Release agent management control
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsMichael J. Sculley, Mark S. Amico, Wayne D. Drinkwater, David M. Thompson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A release agent management system incorporated in an electrophotographic printing machine having a heat and pressure fuser assembly. The fuser assembly includes a heated fuser roll, a pressure roll and a wick for applying fuser oil to the surface of the heated fuser roll. The wick is moved into and out of engagement with the fuser roll and release agent material is supplied to the wick in accordance with the number of prints fused from which a print equivalency value is calculated. The print equivalency corresponds favorably to actual oil consumed. A predetermined print equivalency value is used for determining when oil is supplied to the wick.
Claims19
Apparatus for applying release agent management material to a fuser member for fixing toner imaged prints, said apparatus comprising:
- a wick structure for applying release agent material to an external surface of said fuser member;
- means for counting a number of prints created and generating signals representative of said number of prints;
- means for calculating print equivalency values for prints counted, said calculated equivalency values being representative of release agent used for fusing said prints;
- means representing a number of print equivalency values calculated;
- means representative of a predetermined print equivalency value;
- and
- means for supplying release agent material to said wick for a predetermined period of time only after said predetermined equivalency value is exceeded.
A method for applying release agent management material to a fuser member for fixing toner imaged prints, said apparatus comprising:
- counting a number of prints created and generating signals representative of said number of prints;
- calculating and representing print equivalency values for prints counted, said calculated equivalency values being representative of release agent used for fusing said prints;
- comparing said print equivalency values to a predetermined print equivalency value;
- and
- supplying release agent material to a wick structure for a predetermined period of time only after said predetermined equivalency value is exceeded by said print equivalency values.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.