Xerox Corporation

Kenneth Wayne Luff

Erwin Ruiz

Youti Kuo

Gregory P Miller

Ernest L DiNatale

Mark Stevens

Thomas Edward Higgins

Roger G Bennett, Ii

When calibrating a transfer assist blade (TAB) in a printer, toner patches are formed on a photoreceptor belt in the printer at locations between sheets of paper. The TAB is partially deployed between paper sheets to pick up toner, and then deployed normally or with a delay to mark the back sides of the sheets. A processor evaluates distances between TAB touchdown and liftoff points and leading and trailing edges of the sheets, and calibrates the TAB to optimize the TAB timing. Additionally, test prints can be generated, each having slightly varied TAB calibration settings that are stored in a non-volatile memory (NVM) table. A user enters an identification number for a test print with the best calibration settings. The processor looks up calibration settings corresponding to the entered identification number and moves NVM settings from the table into operational locations in the system NVM to calibrate the printer.

Method to automate a transfer assist blade device timing adjustment

A sheet separating mechanism and a method of separating sheets that includes a retard surface carrier that causes a retard surface to apply an alternately higher and lower friction force against the edge of an underlying sheet. The alternation of the higher and lower friction force can be coupled to a vacuum sheet feeder. The retard surface can be translated to present a next portion of the retard surface to the edge of the next underlying sheet with the translation coupled to the vacuum sheet feeder.

Sheet separating apparatus and method of separating sheets

A stripper assembly strips a media sheet from a photoreceptor belt. A support bracket supports a stripping finger base which includes a multiplicity of attached stripping fingers. The support bracket is fixed proximate to the photoreceptor belt in a media stripping position. Each stripping finger has a protruding distal stripping end extending toward the photoreceptor belt to form a gap therewith. The magnitude of the stripping finger-photoreceptor belt gap is controlled by adjusting the position or spacing of the finger base with respect to the support bracket. The support bracket pivots about an inboard pivot axial. The opposite support bracket outboard end is releasable, thus enabling the support bracket to pivot away from the photoreceptor belt.

Stripper assembly and a printing machine including the same

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Walworth, NY, United States of America

Kenneth Wayne Luff