Air bearing mechanism for flattening paper in a printing machine
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsLars-Erik Swartz, David Kalman Biegelsen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for enhancing the transport of sheets in a printing machine is constructed upstream of the image transfer station to flatten the paper against the transport belt or drum on which it is riding. An air cushion is generated by expelling pressurized air through an array of holes to provide an air bearing for the sheets as it travels in its transport path. The air cushion is designed to flatten the paper against the belt or drum.
Claims16
A device for supplementing the transport of sheets of print media on a transport element of a printing machine in a predetermined path, wherein said printing machine includes an image transfer station mounted in the machine in the path of said print media to which the image is to be transferred;
- said supplemental transfer device comprising:
- a transport element constructed in advance of said image transfer station to deliver said print media to said image transfer station in a predetermined path and direction;
- a first housing having side walls and an exterior wall which cooperate to define a first interior plenum, said first housing mounted adjacent to said transport element in said print media path with said exterior wall facing said transport element;
- a first source of pressurized air communicating with said first plenum to supply said plenum with pressurized air;
- and
- a first array of holes constructed in said exterior wall of said first plenum to allow said pressurized air to escape therefrom to form a first air cushion at said exterior wall between said exterior wall and the print media, said first air cushion urging said print media into flat engagement with the transport element.
An electrophotographic printing machine in which a print medium is transported to an image transfer station by a transport element, comprising:
- an image transfer station mounted in the machine in the path of said print medium to which the image is to be transferred;
- a transport element constructed in advance of said image transfer station to deliver said print medium to said image transfer station in a predetermined path and direction;
- a first housing having side walls and an exterior wall which cooperate to define a first interior plenum, said first housing mounted adjacent to said transport element in said print media path with said exterior wall facing said transport element;
- a first source of pressurized air communicating with said first plenum to supply said first plenum with pressurized air;
- and
- an array of holes constructed in said exterior wall of said first plenum to allow pressurized air to escape therefrom to form a first air cushion at said exterior wall between said exterior wall and the print medium, said air cushion urging said print medium into flat engagement with said transport element.
A device for supplementing the transport of sheets of print media on a transport element of a printing machine in a predetermined path comprising:
- a first housing having side walls and an exterior wall which cooperate to define a first interior plenum, said first housing mounted adjacent to said transport element in said print media path with said exterior wall facing said transport element;
- a first source of pressurized air communicating with said first plenum to supply said plenum with pressurized air;
- a first array of holes constructed in said exterior wall of said first plenum to allow said pressurized air to escape therefrom to form a first air cushion at said exterior wall between said exterior wall and the print media, said first air cushion urging said print media into flat engagement with the transport element;
- and
- an electrostatic transfer element mounted on the housing adjacent to said print media path to generate a charge on said print media to assist transfer of toner from belt to print media.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.