Lexmark International, Inc.

Richard Gordon Boyatt, Iii

Larry Steven Foster

Edward Lawrence Kiely

Alexander Johannes Geyling

Edward Lynn Triplett

Daniel Lee Carter

Kerry Leland Embry

David Erwin Rennick

Danny Wayne Peters

William Paul Cook

Gregory Lawrence Ream

Jichang Cao

Roger Steven Cannon

Jeffrey Lawrence Tonges

Harald Portig

Brian Allen Blair

Darin Michael Gettelfinger

Niko Jay Murrell

Edward Alan Rush

Philip Jerome Heink

Raymond Jay Barry

Donald Eugene Proffitt

Peter Brown Pickett

Gregory Daniel Creteau

Paul Wesley Etter

Robert Flynt Strean

Brandon Alden Kemp

Darren Wayne Tosh

Christopher Hayden Noffsinger

A fuser assembly, including a heat transfer member; a backup member disposed adjacent the heat transfer member so as to form a fuser nip; a frame in which the heat transfer member and the backup member are at least partly disposed; and a cover member pivotably coupled to the frame so as to pivot between a closed position and an open position, the cover member in the open position providing an opening for accessing and withdrawing a sheet of media disposed in the fuser assembly. A latch mechanism selectively latches the cover member to the frame and including a lever member disposed relative to an outer surface of the cover member such that movement of the lever member by a single hand of a user unlatches the cover member from the frame for moving the cover member to the open position.

Heater member for the fuser assembly of an electrophotographic imaging device

An imaging device includes a frame plate having an opening and first and second camming profiles about the opening. A removable fuser assembly includes a housing having front and back plates, a mounting shaft extending from the front plate to the back plate of the housing, a pin member on a first end of the mounting shaft having a pair of segments engaging with the first and second camming profiles on the frame plate, and a handle on a second end of the mounting shaft pivotable at a predetermined angle and moving the mounting shaft therewith. Pivoting the handle in a first direction causes the segments to travel along the camming profiles, locking the fuser assembly onto the imaging device. Pivoting the handle in a second direction causes the segments to align with the opening and the fuser assembly to be unlocked with the imaging device allowing removal thereof.

Positive locking mechanism for a removable fuser

A media path assembly in an imaging device includes a media guide positioned adjacent and transverse to a media path between a first and a second nip, and having a surface forming a bubble chamber across the media path. A bubble sensor and a narrow media sensor are positioned adjacent to the bubble chamber transverse to the media path and aligned with each other. The bubble sensor is operative to indicate formation in the bubble chamber of a bubble in a media sheet exiting the first nip. The narrow media sensor is operative to indicate media size of the media sheet and, when the media sheet is wide media, provide a balancing force to the media sheet relative to a force applied by the bubble sensor to the media sheet so that a leading edge of the media sheet substantially aligns with the second nip when entering the second nip.

System and method for controlling media bubble formation in an imaging device

An imaging device, including a locking assembly connected to the frame of the imaging device and selectively engaged with the fuser assembly thereof when the fuser assembly is mounted to the frame. The locking assembly includes a lock member slidingly coupled to the frame between a first position in which the lock member engages with the fuser assembly for locking the fuser assembly to the frame and a second position in which the lock member is disengaged from the fuser assembly to allow the fuser assembly to be disconnected and removed from the frame. A lever mechanism is movably coupled to the frame and coupled to the lock member, wherein actuation of the lever mechanism moves the lock member between the first position and the second position.

Fuser locking assembly for an electrophotographic imaging device

An image-forming device includes a media path extending through the image-forming device, and at least one image transfer nip positioned along the media path. An electrode is positioned subsequent to the nip with respect to the media path and is coupled to a voltage source. An electric field produced by the electrode and voltage source limits the degree of post-nip toner scattering by applying an electrostatic force to toner particles on media sheets passing along the media path. The image-forming device further includes a processor for monitoring a plurality of ambient conditions, for adjusting the voltage applied to the electrode, and optionally, for repositioning the electrode with respect to the media path.

Electrode-based post nip field conditioning method and apparatus

A capacitive sensor to detect toner volume levels in a toner container within an image forming device includes opposed electrodes disposed within the interior of the toner container. The opposed electrodes form a capacitor characterized by an inherent capacitance that varies in response to an amount of toner that exists between the opposed electrodes. A corresponding sensor circuit is electrically coupled to the opposed electrodes and adapted to sense an instantaneous capacitance of the capacitor to determine the amount of toner that exists between the opposed electrodes. The opposed electrodes may have different shapes and configurations, including for example, plates disposed within the toner container or the interior walls of the container itself. The sensor circuit is configured to apply an alternating current signal to the opposed electrodes and sense an output voltage that is indicative of an instantaneous capacitance of the capacitor corresponding to toner volume within the container.

Capacitive toner level sensor and methods of use

A removable media tray for an image forming apparatus includes a housing, an exit port in the housing, a primary media stack, and a multi-purpose tray (MPT) input. Within the tray are first and second pick mechanisms operative to select a media sheet from the primary stack or MPT stack, respectively, and move the media sheet to the image forming apparatus through the exit port. A motor is disposed within the tray housing, and first and second drive assemblies operatively connect the motor to the first and second pick mechanisms, respectively. The motor drives the first pick mechanism forward by rotating in one direction, and drives the second pick mechanism forward by rotating in the opposite direction. A media sensor in the exit port senses media sheets from a variety of sources, including the primary media stack, the MPT stack, a duplex return path, or a large-capacity media sheet supply.

Integrated media input tray including electronics

A door assembly movably positioned to a body of an image forming device. The door assembly includes a first frame and a second frame. The first frame is movably attached to the body, and the second frame is movably attached to the first frame. The movable connections between the frames and the main body cause accurate locating of a photoconductive member mounted on the door assembly within the body. In one embodiment, a contour surface within the body contacts the second frame to locate the second frame within the body. Methods of moving the door assembly are also disclosed including moving the door assembly from an open orientation that is spaced from the body, to a closed orientation that is in proximity to the body. The movement of the door assembly causes interaction between the frames and the body to accurately locate the second frame.

Image forming device having a door assembly and method of use

A collimation assembly for a multi-beamed laser scanner including a collimation housing mounted to a printhead housing of the laser scanner, and at least two adjustment brackets supported on the collimation housing and located adjacent to each other in a cross-scan direction. Each of the adjustment brackets includes a mount member and a laser light source is supported within each of the mount members, each of the light sources defining a respective light beam axis. At least two collimation lenses are also provided supported on the collimation housing and intersected by one of the light beam axes. Each of the adjustment brackets is movable relative to the collimation housing in a scan direction and in the cross-scan direction to locate each of the light beam axes at a predetermined position relative to a respective collimation lens. Each of the laser light sources is additionally adjustable in the process direction, parallel to the light beam axes, to adjust the distance between the laser light sources and the collimation lenses.

Collimation assembly for adjusting laser light sources in a multi-beamed laser scanning unit

An assembly for limiting axial motion of a shaft, such as a roller, in an imaging apparatus having a frame, a drive system including a helical drive gear, a shaft supported by the frame and a driven helical gear attached to the shaft and positioned to engage the helical drive gear, wherein driving the driven helical gear in a first rotational direction results in an axial thrust of the shaft in a first axial direction. The assembly includes a thrust member which has an engagement end and a mounting end. The engagement end has a first cross-sectional dimension and the mounting end has a second cross-sectional dimension that is larger than the first cross-sectional dimension. The thrust member is positioned to be co-axial with the shaft and is coupled to at least one of the shaft and the driven helical gear. A thrust bracket is mounted to the frame. The thrust bracket has a contact surface that is engaged by the engagement end of the thrust member when the driven helical gear is driven in the first rotational direction.

Assembly for limiting axial motion of shaft in an imaging apparatus

A printhead carrier assembly in an ink jet printer includes a carrier moving along a linear path. At least one rotatable bearing is attached to the carrier. The at least one rotatable bearing has at least one axis of rotation. A rotatable shaft has a surface in contact with the at least one bearing such that the shaft is nonparallel to the at least one axis of rotation of the at least one rotatable bearing. The shaft is substantially parallel to the linear path of the carrier. Rotation of the shaft causes the at least one rotatable bearing to roll along a helical path on the surface of the shaft to thereby carry the carrier along the linear path.

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Lexington, KY, United States of America

Richard Gordon Boyatt, Iii