Abstract: A semi-automatic exit window cleaner which includes a wiper for contacting an exit window. The wiper attaches to a wiper operation mechanism which swipes the wiper across the exit window when an operator accessed compartment or drawer is moved. Beneficially, the wiper mechanism is comprised of a cable which is spaced between two pulleys, one of which also connects to a gear or other rotation train.

Abstract: An apparatus for registering substrates while they are partially in a turn baffle assembly. The apparatus includes a registration transport assembly and a turn baffle assembly having a pinch roller assembly. The pinch roller assembly includes a set of pinch rollers which feed the substrate through the turn baffle assembly and into the registration transport assembly. The pinch roller assembly also includes a motion inducing device for selectively moving one pinch roller away from the other and a low friction roller which is somewhat larger than one of the pinch rollers. The low friction roller is located near a pinch roller such that when the pinch rollers are moved apart, the low friction roller biases the substrate way from a pinch roller so as to reduce or eliminate friction between the substrate and that pinch roller.

Abstract: Raster output scanner assemblies, and systems which use such assemblies, having mirrors mounted on the outside of an outer frame. Slits in the outer frame enable light to reflect from the mirrors. Beneficially, the outside mirror or mirrors are protected from contamination by mounting the primary surface of the mirrors (the surface which reflects light) against the outer frame and by mounting a cover over the mirrors.

Abstract: Uniformity light output of an LED printbar is achieved by a technique which senses the operational on time of each LED. When the on time difference between the LED with the longest on time and the LED with the shortest on time exceeds a predetermined value, the outputs of at least some LEDs comprising the printbar are compensated for to normalize their light output. This normalization is achieved via a drive circuit which drives each LED based upon correction data, and by determining an update of the correction data based upon the difference between the on time of individual LEDs. The correction data is determined when the difference between the on time of the LED with the longest on time and the on time of the LED with the shortest on time exceeds a predetermined maximum difference.

Abstract: Methods of and apparatus for compensating electrostatic printing process stations for residual toner voltage. A toner patch is produced on a photoreceptor. That toner patch and a section of the untoned photoreceptor are then charged and exposed so as to produce a first latent image. The residual voltage between the exposed toner patch and the exposed section of the untoned photoreceptor is then determined. At least one processing station is then adjusted to compensate for the determined residual toner voltage. Process stations which can be adjusted include development stations, exposure stations and charging stations.

Abstract: A transfusing member having a compression layer comprised of a highly conformable, low durometer material with a low surface tension. The transfusing member forms a first transfer nip characterized by a first pressure with a photoreceptive surface and a second transfer nip characterized by a second pressure, which is of the same order of magnitude as the first pressure, with a backup roller.

Abstract: Printing machines and systems which incorporate recharging stations comprised of two corona generating devices which act together to recharge a previously developed photoreceptor to a predetermined potential. The first corona generating device recharges the photoreceptor's surface to a greater absolute potential than a predetermined potential which the surface is to have after being recharged. The second corona generating device reduces the photoreceptor's surface to the potential that it is to have. The second corona generating device is comprised of a plurality of spaced apart coronodes which each can impress charges on the photoreceptor's surface. The second corona generating device receives electrical inputs and applies DC potentials to the coronodes such that adjacent coronodes have opposite polarities.

Abstract: In a multi-color imaging apparatus utilizing a recharge step between two image creation steps, a corona generating device is used to recharge the developed image areas and untoned areas of a charge retentive surface to a lower electrical potential than that associated with the developed image areas before recharge, so that the residual voltage associated with the developed image is substantially reduced and a minimal level of negative charge is driven through the toner layer(s). An electrical charge associated with any previously developed images is substantially neutralized prior to development of any subsequent images thereon.

Abstract: A 5 cycle color electrophotographic printing architecture. In the first cycle the photoreceptor is erased, charged, exposed to create a first electrostatic latent representation, and developed with a first color of toner. In the second cycle the photoreceptor is recharged using a split recharging scheme, exposed to light to create a second electrostatic latent representation, and developed with a second color of toner. In the third cycle the photoreceptor is recharged using a split recharging scheme, exposed to create a third latent representation, and developed using a third color of toner. In the fourth cycle the photoreceptor is recharged using a split recharging scheme, exposed to create a fourth latent representation, and developed with a fourth color of toner. In the fifth cycle the photoreceptor and the four toner layers are exposed to a pretransfer erase lamp, charged to assist in transfer, transferred onto a substrate using a corona generating device.

Abstract: A nonmonolithic, multiple wavelength laser array having closely spaced lasing elements which are accurately spaced both in a plane perpendicular to the optical axes of the laser beams and along the optical axes. The laser array includes a plurality of lasing elements mounted on a high thermal conductivity spacer. The spacer has a front surface angled relative to the optical axes of the lasing elements, and parallel mounting surfaces. The mounting surfaces and front surfaces join to form front edges. The laser elements mount such that the front facet of each lasing element is aligned with an associated front edge. Beneficially, either the spacer is electrically conductive, or the spacer is coated with a layer of conductive material.The laser array can be used in a printer to offset the laser elements to correct for the wavelength dependency of the printer's optical system.

Abstract: Intermediate transfer assemblies, and printing machines and methods which use such assemblies, which inductively dry liquid images on an intermediate transfer member. The assemblies include an intermediate transfer member that receives a liquid image which is comprised of a liquid carrier and toner particles. An induction coil assembly comprised of a ferromagnetic core wrapped with a plurality of turns of a conductive element and which is spaced apart from the intermediate transfer member creates alternating magnetic flux lines which create eddy currents in a conductive heating element, causing that element to heat. If the conductive heating element is part of the induction coil assembly heat is radiated onto the liquid image. If the conductive heating element is part of the intermediate transfer member the heat is conducted to the liquid image. In either case the heat dries the liquid image by causing the liquid carrier to evaporate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for ejecting droplets from the crests of capillary waves riding on the free surface of a liquid by parametrically pumping the capillary waves with electric fields from probes located near the crests. Crest stabilizers are beneficially used to fix the spatial locations of the capillary wave crests near the probes. The probes are beneficially switchably connected to an AC voltage supply having an output that is synchronized with the crest motion. When the AC voltage is applied to the probes, the resulting electric field adds sufficient energy to the system so that the surface tension of the liquid is overcome and a droplet is ejected. The AC voltage is synchronized such that the droplet is ejected about when the electric field is near is minimum value. A plurality of droplet ejectors are arranged and the AC voltage is switchably applied so that ejected droplets form a predetermined image on a recording surface.

Abstract: Corona generating devices, and printing machines which use such devices, which include a shell, a plurality of corona wires within the shell, and a power source which outputs first and second alternating voltages which are out-of-phase with each other. The plurality of corona wires are interconnected so as to form two groups of wires. The wires in the first group are operatively connected to the first alternating voltage and the wires in the second group are operatively connected to the second alternating voltage. The corona wires are located within the shell such that wires of the first group are adjacent wires of the second group, and such that wires of the second group are adjacent wires of the first group. The corona generating device beneficially includes a metallic screen which acts as a grid and which controls the corona flow from the corona generating device.

Abstract: In a multi-color imaging apparatus utilizing a recharge step between two image creation steps for recharging a charge retentive surface to a predetermined potential pursuant to forming the second of the two images, a first corona generating device recharges the charge retentive surface with a direct current to a higher absolute potential than a predetermined potential, a second corona generating device recharges the charge retentive surface with a direct current to a lower absolute potential than the predetermined potential, and then a third corona generating device recharges the surface, also with a direct current, to the predetermined potential. An electrical charge associated with the first image is prevented from reversing its original polarity after being recharged by the third corona generating device, thereby preventing the occurrence of under color splatter of the toner image.

Abstract: Printing machines which incorporate a transfusing station having a transfusing member with a resistive heater layer. The transfusing station is entrained between at least two electrically conductive contact members, such as rollers, which electrically contact the heater layer. An electrical source sends current through the conductive rollers and the heater layer, heating that layer. A backup roller adjacent the transfusing member and the conductive rollers induces pressure on substrates which pass between the backup roller and the transfusing member. The combination of heat from the heatier layer and pressure induced by the backup roller causes any toner image on the transfusing member to fuse onto the substrate.

Abstract: Nonmonolithic laser arrays having a plurality of lasing elements mounted on one or more spacers which protrude from a thermally conductive support. The spacers ensure the accurate location and separation of the lasing elements, facilitate the orientation of the output laser beams, and enable low thermal, optical, and electrical cross-talk between the lasing elements.

Abstract: A monolithic array of two or more independently addressable, closely spaced diode lasers having low thermal, electrical, and optical crosstalk. An isolation groove is formed between the adjacent laser elements, which are defined by rib loaded waveguides created by etching mesas above a planar active multilayer waveguide. Separate electrical connections to the ribs, and a common electrical connection to the substrate, enable individual addressing of each laser element. Selectively added blocking layers and/or insulating layers are added to the structure to provide improved electrical and/or thermal isolation.

Abstract: Index-guided semiconductor lasers having buried ridge waveguides which use the optical confinement resulting from the bandgap difference between a semiconductor material grown on the top plane of the ridge and a semiconductor material grown on the ridge's sidewalls. Beneficially AlGaInP is OMVPE formed on a ridged (001) GaAs substrate in which a sidewall of the ridge is at an angle of between 5 degrees and the {111} A plane of the substrate.

Abstract: A system and method for creating data values suitable for producing a gray scaled approximation of a facsimile image on a lower resolution display. Facsimile image data is compressed based upon horizontal and vertical scaling factors that depend upon the number and organization of display screen pixels to be used to produce the gray scaled image verses the number and organization of pixels in the facsimile image. A conversion vector having entries in a one-to-one relationship with the display pixels of a display scan line is formed. Numerical values are then added to or subtracted from the conversion vector entries associated with the beginning and ending of the black runs of the facsimile image, as determined by using the horizontal scaling factor. The numerical values themselves depend upon how much of the conversion vector entry is spanned by the scaled black facsimile image run length.

Abstract: An index-guided semiconductor laser having a grooved waveguide which uses the optical confinement resulting from the bandgap difference between two phases of OMVPE formed AlGaInP, and in which the higher bandgap phase occurs with AlGaInP grown on substrates orientated at angles less than 55 degrees with respect to the (001) plane. The device is fabricated on a (100) orientated substrate having an etched groove. By fabricating the sidewalls with an angle of between 5 degrees and 50 degrees with respect to the (100) plane of the substrate, composition differences between the (100) stripe center and the grooved sidewall are minimized.