Lexmark International, Inc.

Lexmark Intellectual, Inc.

James Douglas Gilmore

Jichang Cao

Kevin Dean Schoedinger

Michael David Maul

Hrishikesh Pramod Gogate

Scott Shiaoshin Wu

Thomas Judson Campbell

Wesley David McIntire

Miranda Elizabeth Oaks

Bradley Leonard Beach

William Paul Cook

Douglas Campbell Hamilton

Calvin Dale Murphy

Jean Marie Massie

Cyrus Bradford Clarke

Bryan Michael Blair

Gregory Daniel Creteau

Kathryn Dowlen Mullins

James Allen Lokovich

John D Ringo

Gillian Ross

Jerry Wayne Smith

Niko Jay Murrell

Douglas Anthony Able

John William Kietzman

Thomas Campbell Wade

David John Mickan

Peter Brown Pickett

Pramod K Sharma

Russell Edward Lucas

Brian Keith Bartley

Thad Carlton Switzer

Katherine Mary Mulloy

Charles Jerome Cheek

Jennifer Sauer

A method and apparatus for providing a relatively short period of time for a fuser assembly to be ready to perform a fusing operation. Included is a fusing assembly having a heat transfer member and a backup member positioned to engage the heat transfer member so as to define a fusing nip therewith; and a controller coupled to the fuser assembly, wherein during a period of time when the fuser assembly is not performing a fusing operation, the controller activates the heat transfer member while causing the backup member to rotate at one or more relatively slow speeds relative to a fusing speed of the fuser assembly.

Method and system for controlling a fuser assembly

A fuser assembly for an electrophotographic imaging device, the fuser assembly including an integrated circuit chip having memory which has stored therein attribute data. The memory provides the attribute data for use in controlling the fuser assembly during fusing operations throughout the life of the fuser assembly. The attribute data includes a table of values corresponding to fusing temperatures for the fuser assembly, the fusing temperatures decreasing throughout the life of the fuser assembly to account for aging or wear of at least one component of the fuser assembly.

Fuser assembly and method for controlling fuser operations based upon fuser component attributes

A method and apparatus for providing a relatively short period of time for a fuser assembly to be ready to perform a fusing operation. Included is a fusing assembly having a heat transfer member and a backup member positioned to engage the heat transfer member so as to define a fusing nip therewith; and a controller coupled to the fuser assembly, wherein during a period of time when the fuser assembly is not performing a fusing operation, the controller causes the backup member to rotate at one or more relatively slow speeds relative to a fusing speed of the fuser assembly while activating the heat transfer member. At least one of a beginning and an ending of the period of time being based upon an actual temperature in the fuser assembly.

Method and system for controlling a fuser assembly using temperature feedback

An image-forming device includes a belt based fuser for fixing an image to a media substrate. The fuser includes a heater having a base component with at least one heating element disposed thereon. The heater further includes a covering layer covering the at least one heating element providing a substantially even surface to abut a belt. Unevenness, which may be present on the substantially even surface, has a height, defined by a base and a peak, of less than about 10 &#x3bc;m. A process for producing the heater is also disclosed. The process includes disposing one or more heating elements on a base component of the heater, covering the heating elements of the fuser heater with a covering layer and providing a substantially even outer surface to abut a fuser belt.

Flat heater for electrophotographic belt fusing systems, and methods of making same

An apparatus and process are provided for forming a tubular article. A tube holder is mounted to a support stand via an automatic alignment device. A tubular metal sleeve is placed in the tube holder. A coating material is provided. A bullet-shaped or spherical element is passed through the metal sleeve such that the element runs along an inner circumferential surface of the metal sleeve. The automatic alignment device allows the metal sleeve and the tube holder to level themselves such that the element is substantially aligned with the metal sleeve as the element moves through the metal sleeve. The element spreads the coating material generally evenly along the inner circumferential surface of the metal sleeve as the element passes through the metal sleeve.

Process and apparatus for forming a tubular article

A fuser assembly and a method of controlling a temperature in a fuser assembly are provided. The fuser assembly comprises a heat transfer member, a heater to heat the heat transfer member, and a backup member. The heat transfer member and the backup member define a fusing nip. A first temperature setpoint corresponding to a first thermal load for the heat transfer member is defined. A second temperature setpoint corresponding to a second thermal load for the heat transfer member is defined. The heater is maintained at or near the first temperature setpoint during at least a substantial portion of the time when the heat transfer member is operating at the first thermal load. The heater is maintained at or near the second temperature setpoint during at least a substantial portion of the time when the heat transfer member is operating at the second thermal load.

Fuser assembly heater setpoint control

A belt fuser assembly for a color EP printer that quickly warms up the fusing belt before allowing a first sheet of print media to run through the printing stations at the fuser assembly. The warm-up cycle includes: (1) a preheat mode, (2) a first portion of a belt temperature warm-up mode, (3) a second portion of the belt temperature warm-up mode, and (4) a tight belt temperature control mode. The preheat mode operates the fuser's heater at less than full power, and prevents the fuser belt from rotating. The first portion of the belt temperature warm-up mode operates the heater at full power, and the fuser belt begins rotating, but not at its full speed. The second portion of the belt temperature warm-up mode operates the heater at less than full power, and the fuser belt begins rotating at its full speed.

Color belt fuser warm-up time minimization

A printer is provided comprising substrate transport apparatus for moving substrates along a substrate path through the printer; a fuser assembly comprising a heat transfer member including a belt and a heater to heat the belt, a backup member adapted to engage the belt so as to define a fusing nip with the belt, and a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of a portion of the backup member; and a controller coupled to the temperature sensor. Based on signals generated by the temperature sensor, the controller determines whether a substrate moving along the substrate path has been contacted by the backup member portion.

Printer including a fuser assembly with backup member temperature sensor

A printer is provided, including a substrate transport apparatus for moving substrates along a substrate path; a media sensor actuated by mid-width and full substrates but not by narrow width substrates; and a fuser assembly including a belt, a heater to heat the belt, a backup member to engage the belt so as to define a fusing nip with the belt, and a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of a portion of the backup member engaging only full width substrates. A controller is coupled to the media sensor and the temperature sensor for determining whether a substrate moving through the fuser assembly is a narrow width, mid-width or full width substrate.

In an image forming device, the actual speed of a media sheet through a fuser is detected and the fuser speed is controlled so as to maintain a bubble in the media sheet within predetermined limits. A media sheet speed sensor is disposed downstream of the fuser nip. The sensor may be a rotary optical encoder generating a signal comprising a series of pulses, the spacing of the pulses indicative of the speed of at least the leading edge of a media sheet actuating the sensor. Based on the actual speed of the media sheet, the speed of the fuser is adjusted to maintain a desired bubble in the media sheet, when the media sheet is engaged by both the fuser nip and another nip in the media path, such as a toner transfer nip.

Media velocity, media present and bubble control in an electrophotographic process

An electrophotographic imaging device includes a print media transport assembly and a fuser positioned in association with the print media transport assembly. The fuser includes a heater assembly having a housing carrying a heater and a resilient pad. The resilient pad extends from the housing. A flexible belt is positioned around the heater assembly and adjacent to the resilient pad. A backup member is positioned in opposition to the heater assembly.

Heater assembly in a fuser with a raised resilient pad in an electrophotographic imaging device

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for fusing an unfixed toner image to a substrate comprising a rotatable hot fusing roll and a backup belt assembly. The belt assembly may comprise a backup belt and a housing structure including a nip forming pressure roll. The backup belt may be wrapped about the housing structure including the nip forming pressure roll. Preferably, the pressure roll applies a force to the belt so as to form the sole nip region between the rotatable fusing roll and the backup belt.

Fusing system including a backup belt assembly

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for fusing an unfixed toner image to a substrate including a rotatable hot fusing roll and a backup belt assembly. The belt assembly may include a backup belt and a housing structure having a nip forming pressure roll. The backup belt may be wrapped about the housing structure including the nip forming pressure roll. The pressure roll includes a crown shape and the housing structure preferably includes structure for creating a generally uniform tension across the length of the belt in a direction transverse to a process direction.

Fusing system including a tensioned belt with crowned roller

A fuser assembly within an image forming apparatus having a paper path along which substrates travel through the image forming apparatus including a heating member and a backup member cooperating with the heating member to form a nip therebetween for fusing images onto substrates passing through the nip. Also provided is structure for conveying substrates along the paper path to the nip, and a processor. The processor determines a relative humidity, determines if the relative humidity is above a predefined value corresponding to undesirable substrate curl; sets an interpage gap between conveyed substrates to a nominal value if the relative humidity is below the predefined value; and determines if the interpage gap should be increased beyond the nominal value if the relative humidity is above the predefined value. A corresponding method is provided.

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Lexington, KY, United States of America

James Douglas Gilmore