Variable dwell fuser
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsJohn S. Berkes, Daniel G. Hullihen, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A variable dwell heat and pressure belt fuser for imparting selectable gloss to color toner images. A hybrid belt/roll fuser which has both a roll/roll nip and a belt/roll nip where the size of the latter can be varied by adjusting the position of the fuser roll around the axis of the pressure roll or by varying the location of the belt transport idler roll relative to the heat and pressure fuser members. For any given speed and nip pressure, the high pressure dwell between the fuser and pressure rolls is fixed but the low pressure dwell between the fuser roll and fuser belt can be varied from zero to four (or more) times the high pressure dwell in a prescribed manner.
Claims10
A combination heat and pressure fuser, said fuser comprising:
- a heated fuser roll;
- a fuser belt;
- a pressure roll supported for pressure engagement with said fuser roll through said fuser belt;
- an idler roll cooperating with said pressure roll for operatively supporting said fuser belt for movement in an endless path;
- a repositioner for moving one of said rolls from a first axial position to a second axial position, the first axial position resulting in a first nip pressure between the fuser roll and the fuser belt and the second axial position resulting in a second nip pressure between the fuser roll and the fuser belt.
A method of fusing toner images on various substrates, said method including the steps of:
- operating a heat and pressure fuser including a heated fuser roll, a fuser belt, a pressure roll supported for pressure engagement with said fuser roll through said fuser belt, and an idler roll cooperating with said pressure roll for operatively supporting said fuser belt for movement in an endless path;
- and
- moving one of said rolls from a first axial position to a second axial position, the first axial position resulting in a first pressure nip between the fuser roll and the fuser belt and the second axial position resulting in a second pressure nip between the fuser roll and the fuser belt, wherein the first and second pressure nips exert different pressures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.