US3535492A - Fusing apparatus - Google Patents

Fusing apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
US3535492A
US3535492A US733468A US3535492DA US3535492A US 3535492 A US3535492 A US 3535492A US 733468 A US733468 A US 733468A US 3535492D A US3535492D A US 3535492DA US 3535492 A US3535492 A US 3535492A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
image
sheet
support material
toner powder
toner
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US733468A
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English (en)
Inventor
Charles Louis Huber
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Xerox Corp
Original Assignee
Xerox Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Xerox Corp filed Critical Xerox Corp
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3535492A publication Critical patent/US3535492A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
    • G03G15/20—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for fixing, e.g. by using heat
    • G03G15/2003—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for fixing, e.g. by using heat using heat
    • G03G15/2007—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for fixing, e.g. by using heat using heat using radiant heat, e.g. infrared lamps, microwave heaters

Definitions

  • this invention relates to an improved radiant heat fuser.
  • the invention is considered to have general application, it is particularly useful in the fusing of electroscopic resinous toner powder images onto sheets of support material to which the powder image has been applied by deposition of the electroscopic toner powder onto a latent electrostatic image.
  • a sheet of insulating support material usually paper, on a conductive backing is given an electrostatic charge over its surface in accordance with a desired charge pattern, thereby creating a latent electrostatic image.
  • development of the latent image is effected by developers which comprise, in general, a mixture of suitable pigmented or dyed resin-based powder, hereinafter referred to as toner, and a granular carrier material which functions to generate triboelectric charges on, and to carry the toner powder. More specifically, the function of the carrier material is to provide mechanical control of the toner, or to carry the toner to an image surface and simultaneously provide almost complete homogeneity of charge polarity.
  • the toner powder is brought into surface contact with the support material and is held thereon by the electrostatic forces in a pattern corresponding to the latent electrostatic image.
  • Various development methods well known to those skilled in the art are disclosed in US. Pat. No. 2,618,551 issued to L. G. Walkup and US. Pat. No. 2,874,063 issued to H. G. Greig. After development the image is normally aflixed to the electrographic sheet by any suitable means such as by heat fusing.
  • a variety of types of finely divided electroscopic toner powders may be employed for developing latent electrostatic images. However, it has been found preferable to develop line copy images with a powder or toner formed of any of a variety of pigmented thermoplastic resins that have been specifically developed for this purpose.
  • a number of such toner powders are available commercially, and these toners are specifically compounded for producing dense images of high resolution and to have characteristics to permit convenient storage and handling.
  • Such toner powders are compounded to permit them to be fixed to the surface of a support material either by heat fluxing or vapor fixing techniques, in accordance with the particular application in which they are employed.
  • the individual Patented Oct. 20, 1970 particles of toner (resin) soften and coalesce when heated or plasticized by solvent, such that they become sticky or tackified and readily adhere to the surface of the transfer material.
  • tackified is used to describe the condition of the toner powder particles when heated or plasticized by solvent in a manner such that the individual particles soften and coalesce and in which state they become sticky and readily adhere to other surfaces. Although this condition necessarily requires a flowing together of the particles to effect a thorough fusion thereof, it is to be understood that the extent of such flowing is not sufficient to extend beyond the boundary of the pattern in which the particles are formed.
  • Another object of this invention is to improve radiant fusing apparatus by eliminating non-uniform fixing of electroscopic toner powder to a support material.
  • a further object of this invention is to improve uniform fixing of electroscopic toner powder to a support material by moving the radiant heating element relative to the support surface.
  • Still another object of this invention is to improve fixing apparatus by uniformly fusing electroscopic toner powder to a support material constrained in a curved or semi-cylindrical configuration.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic electrographic facsimile transceiver apparatus utilizing the invention of this application;
  • FIG. 2 is a mechanical schematic view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with the covers removed to better illustrate the components thereof;
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged frontal elevation of the fuser apparatus utilized in the facsimile transceiver taken in the direction of paper movement;
  • FIG. 4 is a vertical elevation view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 taken along lines 44;
  • FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the developer appa- I ratus and fuser apparatus of this invention with a sheet of support material passing therethrough.
  • the automatic electrographic facsimile transceiver apparatus v100 includes an inner platen support member 500 having a convex semi-cylindrical surface extending axially therealong and an outer platen support member 550 having a concave semi-cylindrical surface extending axially therealong which form a curvilinear passageway through which a record medium or sheet of electrographic recording material is advanced.
  • a rotatable optical scanner and electrographic recorder turret apparatus 700 is positioned adjacent the passageway to functionally form a scanning-recording station axially positioned along the two semi-cylindrical surfaces over which the electrographic recording material passes.
  • the sheet When it is desired to transmit the graphic information on the record medium the sheet is advanced to the scanning station 700 whereat electrical signals representative of the graphic information carried thereon are generated as the optical scanner transverses the graphic information on the sheet.
  • the recorder portion of the turret When it is desired to receive information from a remote location, selectively produces electrostatic charge patterns on the electrographic paper record medium, as it is forwarded within the passageway at the recording or scanning station,
  • the charge patterns representative of the graphic information are rendered visible by means of an electroscopic toner powder developing apparatus 400 which uniformly deposits a quantity of toner powder onto the charged surface of the latent electrostatic image bearing record medium.
  • the toner powder image on the surface of the record medium is permanently affixed thereto to provide a facsimile copy of the graphic information thereon.
  • the record sheets 105 are advanced from the tray 102 by means of an automatic sheet feeder l and are transported into the passageway defined between inner platen assembly 500 and outer platen assembly 550 by means of a sheet transport generally designated 350.
  • the electrographic recording sheets are forwarded into position within the passageway defined between the inner and outer platen assemblies 500 and 550, respectively, and then advanced to the scanner-receiver area by a paper drive mechanism generally designated 600.
  • the paper drive 600 is removed from engagement with the electrographic recording sheet and a stepping drive mechanism 650 engaged therewith to advance the copy sheet at a controlled speed past the scannerreceiver 700.
  • Information is recorded upon the electrograpic record sheet by means of an electrographic recording stylus supported on the rotating turret assembly 700 for rotation therewith to selectively charge an increment of the electrographic recording material, in response to electrical control signals, as the recording material is advanced thereover.
  • the information desired to be recorded on the copy sheet 105 is received by the transceiver apparatus, decoded through appropriate electrical circuitry, and utilized to energize the electrographic recording stylus in the turret assembly 700.
  • the record or copy sheet 105 is electrographically charged in image patterns corresponding to the information coupled into the transceiver apparatus.
  • the copy sheet 105 is advanced by the stepping drive assembly 650 over a magnetic brush developer unit 400 whereat the latent electrostatic charge pattern on the sheet is rendered visible by application of the electroscopic toner powder particles which adhere to the record sheet in the charged areas.
  • the copy sheet is further advanced along the curvilinear path to a fusing apparatus designated 800 at which point the electroscopic toner powder particles are fused to the copy sheet to create a permanent facsimile copy of the graphic information displayed on the support material.
  • the sheet 105 is advanced to a sheet transport 900 whereat the completed facsimile copy is forwarded out of the machine and into the copy receive tray 103 located at the front portion of the transceiver.
  • the fuser apparatus 800 includes a pluarilty of heating units 850 mounted on a support plate 810 secured to a shaft 815 for rotation therewith.
  • the support plate 810 comprises a circular member 811 of an electrical insulating material upon which is carried a pair of concentric electrically conductive rings 812 and 813 for electrically coupling the heating units 850 to an appropriate power source by means of a pair of brushes 822 supported by arm 801, each brush in contact with one of the rings 812 or 813.
  • the shaft 815 upon which the heating units 850 are carried, is rotatably supported in arm 801 and a frame plate 802 by means of suitable bearings 803 and has the developer apparatus 400 secured to the opposite end such that the fuser apparatus 800 and developer apparatus 400 are rotated at the same speed and form a substantially continuous feed path whereby the latent electrostatic image is first developed by the application of toner powder and the toner powder permanently affixed to the electrographic support material by the fuser apparatus.
  • Rotational movement of the fuser and developer apparatus is provided by means of a motor MOT-1 driving a timing belt 817 about a gear 816 appropriately secured to shaft 815.
  • the heating units 850 includes a plurality of radiant heating elements 855 comprising Nichrome wires 856 coiled about curved quartz rods 857 and suitably connected to the concentric contact rings 811 and 812 to be energized by the electrical power source connected thereto.
  • the quartz rods 857 are secured at one end in braces 853 and supported by a pair of graphite insulating blocks 858 with the opposite end free to move within one of the graphite blocks 858 to allow for thermal expansion and contraction.
  • a pair of frame plates 851 are positioned on each side of the radiant heating elements 855 for the protection thereof against breakage of these elements.
  • a back plate 852 is supported from frame plates 851 and provides a reflective surface to increase the efficiency of the radiant energy directed from the heating elements 855 to the developed image bearing support material.
  • the heating units 850 are rotated adjacent to the support material in a direction transverse to the path of movement of the toner powder image such that the image is exposed to the moving elements to compensate for non-uniform heating due to any irregularities in the wires 856 or windings about the quartz rods 857.
  • a uniform flow of hot air is circulated about the image bearing support material eliminating localized heat build up and the problems associated therewith as found in prior art radiant fusing apparatus.
  • the method of permanently aflixing electroscopic toner powder images onto a support surface to which the toner powder is electrostatically bonded including the steps of:
  • step of passing the heater in a path transverse of said predetermined support material movement including passing the heater in an endless path by rotating the heater about an axis parallel to the path of support material movement to cyclically thermally contact the support material and to generate a flow of heated air thereabout.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Fixing For Electrophotography (AREA)
  • General Induction Heating (AREA)
  • Unwinding Of Filamentary Materials (AREA)
US733468A 1968-05-31 1968-05-31 Fusing apparatus Expired - Lifetime US3535492A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US73346868A 1968-05-31 1968-05-31

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3535492A true US3535492A (en) 1970-10-20

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US733468A Expired - Lifetime US3535492A (en) 1968-05-31 1968-05-31 Fusing apparatus

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US3535492A (https=)
BE (1) BE733663A (https=)
DE (1) DE1927763B2 (https=)
FR (1) FR2009980A1 (https=)
GB (1) GB1266932A (https=)
NL (1) NL149013B (https=)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3374769A (en) * 1965-12-06 1968-03-26 Xerox Corp Toner fusing apparatus
US3449548A (en) * 1966-12-30 1969-06-10 Xerox Corp Fusing device
US3452181A (en) * 1967-12-27 1969-06-24 Eastman Kodak Co Roll fusing device for xerographic material
US3465122A (en) * 1965-10-23 1969-09-02 Eichner Org Gmbh Control arrangement for copying devices

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3465122A (en) * 1965-10-23 1969-09-02 Eichner Org Gmbh Control arrangement for copying devices
US3374769A (en) * 1965-12-06 1968-03-26 Xerox Corp Toner fusing apparatus
US3449548A (en) * 1966-12-30 1969-06-10 Xerox Corp Fusing device
US3452181A (en) * 1967-12-27 1969-06-24 Eastman Kodak Co Roll fusing device for xerographic material

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE1927763B2 (de) 1976-07-22
FR2009980A1 (https=) 1970-02-13
GB1266932A (https=) 1972-03-15
NL6908166A (https=) 1969-12-02
BE733663A (https=) 1969-11-27
DE1927763A1 (de) 1969-12-04
NL149013B (nl) 1976-03-15

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