By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Computer Weekly News -- According to news reporting originating from Washington, D.C., by VerticalNews journalists, a patent application by the inventors MONAHAN, Melissa Ann (Rochester, NY); RUIZ, Erwin (Rochester, NY); RUSSEL, Steven (Bloomfield, NY); SWING, Jeffrey Nyyssonen(Rochester, NY); JENSEN, Christopher Alan (Rochester, NY), filed onJune 15, 2012, was made available online on December 26, 2013.
The assignee for this patent application is Xerox Corporation.
Reporters obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: "Conventional print systems that incorporate a fuser portion often have image related defects that occur when subjecting a substrate to duplex printing. In duplex printing, a substrate having a first surface and a second surface has one or more images applied to each of the first surface and the second surface by one or more photoreceptors.
"In a conventional print system, one or more images that are applied to one or more of the first surface and the second surface of a substrate are later fused to the substrate by the fuser portion. To fuse an image to a substrate, the fuser portion often comprises a fuser member, such as a fuser roll or belt, and a pressure member, such as a pressure roll or belt. The fuser member and the pressure member, together, form a fusing nip through which the substrate may pass for fusing the one or more images to the substrate. The substrate is under a pressure in the fusing nip because the fuser member and the pressure member are either in contact with one another in the fusing nip, or at least very close to one another in the fusing nip such that when the substrate passes through the fusing nip, a pressure is applied.
"A release agent applicator in a conventional print system applies a layer of release agent to the fuser member, for example, to aid in stripping the sheeted substrate from the fuser member after the substrate passes through the fusing nip. The release agent may be, for example, an oil, lubricant, or other substance that reduces an adhesion that may occur between the substrate and the fuser member, The release agent applied to the fuser member often transfers to the surface of the substrate that contacts the fusing member.
"If, for example, the substrate is a sheeted substrate, and a printing run applies images to more than one sheeted substrate, as a first sheeted substrate advances through the fuser portion of the printing system, there is often a gap between the first sheeted substrate and a second sheeted substrate. This gap continually occurs between any subsequent sheeted substrate and a substrate before it that may be processed by the print system during a print run of any number of sheets. This gap is commonly known as the inter-document zone.
"When the inter-document zone occurs, i.e. there is no paper in the fusing nip, release agent often transfers to the pressure member from the fuser member. The release agent that transfers to the pressure member accumulates and/or transfers to the surface of a subsequent sheeted substrate that contacts the pressure member as the sheeted substrate passes through the fusing nip. For example, if the first surface of the substrate is in contact with the fuser member when passing through the fusing nip, the second surface of the substrate is in contact with the pressure member. While an image applied to the first surface is being fused to the first surface of the substrate, release agent is often transferred from the pressure member to the second surface of the substrate.
"It is this transfer of release agent to the second surface of the substrate that causes image related defects in duplex printing modes. After the image is fused to the first surface of the substrate, the second surface of the substrate then has an image applied to it as well. Because the second surface of the substrate has release agent on it, this release agent is often transferred from the substrate to a photoreceptor belt that applies an image to the second surface of the substrate in duplex printing. The photoreceptor belt may be the same or a different photoreceptor belt as that which applies the image to the first surface of the substrate. Release agent build up on the photoreceptor belt may cause image related defects to either or both of the first surface and second surface images, depending on how the conventional print system is set up to conduct duplex printing, as release agent is continually transferred to the photoreceptor belt from the pressure member by way of the second surface of the substrate."
In addition to obtaining background information on this patent application, VerticalNews editors also obtained the inventors' summary information for this patent application: "Therefore, there is a need for an approach to reduce release agent transfer to a pressure member in a fuser.
"According to one embodiment, a method comprises causing, at least in part, at least a first sheeted substrate and a second sheeted substrate to be advanced through a fuser in a process direction. The method also comprises determining the presence of the first sheeted substrate at a fusing position. The method further comprises causing, at least in part, a fuser member and a pressure member to engage to form a fusing nip at the fusing position based, at least in part, on the determined presence of the first sheeted substrate at the fusing position. The method additionally comprises causing, at least in part, the first sheeted substrate to be advanced through the fusing nip in the process direction. The method also comprises determining the first sheeted substrate has advanced through the fusing nip. The method further comprises causing, at least in part, the fuser member and the pressure member to disengage. The method additionally comprises determining the presence of the second sheeted substrate at the fusing position. The method also comprises causing, at least in part, the fuser member and the pressure member to re-engage to form the fusing nip at the fusing position. The method further comprises causing, at least in part, the second sheeted substrate to be advanced through the fusing nip in the process direction.
"According to another embodiment, an apparatus comprises at least one processor, and at least one memory including computer program code for one or more computer programs, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause, at least in part, the apparatus to cause, at least in part, at least a first sheeted substrate and a second sheeted substrate to be advanced through a fuser in a process direction. The apparatus is also caused to determine the presence of the first sheeted substrate at a fusing position. The apparatus is further caused to cause, at least in part, a fuser member and a pressure member to engage to form a fusing nip at the fusing position based, at least in part, on the determined presence of the first sheeted substrate at the fusing position. The apparatus is additionally caused to cause, at least in part, the first sheeted substrate to be advanced through the fusing nip in the process direction. The apparatus is also caused to determine the first sheeted substrate has advanced through the fusing nip. The apparatus is further caused to cause, at least in part, the fuser member and the pressure member to disengage. The apparatus is additionally caused to determine the presence of the second sheeted substrate at the fusing position. The apparatus is also caused to cause, at least in part, the fuser member and the pressure member to re-engage to form the fusing nip at the fusing position. The apparatus is further caused to cause, at least in part, the second sheeted substrate to be advanced through the fusing nip in the process direction.
"Exemplary embodiments are described herein. It is envisioned, however, that any system that incorporates features of any apparatus, method and/or system described herein are encompassed by the scope and spirit of the exemplary embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
"The embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings:
"FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system capable of reducing release agent transfer to a pressure member in a fuser, according to one embodiment;
"FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a process for reducing release agent transfer to a pressure member in a fuser, according to one embodiment; and
"FIG. 3 is a diagram of a chip set that can be used to implement an embodiment."
For more information, see this patent application: MONAHAN, Melissa Ann; RUIZ, Erwin; RUSSEL, Steven; SWING, Jeffrey Nyyssonen; JENSEN, Christopher Alan. Method an Apparatus for Reducing Release Agent Transfer to a Pressure Member in a Fuser. Filed June 15, 2012and posted December 26, 2013. Patent URL: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi...9&RS=PD/20131219
Keywords for this news article include: Xerox Corporation.
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