Pressure roller for reducing media curl and wave in electrophotographic printers
US5467178A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 24, 1994 |
| Grant date | Nov 14, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 24, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03G15/206
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
In the typical fuser, the pressure roller is end mounted to the fuser assembly. Such a mounting creates a higher pressure on the ends of the roller. By removing deformable material from the ends, the pressure across the pressure roller can be equalized. An improved fuser assembly allows for the removal of the deformable material from the ends of the compliant hard fusing pressure roller. The improved fuser consists of the standard components of a fuser, namely a heated fuser roller and one or more pressure rollers. The pressure roller is constructed with a shaft on which a deformable material such as silicone rubber is formed around. A hard outer shell is then placed around the deformable material. The hard outer shell is longer than the deformable material thereby allowing the overall durometer hardness of the pressure roller to vary along the axis. Because the hard outer shell of the compliant hard pressure roller is formed from a malleable type material, it provides some compliance and therefor deforms slightly from roundness for small, sharp errors in the fuser roller or media. Larger errors such as out of roundness, or miss alignment between the compliant hard pressure roller …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.