System for cleaning rollers in an image forming device
US5865121A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 29, 1998 |
| Grant date | Feb 2, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 29, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03G2215/00586
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A system for automatically cleaning toner build-up on a roller, such as the fuser pressure roller in an electrophotographic printing device, using the duplexing capability of the device. One embodiment is a method for cleaning a roller in an image forming device. The method includes the steps of: feeding a sheet of print media into the simplex paper path; printing a cleaning pattern on one side of the sheet; routing the sheet through the duplex paper path to invert the sheet; and routing the inverted sheet back through the simplex paper path. When the image forming device includes a fuser, such as with a laser printer, a toner image cleaning pattern is applied to the paper or other sheet media, the toner is fused to the paper, the paper is then routed through a duplexer and back through the fuser. When the cleaning page is fed into the image forming device the second time, it goes through the device with the printed side down. As it passes through the fuser, the toner that makes up the cleaning pattern becomes tacky. The tacky toner cleans the pressure roller as the roller comes in contact with the printed side of the page.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.