Xerox Corporation

Nexpress Solutions, Inc.

Richard Hiram Berg

Paul F Sawicki

Donald M Stevens

Arthur J Sobon

Peter Johan Nystrom

Steven J Dietl

Gregory Leo Kowalski

Charles T Facchini

Robert J Tannascoli

Christopher A O'Dell

With a fuser apparatus, for example having a pair of rollers in nip relation to transport a receiver member therebetween, to permanently fix a marking particle image to such receiver member, a skive mechanism for stripping a receiver member adhering to a fuser apparatus roller from the roller, and a mechanism for applying a release oil to the fuser rollers. The skive mechanism includes a plurality of skive fingers formed as elongated, thin, flexible members located so as to engage the fuser apparatus rollers in a manner so as to substantially prevent damage to such associated fuser apparatus rollers. Each of the skive fingers have capillary micro-grooves formed therein for the purpose of channeling release oil away from the respective skive finger tips, thereby substantially eliminating image degradation by build up of the release oil.

Capillary micro-groove skive fingers

A waste fluid collection container, which includes a tray having a floor defined by a periphery, where the floor has a plurality of raised flow enhancing areas and a fluid absorbing member that sits inside the tray. In embodiments, the raised areas are elongated ridges extending outwardly from a central area. In other embodiments, the raised areas are a plurality of studs.

Waste fluid collection container

A method and mechanism for wiping print heads is provided in the form of a plate with respect to which one or more wiping blades are mounted. The plate and blades are rotated past the print heads to wipe and clean the print heads. The mechanism fits in a relatively small amount of space.

Rotating wiper and blotter for ink jet print head

A method and system for a cam-actuated lever capping arm for use in a maintenance station of an ink jet printer, the printer including a bi-directional translatable carriage supporting a print cartridge having a print head with nozzles in a nozzle face for printing ink droplets ejecting from said nozzles onto a recording medium at a printing zone in the printer, the translatable carriage being controlled by drive members under the control of a printer controller, the maintenance station being positioned at one side of the printing zone for translation of a print cartridge thereto on the translatable carriage for capping by the cap carriage, the cap carriage including, a pair of movable caps for sealing the nozzles in the printhead nozzle face, and a cam-actuated lever for moving the cap into a position in which the cap seals against the printhead nozzle face.

Cam-actuated lever capping arm

An improved ink blotter method system usable in a maintenance station of an ink jet printer including wiper blades positioned to clean the printheads and an assembly of absorbent materials to clean the wiper blades.

Ink blotter for an ink jet printer maintenance station providing increased ink carrying capacity

A firmware sensoring system and method includes a driving and control portion for rotating a cam shaft to actuate various maintenance operations of a maintenance station. In various exemplary embodiments, the driving and control portion includes a sensor wheel that rotates with the cam shaft. In an exemplary embodiment, the sensor wheel has an optical window formed therein. The optical window may be aligned with an optical relay in both an extreme clockwise position of the cam shaft and an extreme counterclockwise position of the cam shaft. Depending on whether the optical window is aligned with the optical relay or not, the optical relay is in either a closed-circuit condition or an open-circuit condition. The condition of the optical relay is communicated to or sensed by a controller that rotates the cam shaft.

Firmware sensoring systems and methods for a maintenance mechanism of an ink jet printer

A method and system for a cap gimbal for a maintenance station of an ink jet printer with a first and second printhead each with a nozzle face that ejects ink. The cap gimbaling system allows a movable base which supports the maintenance caps to move in unison with the printheads and effectively seal the nozzle face.

Cap gimbaling mechanism

A method and system for a wiper blade mechanism usable in a maintenance station of an ink jet printer, including at least one printhead cap, a scraper, a cam shaft, a drive gear mechanism, at least one wiper blade, and a spittoon.

Wiper blade mechanism for ink jet printers

A method and system for a cam-actuated lever capping arm for use in a maintenance station of an ink jet printer, the printer including a bi-directional translatable carriage supporting a print cartridge having a print head with nozzles in a nozzle face for printing ink droplets ejecting from said nozzles onto a recording medium at a printing zone in the printer, the translatable carriage being controlled by drive members under the control of a printer controller, the maintenance station being positioned at one side of the printing zone for translation of a print cartridge thereto on the translatable carriage for capping by the cap carriage, the cap carriage including a movable base for intercepting the translatable carriage when the translatable carriage enters the maintenance station, a pair of movable caps for sealing the nozzles in the printhead nozzle face, and a cam-actuated lever for moving the cap into a position in which the cap seals against the printhead nozzle face.

A hardware solution functional including a shaft, an operational range of a full rotation in both directions, translatable force to a plurality of functions, and a translatable sequencing to the plurality of functions by the shaft.

Time and drive systems for a multifunction ink jet printer maintenance station

A heat sink, provides a heat transfer pathway to remove heat from the rear face of a printhead substrate. The heat sink is located between the printhead substrate and the printer carriage. The heat sink may, in one embodiment, be biased to float substantially normal to the rear face of a printhead substrate using a biasing device, such as one or more springs, or a one or more spring clips. The springs, which are compressed, tend to urge the face of the heat sink against the back face of the printhead, forming an interface between the two faces. Additional force can be provided by a carriage arm, as its radius acts as a moment arm to assist in pressing the two faces together. A low thermal heat conductivity contact resistance and an improved thermal resistance to heat dissipation between the printhead substrate and the heat sink are provided by the high pressure interface resulting from the use of the springs and the radius of the carriage arm. An additional layer of heat conductive material can be provided at the interface of the heat sink and the printhead substrate. This can reduce the ability of air pockets to form between the heat sink and the printhead substrate. The additional layer is a fabric or thermal grease material which is effective to fill rough areas of surface on either the printhead substrate or the heat sink contact areas.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Richard Hiram Berg