Lexmark International, Inc.

Jeffrey Allen Ardery

Douglas Campbell Hamilton

Daniel Joseph Westhoff

Jason Kyle Romain

Michael Kurt Gordon

David Emerson Greer

Stacey Vaughan Mitchell

Katherine Mary Mulloy

A fuser assembly configured to fix a toner image to a sheet of print media includes a fuser belt having a first side edge and a second side edge. A plurality of end cap assemblies is positioned to locate the fuser belt. The plurality of end cap assemblies include a first end cap assembly having a first compliant stopping flange positioned to engage the first side edge of the fuser belt, and a second end cap assembly having a second compliant flange positioned to engage the second side edge of the fuser belt.

Fuser assembly having complaint stopping flange

A fuser assembly configured to fix a toner image to a sheet of print media includes a fuser belt having a first side edge, a second side edge spaced apart from the first side edge, an exterior surface, an interior surface, and a hollow interior defined by the interior surface. A pair of end cap assemblies is positioned to locate the fuser belt, and the fuser belt is positioned between and supported by the pair of end cap assemblies. Each end cap assembly of the pair of end cap assemblies includes an end cap body and a belt support mechanism. The belt support mechanism is coupled to the end cap body for supporting the fuser belt and is configured to be compliant in a direction perpendicular to a rotational axis of the fuser belt to apply a biasing force to the interior surface of the fuser belt.

Fuser assembly having compliant end cap

Sheets ( ) exit printer ( ) into finisher ( ) where they are moved against perpendicular reference walls ( ) by frictional fingers ( ). The fingers are rotated away while a sheet is moved downward. Since the fingers are near their reference surface, buckling of the sheets normally does not occur, so the sheet stays in place. In an embodiment, the fingers move with a resilient force selected to be low enough so that the fingers stop when the sheet contacts the reference wall.

Finisher with frictional sheet mover

A pivotally mounted bail actuator is pivotally moved from its home position to an elevated position by the leading edge of a sheet of paper exiting from sheet path exit rollers of a printer. The pivotally mounted bail actuator has a wire bail extending for more than half of the sheet width. When the sheet exits from the sheet path exit rollers, both the pivotally mounted bail actuator and the sheet simultaneously fall by gravity, and the wire bail contacts the sheet to remove any longitudinal beam and to create a lateral beam extending the width of the sheet. A rear portion of the sheet falls onto an upper support surface with most of the sheet falling onto a lower support surface. If the sheet does not have a longitudinal beam, a lateral beam is created by the height difference of the two support surfaces on which the sheet is supported. The sheet is aligned on the upper support surface.

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Richmond, KY, United States of America

Jeffrey Allen Ardery