Externally heated NFFR fuser
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorRabin Moser
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A combination belt and roll fuser has a pair of pressure engageable rolls with a belt looped or wrapped around one of the pressure engageable rolls such that the belt is sandwiched therebetween. The belt is deformed due to the force exerted by the pressure rolls such that it forms a single fusing nip. Substrates carrying toner images pass through the single fusing nip with the toner images contacting the outer surface of the belt. An internally heated, thermally conductive roll contacts a portion of the belt externally at a pre-nip location for elevating its temperature. The pressure engageable roll about which the belt is entrained is internally heated during warm-up for minimizing droop. This belt and roll fuser configuration exhibits the characteristics of a Nip Forming Fuser Roll (NFFR) fuser.
Claims11
A heat and pressure belt fuser structure, said fuser structure comprising:
- a plurality of nip forming members including an elastic endless belt and a pair of pressure engageable members between which said elastic belt is sandwiched for forming a fusing nip through which substrates carrying toner images pass with said toner images contacting an outer surface of said elastic belt, at least one of said nip forming members comprising a deformable layer;
- an external source of thermal energy for elevating a pre-nip area of said belt and;
- means for elevating the temperature of one of said pressure engageable member during a warm-up period.
A method of fixing toner images including the steps of:
- supporting a plurality of nip forming members including an elastic endless belt and a pair of pressure engageable members between which said elastic endless belt is sandwiched for forming a fusing nip through which substrates carrying toner images pass with said toner images contacting an outer surface of said elastic endless belt, at least one of said nip forming members comprising a deformable layer;
- using an external source of thermal energy to elevate the temperature of the elastic endless belt in pre-nip area thereof;
- and
- evaluating the temperature of one of said pair of pressure engageable members during a warm-up period.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.