Selective cooling of a fuser heater roller
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorsBorden H. Mills, III, Edward M. Eck, Anne F. Lairmore
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A controlled fuser assembly for a reproduction apparatus. The fuser assembly includes a fuser member for fusing a marking particle image to a receiver member and a cooling system for controlling the temperature of the fuser system. Optional external heater rollers have a heat transfer surface adapted to be selectively engaged with the fuser member, and a device for heating said heat transfer surfaces. A mechanism is provided for controlling the heat transfer with the fuser member to selectively change the amount of heat transferred from the fuser.
Claims23
An electrophotographic apparatus comprising:
- a. a device for creating an electrostatic latent image;
- b. a one or more development stations capable of converting the electrostatic latent image into an image on a receiver;
- c. a controlled fuser having a fuser roller and one or more external heater rollers, said external heater rollers contacting the controlled fuser to heat a fuser roller having:
- i. two end portions and a middle portion for heating the fuser roller;
- ii. one or more nozzles directed at the external heater rollers, to direct pressurized fluid toward the one or more external heating rollers based on one or more fuser parameters;
- and
- d. a controller to control at least a printer and run condition and a printer idle condition based on one or more fuser parameters.
An electrographic printing method of producing prints using a fuser having a cooling system for fixing toner images to a receiving sheet comprising:
- a. forming an electrostatic latent image and depositing toner particles to render the electrostatic latent image visible;
- b. transferring he toned image to a receiver;
- c. fixing the toned image the fuser having a run condition and an idle condition, wherein the fuser has a fuser roller and one or more external heater rollers, said heater rollers having end portions and a middle portion;
- and
- d. using a fuser controller to control a pressurized fluid directed through one or more nozzles based on a fuser parameter
- e. traversing said two or more nozzles parallel to a longitudinal axis of one or more external heater rollers, in opposing directions and the flow of pressurized fluid in a predetermined relationship so that the amount of fluid directed through the nozzles is based on a receiver width.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.