Patent Application
20080034102
Various exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods are described in detail below, with reference to the attached drawing figures, in which:
As mentioned above, one condition that can occur within devices that utilize belts to transport items, such as sheets of media, is that the belts can be undesirably heated by adjacent objects, such as fuser assemblies and other similar heat generating devices. When the media transport belts within printers and copiers become excessively hot, the transport belt can melt or disturb the image (especially duplex images) on the media being transported by the belt. The structure provides cooling to the transport belt, without the need for cooling rollers or substantial modifications to existing structures.
Embodiments herein include an apparatus, such as electrostatic or xerographic printing or copying device that includes a vacuum media transport belt and a vacuum manifold. As shown in
While the air intakes 106 and the air outlet 104 are shown in specific positions in
The vacuum manifold 100 also includes at least two transport belt openings 120, 122 that are sized, shaped, and positioned to match the shape of the transport belt 116 to allow the transport belt 116 to pass into the vacuum manifold 100 without losing substantial vacuum (air volume). For example, as shown in
When outside the manifold 100, the media transport belt moves over rollers 112 exterior to the manifold 100 to transport media 108 (such as paper, transparencies, card stock, etc.) from a first device (such as a fuser 110) to a second device (such as a decurler, inverter, finisher 118, etc.). When moving outside the vacuum manifold 100, the media transport belt 116 moves from the second opening 122 back to the first opening 120.
By creating a vacuum within the vacuum manifold 100, vacuum is also created at the air intakes 116, which draws air from the media transport belt 116 into the vacuum manifold 100 to help hold the media sheet 108 on the media transport belt 116. The air (and any debris) can exit through the air outlet(s) 104. In addition, by passing the media transport belt 116 through the vacuum manifold 100, the media transport belt is cooled by the large air flow passing within the vacuum manifold 100. The large air flow passing within the vacuum manifold 100 can also remove debris from the media transport belt 116. Therefore, the embodiment shown in
With the structure the conventional vacuum manifold that is utilized to provide vacuum to the media transport belt can be easily modified to include media transport belt openings. Therefore, the structure can be easily incorporated into existing printers, copiers and other apparatus that utilize vacuum belts to transport media. In other words, the structure can utilize the existing vacuum manifold, the existing blower motor, etc. and, with a slight modification to the positions of the rollers and the addition of transport belt openings, can provide a substantial improvement directed toward cooling and cleaning the transport belt.
Further, as shown in the embodiment illustrated in
The air inlets 106 and the air outlet 104 are positioned to cause the vacuum blower 102 to move air across the media transport belt 116 as the media transport belt 116 passes through the vacuum manifold 100 from one transport belt opening to another transport belt opening to simultaneously cool and clean the media transport belt 116. The transport belt openings 120, 122 can be positioned to oppose one another across a width or length of the vacuum manifold 100.
The word “printer” or “image output terminal” as used herein encompasses any apparatus, such as a digital copier, bookmaking machine, facsimile machine, multi-function machine, etc. which performs a print outputting function for any purpose. The details of printers, printing engines, etc. are well-known by those ordinarily skilled in the art and are discussed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,004, the complete disclosure of which is fully incorporated herein by reference. The embodiments herein can encompass embodiments that print in color, monochrome, or handle color or monochrome image data. All foregoing embodiments are specifically applicable to electrostatographic and/or xerographic machines and/or processes.
Thus, as shown above, the inventive vacuum manifold includes transport belt openings that are sized, shaped, and positioned to allow the transport belt to pass into the vacuum manifold. The media transport belt is positioned partially within, and partially outside the vacuum manifold, such that the media transport belt is positioned to move through (within) the vacuum manifold from a first transport belt opening to a second transport belt opening. If desired, the transport belt openings within the vacuum manifold can include fixed or rotating brushes that help clean debris from the media transport belt.
The vacuum manifold can include one or more media transport belt rollers positioned within the vacuum manifold. In such a case, the media transport belt roller is positioned to contact a portion of the media transport belt that is within the vacuum manifold.
The air inlet and the air outlet are positioned to cause the vacuum blower to move air across the media transport belt as the media transport belt passes through the vacuum manifold from one transport belt opening to another transport belt opening to simultaneously cool and clean the media transport belt.
As mentioned above, one condition that can occur within devices that utilize belts to transport items, such as sheets of media, is that the belts can be undesirably heated by adjacent objects, such as fuser assemblies and other similar heat generating devices. The structure provides cooling to the transport belt, without the need for cooling rollers or substantial modifications to existing structures. With the structure, the conventional vacuum manifold utilized to provide vacuum to the media transport belt can be easily modified to include media transport belt openings. Therefore, the structure can be simply incorporated into existing printers, copiers and other apparatus that utilize vacuum belts to transport media. In other words, the structure can utilize the existing vacuum manifold, the existing blower motor, etc. and, with a slight modification to the positions of the rollers and the addition of transport belt openings, can provide a substantial improvement directed toward cooling and cleaning the transport belt. Thus, the invention provides substantial benefits for cooling and cleaning the transport belts, without a corresponding increase in cost, weight, or size of the device.
It will be appreciated that the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims. The claims can encompass embodiments in hardware, software, and/or a combination thereof. Unless specifically defined in a specific claim itself, steps or components of the invention should not be implied or imported from any above example as limitations to any particular order, number, position, size, shape, angle, color, or material.
