Hot roll cleaning paste and method

#The present invention relates to the field of xerographic hot roll fusing and to the cleaning of such a fuser's hot, toner-contaminated members, particularly the hot roll itself.

#A hot roll fuser is a preferred means of fusing dry, particulate toner to copy paper. In this fuser a pair of cylindrical rollers, in pressure contact, form a hot nip through which the copy paper passes. In a xerographic process, one means or another is used to form a relatively loose toner image on a photoconductor. A transfer station provides a means by which a portion of this toner image is transferred to a sheet of copy paper. The sheet of paper now carries a relatively loose toner image on one surface thereof. The paper then passes through the fusing nip whereat the toner thereon is melted or fused to the paper to form a permanent copy.

#In an exemplary hot roll fuser, of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,110,068, incorporated herein by reference, the toner side of the paper engages a relatively soft heated roll, whereas the other side of the paper engages a rigid cool roll. The soft heated roll is essentially a rigid aluminum core to which is adhered a layer of silicone elastomeric material, for example as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,305, incorporated herein by reference.

#In practice, manual cleaning of these fuser members usually takes place while these parts are at an elevated temperature. Thus, a cleaning means should, ideally, not become excessively fluid or volatile at higher than ambient temperatures, and of course must be non-toxic.

#As an example of prior teachings relative the cleaning of hot roll fusers, the IBM TECHNICAL DISCLOSURE BULLETIN of September 1979, at page 1376, describes the use of a concentrated, non-ionic, water soluble surfactant such as iso-octylphenoxy-polyethoxyethanol to clean either the hot or the cold roll. This surfactant is applied by the use of a felt tip graphic art pen or a nylon mesh pad, and cleaning is followed by a 25 sheet cycle of the copier to remove residual surfactant from the fuser.

#In other prior art, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,803 and the XEROX DISCLOSURE JOURNAL of May/June 1978, at pages 161, 162 and 163 the cleaning action of a wet release hot roll fuser's felt pad is enhanced by mixing a functional polysiloxane fluid with silicone oil.