Xerox Corporation

Joseph M Wing

Michael John Martin

Brian J Perry

Daniel W Costanza

Michael F Leo

Mark Andrew Omelchenko

Robert Edward Hildebrand

Robert Michael Lofthus

Michael Robert Furst

Mark A Atwood

Moritz Patrick Wagner

Mark A Adiletta

James M Casella

Ssujan Hou

Alan G Schlageter

Robert A Pictor

Orlando J Lacayo

Huoy-Jen Yuh

R Enrique Viturro

James J Spence

Ron Edward Dufort

Brian Robert Conrow

James Patrick Calamita

Douglas A Lundy

Bruce J Parks

David Keneth Ahl

Matthew D Savoy

Lawrence R Benedict

Shawn Patrick Updegraff

Raymond A Naramore

John R Lambie

Randall C Ryon

Michael J Turan

Charles M Gardiner

Joseph N May

Thomas R Race

Michael L Gumina

Barbara J Schaeffer

Lauren E Murphy

John D Head

John W Whipple

Kerry P Haughan

Mark E Roszkowski

Ling Ouyang

Eric Bonn

James F Lincoln

Scott Douglas Berner, Legal Representative

Ssujan (James) Hou

Lou Bressler

John Sirianni

An inkjet printer includes a printhead module having a plurality of printheads which eject ink for printing images on the surface of a recording media supported by a backing member. A gap distance between the printheads and the surface of the recording media is adjusted by a positioner coupled to the printhead module where a sensor determines the gap distance between the printhead module and the backing member.

Printhead positioning for web gap adjustment

According to aspects described herein, there is disclosed an apparatus and method for controlling a position of a belt in a printing system. The apparatus including a roller assembly for engaging at least a portion of the belt. The roller assembly extending laterally across the belt. The apparatus including a pair of laterally spaced support arms each rotatably supporting opposed ends of the roller assembly. Each support arm being pivotally coupled to the printing system for movement about a pivot axis extending substantially in the lateral direction. The apparatus also including a pair of actuating assemblies each configured to pivot a different one of the support arms about the pivot axis. The pivotal movement of each of the pair of support arms by the respective actuating assemblies being independent of the other.

Transfer belt lateral position control apparatus and method

According to aspects described herein, there is disclosed an apparatus and method for controlling a position of a belt in a printing system. The apparatus including a roller assembly for engaging at least a portion of a belt, a pair of laterally spaced support arms and an actuating assembly for pivotally moving at least one support arm. The belt being generally moveable in a process flow direction within the printing system, wherein a lateral direction extends substantially along the belt and substantially perpendicular to the process flow direction. The roller assembly extending laterally across the belt. The pair of laterally spaced support arms each rotatably supporting opposed ends of the roller assembly. Each support arm being pivotally coupled to the printing system for movement about a pivot axis extending substantially in the lateral direction. The pivotal movement pivoting one support arm relative to the other.

A latch apparatus has a latch base, a latch frame, and at least one flexible bracket connecting the latch frame to the latch base. Connectors are used to connect the flexible bracket to the latch frame and connect the flexible bracket to the latch base. The connectors prevent the outer surface of the flexible bracket from moving along the surface of the latch frame or the surface of the latch base. A biasing member is connected to the latch base and the latch frame. The flexible bracket maintains a gap between the latch base and the latch frame and prevents the latch base from contacting or sliding along the latch frame.

Drawer latch flexure mechanism

In a color marking assembly, a series of ROS units are aligned above a photoconductive surface. These units have inboard and outboard mounts connecting them to this assembly. The inboard mounts are attached to a first side of the ROS, and the outboard mounts are attached to a second side of the ROS unit. The inboard mount is an elongated bar extending beyond the height of the ROS unit. This elongated bar has hinged portions on both its top and bottom connections to the ROS unit. The outboard mount has a ball bearing or sphere configuration. This configuration and the inboard mount enable the ROS unit to be easily deskewed when required.

ROS deskew mechanism

Disclosed is a printing apparatus and method to correct for image non-uniformities. The printing apparatus comprises a photoreceptor (P/R) belt charging device positioned to charge the P/R belt after an image is transferred to a media sheet. Subsequently, an image sensing device scans the P/R belt residual image or patches to detect image non-uniformities.

Printing apparatus and method

A docking system may repeatedly dock a movable sensor module relative to another module with high precision. The docking system may move with minimal constraints and several degrees of freedom. The docking system may be particularly useful for precisely locating a movable sensor module relative to another module, such as a full width array sensor relative to a photoreceptor module within an image forming apparatus. A high degree of freedom may be achieved through use of a series of at least three spherical bearing connections that enable freedom of movement about X, Y and Z axes.

Sensor module docking arrangement with multiple degrees of freedom constraint

A method for removing a residue, such as lateral charge migration (LCM) film, from an imaging member includes contacting at least a portion of the imaging member with a wash liquid capable of removing the residue. The wash liquid containing the residue is then removed, for example, by applying an absorbent material such as a toner, to the contacted portion of the imaging member.

Method and kit for removing a residue from an imaging member

An apparatus for developing in a development zone a latent image recorded on a surface, including a housing defining a chamber storing at least a supply of toner therein; a donor member disposed of at least partially in the chamber of the housing and spaced from the surface, the donor member being adapted to rotate about a longitudinal axis to transport toner to the development zone in a region opposed from the surface; and a wire assembly module mounted the development zone and extending in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis, the wire assembly module including a wire and a drive system for translating portions of the wire in the development zone, and power supply for electrically biasing the wire to detach toner from the donor member so as to form a toner powder cloud in the development zone with detached toner from the toner cloud developing the latent image.

Wire module for developer unit

A photoconductive member for use in a single pass multi-color printing machine is disclosed. The photoconductive member is composed of an inter seam zone having a physical seam. The inter seam zone includes one of a plurality of image-on-image registration marks respective to a particular color latent image formed on the photoconductive member in a single pass. A plurality of interdocument zones is also included on the photoconductive member wherein process control marks are formed. While the inter seam zone is used for monitoring color-to-color registration, the process control marks are monitored to adjust the timing of the printing machine so that copy media synchronizes with an asynchronous placement of the images on the photoconductive member. A single pass, multi-color electrophotographic printing machine architecture uses a vertically oriented photoconductive belt. Transfer of the toner powder images occur at the lowermost portion of the photoconductive belt. The photoconductive belt is elliptically shaped, having a major and a minor axis. N image recording stations are positioned adjacent an exterior surface of the photoconductive belt on one side of the major axis thereof. N&minus;1 image recording stations are positioned adjacent the exterior surface of the photoconductive belt on the other side of the major axis thereof. The image recording stations record electrostatic latent images on the photoconductive belt. This architecture optimizes image registration while minimizing the overall height of the printing machine.

Photoconductive member for asynchronous timing of a printing machine

A backer bar assembly for supporting a photoreceptor belt, including a substantially rigid first backer bar having first and second ends and a second developer backer bar having first and second ends. The first and second ends of the first backer bar are substantially fixed, the first end of the lower developer backer bar is substantially fixed, and the second end of the lower developer backer bar is free to travel a short distance in response to an externally applied force.

Compliant backer bar

A belt drive module and a corresponding method includes or employs a belt that moves along a path, at least one support roller or other structure that supports the belt as it moves along the path, a drive roller that effects movement of the belt along the path, a tension roller that applies a tension force to the belt in order to maintain engagement of the belt with the drive and/or support rollers, at least one processing station (e.g., an image processing station) disposed along the path that performs a process relative to a predetermined position of the belt, and a torque assist drive that applies a torque assist force Td at a location between the drive roller and the tension roller. Torque assist may be provided by a current limited DC motor or by a constant torque friction clutch applied to a roller, e.g., a stripper roller of an electrophotographic imaging system. Advantageously, the torque assist force Td facilitates accurate positioning of the belt (e.g., latent image registrations in a color imaging process employing multiple imaging processing stations) by reducing slippage between the drive roller and the belt that may be encountered due to belt wear, toner contamination and/or other debris.

Torque assist method and apparatus for reducing photoreceptor belt slippage in a printing machine

A non-resilient belt tensioning mechanism monitors and maintains tension in a photoreceptor belt. The belt tensioning mechanism causes one of at least a pair of rollers, around which a photoreceptor belt is entrained, to exert pressure against the photoreceptor belt to apply and maintain substantially constant tension in the belt.

Belt tensioner apparatus

A single pass, multi-color electrophotographic printing machine architecture uses a vertically oriented photoconductive belt. Transfer of the toner powder images occur at the lowermost portion of the photoconductive belt. The photoconductive belt is elliptically shaped, having a major and a minor axis. N image recording stations are positioned adjacent an exterior surface of the photoconductive belt on one side of the major axis thereof. N-1 image recording stations are positioned adjacent the exterior surface of the photoconductive belt on the other side of the major axis thereof. The image recording stations record electrostatic latent images on the photoconductive belt. This architecture optimizes image registration while minimizing the overall height of the printing machine.

Printing machine architecture

An apparatus for removing magnetic granules from a moving imaging surface in a region between a developer station and a transfer station is provided. The apparatus includes a removing member located between the developer station and the transfer station. The removing member is rotatable about a longitudinal axis. A groove is located in an exterior surface of the removing member. A portion of the groove extends in a direction skewed to the longitudinal axis of the removing member. The apparatus also includes a a magnetic member which is operatively associated with the removing member. The magnetic member generates a magnetic field to attract the magnetic granules from the imaging surface to the removing member. The removing member and the magnetic member move relatively to one another.

Vacuum assisted bead pick off apparatus having a spiral plural level

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Ontario, NY, United States of America

Joseph M Wing