Flexible imaging member seam treatment apparatus
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorRobert C.U. Yu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A belt seam treatment apparatus includes a support element with a smooth surface that supports the seam region of the belt and a heat and pressure source that heats a treatment strip and the belt seam region and that forces the treatment strip against the belt seam region. The support element can be a tube over which the belt hangs and can include a vacuum belt hold system that secures the seam region against the tube during treatment. The heat and pressure source can be a heated pressure bar engaging the entire seam region or a heated pressure wheel traversing the seam region of the entire belt width.
Claims27
A flexible belt seam treatment apparatus comprising:
- a support element with a smooth surface arranged to support a belt seam region;
- a belt hold system that holds the belt seam region against the support element;
- and
- a heated pressure element arranged to heat and force a belt seam region against the support element.
A flexible belt seam treatment apparatus comprising:
- a support element with a smooth surface arranged to support a belt seam region;
- and
- a heat and pressure source arranged to heat a treatment strip applied to the belt seam region to a temperature falling in a range of from about 20° C. to about 70° C. above a glass transition temperature of at least one of a thermoplastic polymer of the treatment strip and a thermoplastic polymer of the belt seam region, and further arranged to exert a compression contact force on the treatment strip.
A flexible belt seam treatment apparatus comprising:
- a tube with a smooth, abhesive outer surface;
- a belt hold system arranged to hold a seam region of a belt against at least a portion of the outer surface of the tube;
- and
- a heated pressure element with a substantially concave outer surface substantially corresponding to a curvature of the at least a portion of the outer surface of the tube against which the seam region of the belt is held.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.