Burroughs, Inc.

Other

Richard C Fedder

George C Schafner

Richard E Shultz

Kyriakos Christou

William F Buholtz

Ronald G Shell

Stephen Barasch

Thomas Robson

Wallace F Brownell

John R Sanders

William M Ward

Thomas F McMahon

Richard L Poythress

A toner concentration sensor assembly wherein a toner cartridge carrying a fresh supply of toner material is demountably insertable into the assembly so as to bring the fresh toner into the original developer mix and wherein a portion of developer mix is metered off the magnetic brush application roller of the apparatus into an inductor surrounding a chute-like, open ended cannister. An electromagnet is used to close the chute by immobilizing the developer mix within the chute while a signal output is taken from the inductance and applied to a sensing circuit to determine the quantity of toner to stabilize the mix concentration to a predetermined level for copy printing output. An interconnected mechanism operably associated with the toner cartridge replenishes the toner on command from the system software as a result of a comparison between toner concentration levels and a preset concentration required for clear, clean, crisp printing/copying.

Toner concentration sensor assembly for electro-photographic apparatus

Photo-optical reproducing, copying/printing apparatus wherein a solid state laser diode is caused to emit a divergent beam of light which is collected and collimated. A cylindrical multi-element lens shapes the beam first in a vertical and then in a second horizontal plane for impingement upon a rotating polygonal mirror assembly. A spherical multi-element lens thereafter focusses the laser beam as scanned by the rotating mirror assembly through a cylindrical lens assembly so as to scan across the surface of a photo receptor drum assembly horizontally, rotatably disposed adjacent to a cylindrical lens producing a latent image on the drum. The scanned image is then electrophotographically developed at the drum by first toning the image and thereafter causing the image to be transferred from the drum to a fuseable item such for example as paper which is adapted to pass across the surface of the drum in contact therewith. Each of the active elements of the photo-optical system is adjustable relative to the axis of the laser light beam permitting accurate, extremely high definition data output. The photo-optical system is also made as a modular assembly which is capable of being used with a number of different speeds of associated apparatus so that only the associated apparatus need be adapted, changed or reoriented to the basic photo-optical reproducing, copying/printing apparatus.

Optical scanning and imaging system utilizing laser diode

A self contained, demountable, unitary modular optical system for a Solid State Laser Diode Printer/Copier utilizes a folded light beam path whereby laser light is collimated through a compound four element collimating objective lens assembly, passed through a cylindrical lens focussing the beam to a horizontal line image onto the facets of a rotatable polygon mirror assembly. The beam is then passed through a cylindrical meniscus lens focussing the beam to a small dimension in the scanning or horizontal direction. A pair of cylindrical-spherical lenses with the corresponding centers of the cylindrical and spherical surfaces located near the facet of the polygon provide cross-scan focussing in the vertical direction as well as approximating a pair of toridal lenses. Horizontal and vertical spot size can thus be independently focussed.

Unitary, modular, demountable optical system for laser diode/printing

Novel apparatus for transferring magnetic and conducting toner from a dielectric surface to plain paper by interposing a dielectric belt mechanism between the dielectric surface of an imaging drum and a plain paper substrate such that the toner is first transferred to the dielectric belt and subsequently transferred to a plain paper in a fusing station. Operably associated cleaning and discharging of the dielectric belt is provided.

Conducting toner transfer apparatus

An ink droplet catcher assembly for an ink jet printer includes a housing with an opening for ink droplets. In the housing, a sensor is directly impacted by the ink droplets. The sensor generates varying electrical signals to circuitry controlling ink droplet deflection for an ink jet printer in response to the impact position of the ink droplets on the sensor. A coating is applied to the sensor to retard sensor wear and to prevent short circuiting of the generated electrical signals in response to ink droplet impacts. The housing construction conducts captured ink droplets out of the housing to a reservoir when a lid, covering the housing, deflects air and ink droplets entering the housing.

Ink droplet catcher assembly

Electrostatic and magnetic transfer apparatus for conducting and magnetically attracting electronically conductive toner from the surface of a dielectric drum to a secondary substrate such as plain paper wherein a fixed permanent magnet disposed within a hollow cylindrical roller located at the image transfer point within a portion of a continuous loop of semi-conductive material supplies additional attractive force between the toner and the substrate exclusively at the image transfer point which in combination with the electrostatic transfer force applied to the imaged dielectric surface of the drum by means of a voltage potential applied to the hollow cylindrical roller, produces a dense, well defined pattern of intelligence replicating what was originally applied to the dielectric surface.

Electrostatic and magnetic transfer enhancing apparatus for conducting

An apparatus for forming solid character charge patterns on a dielectric surface in a non-impact printing system. The apparatus comprises a corona source of ions and a rotatable stencil drum surrounding the corona source to shape the ions generated by the corona source and accelerated therefrom by electrostatic forces into solid patterns of charge. A coaxial stationary shield is provided surrounding the stencil drum to capture the solid patterns of charge. A series of grid covered openings are longitudinally disposed along the shield to form a print station. Means are provided to electrically bias the individual grids covering the openings in the shield at a potential which either blocks the passage or enhances the transmission of patterns of charge through the shield onto an adjacent dielectric surface.

Growing community of inventors

Longwood, FL, United States of America

Richard C Fedder