Lexmark International, Inc.

Square D Company

Jeffery James Buchanan

Michael Clark Campbell

Peter Alden Bayerle

James Daniel Anderson, Jr

David Emerson Greer

Johnnie A Coffey

Jason Todd Vanderpool

Gina Marie Johns

Ganesh Vinayak Phatak

Stephen Porter Bush

Benjamin Karnik Johnson

John Yeung Conway

Charles Scott McDavid

Christopher Elliot Lingle

Kin Ming Kwan

Lane Thomas Butler

Steven Robert Komplin

Curtis Ray Droege

Alexander Johannes Geyling

Bill R Unseld

Frank Edward Anderson

Adam Jude Ahne

Carl Edmond Sullivan

Bruce David Gibson

Jeanne Marie Saldanha Singh

Sam Norasak

Paul Timothy Spivey

Fangsheng Wu

Brian Dale Cook

Kent Lee Ubellacker

Jason McReynolds

Thomas Allen Bailey

Melissa Marie Waldeck

Gregory Alan Long

Audrey Dale Rodgers

Terrance A Cassity

Jerry Earl Stokesbary

Edward A Hyatt

Ricky D Leger

Christopher Elliott Lingle

Rita Greer

Richey D Leger

A fuser assembly includes a heated member and backup member forming a fusing nip. Nip loading springs on either ends of the fusing nip bias into contact the backup member and the heated member. Bellcranks contact the nip loading springs. Rotatable latches on either ends of the fusing nip act on the bellcranks to compress or relax the nip loading springs to open or close the fusing nip at respective distal or proximate ends of the fuser assembly. The rotatable latches are acted upon by corresponding latches of an access door of an imaging device that when opened provides access to the fuser assembly in an interior of the imaging device. The rotatable latches are independently movable. They can reside in different positions, yet allow closing the door of the imaging device.

Fuser assembly having openable fusing nip upon opening an access door of imaging device

A fuser assembly includes a heated member and backup member forming a fusing nip. A nip loading spring biases into contact the backup member and the heated member. A bellcrank contacts the nip loading spring such that upon opening of an access door of the imaging device, the bellcrank acts on the nip loading spring to reduce a force between the backup member and the heated member but keeping in contact the backup member and the heated member. The bellcrank typifies a wire or other flexible lever. A cam pivots as the access door opens and engages the wire to compress the nip loading spring during use.

Fuser assembly having nip reduction force for imaging device

A hub-based drive coupling mechanism for a fusing assembly, including a gear operatively coupled to a motor; a hub member; and a backup roll having a shaft rotatably coupled to the gear via the hub member, the gear including an outer cylindrical portion having a plurality of tabs disposed along an inner surface thereof, the hub member including an annular portion having a plurality of protrusions radially extending therefrom, and the backup roll shaft having a pin member. When the drive gear is rotated, the plurality of tabs of the drive gear directly contact the plurality of protrusions of the hub member to cause the hub member to rotate and the plurality of protrusions of the hub member directly contact the plurality of segments of the pin member to cause the shaft to rotate.

Hub-based drive coupling mechanism for a fuser backup member, and methods of using same

A fuser assembly which includes a heating member; a backup roll disposed proximate to the heating member; a heat transfer device selectively contacting the backup roll for transferring heat from the backup roll; and a positioning mechanism moving the heat transfer device between a first position in which the heat transfer device is engaged with the backup roll and a second position in which the heat transfer device is spaced apart from the backup roll. The positioning mechanism pivots the heat transfer device about a pivot axis when moving the heat transfer device and includes a pair of bell cranks to which the heat transfer device is coupled, a first coupling member coupled to one of the bell cranks and a second coupling member coupled to the first coupling member. Translation of the second coupling member causes the first coupling member to pivot which rotates the pair of bell cranks.

Heat transfer system for a fuser assembly

A fuser assembly for an electrophotographic imaging device which transfers heat from overheated portions of the fuser assembly to portions having lesser temperatures. The fuser assembly includes a heating member; a backup roll disposed proximate to the heating member so as to form a fuser nip therewith; a heat transfer device in contact with backup roll; a positioning mechanism coupled to the heat transfer device for positioning the heat transfer device in a first position in which the heat transfer device contacts the backup roll and in a second position in which the heat transfer device is spaced apart from the backup roll; and a latch mechanism for latching the heat transfer device in the second position.

Latch mechanism for a fuser assembly having a heat transfer roll

A fuser assembly for an imaging device which transfers heat from overheated portions of the fuser assembly to portions having lesser temperatures. The fuser assembly includes a heating member; a backup roll disposed proximate to the heating member for forming a fuser nip; a heat transfer device in contact with the backup roll such that rotation of the backup roll rotates the heat transfer device for transferring heat from one location to another location on the backup roll; and a positioning mechanism for moving the heat transfer device between a first position in which the heat transfer device is engaged with and contacts the backup roll, and a second position in which the heat transfer device is disengaged and spaced apart from the backup roll, the positioning mechanism pivots the heat transfer device about a pivot axis when moving between the first and second positions.

A hub-based drive coupling mechanism for a fusing assembly, including a gear operatively coupled to a motor; a hub member; and a backup roll having a shaft rotatably coupled to the gear via the hub member, the gear including an outer cylindrical portion having a plurality of tabs disposed along an inner surface thereof, the hub member including an annular portion having a plurality of protrusions radially extending therefrom, and the backup roll shaft having a pin member. The gear rotates for a first fraction of a revolution without rotating the hub member and the backup roll due to the tabs of the gear not contacting the protrusions of the hub member, and rotates for a second fraction of the revolution with the hub member due to contact between the tabs and protrusions, but without rotating the backup roll.

Hub-based drive coupling mechanism for a fuser backup member and methods of using same

A fuser assembly for an electrophotographic imaging device which transfers heat from overheated portions of the fuser assembly to portions having lesser temperatures. The fuser assembly includes a heating member; a backup roll disposed proximate to the heating member so as to form a fuser nip therewith, wherein rotation of the backup roll causes the heating member to rotate; and a first roll in contact with one of the backup roll and the heating member such that rotation of the one of the backup roll and the heating member rotates the first roll, the first roll including a heat pipe disposed therein.

A fuser assembly for an electrophotographic imaging device which transfers heat from overheated portions of the fuser assembly to portions having lesser temperatures. The fuser assembly includes a heating member; a backup roll disposed proximate to the heating member so as to form a fuser nip therewith; a heat transfer device in contact with backup roll; a positioning mechanism coupled to the heat transfer device for positioning the heat transfer device in a first position in which the heat transfer device contacts the backup roll, and a second position in which the heat transfer device is spaced apart from the backup roll; and a latch mechanism for latching the heat transfer device in the second position.

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 multi-color ink tank is adapted to replace individual different color ink tanks in a cavity of a given support structure. Elements on the body of the multi-color ink tank have configurations enabling compatibility with the support structure. The elements include empty opposite side portions of the body defining laterally spaced apart bottom openings that adapt the opposite side portions to seat in spaced slots in the cavity over keys therein and an intermediate central recessed region defined between the opposite side portions that adapts the body to straddle an intermediate slot between the spaced slots and a key therein and also straddle partitions in the cavity forming the slots. The elements also include tabs blocking some latches used to releasably lock some individual ink tanks to thereby identify the latch to be used to releasably lock the multi-color ink tank.

Multi-color ink tank with elements enabling compatibility with a support structure for individual different color in tanks

A multi-color ink tank includes certain features that properly interface with features on a printhead and carrier support structure to operatively seat the ink tank in the carrier support structure in a sealed flow communicative relationship with the printhead. These interface features are spaced apart relative to one another at distances (or dimensions) that ensure the desired seating and sealing of the ink tank in the carrier support structure and thereby the reliable supply of ink for operation of the inkjet printing system.

Multi-color ink tank with features spaced by distances ensuring interface with printhead and carrier support structure

Narrow ink tank with serpentine air vent

Single reservoir tank with serpentine air vent

Tri-color tank with serpentine air vents

Growing community of inventors

Lexington, KY, United States of America

Jeffery James Buchanan