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US 6,617,090 B2Granted
Toner fusing system and process for electrostatographic reproduction
AssigneeHeidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
InventorsJerry A. Pickering, Borden H. Mills, III
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A toner fusing system for fixing toner to paper. This system includes a fuser member for contacting and heating the toner in the fusing process. The fuser member has a fuser base, a fluoroelastomer fusing surface layer at least 38 microns thick, and a cushion layer between the fuser base and the fusing surface layer. This system utilizes external heating as the primary source of heat energy for the fusing process.
Claims26
A toner fusing system comprising:
- (a) a fuser member, for contacting and heating toner residing on a substrate to fuse the toner to the substrate, the fuser member comprising:
- (1) a fuser base;
- (2) a fusing surface layer comprising at least one fluoroelastomer, and having a thickness of from 38 microns to 178 microns;
- and
- (3) at least one cushion layer interposed between the fuser base and the fusing surface layer, and comprising one or more cushion layers each having a Shore A durometer of about 75 or less, with the total thickness, of the one or more cushion layers each having a Shore A durometer of about 75 or less, being at least about 3.3 millimeters;
- and
- (b) at least one external heating member for heating the fusing surface layer, the at least one external heating member comprising at least one contact heating member, and providing more than 50 percent of the heat energy for fusing the toner to the substrate.
4 more elements
A process for fusing toner residing on a substrate to the substrate, the process comprising:
- (a) heating a fuser member by at least one external heating member, the fuser member comprising:
- (1) a fuser base;
- (2) a fusing surface layer comprising at least one fluoroelastomer, and having a thickness of from 38 microns to 178 microns;
- and
- (3) at least one cushion layer interposed between the fuser base and the fusing surface layer, and comprising one or more cushion layers each having a Shore A durometer of about 75 or less, with the total thickness, of the one or more cushion layers each having a Shore A durometer of about 75 or less, being at least about 3.3 millimeters;
- and
- (b) contacting the toner with the heated fuser member to heat the toner and to fuse the toner to the substrate;
- wherein the at least one external heating member comprises at least one contact heating member, and provides more than 50 percent of the heat energy for fusing the toner to the substrate.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.