Method of preventing media wrinkling
AssigneeLexmark International, Inc.
InventorsLarry Coleman, Russell Lucas, Jason Romain, Larry Stahlman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method are provided for the reduction of wrinkles formed in sheets of paper media which may contain various levels of absorbed moisture across the surface and which are processed through a fuser section of a printing or copying device. Protruding features may be provided laterally spaced apart by a desired paper width at the fuser nip to create a pressure contact area which constrains the outer longitudinal edges of the sheet of paper as it enters the nip.
Claims26
An apparatus for fixing an image on a sheet of recording media, comprising:
- a heater mounted in a heater housing, the housing having laterally spaced apart ends;
- a belt slideable on said heater;
- a driven roller, said heater cooperating with said driven roller, with said belt being interposed between said driven roller and said heater to form a nip;
- wherein said heater housing includes features at each end, said features available to constrain a sheet of supplied media as said media enters said nip and wherein said features at each end of the heater housing extend outboard of said belt.
(canceled)
A method for reducing wrinkling of a sheet of print media in an electrophotographic device, comprising the steps of;
- providing a heater mounted in a heater housing, the housing having laterally spaced apart ends;
- providing a belt slideable on said heater;
- providing a driven roller, said heater cooperating with said driven roller, with said belt being interposed between said driven roller and said heater to form a nip;
- wherein said sheet of media is transported through said nip by said roller and an image carried on said sheet of recording media is heated through said belt while in the nip by heat from said heater;
- wherein said heater housing includes features at each end, said features available to constrain a sheet of supplied media as said media enters said nip wherein said sheet of media has a leading edge with leading corners and longitudinal sides wherein said features constrain said leading comers and said longitudinal sides of said recording media as said recording media enters said nip.
(canceled)
An apparatus for reducing wrinkling of a sheet of media in a fuser in an electrophotographic device, said sheet having a leading edge with leading comers and longitudinal sides, the apparatus comprising:
- a heater mounted in a heater housing, the housing having laterally spaced apart ends, wherein said heater housing includes features at each end;
- a belt slideable on said heater;
- a driven roller, said heater cooperating with said driven roller;
- said belt being interposed between said driven roller and said heater to form a nip wherein said sheet of media is transported through said nip by said roller;
- and
- laterally spaced apart features at the ends of the heater housing;
- a portion of said features spaced apart by a distance that is less than the width of said sheet of media, said features available to constrain said media as said media enters said nip.
An apparatus for fixing an image on a sheet of recording media, comprising:
- a first fuser roller including a heater wherein said roller is mounted into a fuser frame;
- a second roller, said fuser roller cooperating with said second roller to form a nip, wherein an image carried on said sheet of recording media is heated by said fuser roller while in the nip by heat from fuser roller;
- wherein said fuser frame includes features, said features available to constrain a sheet of supplied media as said media enters said nip.
An apparatus for fixing an image on a sheet of recording media, comprising:
- a heater mounted in a heater housing, the housing having laterally spaced apart ends;
- a belt slideable on said heater;
- a driven roller, said heater cooperating with said driven roller, with said belt being interposed between said driven roller and said heater to form a nip;
- wherein said heater housing includes features at each end, said features available to constrain a sheet of supplied media as said media enters said nip wherein said sheet of media has a width and a leading edge, and said features operate to constrain said width of the leading edge of the sheet of paper as said media enters said nip.
A method for reducing wrinkling of a sheet of print media in an electrophotographic device having a heater mounted in a heater housing having laterally spaced apart ends including a belt slidable on said heater, and a driven roller where said belt is interposed between said roller and said heater to form a nip, comprising the steps of;
- transporting media through said nip by said roller wherein said heater housing includes features at each end, said features available to constrain a sheet of supplied media as said media enters said nip wherein said sheet of media includes a leading edge with corners and sides and said leading edge of said sheet of media is wavy;
- and
- constraining the corners and sides of said sheet by said features substantially prevents wrinkles from forming in said sheet as it travels through said nip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.