Xerox Corporation

John J Darcy

Karl V Thomsen

Edouard E Langlois

Eugene A Swain

Boris W Haritonoff

Robert C U Yu

Robert S Foltz

Satchidanand Mishra

Robert C Yu

Michael Stephen Roetker

Richard P Millonzi

Augustus W Griswold

Jacob Pond

Edward F Grabowski

Anthony M Horgan

Bing R Hsieh

Richard L Post

Scott J Griffin

Peter J Schmitt

Mark C Petropoulos

Donald C VonHoene

Mark S Thomas

Stanley J Pietrzykowski, Jr

Gene W O'Dell

Richard C Petralia

Alexander A Antonelli

Felix J Santana

Richard J Manzolati

Alan D Smith

Ellis Fabian

David P Rich

Barbara D Ceglinski

John T Dilko

Patrick R Shane

Leonard F Quinn

A stress/strain relief process for a flexible, multilayered web stock includes providing a multilayered web stock including at least one layer to be treated, the at least one layer to be treated having a coefficient of thermal expansion significantly differing from a coefficient of thermal expansion of another layer; passing the multilayered web stock over and in contact with a first wrinkle-reducing roller that spontaneously creates transverse tension stress in the at least one layer to be treated; heating at least the at least one layer to be treated above a glass transition temperature Tof the at least one layer to be treated to thereby create a heated portion of the at least one layer to be treated, a portion of the web stock in proximity to the heated portion of the at least one layer to be treated thereby becoming a heated portion of the web stock; inducing curvature in the heated portion of the web stock; and cooling the heated portion of the web stock at said curvature.

Stress release method and apparatus

Multiple-seam electrostatographic imaging member belts include two or more imaging member portions joined together by two or more seams. The belts can be formed from imaging member web that either includes or does not include an anti-curl backing layer, and that includes a charge transport layer that is substantially stress free.

Multiple-seam electrostatographic imaging member and method of making electrostatographic imaging member

A method of treating an electrostatographic imaging member web is applied to a web that includes a support substrate and at least one imaging layer formed over the support substrate. The electrostatographic imaging member web can optionally include no anti-curl backing layer. The web is bent into an arcuate shape and heated to a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the imaging layer. The imaging layer is then cooled while in the arcuate shape to a temperature below the glass transition temperature, forming a substantially stress-free imaging layer when conforming to the arcuate shape. The electrostatographic imaging members can be electrographic and electrophotographic imaging members. The treated electrostatographic imaging member webs can be formed into seamed electrostatographic imaging member belts such as ionographic imaging member belts and photoreceptor belts.

Method of treating electrostatographic imaging web and method of making

Apparatus and process for fabricating an electrostatographic imaging member assembly including providing a hollow electrostatographic drum having a first end and a second end, the first end having a surface selected from the group consisting of an uncoated surface, a surface coated with only a first component of a multiple component adhesive, a surface coated with only a second component for the multiple component adhesive, the second component containing a fluorescent tracer which fluoresces when irradiated with activating radiation, and a surface coated with a mixture of the first component and the second component containing the fluorescent tracer, directing activating radiation at the surface of the first end, detecting the amount of fluorescence emitted from the surface of the first end, and generating a signal which is substantially proportional to the intensity of fluorescence emitted from the surface of the first end, the signal ranging through at least three levels of strength, the first level representing an uncoated surface or a surface coated with only the first component, the second level representing a mixture of the first component and the second component containing the fluorescent tracer, and the third level representing only the second component containing the fluorescent tracer.

Mounting electrostatographic end flange

A process for treating a seamed flexible electrostatographic imaging belt including providing an imaging belt including at least one layer including a thermoplastic polymer matrix and a seam extending from one edge of the belt to the other, providing an elongated support member having a arcuate supporting surface and mass, the arcuate surface having at least a substantially semicircular cross section having a radius of curvature of between about 9.5 millimeters and about 50 millimeters, supporting the seam on the arcuate surface with the region of the belt adjacent each side of the seam conforming to the arcuate supporting surface of the support member with a wrap angle at least sufficiently enough to provide arcuate support for the seam area, traversing the seam from one edge of the belt to the other with infrared rays from a tungsten halogen quartz bulb focused with a reflector having a hemiellipsoid shape to form a heated substantially circular spot straddling the seam during traverse, the spot having a diameter of between about 3 millimeters and about 25 millimeters, without exceeding the breadth of supported arcuate seam area, to substantially instantaneously heat the thermoplastic polymer matrix in the seam and the region of the belt adjacent each side of the seam directly under the heating spot to at least the glass transition temperature of the polymer matrix without significantly heating the support member, and rapidly quenching the seam by thermal conduction of heat from the seam to the mass of the support member to a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the polymer matrix while the region of the belt adjacent each side of the seam conforms to the arcuate supporting surface of the support member. Apparatus for carrying out this process is also disclosed.

Seam stress release in flexible electrostatographic imaging belts

A flange holding apparatus composed of: (a) a head for engaging a flange; (b) a collar surrounding the head, wherein the collar extends along a portion of the length of the head, wherein the head and the collar define a gap therebetween and the head can move between a centered position and an eccentric position relative to the collar; and (c) a resilient member disposed in the gap, wherein movement of the head from the centered position to the eccentric position compresses a portion of the resilient member, whereby the compressed portion of the resilient member urges the head to return to the centered position.

Compliant flange holding apparatus

A process is disclosed for applying to a surface of a support member at least one ribbon-like stream of a first coating composition side-by-side with at least one ribbon-like stream of a second coating composition comprising providing an extrusion die source for the ribbon-like stream of the first coating composition, providing a slide die source for the ribbon-like stream of the second coating composition, establishing relative motion between the surface of the support member and the source of the ribbon-like streams, simultaneously and continuously applying the ribbon-like streams to the surface of the support member whereby the ribbon-like streams extend in the direction of relative movement of the surface of the support member and the sources of the ribbon-like streams to form a continuous unitary layer having a boundary between the side-by-side ribbon-like streams on the surface of the support member and drying the continuous unitary layer to form a dried coating of the first coating composition side-by-side with a dried coating of the second coating composition. This process may be carried out with apparatus comprising an extrusion die attached to and supporting a slide die, the extrusion die being adapted to applying to a surface of a support member at least one ribbon-like stream of a first coating composition and the slide die being adapted to apply to the surface a ribbon-like stream of a second coating composition side-by-side to and in edge contact with with the ribbon-like stream of the first coating composition.

Extrusion system with slide dies

Process for coating flexible belt seams including providing a flexible belt having an outwardly facing surface and a welded seam, forming a smooth liquid coating comprising a hardenable film forming polymer on the welded seam, the coating being substantially free of fugitive solvent, and hardening the coating to form a smooth solid coating on the seam.

Process for coating belt seams

A dip coat process material handling system and method for coating multiple layers of material on a plurality of workpieces, in particular for producing a multi-layer optical photoconductive drum, wherein a plurality of pipes are suspended from a carrier pallet which transports the workpieces through a dip coat cell housing various dip coating stations. The system includes a load/unload station, vertical and horizontal transport systems for transporting the carrier pallet having workpieces loaded thereon to the various dip coating stations, a drying/cooling booth, and a return conveyor system. The invention allows complete dip coat processing to be completed in an in-line configuration while the workpieces are attached to the carrier pallet, thereby eliminating load/unload steps at each dip coating station to provide efficient and flexible processing of materials.

Dip coat process material handling system

Disclosed is a process for preparing a multilayered cylindrical article which comprises introducing into a cylindrical mold a composition comprising a liquid, uncured resin material and a magnetically attractable filler material, spinning the mold about its axis, applying a magnetic field to the composition within the mold, thereby attracting the magnetically attractable filler material in the direction dictated by the magnetic field and causing the magnetically attractable filler material and the liquid uncured resin material to separate into layers, and subsequently curing the uncured resin to form a cylindrical article having at least two layers. Subsequent to formation, the multilayered cylindrical article can be coated with additional layers. Further, additional layers can be added to either the inside or outside surface of the cylinder by introducing the additional layer material into the mold and spin casting to form a layer. The cylinders formed by the processes of the present invention can be employed as imaging members in electrographic, ionographic, electrophotographic, and similar imaging processes.

Field assisted processes for preparing imaging members

A method for applying a coating solution onto a substrate to form a coated portion thereon includes a dipping device for dipping and removing the substrate into and from the coating solution; and a heating device for inductively heating the substrate while the dipping device removes the substrate from the coating solution to uniformly dry an inner surface of the coated portion, the inner surface being adjacent to the substrate. The method advantageously may include a drying device for blowing hot gases onto the coated portion of the substrate while the dipping device removes the substrate from the coating solution. The drying device for blowing hot gases onto the coated portion of the substrate includes a plurality of slits arranged so that a plurality of hot gas streams flowing through corresponding ones of the plurality of slits impinge and exert a gas pressure on the coated portion, the plurality of slits being arranged so that a collective gas pressure from all hot gas streams is uniformly applied across the coated portion along a transverse direction so that the coated portion is squeezed to a uniform thickness as the dipping device removes the substrate.

Method for applying a coating solution

An apparatus is provided for disposing a sheet adjacent a flexible member. The apparatus comprises a mechanism for transporting the sheet to a loading position and a mechanism, located adjacent the loading position, for receiving and holding the sheet. The receiving and holding mechanism is capable of moving the sheet into juxtaposition with a surface of the flexible member so that the sheet contacts the surface of the flexible member upon being released by the receiving and holding mechanism. The apparatus further comprises a mechanism for wrapping the flexible member about itself with the sheet interposed between opposed surfaces of the flexible member.

Apparatus for handling a sheet of separator material

A flexible belt having an outwardly facing surface, a welded seam having irregular protrusion on the outwardly facing surface and a thin flexible strip laminated and covering the welded seam and protrusions. This belt may be fabricated by providing a flexible belt having an outwardly facing surface and a welded seam having irregular protrusion on the outwardly facing surface and laminating a thin flexible strip to the welded seam. This belt may be used in an electrostatographic imaging process.

Laminated belt

An apparatus is provided for wrapping a sheet about an external surface of a flexible member to package the flexible member. The apparatus comprises a mechanism for receiving and clamping a free end of the sheet and a first portion of the flexible member, as well as a mechanism for spacing a second portion of the flexible member a preselected distance from the first portion thereof. The apparatus further comprises a mechanism for moving the receiving and clamping mechanism to urge the spacing mechanism toward the receiving and clamping mechanism so that movement of the receiving and clamping mechanism wraps the flexible member and sheet with the sheet being wrapped about the external surface of the flexible member.

Growing community of inventors

Webster, NY, United States of America

John J Darcy