Eastman-kodak Company

Edwin A Hediger

Yee S Ng

William J Staudenmayer

John R Thompson

Hieu T Pham

Michael Kenin

Brandon H Brown

Peter G Izzo

An apparatus including a fixing assembly for fixing an image onto a medium as the medium travels in a path through the assembly, the fixing assembly having a wide nip along the path of travel of the medium formed by a pair of nip forming rollers, at least one of which rollers contains a hydraulic fluid and maybe heated. The hydraulic roller has an aluminum core encased in a sealed stainless steel flexible hydraulic sleeve. In the space between the core and sleeve of each roller is a pressurized fluid. The apparatus also has a hydraulic piston for pressurizing the fluid.

Hydraulic wide nip flex sleeve fuser

A recording apparatus of the type having an endless movable belt on which an image is formed and transferred in registration to a transfer surface. Registration between the transfer roller and the printhead is provided in part by a sprocket engaging the belt through a series of perforation along an edge of the belt. Prolonged integrity and increased load carrying capacity of the perforations are obtained by having a sprocket drive that drives the belt through its perforations in cooperation with a friction drive for driving the belt.

Friction and sprocket drive belt system

An electrophotographic apparatus including an endless photoconductive belt member supported by a plurality of rollers. The photoconductive belt is pivotal about an axis of one of the plurality of rollers for movement into an operational position. Pivoting about the axis, into the operational position, assures that the photoconductive belt will be under tension and positioned accurately in relation to the various process stations of the electrophotographic apparatus. The photoconductive belt is also pivotal about the same axis to a belt replacement position. In the belt replacement position the photoconductive belt is in a slacken condition and positioned for replacement, removal, installation or adjustment with minimal chance of damage to the photoconductive belt or other process stations of the electrophotographic apparatus during replacement, removal, installation or adjustment. In moving into the belt replacement or operational position, other processing stations of the electrophotographic apparatus are simultaneously pivoted about a different axis out of and into operational relation respectively.

Pivotal photoconductor belt assembly

A reproduction apparatus that has an image-bearing member and an image transfer member includes a first drive assembly for driving the image-bearing member at a desired process velocity V1, and a second and separate drive assembly, including a DC servo motor, for driving the image transfer member in synchronization with the image-bearing member. The reproduction apparatus also includes a mechanism for engaging and disengaging the DC servo motor relative to the transfer member, first and second encoders for measuring in encoder counts the movements of the transfer member and of the image-bearing member, and controls including a logic and control unit that is connected to the encoders and to the servo motor for monitoring and controlling the operations of the reproduction apparatus. The reproduction apparatus further includes passive assembly for moving the transfer member at the process velocity when the servo motor is disengaged from the transfer member.

Reproduction apparatus having image transfer velocity matching means

A dual auger development apparatus for use in an electrostatographic reproduction machine such as copier or printer, includes a pair of identical single piece auger devices and each having a shaft and a plurality of integrally formed partial blade members so as to require no assembly of the blades to the shaft. Each auger device includes a radially extending cross-mixing vane which is integrally formed on the shaft. The cross-mixing vane formed as such is spaced circumferentially from the edges of the partial blades and extends continuously the full length of the shaft within the development housing. The cross-mixing vane includes a first length portion and a second length portion, The first length portion has a radial extension that is coextensive with that of the blade members and which is greater than that of the second length portion.

Development apparatus having a cross-mixing auger

An image forming apparatus includes an image member, for example, an endless web photoconductor, and a transfer member, for example, a transfer drum. The endless web is driven by a frictional engagement with a drive roller. A web drive output roller fixed to and rotatable with the drive roller in turn drives an idler roller which drives a drive belt positioned around the idler roller and a transfer drive member. The transfer drive member is fixed with respect to the transfer drum and rotates the transfer drum. The outside diameter of the transfer drive member is maintained equal to that of the transfer drum despite varying ambient conditions, by employing similar materials, for example, employing a similar thickness of polyurethane as the outside layer of the transfer drive member. Thus, the peripheral speed of the transfer drum stays the same as the image member despite a varying outside diameter of the transfer drum as ambient conditions vary.

Image forming apparatus having a transfer member

A dual augar development apparatus for use in an electrostatographic reproduction machine such as copier or printer, includes a pair of identical single piece auger devices mounted therein and each having a shaft and a plurality of integrally formed blade members so as to require no blade-member-to-shaft-assembly. A last blade member includes a cross-transfer member connected thereto and integrally formed therewith. The blade members are semi-elliptical and form a single straight row of such members on the shaft. The row is aligned circumferentially so as to result in intermittent augering of developer material in the development apparatus.

Development apparatus and improved auger device for use therein

An improved fixing assembly for fixing toners or the like on a receiving medium. The improved fixing assembly having a mechanical wide nip formed by a pair of nip forming belts with at least one of the belts being formed by multiple overlapping loops of cold rolled stainless steel. The ends of the stainless steel are secured to the loop adjacent to each end of the stainless steel. The stainless steel flexible formed belt may be coated and heated. Each belt is driven by a pair of internal friction drive rollers with the drive rollers being driven by a toothed belt engaging the drive rollers. The width of the nip is adjusted by changing the center distance between the friction drive rollers of the flexible belts.

Mechanical wide nip flexible fuser using multiple looped material belts

An optical printhead for use in electrophotographic copiers and printers. The printhead is constructed of a linear LED array and a linear fiber optic lens mounted above the LED array. The lens mounting structure provides a floating support for the lens at the two end regions of the lens. The floating mount provides for temperature-induced dimensional changes and prevents distortion and stress in the structure. The end mounted supports permit relative movement betweeen the end regions of the lens and the LED array in two dimensions, but restrict movement in the third dimension.

LED array into floating focusing structure for differential expansion

Document scanner having a drive cable system constructed to provide desired alignment between the cables. The drive cables are wound around cylindrical drive members in a spiral fashion from two securing locations. One end segment of the cable spirals toward the center of the drive member in one direction and the other end segment of the cable spirals toward the center in the opposite direction. During the rotation of the drive member, the cable end segments add and subtract turns without changing the overall axial length or position of the cable winding or the alignment of the cable portions leaving the drive member.

Drive arrangement for moving a document scanner

In an electrostatographic reproduction apparatus utilizing a dielectric member web supported by guide rollers for movement along a travel path in relation to electrostatographic process stations, including a web cleaning station, a web cleaning assembly is mounted so that it operates effectively to remove residual marking particles from the web without adversely effecting web tracking as it moves along its desired travel path. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the cleaning assembly comprises a housing including a chamber adapted to store removed residual marking particles, and a member engaging the web to break the bonds between the residual marking particles and the web for sweeping such particles from the web into the chamber. The housing is mounted relative to one of the guide rollers for movement therewith as such guide roller guides the web along the desired travel path, and with the sweeping member in operative association with the web.

Cleaning assembly for electrostatographic apparatus

Optical printhead for hard copy printers and copiers. The printhead includes a fiber optic lens array having a reinforcing and locating bar permanently bonded to the side and exact center of the lens. The bar has a dimension parallel to the axis of the fibers which is much more accurate than the length of the lens along the same axis. Centering of the lens array is easily and accurately accomplished by centering the bar. The bar also stiffens and straightens the lens array to maintain desired focal characteristics. The printhead also includes an accurately dimensioned mounting plate which is used to attach the printhead to the printer. A stress relieving structure is used to support the electronic circuitry and LED's in the printhead from a rigid heat sink.

Optical LED printhead with lens locator bar

Apparatus for controlling the lateral movement of a travelling web to automatically compensate for web conicity and angular deviation of the web velocity vector. A preferred embodiment of the apparatus comprises a steering roller about which a travelling web is at least in part entrained. An assembly supports the steering roller for rotation about its longitudinal axis, and mounts the steering roller for angular adjustment about a caster axis perpendicular to such longitudinal axis at the mid-point of the steering roller. The assembly is, in turn, supported for rotation about a gimbal axis intersecting, and perpendicular to, the caster axis. Lateral movement of a web supported on the steering roller is sensed relative to the steering roller in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the steering roller. The mechanism for sensing lateral movement of the web moves in a corresponding direction to the sensed lateral movement of the web. The sensing mechanism is interconnected with the supporting and mounting assembly for angularly adjusting the steering roller about the caster axis in response to movement of the lateral movement sensing mechanism, in a direction to counteract sensed lateral movement of the web.

Web tracking mechanism

Modular optical LED printhead arranged for a fixed focus distance outside the printhead structure. A supporting and registration plate contains a rectangular opening in which the lens is located. The plate is secured to the overall LED supporting structure of the printhead by end members which, with side members, completely seal the LED's and connections from contaminants. The registration plate has at least two surfaces thereon which mate with surfaces in the associated apparatus to accurately position the plate. During the alignment process of the printhead, the lens and plate are adjusted to provide a focus at a fixed distance from one of the registration surfaces of the plate. Alignment of the lens across the axis of the LED array is provided by recessed set screws and a shim. Because of the fixed distance from the registration surface, the printhead can be installed in suitably constructed apparatus without further alignment.

Modular optical printhead for hard copy printers

A development station for an eletrostatographic apparatus has an elongate sump for a two-component developer material. A feed screw drives developer material along a tube and through openings in the tube into the sump. A ribbon blender coaxially positioned wtih respect to the tube mixes the developer material, delivers it to a developer applicator for transfer to an electrostatic image, and returns the remaining developer material to the other end of the sump for mixture with fresh toner particles.

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Fairport, NY, United States of America

Edwin A Hediger