Colorocs Corporation

David R Davis

Danny L Slayton

Kirk W Charles

Charles S Palm

Khosrow Lak

Maurice S Wheatley, Jr

Wayne C Jones

Gregory A Chatham

Anthony J Ireland

Peter F Sampson

E Neal Tompkins

Peter A Zuber

Raymond J Shook

An improved fuser for use in an electrophotographic print engine having mutually compressible rollers for uniformity and thoroughly fused toner images. Also, the need for paper fingers to guide image receptor sheets is eliminated. The wear on the fixing device in the improved fuser is reduced by preventing binding of oil leveling blades, removing offset toner, and the use of oiling rollers in conjunction with oil leveling blades to apply oil to the fixing device. An improved fuser is also easily accessible and serviceable. The fusing device is contained within a clam-shell housing such that the fixing device and the compression device are separated when the housing opens thereby freeing jammed image receptor sheets and allowing convenient access for further service and repair. In addition, an oil wick, an oil tank, and the leveling blade comprise a subassembly which can be removed and replaced.

Fuser for use in an electrophotographic print engine

Improved cleaning station for use in electrophotographic print engines which selectively removes toner from a transfer medium and has cleaning elements which are simple to remove, clean, and replace. The transfer medium cleaning station is equipped with a locking mechanism that allows inserting the cleaning station into and removing it from the print engine without scraping the transfer medium with the cleaning element.

Transfer medium cleaning station for use in an electrophotographic print

Improved cleaning stations for use in electrophotographic print engines having cleaning elements which are simple to inspect, remove, clean, and replace. The photoreceptor belt cleaning station is positioned in one frame of the print engine and the photoreceptor medium is positioned in the other frame of the print engine so that the cleaning station is directly accessible when the print engine is open. Also, when the print engine is closed, the photoreceptor medium contacts the cleaning elements at a substantially perpendicular angle resulting in minimum stress to both the photoreceptor medium and the cleaning elements.

Cleaning station for use in an electrophotographic print engine

An improved full color electrophotographic print engine using flexible belts to carry a photosensitive electrostatic image developer and a transfer belt for building up composite developed images. Each belt, and an optical scanner, are driven by mechanically independent motors which are synchronized by an electronic digital controller implementing precise servos. The use of the flexible belts allows the machine to be relatively inexpensive, very small compared to previous full color print engines, and yet maintain precise registration of color composite images. An improved fuser mechanism with increased dwell time at constant machine speed is also shown. The fuser includes a pair of spaced-apart rollers, both of which urge a sheet of image receptor against the heated roller over a predetermined angular portion of the roller. The machine is specifically designed to be used interchangeably with an optical bench source as a copier or with a laser bench as a laser printer. Improved copy quality monitoring by sensing actual amounts of toner deposited on a photoreceptor belt is also shown. Also, improved downwardly facing gravity-fed toner deposition modules are shown including an embodiment which has a purely magnetic gate for opening and closing the toner supply.

Fuser assembly for an electrophotographic print engine

Improved dual belt synchronization for a print engine for color electrophotography using a photoreceptor belt and a seamless transfer belt on which a composite image is built up. Improved synchronization of the two belt drives enhances image registration. A tension mechanism used in conjunction with the belts prevents rapid changes in the belt dimensions. An improved transfer belt cleaner system is synchronized with the belt drives such that excess toner is not left in the imaging area of the transfer belt.

Belt controls for a print engine for color electrophotography

Print engine for color electrophotography

Toner modules for electrophotographic print engine

Improved print quality monitoring for color electrophotography

Growing community of inventors

Buford, GA, United States of America

David R Davis