Patent Application
20060093421
This disclosure relates in general to copier/printers, and more particularly, to two printers with their outputs linked to a common finisher positioned between them.
Typically, in an effort to meet demand for high end printers, i.e., 100+ pages per minute (ppm), tandem machine designs place the two machines side by side with the result that the output from the first machine to a finisher or output tray for the machines must route around the second machine with complex paper path hardware. In addition, if one of the machines jams or needs supplies, productivity goes down to zero.
Multiple print engines have been used in the past to increase productivity. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,640 issued May 4, 1993 to Kiyoshi Horie et al. shows an image recording apparatus that includes a plurality of recording modules for substantially simultaneously recording of recording sheets images according to image data supplied thereto, an image data supplier for supplying images to the recording modules, a sheet supplier for supplying the recording sheets to the recording modules, and sheet distributors for distributing the recording sheet thus supplied successively by the sheet supplier to the recording modules. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,201,946 B1 issued Mar. 13, 2001 to Masakazu Takeuchi et al. discloses a printing system that includes a main printer that is a black and white printer and a support printer, such as, an inkjet a color printer. The system includes a route setting device for printed sheets.
Obviously, there is still a need for a tandem high end printer system that is not too costly, not too cumbersome with respect to the paper path and does not have to take a 100% hit in productivity when one machine is down.
Accordingly, an improved tandem machine, high end printing system is disclosed that separates the two 65, 75 or 90 ppm machines and places a common finisher between the machines to simplify the paper path. Using these two machines in the simplex mode results in a digital 130, 150 or 180 ppm system. If one of the machines is for some reason out of order, productivity goes to only 50% instead of 100%.
The foregoing and other features of the disclosure will be apparent and easily understood from a further reading of the specification, claims and by reference to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements and wherein:
While the disclosure will be described hereinafter in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that limiting the disclosure to that embodiment is not intended. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, (e.g., 2 copiers, 2 printers, 2 multi-function machines, 1 copier and 1 printer, etc.), modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
The disclosure will now be described by reference to a preferred embodiment of a tandem printer system that includes a common finisher positioned therebetween.
For a general understanding of the features of the disclosure, reference is made to the drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals have been used throughout to identify identical elements.
Initially, a portion of the photoconductive surface passes through charging station A. At charging station A, a corona generating device indicated generally by the reference numeral 22 charges the photoconductive belt 10 to a relatively high, substantially uniform potential.
At exposure station B, a controller or electronic subsystem (ESS), indicated generally by reference numeral 29, receives the image signals representing the desired output image and processes these signals to convert them to a continuous tone or greyscale rendition of the image which is transmitted to a modulated output generator, for example, the raster output scanner (ROS), indicated generally by reference numeral 30. Preferably, ESS 29 is a self-contained, dedicated minicomputer. The image signals transmitted to ESS 29 may originate from a RIS as described above or from a local and/or remote computer via cable, telephone line or wireless, thereby enabling the electrophotographic printing machine to serve as a remotely located printer for one or more computers. Alternatively, the printer may serve as a dedicated printer for a high speed computer. The signals from ESS 29, corresponding to the continuous tone image desired to be reproduced by the printing machine, are transmitted to ROS 30. ROS 30 includes a laser with rotating polygon mirror blocks. The ROS will expose the photoconductive belt to record an electrostatic latent image thereon corresponding to the continuous tone image received from ESS 29. As an alternative, ROS 30 may employ a linear array of light emitting diodes arranged to illuminate the charged portions of photoconductive belt 10 on a raster-by-raster basis.
After the electrostatic latent image has been recorded on photoconductive surface 12, belt 10 advances the latent image to a development station C, where toner, in the form of liquid or dry particles or a solid, is electrostatically attracted to the latent image using commonly known techniques. The latent image attracts toner particles from the carrier granules forming a toner powder image thereon. As successively electrostatic latent images are developed, toner particles are depleted from the developer material. A toner particle dispenser, indicated generally by reference numeral 44, dispenses toner particles into developer housing 46 or developer unit 38.
With continued reference to
Fusing station F includes a fuser assembly indicated generally by the reference numeral 70 which permanently affixes the transferred toner powder image to the copy sheet. Preferably, fuser assembly 70 includes a heated fuser roller 72 and a pressure roller 74 with the powder image on the copy sheet contacting fuser roller 72. The pressure roller is cammed against the fuser roller to provide the necessary pressure to fix the toner powder image to the copy sheet. The fuser roll is internally heated by a quartz lamp (not shown). Release agent, stored in a reservoir (not shown), is pumped to a metering roll (not shown). A trim blade (not shown) trims off the excess release agent. The release agent transfers to a donor roll (not shown) and then to the fuser roll 72.
The sheet then passes through fuser 70 where the image is permanently fixed or fused to the sheet. After passing through fuser 70, a gate 80 either allows the sheet to move directly via output path 84 to finisher 90, or deflects the sheet into the duplex path 100, specifically, first into single sheet inverter 82. That is, if the sheet is either a simplex sheet or a completed duplex sheet having both side one and side two mages formed thereon, the sheet will be conveyed via gate 80 directly via output path 84 to disk finisher 90. However, if the sheet is being duplexed and is then only printed with a side one image, the gate 80 will be positioned to deflect that sheet into the inverter 82 and into the duplex loop path 100, where that sheet will be inverted and then fed to acceleration nip 102 and belt transports 110, for recirculation back through transfer station D and fuser 70 for receiving and permanently fixing the side two image to the backside of that duplex sheet, before it exits via exit path 84.
Sheets forwarded via output path 84 into finisher 90 are conveyed by nips 91, 92 and 93 onto top tray 95, if stapling is not required. And also when locally scanned and stapling not required. If stapling is required, nip 91 conveys the sheets to nip 94, which drives them into fingers 97 of disk 96. Rotation of disk 96 registers the sheets in dual head stapler 98. After stapling, continued rotation of disk 96 deposits the set of sheets onto main tray 99.
After the print sheet is separated from photoconductive surface 12 of belt 10, the residual toner/developer and paper fiber particles adhering to photoconductive surface 12 are removed therefrom at cleaning station E. Cleaning station E includes a rotatably mounted fibrous brush in contact with photoconductive surface 12 to disturb and remove paper fibers and a cleaning blade to remove the non-transferred toner particles. The blade may be configured in either a wiper or doctor position depending on the application. Subsequent to cleaning, a discharge lamp (not shown) floods photoconductive surface 12 with light to dissipate any residual electrostatic charge remaining thereon prior to the charging thereof for the next successive image cycle.
Controller 29 regulates the various machine functions. The controller is preferably a programmable microprocessor, which controls all of the machine functions hereinbefore described. The controller provides a comparison count of the copy sheets, the number of documents being recirculated, the number of copy sheets selected by the operator, time delays, jam correction, etc. The control of all of the exemplary system heretofore described may be accomplished by conventional control switch inputs from the printing machine consoles selected by the operator. Conventional sheet path sensors or switches may be utilized to keep track of the position of the document and the copy sheets.
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It should now be understood that an improvement has been disclosed for a tandem printer system that includes two 65, 75 or 90 ppm machines that feed imaged sheets into a common finisher that is centrally positioned between the machines to simplify the paper path. Using these two machines in the simplex mode results in a digital 130, 150 or 180 ppm system.
The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended, encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein, including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others.
