Abstract: A fusing apparatus having a segmented external heater is provided. The fusing apparatus includes a rotatable pressure roller, a rotatable heated fusing member having an external surface forming a fusing nip with the pressure roller, and a rotatable segmented external heater mounted in heating nip contact with the external surface of the fusing member for heating the external surface of the fusing member, the rotatable segmented external heater having (a) an endless rotatable shell defining an interior surface and an exterior surface, a first end, a second end, and an axis of rotation; (b) a plural number of heating elements each having an end-to-end length and being arranged end-to-end in series and parallel to the axis of rotation; and (c) a controller connected to the plural number of heating elements and to the rotatable heated fusing member controlling the temperature of the external surface the fusing member.

Abstract: In order to prevent built up crusts on the flicker assembly from being detrimentally dislodged due to the cleaning fibers impacting the flicker bar assembly, there is provided a soft contact portion flicker bar assembly for mounting in a machine to contact and flick the cleaning fibers moving along a fiber path. The soft contact portion flicker bar assembly includes (a) a base portion for mounting to a frame portion of the machine; (b) a body portion including a distal, first end, and an opposite, second end connected to the base portion; and (c) a tip portion connected to the first, distal end for contacting and interfering with cleaning fibers moving along the fiber path. The tip portion is made of a material having a Shore A durometer hardness of less than 85 for reducing a jarring effect of impact forces between such tip portion and the moving cleaning fibers, thereby preventing detrimental dislodging of built up crusts of particles from any part of the flicker bar assembly.

Abstract: An air bearing sheet heater assembly is provided for heating a sheet in an ink imaging printer. It includes a heater plate that has a heating element and defines a first side of a sheet path through the heater assembly. It also includes at least one movable platelet that defines a second side of the sheet path, as well as, an air bearing assembly mounted to the at least one platelet. The air bearing assembly controllably creates an air bearing between the second side and the first side of the sheet path for moving and pneumatically spacing the front surface of the at least one movable platelet from the front side of the heater plate, thereby reducing stiction forces and friction along the sheet path through the air bearing sheet heater assembly.

Abstract: A gang safety latching mechanism includes (a) a torsion spring and bracket device having (i) a torsion spring subassembly (ii) a first bracket on the torsion spring subassembly having a first free position and a first loaded position, and (iii) a second bracket on the torsion spring subassembly having a second free position and a second loaded position; (b) an interference assembly defining a receiving area and including (i) an opening for passage of an end portion of the torsion spring and bracket device into and out of the receiving area, (ii) a knocker member for contacting the first bracket and (iii) a catch lip for trapping the second bracket within the receiving area; and (c) a gang locking member for locking the second bracket to the first bracket, thereby preventing unsafe separate simultaneous movement of the second movable and the first movable module relative to the main machine body.

Abstract: A high precision-heat fusing device is provided for heating unfused toner images in an electrostatographic reproducing machine. The high precision-heating and fusing apparatus includes (a) an endless rotatable shell defining an interior and having an exterior surface, a first end, a second end, and an axis for rotation; (b) at least six heating elements each having an end-to-end length and being selectively activatable, and arranged end-to-end in series and parallel to the axis of rotation; (c) at least six temperature sensors for sensing a temperature of the exterior surface at axially spaced apart points; and (d) a controller connected to the at least six heating elements and to the at least six temperature sensors for precisely sensing and controlling the temperature of the exterior surface at each of the axially spaced apart points.

Abstract: A floor standing and environmentally isolated external fusing module dockable with a first external module surround frame surrounding a xerographic toner image marking module is provided and includes (a) a fusing apparatus for receiving from the xerographic toner image marking module a copy sheet carrying an un-fused toner image thereon to heat and permanently fix the toner image onto the copy sheet; (b) a second external module surround frame for surrounding and isolating fusing volatiles from the fusing apparatus to prevent the fusing volatiles from contaminating an imageable surface and wire charging devices in the xerographic toner image marking module, the second external module surround frame having a second set of sheet-path interface and module-to-module docking devices for docking with the xerographic toner image marking module; and (c) floor standing casters mounted to a bottom of the second external module surround frame for movably supporting the floor standing and environmentally isolated externa

Abstract: A static eliminating container is provided for storing and supplying a quantity of solid phase-change ink pastilles. The static eliminating container includes (a) a closed end; (b) an open end opposite the closed end; (c) at least one cylindrical member connecting the closed end to the open end and having an interior surface defining a chamber for containing and frictionally moving the quantity of solid phase-change ink pastilles; and (d) static eliminating apparatus including (i) a conductive interior portion for contacting the quantity of solid phase change ink pastilles being contained and moved therein; (ii) a groundable conductive exterior portion; and (iii) a conductive connector for connecting the conductive interior portion to the groundable conductive exterior portion, thereby enabling dissipation of static build up from frictionally moving the quantity of solid phase-change ink pastilles within the interior chamber.

Abstract: A cleaning and spots blade lubricating apparatus and method, the apparatus for the method includes (a) a pre-clean charging device including a first bias having a first polarity; (b) a cleaning device having (1) a cleaning mode including a second bias having a second polarity opposite the first polarity, and (ii) a non cleaning mode including a third bias having a third polarity; (c) a spots blade for removing random spots from a moving photoreceptor surface being cleaned; and (d) a programmable controller connected to the pre-clean charging device and to the cleaning device for forming a lubricating residual toner stripe on a portion of the moving photoreceptor surface, the programmable controller intermittently and momentarily switching the cleaning device from the cleaning mode to the non-cleaning mode for forming the lubricating residual toner stripe.