Xerox Corporation

John L Webb

Conrad J Bell

William E Kramer

Dana G Marsh

Robert G Pirwitz

Ruediger W Knodt

Terrence D Charland

Gerald A Gray, Jr

Michael J Tracy

John R Yonovich

James E Hutton

David R Shuey

Charles J Hull

Glen A Woodhams

Michael A Kelly

Pat Grasso

Patrick J Grasso

A compact sheet feeding and cutting apparatus is disclosed which is particularly suitable for retrofitting to an existing document reproduction machine. The sheet feeding and cutting components are located within a common housing which can be mechanically attached to an existing machine. In one embodiment, no electrical connections are required between the reproduction machine and the feeding and cutting apparatus. A sheet cutting length is entered into local memory and controls the operation of a dc stepper motor in a sheet cutting mode and a sheet feeding mode. The motor is reversed and operates in a sheet feeding mode to drive feed rollers causing the sheet to unroll from a supply roll. The motor is operatively connected to the drive feed rollers and to the sheet cutter through separate, one-way clutches. The sheet is fed from the roll at a faster speed than the speed of sheet travel within the reproduction machine as it advances to a transfer station. This speed mismatch periodically creates a buckle in the moving sheet which contacts a switch causing it to open and close. The switch thus controls an on/off operation of the motor changing it from a sheet feeding mode into a sheet cutting mode.

Compact sheet cutter for a document reproduction machine

A toner cartridge is modified by the addition of a low toner sensing mechanism internal to the cartridge. An arm is pivotably mounted within the cartridge; the suspended end of the arm having a magnet secured thereto. When the cartridge is filled to a relatively high level with toner and rotated, the suspended arm is at least partially submerged in the toner bed and is subjected to a viscous drag force which moves the arm from the vertical position and prevents the arm from returning to the vertical or plumb orientation until a sufficiently low toner level occurs. At this point the arm is sufficiently free from the viscous drag effects of the rotating toner bed and attains a plumb position which brings it into alignment with a switching circuit which is closed by action of the proximate magnet. The switching circuitry generates signals which are used to produce a visible or audible signal to the operator, and/or which cause machine shut down to occur.

Toner level detection system

A copying system with a large document feeder for making large copy sheet (or web) media copies by moving the document past an optical scanning slit at a preset speed proportional to the speed of the imaging surface, and transferring the image onto a selected large copy media, with an easily correctable image size. The disclosed system provides for accurately controlling and adjusting the size of the copy image relative to the document image, by controlled adjustment of the magnification or reduction without requiring anamorphic or other lens changes. It is accomplished by making a test copy of the document onto the selected large copy media in the copier; measuring the dimensional change in the image on that copy media relative to the document image, in the direction of movement; deriving a simple numerical correction factor corresponding to the measured dimensional change; entering the correction factor into a variable speed control for the large document feeder to reset the speed of movement of the document past the optical scanning slit by an amount proportional to the correction factor, to provide a corresponding image reduction or magnification dimensional change of the copy image; and making subsequent copies on that media with the document moving past the optical scanning slit at the reset speed. The correction factor derivation comprises a simple calculation also including the approximate overall length in the movement direction of the test copy media or the document, and may be derived with a simple numerical table. The system can provide an exact size copy image of the document image by compensating for varying dimensional changes of different copy media in the fuser, etc., or a selectable image size change. Different selectable preset nominal (initial, but resettable) correction factors for various copy media are desirably provided.

Large media proportional copying system

A toner cartridge is modified so as to improve the dispensing of toner through discharge ports extending longitudinally along the cartridge. A flexible flap member is secured external to the cylinder and overlies the ports so as to prevent toner from exiting the ports except along the preferred dispense zone, e.g., from the 4 o'clock to the 8 o'clock position.

Dispensing cartridge for a zerographic reproduction machine

A fusing system incorporates a thin fabric-like web to maintain copy sheets in biased contact with a fuser roll during a fusing operation. The copy sheets are introduced to the fusing area at an entrance nip formed by a blade member biased tangentially against the fuser roll. The copy sheets are fed into frictional engagement at this entrance nip, reducing the tending of the copy sheets to stall or buckle.

Fuser system

Heat and pressure fuser for fixing toner images to copy substrates wherein a heated roll or roller contacts the toner images on the copy substrates and a non-rotating, elongated pressure member cooperates with the roll or roller to form an elongated nip. The heated roll is fabricated such that it constitutes a low mass member. The fuser of the present invention is relatively low in cost, simple in construction, occupies less space in the machine than prior art devices and has a fuser roll which has a relatively low mass. A pressure member in the form of a sling or web is urged into pressure contact with the surface of the fuser roll. One of the ends of the web or sling is captivated in a machine structure while the other end is biased into pressure engagement with the fuser roll. A portion of the sling closer to the captivated end thereof is also biased into engagement with the fuser roll. The web is urged into engagement with the fuser roll by a blade structure such that a relatively low (6 pounds over the 36 inches of width) force is developed therebetween. The mechanism by which the pressure between the fuser roll and the sling effected is constructed to minimize stalling of the copy substrates upon entry into the fuser nip and to improve the efficiency of substrate movement through the nip. The use of the sling or web and the manner in which it is installed relative to the fuser roll results in a lower overall height making the fuser suitable for use in smaller machines as well as providing at fuser which is simpler in construction and design and which is lower in cost than prior art devices. The sling or web is fabricated from a material and in a manner such that the friction between the sling and copy substrates moved between the sling and the fuser roll is less than the friction developed between the copy substrate and the fuser roll.

Heat and pressure fuser for fixing toner images to copy substrates

An apparatus which includes a plurality of heating elements to fuse a powder image onto a copy sheet. Selected heating elements of the apparatus are energized in an ordered sequence corresponding to the surface area of the powder image being fused.

Fusing system

An arrangement is disclosed for combining the capability for bound document copying with a document handling apparatus in a reproduction machine. To this end, an arrangement is devised wherein the document handling apparatus is contained within a frame which contains a light-tight cover for bound documents having three-dimensional shape. The arrangement includes a pivoting connection between the document handling apparatus and the frame relative to the platen of the reproduction machine and between each other so as to permit access to the platen for manual document placement and bound document copying.

Bound document apparatus for a copier

A sheet feeding device (10) that feeds sheets individually from a stack (31) includes a sheet feeding member (20) that strikes the stack (31) at such an acute angle .theta. and normal force that the top sheet in the stack is forwarded for subsequent transport while simultaneously retarding movement of the sheet immediately adjacent to the top sheet.

Growing community of inventors

Fairport, NY, United States of America

John L Webb