Printing device with cylindrical intermediate transfer member
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsEliud Robles Flores, Paul F Sawicki, Douglas A Gutberlet, Varun Sambhy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A transfer member for a printing device includes a shaft, a rigid cylindrical core member, mounted on the shaft, an outer layer supported on the rigid cylindrical core member, and optionally a conformable intermediate layer, spacing the cylindrical core member from the outer layer. The outer layer defines an outer surface of the transfer member, and is configured for receiving a toner image thereon. The cylindrical core and outer layer have a same axis of rotation as the shaft. The rigid cylindrical core and/or the conformable intermediate layer, where present may be electrically biased, relative to a photoconductor drum of the printing device.
Claims16
A printing device comprising:
- a main marking station comprising:
- a transfer member comprising:
- a shaft,
- a rigid cylindrical core member, mounted on the shaft,
- an outer layer supported on the rigid cylindrical core member, the outer layer defining an outer surface of the transfer member, which is configured for receiving a toner image thereon, the cylindrical core and outer layer having a same axis of rotation as the shaft, and
- an electrical conductor for electrically biasing the rigid cylindrical core;
- a plurality of color stations, each of the color stations including a photoreceptor drum, each of the photoreceptor drums and the outer surface of the transfer member defining a respective first transfer nip therebetween, whereby toner image layers are transferred from the photoreceptor drum to the transfer member;
- at least one of:
- a pre-marking station, located upstream of the main marking station, which prints a toner image layer on an associated sheet of print media, and
- a post-marking station, located downstream of the main marking station, which prints a toner image layer on the associated sheet of print media,
- whereby a toner image is formed on the associated sheet from two or more toner image layers printed by the main marking station and the at least one of the pre-marking station and the post-marking station;
- a print media path which conveys associated sheets of print media to a second transfer nip where the toner image layers are transferred from the transfer member to the sheets to form toner images;
- and
- a fuser, downstream of the main marking station, which fuses the toner images more permanently to the sheets, the print media path connecting the main marking station and the at least one of the pre-marking station and post-marking station with the fuser.
A printing device comprising:
- a main marking station comprising:
- a cylindrical transfer member comprising:
- a rigid cylindrical core member,
- an intermediate layer, formed from a dielectric material, bonded to the core member, and
- an outer layer bonded to the intermediate layer, the outer layer defining an outer surface of the transfer member;
- a plurality of color stations arranged around the transfer member, each of the color stations including a photoreceptor drum on which toner image layers are formed, the photoreceptor drum being electrically biased relative to the surface of the transfer member, the toner image layers being transferred from the photoreceptor drum and the surface of the transfer member at a first transfer nip and transferred from the transfer member to a sheet of print media at a second transfer nip;
- a fuser;
- at least one of:
- a pre-marking station, located upstream of the main marking station, which prints a toner image layer on an associated sheet of print media, and
- a post-marking station, located downstream of the main marking station, which prints a toner image layer on the associated sheet of print media, whereby a toner image is formed on the associated sheet from two or more toner image layers printed by the main marking station and the at least one of the pre-marking station and the post-marking station;
- and
- a print media path connecting the main marking station and the at least one of the pre-marking station and post-marking station with the fuser.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.