Xerox Corporation

Other

Michael A Malachowski

David R Kamprath

Venkatesh H Kamath

Robert P Siegel

Rabin Moser

Charles W Spehrley, Jr

William R Burger

Raghulinga R Thettu

Paul A Garsin

Robert R Schaffer

Jacob N Kluger

Dean Thomas

Charles P Vorndran

Michelle Anne Remus

Victor Shur

An apparatus for advancing at least two different types of substrates from a moving surface to a fusing station is disclosed. A constant speed transport positioned to receive the substrate from the moving surface advances the substrate to the fusing station. An air moving device moves air such that air pressure induces a drive force on the substrate on the transport. A sensor generates a first signal when the substrate is of a first type and generates a second signal when the substrate is of a second type. The air moving device induces a first drive force when the sensor generates the first signal and induces a second drive force when the sensor generates the second signal.

Apparatus for handling color transparencies using vacuum switching

A fuser roll nip sheet sensing scheme detects the torque spike of a fuser roll motor when paper is entering the nip region and uses that spike to signal a speed change to the motor to thereby control the motion of the paper. The nip sheet sensing scheme is used for paper position/timing and for single pass duplex fusing.

System for controlling the motion of fused or unfused copy sheets

An apparatus in which sheet basis weight is determined as a function of a change in angular velocity of a roller defining a nip through which the sheet passes. The sheet basis weight is calculated in response to the change in angular velocity of the roll before and after the sheet enters the nip. In an electrophotographic printing machine, the change in angular velocity of the fuser roll or pressure roll may be used to calculate the sheet basis weight.

Fuser nip sheet basis weight detection system

An apparatus for advancing a sheet from a moving imaging member having an unfused image after transfer of the image to the sheet. After the image is transferred to the sheet, the sheet is advanced by a transport to a fuser. The transport has low impedance, high air flow to draw the sheet toward the transport for acquisition. As the sheet is moved across the transport, an increased air flow impedance causes a low vacuum pressure in the transport to provide a low drive force that minimizes quality and motion disturbances on the sheet. The low drive force exerted on the sleet is lower than a holding force of the sheet to the moving imaging member thus causing the sheet to slide on the transport.

High air flow low pressure prefuser transport

An apparatus for advancing a copy sheet includes a moving imaging member having an unfused toner image. The copy sheet is in contact with the moving imaging member to transfer the toner image from the imaging member to the copy sheet. The copy sheet is then engaged by a moving sheet transport. A vacuum draws the copy sheet toward the sheet transport while a pressure sensor detects the vacuum pressure in the transport to control the air flow through the transport so as to maintain a low and constant drive force in response to the level of vacuum sensed by the sensor. The low drive force exerted on the sheet is lower than a holding force of the sheet to the moving imaging member thus causing the sheet to slide on the transport.

Controlled air flow in a prefuser transport

In a printing system capable of printing and outputting collated sets of plural duplex copy sheets from input job sets of plural page images using a trayless duplexing buffer loop path of a known normal plural copy sheet length for recirculating the copy sheets imaged on one side back to be imaged on their opposite sides; operating in a continuous loop burst-interleave mode, using a variable speed duplex drive, for driving at least a major portion of the duplexing path sheet feeders at at least two different sheet feeding speeds so as to initially feed a limited number of the sheets to be printed on one side, less than the duplexing path length, at full rate without skips, to the duplexing path to be selectively partially fed therein at substantially higher than normal velocities, and to variably selectively reduce the velocity of the duplexing path with the initial sheets therein, to generate sheet interleaving spaces between these duplexing path sheets, so that they may be interleaved for their second side printing with subsequent first side prints until the final sheets of the job, which are also fed through the duplexing path at higher than normal speeds for different distances so as to close up interleaving spaces. This increases the duplex copying rate of the printing system by reducing or eliminating skipped pitches without requiring an increase in the given or normal printing rate.

Higher productivity trayless duplex printer with variable path velocity

A system to extend fuser roll life in which image data is varied in its placement on the photoreceptive member and correspondingly, the image receiving substrate position is varied so as to maintain proper location of the image data on the substrate while varying the transverse position of the substrate transverse to the paper path direction. This position varying may take place sheet to sheet or in a job by job arrangement on a printing machine. This varying of lateral position of the sheet causes the high pressure, excessive wear area on the fuser roll to be distributed over a wider area on the roll and not concentrated at a single point at each edge of the sheet. This leads to longer fuser roll life and additionally provides the added benefit of preventing an oil buildup which degrades copies when larger legal size sheets are utilized and/or also preventing associated jams due to the oil buildup at the sheet edge.

System to extend fuser roll life

A printer utilizes a clock for controlling sheet feeding and imaging operations. The system utilizes sheet feeders with sheet feeding rates maintainable within very narrow time tolerances. Thus, sheet feeding events alone or clock pulses alone can be utilized to control the imaging system. The system allows high throughput rates and reduces the complexity and cost of control systems.

Method and apparatus for copy sheet feed timed imaging registration

High speed printers with extended run capabilities are disclosed. A plurality of like containers are provided for carrying copy sheets to the printer and for receiving copy output from the printer. The containers are fed one after the other to supply input sheets or receive output sheets. Spent input trays or filled output trays are moved transversely to the exterior of the printer. Conveyors are utilized for the continuous feeding of copy sheet input containers or copy sheet receiving containers.

Floor space efficient printer with high load and unload capability

An apparatus to bilaterally register and deskew sheets in an electrophotographic printing machine by driving the sheet against a pair of stalled drive rolls and then activating the drive rolls when the sheet is deskewed. The drive rolls are then laterally translated while the sheet is within the nips of the drive rolls. The proper side registration position of the sheet is sensed and stored and the sheet is brought to that proper registration position. Once the sheet has passed through the drive rolls, the rolls return to the center of the paper path to receive subsequent sheets. A stepper motor is used to translate the roll pairs in a lateral direction and the pulse counts are utilized to store the side registration and sheet acquisition positions thereby eliminating the need for a home position sensor or switch.

Translating nip registration device

A sheet transport system incorporating a control for matching drive speeds imparted to a sheet extending between adjacent workstations is disclosed. The copy sheet is engaged by a receiving surface disposed between the workstations and is adhered to the receiving surface by vacuum. The copy sheet follows a path offset from a linear path extending between the workstations. Fuser rolls are driven at a slightly higher speed to tension the copy sheet and lift it from the transport surface. The lifting is detected by a sensor for sensing the vacuum in a plenum communicated with the receiving surface. The drive speed of the fuser rolls is controlled in accordance with the signal from the sensor.

Sheet buckle sensing

A copying and or printing apparatus including a duplex feeder for feeding sheets having had page image information copied/printed on one side thereof, back to a copying/printing station for transferring page image information to the other side thereof. The duplex feeder includes a buffer tray that can be positioned above and slightly upstream of a feeder tray. The buffer tray stores copy sheets exceeding the maximum capacity of the feeder tray such that the copier/printer can process a greater number of duplex copies in a single run.

Duplex printer and method of printing

An apparatus for individually feeding sheets from a stack of sheets, comprises a tray for supporting a stack of sheets to be fed therefrom. A sheet feeder is provided for individually capturing a top sheet from the stack and for conveying the top sheet out of the tray. A solenoid-activated sheet hold down device is provided which includes a portion being cyclically movable toward and away from the stack for exerting a force on a next top sheet beneath the top sheet to prevent the next top sheet from being forwarded out of the tray while the top sheet is being forwarded.

Apparatus for method for high speed sheet feeding

Apparatus is provided for forming an envelope capable of containing sheet material therein having a width equal to the width of the envelope by performing the steps of: feeding a sheet having a width and a length from a tray in a predetermined direction; folding the sheet across its width into a single fold to form first and second flaps, each flap having a width equal to the width of the sheet; pressing the first and second flaps together; and applying an adhesive tape over ends of the sheet to secure the first and second flaps together to form an envelope having an internal width at least the same as the width of the sheet, the adhesive tape completely forming the ends of the envelope. An insert sheet can be folded and placed between the first and second flaps prior to pressing the flaps together and, when a portion of the second flap which extends beyond the first flap is folded over the first flap prior to applying the adhesive tape thereto, the application of the adhesive tape will completely seal the insert material within the envelope so that the sealed envelope will be outputted 'ready-to-mail'.

Method and apparatus for making envelopes on-line for direct mail

Position registration of sheets in a feed path is achieved without guides or gates. Laterally separated drive rolls are speed controlled to correct for skew mispositioning. Lateral registration is achieved by translation of the drive rolls transversely to the direction of sheet movement. Longitudinal registration is controlled by varying the speeds of the drive rollers equally. The system reduces the required paper path length to achieve correct registration, thereby allowing higher speed operation.

Growing community of inventors

Webster, NY, United States of America

Michael A Malachowski