Xerox Corporation

Norman David Robinson, Jr

James J Spence

David Mark Kerxhalli

Stephen F Skrainar

Michael E Farrell

David L Salgado

Thomas Acquaviva

David A VanKouwenberg

John W Daughton

Roger Lee Triplett

Stephen C Corona

Jonathan Byron Hunter

Donald J Gusmano

Charles D Braswell

Ermanno C Petocchi

David E Damouth

Cynthia A Smith

Elizabeth D Fox

James J Teich

Holly S Beck

Disclosed is an apparatus for transporting a substrate media sheet along a process path through a marking zone. The apparatus includes a marking zone, an air bearing support rail and a media cart. The marking zone marks the substrate media sheet. The air bearing support rail extends from a first location upstream of the marking zone to a second location downstream of the marking zone. The media cart conveys the sheet along the process path. The media cart includes a platen for holding the sheet thereon as the media cart translates through the marking zone. The media cart is supported along the process path between the first and second locations by the air bearing support rail. The air bearing support rail includes a gaseous layer providing a non-contact bearing support between an outer surface of the air bearing support rail and a non-contact support surface of the media cart.

Air bearing substrate media transport

Disclosed is an apparatus for handling a sheet of substrate media in a marking assembly. The apparatus includes a rail support track, a first marking zone and a first platen cart. The rail support track forms a closed path. The first marking zone marks a sheet of substrate media. Also, the first platen cart moves along the rail support track. The first platen cart recirculating around the closed path. The first platen cart conveying the sheet of substrate media in a process direction along at least a portion of the closed path through the first marking zone.

Large sheet handling using a flatbed cart

An inkjet offset printer includes at least one printhead to eject ink on a release agent applied to an image receiving member for subsequent transfer of the ink to the surface of a recording media. The release agent is applied to the image receiving member by at least two release agent applicators. The release agent can be selectively applied to process sheets of recording media of different sizes to improve print quality. Selective application of release agent to the image receiving member prevents release agent from migrating to a transfix roll, and subsequently to the back side of the media which affects the image quality.

Printer having drum maintenance unit architecture for controlled application of a release agent

Aspects of the disclosure provide a printing method that can determine a configuration of a printing system based on contents of a printing job to achieve an optimum image quality for the printing job. Further, the configuration can be provided to a configuration update mechanism via a communication method. The printing method can include storing a plurality of printing configurations for at least one printer, analyzing a printing job to determine printing characteristics, rating the plurality of printing configurations based on printing abilities of the plurality of printing configurations corresponding to the printing characteristics, and selecting a printing configuration based on the rating.

Method and system for printing using selecting printing configuration based on attribute rating

Aspects of the disclosure can provide a sensor system. The sensor system can include a belt having an undesirable portion and an aperture formed at a distance from the undesirable portion, a reflector located in the aperture, and a detector that senses a light reflected by the reflector to determine a location of the undesirable portion.

Method and apparatus for sensing locations on a belt

A tool for installation of intermediate belts by a customer includes a lightweight frame structure that is collapsible for handling and ease of belt loading onto the tool itself. The frame structure includes linkage such that when a handle connected to the frame structure is rotated; the framework will expand into the hanging belt and force the belt to take the shape of an intermediate belt transfer module profile. The intermediate transfer belt is then slid onto rollers of the intermediate belt transfer module.

Belt installation tool

An authorization service is provided for use with a multifunctional printing system. The printing machine includes a first document processing service and a second document processing service. The first document processing service includes a first set of one or more document processing operations with each of the first set of one or more document processing operations being performable relatives to the electronic document. The second document processing service includes a second set of one or more document processing operations with each of the second set of one or more document processing operations being performable relative to the electronic document. The system also includes a programmable authorization system that controls a manner in which a first set of users accesses the first set of one or more document processing operations and a second set of users access the second set of one or more document processing operations.

System for managing service access in a multifunctional printing system

An apparatus for determining the dimensions of a stack of sheets in the tray. An optical sensor is arranged so that movement of the sheet guides in a paper tray causes a variably graduated scale to be moved past the sensor. The sensor may either be a transmissive or reflective type analog sensor in which the strength of the signal generated by the sensor is converted into a position of the side guides and as the analog scale is continuously variable, there is no need for separate discrete sensors or switches and sheet sizes of any dimension can be accommodated. A recalibration process is used to prevent contamination of the gauge and the associated change in signal strength by this sensor from causing the size determinations to be inaccurate. Alternatively, a digital sensor in cooperation with a digital bar code or other digital scale can be utilized to determine the variable sheet size, which digital sensor and variable scale are insensitive to contamination by dirt or paper particles, etc. The sensor system herein is very robust and provides a simple device for determining the size of a stack of sheets in a paper tray.

Variable sheet guide position sensor

An improved system for segregating and identifying separate job sets from a commonly stacked output of plural job sets of copy sheets sequentially generated by a printer and sequentially outputted into a sheet stacker in which they may be superposed commonly stacked. A control system selects which standard size sheet supply tray of the printer will feed the copy sheets for a selected job set, and can automatically feed and print a cover sheet of a larger size or different orientation before or after the job set copy sheets are fed. The sheet stacker may desirably stack the copy sheets of the job sets commonly edge aligned but so that at least one edge area of the cover sheets extends substantially from at least one edge of the stack of copy sheets of the job sets to provide an exposed printed banner strip for clear job sets segregation and separation even if the commonly stacked plural job sets of copy sheets are misaligned in subsequent handling. The cover sheets may be printed side up even if the job set copy sheets are stacked printed side down. The exposed banner strip may have identifying indicia printed thereon for identifying job sets.

Copier/printer job stacking with discrete cover sheets with extending

An apparatus in which the approximate thickness of a set of sheets is determined. A tray supporting a stack of sheets thereon is periodically indexed a preselected distance each time the thickness of the stack of sheets decreases by a specified amount. The approximate thickness of the set of sheets is calculated as a function of the number of times the tray is indexed and a constant corresponding to the preselected distance the tray indexes.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Norman David Robinson, Jr