Continuous form printer
AssigneeAsahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsTomoyuki Nishikawa, Tsutomu Sato, Tsukasa Yanashima
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrophotographic printer includes a fixing unit having a movable pressure roller, movable toward and away from a heat roller. The heat roller of the fixing unit is above a plane formed between a pair of discharge rollers and a tractor, so that the paper path between the tractor and the discharge rollers is straight when the pressure roller is retracted, and the paper path is bent when the pressure roller is moved to contact the heat roller. The paper path is bent by a guide member upstream of the pressure roller so that the path is not bent around the pressure roller itself.
Claims17
An electrophotographic printer using continuous form paper, said printer comprising:
- at least one tractor for feeding the paper along a paper path of said printer;
- driving means for driving a heat roller;
- said heat roller rotatably mounted and being downstream along said paper path from said at least one tractor;
- a pressure roller, freely rotatably mounted and placed adjacent to said heat roller, said pressure roller movable between a contact position in contact with said heat roller and a retracted position remote from said heat roller, said pressure roller being downstream along said paper path from said at least one tractor, and said paper path passing between said heat roller and said pressure roller;
- shifting means for moving said pressure roller between said contact position and said retracted position;
- and
- a pair of discharge rollers provided downstream along said paper path from said pressure roller, said discharge rollers able to feed the paper, at least one of said discharge rollers driven by said driving means,
- wherein said paper path is substantially straight between said at least one tractor and said discharge rollers when said pressure roller is in said retracted position, and
- wherein a bend is formed in said paper path when said pressure roller is in said contact position, and a region of contact between said pressure roller and said heat roller is positioned between said bend and said discharge rollers when said pressure roller is in said contact position.
A printer comprising:
- a paper path along which paper to be printed on is fed;
- a heat roller rotatably mounted along said paper path;
- a pressure roller, freely rotatably mounted and placed opposite said heat roller along said paper path, said pressure roller movable between a contact position in contact with said heat roller and a retracted position remote from said heat roller, said paper path passing between said heat roller and said pressure roller;
- driving means for driving at least one of said heat roller and said pressure roller;
- means for moving said pressure roller between said contact position and said retracted position;
- and
- a pair of discharge rollers provided downstream along said paper path from said pressure roller and said heat roller, said discharge rollers able to feed the paper, at least one of said discharge rollers driven by said driving means;
- wherein said paper path is substantially straight from a location upstream of said heat roller and said pressure roller to said discharge rollers when said pressure roller is in said retracted position, and
- wherein a bend is formed in said paper path when said pressure roller is in said contact position, and a region of contact between said pressure roller and said heat roller is positioned between said bend and said discharge rollers when said pressure roller is in said contact position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.