a post-scan optical assembly receiving a scanning beam reflected from the scanning device and causing the beam to traverse a photoconductive member along a scan path. The post-scan optical assembly comprises a sensor for detecting the beam at a start-of-scan location and an end-of-scan location along the scan path.

Laser scanning unit having a sensor for detecting both start-of-scan and end-of-scan positions of a corresponding laser beam

A collimation assembly for a multi-beamed laser scanner including a collimation housing mounted to a printhead housing of the laser scanner, and at least two adjustment brackets supported on the collimation housing and located adjacent to each other in a cross-scan direction. Each of the adjustment brackets includes a mount member and a laser light source is supported within each of the mount members, each of the light sources defining a respective light beam axis. At least two collimation lenses are also provided supported on the collimation housing and intersected by one of the light beam axes. Each of the adjustment brackets is movable relative to the collimation housing in a scan direction and in the cross-scan direction to locate each of the light beam axes at a predetermined position relative to a respective collimation lens. Each of the laser light sources is additionally adjustable in the process direction, parallel to the light beam axes, to adjust the distance between the laser light sources and the collimation lenses.

Collimation assembly for adjusting laser light sources in a multi-beamed laser scanning unit

An assembly for limiting axial motion of a shaft, such as a roller, in an imaging apparatus having a frame, a drive system including a helical drive gear, a shaft supported by the frame and a driven helical gear attached to the shaft and positioned to engage the helical drive gear, wherein driving the driven helical gear in a first rotational direction results in an axial thrust of the shaft in a first axial direction. The assembly includes a thrust member which has an engagement end and a mounting end. The engagement end has a first cross-sectional dimension and the mounting end has a second cross-sectional dimension that is larger than the first cross-sectional dimension. The thrust member is positioned to be co-axial with the shaft and is coupled to at least one of the shaft and the driven helical gear. A thrust bracket is mounted to the frame. The thrust bracket has a contact surface that is engaged by the engagement end of the thrust member when the driven helical gear is driven in the first rotational direction.

Growing community of inventors

Lexington, KY, United States of America

Danny Wayne Peters