Patents by Inventor Ron E. Dufort

Ron E. Dufort has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20160368219
    Abstract: A printer compensates for printing errors occurring during production of the layers for the formation of an object in a three-dimensional printer. The printer includes an optical sensor that generates data corresponding to edges of each layer of the object after each layer is printed. Differences between the raster data used to eject the material to form a layer and the data received from the optical sensor are used to modify the raster data that operates a printhead to form a next layer in the object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Publication date: December 22, 2016
    Inventors: Dara N. Lubin, John T. Buzzelli, Ron E. Dufort, Kevin St. Martin, David B. Montfort
  • Publication number: 20160288423
    Abstract: A three-dimensional object printer has a platen that is configured to facilitate the release of objects formed on the platen. The platen includes a first layer and second layer, the first layer having a coefficient of thermal expansion that is different than a coefficient of thermal expansion of the second layer. A controller in the printer is configured to operate at least one ejector in an ejector head to form a three-dimensional object on the surface of the platen with reference to digital image data and, upon completion of the object, to operate a temperature control device operatively connected to the platen to bend the platen by changing the temperature of the platen and releasing a three-dimensional object from the platen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Inventors: Ron E. Dufort, John T. Buzzelli, Dara N. Lubin, Kevin St. Martin
  • Patent number: 9381701
    Abstract: A three-dimensional object printer includes an actuator that contacts a surface of a platen in the printer. A controller selectively operates the actuator to apply force to a bottom layer of a three-dimensional object formed on the platen to break an adhesion between the bottom layer and the platen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Ron E. Dufort, John T. Buzzelli, Dara N. Lubin, Kevin St. Martin
  • Patent number: 8925458
    Abstract: With a cleaning system/method, a user places a printing device in a cleaning mode, inserts a cleaning apparatus that includes a cleaning sheet into a paper supply tray of the printing device, and executes a cleaning operation on the printing device. With the system, a set of instructions is stored on a machine-readable medium. The set of instructions causes the printing device to execute a cleaning operation on a feed nip of the printing device. The cleaning sheet cleans the feed roller and the retard roller when it is positioned within the feed nip during the cleaning operation. The set of instructions cause the printing device to move the cleaning sheet into the feed nip and to rotate the feed roller and the retard roller for a predetermined time period, when the printing device is placed into a cleaning mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth P. Moore, Frank A. Porter, Ron E. Dufort
  • Patent number: 8594554
    Abstract: A system that avoids any stopping or reversing of the web direction in a continuous feed printer, instead maintaining consistent process speed, only requiring a slowing and speeding up of the web to cycle through the PR belt seam. This is done by forming a web loop and then immediately flattening the loop after passage of the seam through the transfer zone that includes two transfer BTR rolls with alternating transfer operations, but simultaneous transfer for short periods. Two vacuum assist rolls, one located between the two bias transfer rolls controls the formation of the web loop. A pair of nip forming rolls upstream of the first transfer station and a second vacuum assist roll downstream of the second transfer station control the size of the loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Frank A Porter, Kenneth P Moore, Bruce A Thompson, Todd M Uthman, Ron E Dufort, Venkata B Chivukula, Roger G. Leighton
  • Publication number: 20130139847
    Abstract: With a cleaning system/method, a user places a printing device in a cleaning mode, inserts a cleaning apparatus that includes a cleaning sheet into a paper supply tray of the printing device, and executes a cleaning operation on the printing device. With the system, a set of instructions is stored on a machine-readable medium. The set of instructions causes the printing device to execute a cleaning operation on a feed nip of the printing device. The cleaning sheet cleans the feed roller and the retard roller when it is positioned within the feed nip during the cleaning operation. The set of instructions cause the printing device to move the cleaning sheet into the feed nip and to rotate the feed roller and the retard roller for a predetermined time period, when the printing device is placed into a cleaning mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenneth P. Moore, Frank A. Porter, Ron E. Dufort
  • Patent number: 8422933
    Abstract: A media transport that will fit between a xerographic transfer station and a fuser station is provided by this invention. The purpose of this media transport is to increase the distance that media with an unfused image will travel from transfer to fusing stations thus permitting longer media to be used in the xerographic system without the risk of disturbing the unfused image. A vacuum is positioned internally of the transport that will provide a vacuum force to hold a media sheet to belts that are guided by the top surface of the media transport. The media transport has a configuration with an arced top surface where the arc length of the top surface exceeds the overall width of the transport.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Ron E Dufort, Victoria Warner, Alex Talevski
  • Publication number: 20120308286
    Abstract: A system that avoids any stopping or reversing of the web direction in a continuous feed printer, instead maintaining consistent process speed, only requiring a slowing and speeding up of the web to cycle through the PR belt seam. This is done by forming a web loop and then immediately flattening the loop after passage of the seam through the transfer zone that includes two transfer BTR rolls with alternating transfer operations, but simultaneous transfer for short periods. Two vacuum assist rolls, one located between the two bias transfer rolls controls the formation of the web loop. A pair of nip forming rolls upstream of the first transfer station and a second vacuum assist roll downstream of the second transfer station control the size of the loop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Frank A. Porter, Kenneth P. Moore, Bruce A. Thompson, Todd M. Uthman, Ron E. Dufort, Venkata B. Chivukula, Roger G. Leighton
  • Publication number: 20110280639
    Abstract: A media transport that will fit between a xerographic transfer station and a fuser station is provided by this invention. The purpose of this media transport is to increase the distance that media with an unfused image will travel from transfer to fusing stations thus permitting longer media to be used in the xerographic system without the risk of disturbing the unfused image. A vacuum is positioned internally of the transport that will provide a vacuum force to hold a media sheet to belts that are guided by the top surface of the media transport. The media transport has a configuration with an arced top surface where the arc length of the top surface exceeds the overall width of the transport.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2010
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: RON E. DUFORT, Victoria Warner, Alex Talevski
  • Patent number: 7076193
    Abstract: An apparatus for developing in a development zone a latent image recorded on a surface, including a housing defining a chamber storing at least a supply of toner therein; a donor member disposed of at least partially in the chamber of the housing and spaced from the surface, the donor member being adapted to rotate about a longitudinal axis to transport toner to the development zone in a region opposed from the surface; and a wire assembly module mounted the development zone and extending in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis, the wire assembly module including a wire and a drive system for translating portions of the wire in the development zone, and power supply for electrically biasing the wire to detach toner from the donor member so as to form a toner powder cloud in the development zone with detached toner from the toner cloud developing the latent image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph M. Wing, Scott Douglas Berner, legal representative, Ron E. Dufort, Robert E. Hildebrand, Michael J. Martin, Barbara J. Schaeffer, James J. Spence, Douglas G. Berner, deceased
  • Publication number: 20050265754
    Abstract: An apparatus for developing in a development zone a latent image recorded on a surface, including a housing defining a chamber storing at least a supply of toner therein; a donor member disposed of at least partially in the chamber of the housing and spaced from the surface, the donor member being adapted to rotate about a longitudinal axis to transport toner to the development zone in a region opposed from the surface; and a wire assembly module mounted the development zone and extending in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis, the wire assembly module including a wire and a drive system for translating portions of the wire in the development zone, and power supply for electrically biasing the wire to detach toner from the donor member so as to form a toner powder cloud in the development zone with detached toner from the toner cloud developing the latent image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2004
    Publication date: December 1, 2005
    Inventors: Joseph Wing, Douglas G. Berner, Scott Douglas Berner, Ron E. Dufort, Robert E. Hildebrand, Michael J. Martin, Barbara J. Schaeffer, James J. Spence