Eastman-kodak Company

Lexmark International, Inc.

Nexpress Solutions, Inc.

Fangsheng Wu

Muhammed Aslam

Donald Eugene Proffitt

Joseph A Pavlisko

Jiann-Hsing Chen

Michael Clark Campbell

Charles Scott McDavid

Jiann H Chen

James Douglas Shifley

Jerry Wayne Smith

David Francis Cahill

Jeffery James Buchanan

Stephen V Davis

Douglas Campbell Hamilton

Robert David Bobo

Peter Alden Bayerle

Gregory Leo Kowalski

Russell Edward Lucas

Scott Shiaoshin Wu

Randall J Taylor

Tsutomu Miura

Benjamin Karnik Johnson

Mikhail Fishkin

Richard H Berg

Katherine Mary Mulloy

R Scott Lockhart

Ruediger Schlien

Michael Alan Cleary

A fuser assembly comprising an endless fuser belt having positioned internally within a first metal roll having a heat pipe, a second metal roll having a first heating element, and a second heating element disposed between the first and the second metal rolls. The endless fuser belt is disposed proximate to a backup roll for forming a fusing nip therewith, wherein a rotation of the backup roll moves the fuser belt and rotates the first and the second metal rolls. The second metal roll is positioned upstream of the first metal roll relative to a media process direction. The first heating element has a rated heating power greater than the rated heating power of the second heating element.

Endless fuser belt with heat pipe and two heating elements

A fuser assembly, including a fuser roller receiving heat from a heating element and including a metal core, a heat insulation elastic layer disposed around the metal core, and a top release layer disposed over the heat insulation elastic layer. A backup belt assembly, coupled to the fuser roller, includes at least two nip forming rollers contacting an inner surface of an endless belt to form an elongated fusing nip along the fuser roller. A first nip forming roller engages the fuser roller via the endless belt at an entrance of the elongated fusing nip and a second nip forming roller engages the fuser roller via the endless belt at an exit of the elongated fusing nip, wherein a product of a Young's Modulus of the top release layer and a thickness thereof is between about 2,000 and about 20,000 N/m.

Fuser assembly having extended nip width

A belt fuser assembly which dispenses lubricant oil or other depleted lubricant component to the inner surface of the fuser belt. The belt fuser assembly may include a lubricant dispenser positioned to be heated by the heating element of the fuser assembly for dispensing a lubricant oil to the inner surface of the fuser belt. The lubricant dispenser may include a reservoir containing the lubricant oil and an exit port for delivering the lubricant oil from the reservoir to the inner surface of the fuser belt upon the reservoir being heated by the heating element at a temperature above the fusing temperature of the belt fuser assembly.

Self lubricating fuser and method of operation

A backup belt assembly includes an endless belt, at least a pair of nip forming rollers contacting an inner surface of the endless belt and positioned relative to the fuser roller to provide pressure to a section of an outer surface of the fuser roller adjacent the endless belt so as to form an elongated fusing nip along the section. A first roller of the pair of nip forming rollers engages the fuser roller via the endless belt at an entrance of the elongated fusing nip, while a second roller of the pair of nip forming rollers engages the fuser roller via the endless belt at an exit of the elongated fusing nip. The first roller provides a lower amount of pressure to the fuser roller relative to the pressure provided by the second roller. A supporting roller may be disposed within the endless belt near the entrance of the elongated fusing nip for providing acceptable media entry geometry.

Backup belt assembly for a fusing system

A fuser assembly for an imaging device is shown and described. The fuser assembly includes a heat transfer member for generating heat and a backup roll coupled to the heat transfer member and rotatable therewith. The backup roll includes a central core and a rubber layer surrounding the central core. The fuser assembly further includes a plurality of end cap members, each end cap member being disposed at an end of the backup roll and dimensioned for substantially preventing outward expansion of the rubber layer in an axial direction of the backup roll.

Backup roll having axial constraints and fuser therefor

A belt fuser assembly which dispenses lubricant oil or other depleted lubricant component to the inner surface of the fuser belt. The belt fuser assembly may include a lubricant dispenser positioned to be heated by the heating element of the fuser assembly for dispensing a lubricant oil to the inner surface of the fuser belt. A controller coupled to the heating element activates the heating element to generate heat at a fusing temperature during a fusing operation and at at least one second temperature greater than the fusing temperature during a lubricant dispensing operation so as to cause lubricant to dispense from the lubricant dispenser.

An externally heated fuser roller to achieve good fusing performance, long life and relatively quick warm-up time. The fuser roller is made up of a metal core, an insulation elastic layer, a heat transport layer and optionally a release layer such that the thickness of the heat transport layer is in the range of about 0.25 and about 1 mm, the effusivity value of the heat transport layer be equal to or greater than about 800 W&#x221a;s(mK), the total thermal capacity of the heat transport layer is less than about 200 J/m K, and the effusivity value of the insulation elastic layer is less than about 400 W&#x221a;s(mK).

High fusing performance externally heated fuser roller

A heater element is provided adapted to heat a belt in a fuser assembly. The heater element comprises laterally spaced-apart first and second features. The first feature may have a first inner surface and the second feature may have a second inner surface facing the first inner surface. Preferably, at least a majority portion of at least one of the first and second inner surfaces is positioned at an oblique angle relative to a reference line extending substantially perpendicular to a path a substrate moves along as it passes through the fuser assembly.

Fuser assembly having heater element with spaced-apart features

An external heater for a fuser assembly for a reproduction apparatus. The fuser assembly includes a fuser member for fusing a marking particle image to a receiver member. The external heater has a heat transfer surface adapted to be selectively engaged with the fuser member, and a device for heating said heat transfer surface. A mechanism is provided for engaging a variable portion of the heat transfer surface with the fuser member to selectively change the amount of heat transferred from the heating device to the fuser member through the heat transfer surface.

Variable power fuser external heater

A speed control mechanism for a reproduction apparatus including a fuser assembly having pressure, applying members in nip relation to apply pressure to a receiver member bearing a marking particle image to fuse such marking particle image to such receiver member transported through the fuser assembly. The speed control mechanism has an input device for storing parameters required for fusing particular types of receiver members under various desired conditions, and a device for determining fuser control parameters, including overdrive effect, based on information from the input device and selection of a particular receiver member type and certain conditions. A fuser assembly controller then sets fusing parameters based on the determination by the determining device, and adjusts the transport speed of a receiver member through the fuser assembly to compensate for the determined overdrive effect.

Receiver member speed control through a fuser assembly of a reproduction apparatus

Reducing variation in the surface temperature of an externally-heated fusing roller in an electrophotographic machine, the variation typically occurring during the beginning of a fusing run, by detecting the beginning of a fusing run and applying a modified fusing temperature set-point characteristic to the fusing roller. The mode of the electrophotographic machine is monitored to determine whether the machine has changed operating modes, and the application of the modified fusing temperature set-point characteristic to the fusing roller is ceased when the electrophotographic machine changes modes. The force with which the heating rollers engage the fusing roller is controlled within desired operating limits.

Method and apparatus for reducing surface temperature variation of an externally-heated fusing roller

A precision release agent management system for an electrostatographic reproduction apparatus fuser device. The precision release agent management system includes a reservoir adapted to contain a release agent. A wick absorbs release agent from the reservoir. A metering member receives release agent from the wick, which is supported for resiliently urging into operative contact with the metering member. A blade member is associated with the metering member to establish a desired thickness of release agent on the metering member, and a donor member is adapted to receive release agent from the metering member, and operatively contact the fuser device to apply the release agent thereto. A plurality of features is associated with the reservoir for precise alignment of the donor member, the metering member, and the metering blade.

Precision release agent management system

A fuser release agent dispensing system for a rotatable fuser, including a transfer stage and a metering stage. The transfer stage includes a first roller having a surface rotatable about a fixed axis, and a second roller positionable for contacting the first roller. The second roller is positionable against the fuser roller. The first roller is driven by the fuser roller and it, in turn, drives the second roller. The metering stage includes a sump for supplying release agent, a metering roller with a surface for removing release agent from the sump and a translational assembly configured to move the metering roller surface into and out of contact with the first roller surface. The amount of fluid release agent transferred from a sump to a fuser is controlled in response to a change in one or more image reproduction parameters.

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Lexington, KY, United States of America

Fangsheng Wu