Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100321724 | MUTUALISTIC ENGINE CONTROLLER HAVING SENSOR COMMUNICATION - A printing device includes at least one printing engine that has many sensors (first sensors and second sensors) and at least one engine controller operatively connected to the printing engine. The engine controller uses software to control operations of the printing engine. Also, at least one non-volatile memory is operatively connected to the engine controller. The non-volatile memory stores values used by the engine controller to control operations of the printing engine. At least one adapter card is operatively connected to the non-volatile memory and to the first sensors and second sensors. The first sensors correspond to the design of the controller and are items designed as original equipment of the printing device. To the contrary, the second sensors correspond to the design of the adapter card and are items designed to be installed in the printing device after the printing device is in post production, customer service. The adapter card receives feedback from the first sensors and the second sensors and the adapter card reads and modifies incoming print jobs before the print jobs are delivered to the controller. | 12-23-2010 |
20100321725 | MUTUALISTIC ENGINE CONTROLLER HAVING CUSTOMER REPLACEABLE UNIT COMMUNICATION - A printing device includes at least one printing engine that comprises customer replaceable units. At least one engine controller is operatively connected to the printing engine, and the engine controller uses software to control operations of the printing engine. At least one non-volatile memory is operatively connected to the engine controller. The non-volatile memory stores values used by the engine controller to control operations of the printing engine. Additionally, at least one adapter card is operatively connected to the non-volatile memory and to the customer replaceable units. The customer replaceable units each comprise a memory unit. The adapter card reads incoming print jobs before the print jobs are delivered to the controller and the adapter card accumulates and stores statistics relating to print jobs within the memory unit of the customer replaceable units. The adapter card passes the incoming print jobs to the controller in an unaltered manner. | 12-23-2010 |
20100321726 | MUTUALISTIC ENGINE CONTROLLER COMMUNICATING WIHT PRINTER NON-VOLATILE MEMORY - A printing device includes at least one printing engine that has actuators and sensors. At least one engine controller is operatively connected to the printing engine, the engine controller uses software to control operations of the printing engine. At least one non-volatile memory is operatively connected to the engine controller. The non-volatile memory stores values used by the engine controller to control operations of the printing engine. Further, at least one adapter card is operatively connected to the non-volatile memory and to the actuators and sensors. The adapter card stores data and receives sensor feedback from the sensors. The adapter card uses the data and the sensor feedback to control the actuators by bypassing the engine controller when communicating with the actuators. The adapter card provides adapter card feedback to the non-volatile memory. | 12-23-2010 |
20110013959 | PROCESS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CLEANING BLADE LUBRICATION STRIPES - According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided an adaptive blade lubrication apparatus that includes a lubricant unit to place a lubrication stripe of lubricating material on a portion of a main surface; a cleaning blade that engages the main surface to remove excess toner thereon; and a controller configured to control the location of each lubrication stripe of lubricating material, wherein the controller places the lubricating material based on at least one of application frequency, blade lubrication state, blade engagement with the main surface. By varying the location of the lubrication stripe, the cleaning blade is better lubricated over the entire surface of the photoreceptor with the same or less lubricant than used in single location lubrication. Blade life and reliability are improved with more effective lubrication of the blade. | 01-20-2011 |
20110032306 | System for Reducing Metering Blade Wear in a Drum Maintenance Unit - A drum maintenance system for use in an imaging device includes a reservoir having a supply of release agent, and an applicator configured to receive release agent from the reservoir and to apply the release agent to an intermediate imaging surface of an imaging device moving in a process direction. A metering blade is positioned to meter the release agent on the intermediate imaging surface applied by the applicator. The metering blade has a longitudinal axis extending in a cross-process direction transverse to the process direction. A driver is operably coupled to the metering blade that is configured to translate the metering blade between a first position and a second position along the longitudinal axis. | 02-10-2011 |
20110044742 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR XEROGRAPHIC PRINTER CLEANING BLADE LUBRICATION - An apparatus ( | 02-24-2011 |
20110268483 | WEB CLEANING SYSTEMS INCLUDING AN ELECTROSTATIC CLEANING BRUSH AND METHODS OF CLEANING PRINTED WEBS - Web cleaning systems, apparatuses useful in printing onto webs, and methods of cleaning webs are provided. An exemplary embodiment of the web cleaning systems includes a first web cleaning device having a rotatable first electrostatic cleaning brush for contacting a first surface of a moving web on which toner is disposed to remove un-fixed toner from the first surface; and a first brush cleaning device having a first cleaning member contacting the first electrostatic cleaning brush for removing toner from the first electrostatic cleaning brush. | 11-03-2011 |
20110286752 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CLEANING A PHOTORECEPTOR IN A PRINTING APPARATUS - An apparatus and method that cleans a photoreceptor in a printing apparatus is disclosed. The method can include setting a voltage bias of an electrostatic cleaning brush in a printing apparatus to a first voltage bias. The method can include generating an image on media using a photoreceptor. The method can include cleaning the photoreceptor using the electrostatic cleaning brush operating at the first voltage bias. The method can include measuring operating conditions of the printing apparatus to determine an expected film accumulation rate on the photoreceptor. The method can include adjusting the voltage bias on the electrostatic cleaning brush to a second voltage bias based on the measured operating conditions. | 11-24-2011 |
20110318023 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING TONER AGE IN A PRINTING APPARATUS - An apparatus and method that determines toner age in a printing apparatus. The method can include placing an imaging surface cleaner in contact with an imaging surface. The method can include placing a toner patch on the imaging surface. The method can include rotating the imaging surface in a process direction. The method can include measuring a frictional interaction between the imaging surface cleaner and the imaging surface as the toner patch passes the imaging surface cleaner. The method can include determining whether toner should be purged based on the measured frictional interaction. The method can include purging the toner if the toner should be purged. | 12-29-2011 |
20110318025 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR EVALUATING PRINTING APPARATUS CLEANER PERFORMANCE - An apparatus ( | 12-29-2011 |
20120020692 | LONG LIFE CLEANING SYSTEM WITH REDUCED STRESS FOR START OF CLEANING BLADE OPERATION - According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided an apparatus and method to manage the contact of a cleaning blade and a moving surface to increase the useful life of the blade. For example, a cleaning apparatus for a photoreceptor surface comprises a cleaning unit with a blade holder that rotates about a pivot point, a cleaning blade that is coupled to the blade holder and is positioned to chisel excess toner from the photoreceptor surface, and which cleans excess toner from the photoreceptor surface. The apparatus further comprises a sensor that senses the start and the end of an operational procedure, and an actuator that rotates the blade holder about the pivot point to selectively advance or retract the blade during the start-up procedure and the shut-down procedure. After the cleaning surface has begun to move or reached operating speed, blade contact is increased to bring the blade load up to operational level. By making this change to the conventional static cleaning blade, the peak stress at start-up and shut-down is much reduced and cleaning blade life and reliability are much improved. | 01-26-2012 |
20120020711 | CLEANING EDGE MODIFICATION FOR IMPROVED CLEANING BLADE LIFE AND RELIABILITY - According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided an apparatus comprising a cleaning unit with a blade holder that rotates about a pivot point, the cleaning blade is coupled to the blade holder and is positioned to chisel excess toner from a photoreceptor surface. Geometrical changes produce a blade having a plurality of slanted surfaces at the working end of the blade one at an obtuse angle, in the range of 93 degrees to 97 degrees, and a second at an acute angle that forms an offset point between the cleaning edge and the intersection of the two angles. A double cut allows for improvement in the cleaning tip stiffness using the first cut, while the second cut increases the contact width and improves the pressure distribution at the working edge. | 01-26-2012 |
20120020712 | ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC MARKING SYSTEM WITH BLADE CUT ANGLES FOR LONGER BLADE LIFE - According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided an apparatus comprising a cleaning unit with a blade holder that rotates about a pivot point, the cleaning blade is coupled to the blade holder and is positioned to chisel excess toner from a photoreceptor surface. Geometrical changes produce a blade having a slanted surface that reduces cyclic fatigue stress at the blade tip and reduces blade edge wear. The blade has a sharp leading side, a trailing side, and a working end comprising a slanted surface. When the slanted surface is formed at an angle between 93 degrees to 97 degrees stiffer tips is produced and wears resulting from blade and photoreceptor surface contact is reduced. | 01-26-2012 |
20120097189 | METHODS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEMS FOR CLEANING MEDIA IN PRINTING SYSTEMS WITH CONDUCTIVE CLEANING MEMBERS - A web cleaning system includes one or more conductive electrostatic cleaning members that may be grounded or electrically biased, and form an electric field. The conductive cleaning member opposes a conductive backing member that may be grounded or electrically biased. The conductive cleaning member contacts the web as it translates through the cleaning system, and charged debris on the web is affected by the electric field formed by the cleaning member. | 04-26-2012 |
20130050327 | INKJET PRINTER WITH PARTIAL IMAGE RECEIVING MEMBER HEATING - A method for operating an image receiving member in a phase change ink printer has been developed. The method includes selectively rotating the image receiving member past an activated heater to heat a first portion of the image receiving member to a first predetermined temperature that is greater than a second temperature to which a remaining portion of the image receiving member is heated by the heater. | 02-28-2013 |
20130064589 | PIVOTING CLEANING BLADE TO MINIMIZE BLADE STRESS AND PHOTORECEPTOR TORQUE WITH INCREASING FRICTION COEFFICIENT - The cleaning blade is mounted to a holder that is pivoted. The pivot mechanism is designed such that the instantaneous center of rotation of the blade holder, in its operational position, is positioned above the plane of blade tip contact to the photoreceptor and upstream of the blade tip or below the plane of contact and downstream from the blade tip. These configurations result in a reduction of blade load as friction coefficient increases and a slower increase in photoreceptor torque when compared to conventional interference loaded blades. By a careful choice of the location of the center of rotation, the blade load can be maintained at a sufficiently high value for good cleaning over the expected range of friction coefficients. A four bar linkage provides a compact mechanism to pivot the blade holder and avoids potential problems of the mechanism interfering with the process and other components. | 03-14-2013 |
20130070037 | TRANSFIX ROLLER FOR USE IN AN INDIRECT PRINTER WITH AN IMAGE RECEIVING MEMBER HAVING A THIN WALL - A transfix roller is adapted for use with a thin walled image receiving member in an indirect printer. The transfix roller is centrally supported to present a more uniform pressure profile in the nip formed with the image receiving member. An interference fit between the central shaft and the roller sleeve enables the transfix roller to be made without an additional process to secure the shaft to the sleeve. | 03-21-2013 |
20130120513 | IMAGE RECEIVING MEMBER WITH INTERNAL SUPPORT FOR INKJET PRINTER - A thin wall ink image receiving member enables the ink image receiving member to reach operational temperatures from a cold state more quickly than image receiving members used in previously known printers. The thin wall image receiving member includes at least one annular support member fixedly mounted against the inner surface of the cylindrical wall to enable the image receiving member to provide adequate pressure in a nip formed with a transfix roller to transfer an ink image from the image receiving member to media in the nip. | 05-16-2013 |
20130328983 | Inkjet Printer having an Image Drum Heater with Heater Seals - An inkjet offset printer includes a heated drum assembly having a hollow drum with an internal surface defining an internal cavity and a heater located in the internal cavity. The heater includes a reflector having a seal, and at least one heating element configured to generate heat and disposed between the reflector and the internal surface of the drum. The seal contacts the internal surface of the hollow drum to confine the generated heat within a space defined by the reflector and the internal surface of the drum. | 12-12-2013 |
20130328989 | Inkjet Printer having an Image Drum Heating and Cooling System - An inkjet offset printer includes an image receiving drum assembly having a hollow drum with an external surface and an internal surface defining an internal cavity. A heating and a cooling system located in the internal cavity provides distributed heating and cooling to the internal surface of the drum. Heating and cooling can be provided to individual regions of the internal drum surface to maintain a substantially uniform external drum surface temperature. | 12-12-2013 |
20130335476 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPROVING TEMPERATURE UNIFORMITY OF IMAGE DRUMS - A printer includes an image drum temperature regulation system that helps reduce thermal gradients on the image drum surface. The image drum temperature regulation system includes a feedback controller and a feed-forward controller. The image drum temperature regulation system operates the heaters and fan of the image drum with reference to a temperature difference between actual temperature of the image drum and a temperature setpoint and to the thermal effect of ejecting an ink image onto the image drum. | 12-19-2013 |