Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm William A. Henry, II
  • Light blocking ion charging apparatus
    Patent number: 5655186
    Abstract: A charging apparatus that prevents fogging due to light generated by a corona source. The charging apparatus includes two offset reference electrodes lying in separate horizontal planes or a light eclipsing element positioned between a corona source and an electrode member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1997
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald E. Godlove, Robert W. Gundlach, Richard F. Bergen
  • Vacuum transport apparatus
    Patent number: 5608511
    Abstract: A prefuser vacuum transport apparatus that increases the latitude of sheet acquisition includes at least one perforated belt entrained around a vacuum plenum to provide a limited drive force on sheets being driven by the vacuum transport apparatus. The vacuum plenum includes a vacuum port surface having a profile that is contoured to follow the profile of the stiffest sheet to be transported with the maximum specified curl. The belt follows the port surface contour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1997
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: David M. Attridge
  • Three piece tape bound hard cover books
    Patent number: 5605425
    Abstract: A method for assembling hard cover books with a tape bound cover includes the steps of: providing front and rear hard covers; placing a book block between the front and rear covers; adhering a flexible spine member having an adhesive on one surface thereof to the front and rear hard covers and spine portion of the book block; and adhering an inner leaf sheet to inside surfaces of the front and rear hard covers and outside surfaces of the book block, thereby completing a bound hard cover book.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1997
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Barbara J. Schaefer
  • Cross roll registration deskew based on paper weight
    Patent number: 5601283
    Abstract: A sheet handler for deskewing and registering sheets en route to a processing station in an image processing apparatus includes cross rolls that drive each copy sheet against a registration edge for deskewing purposes. The angle of a driven one of the cross rolls with respect to the registration edge is adjusted, as well as, its speed varied based on the output of a sheet weight detector to a controller that controls pivotal movement of the driven cross roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Timothy S. Pinckney
  • System for controlling the motion of fused or unfused copy sheets entering a fuser nip
    Patent number: 5600424
    Abstract: A fuser roll nip sheet sensing scheme detects the torque spike of a fuser roll motor when paper is entering the nip region and uses that spike to signal a speed change to the motor to thereby control the motion of the paper. The nip sheet sensing scheme is used for paper position/timing and for single pass duplex fusing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1997
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Michael A. Malachowski
  • Apparatus for charging a film on the internal surface of a drum
    Patent number: 5587584
    Abstract: A scorotron charging unit for charging Verde film residing on the inner surface of an imagesetter drum has a charging region that encompasses a 270.degree. sector of the drum. The scorotron is fashioned by attaching a metallic strip coronode having a sawtooth edge around a section of pipe. Each tooth of the sawtooth strip is bent to an angle of about 90.degree. with respect to the surface of the pipe. This pipe is slipped inside another pipe that includes a slit for the passage of ions in the direction of the Verde film, thus forming a scorotron. The scorotron while sliding through the drum holding this film, charges the film to sensitize it for imaging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1996
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Richard F. Bergen
  • Pivotal bi-directional decurler
    Patent number: 5565971
    Abstract: A pivotal, bi-directional decurler that changes sheet bending direction from an away from image to a toward image direction includes a decurler support structure that is mounted for bi-directional movement by a cam mechanism. A belt member is entrained around two support rollers that are supported by the decurler support structure with an unsupported span between the rollers. A pinch roll is adapted to form a nip with the unsupported span of the belt to provide away from image bending of copy sheets when the cam mechanism is rotated into a first position. An elastomer coated rotating shaft positioned downstream of the away from image nip cooperates with a bending baffle when the cam mechanism is rotated into a second position to provide toward image bending of copy sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1996
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Youti Kuo, James F. Smoak, Curtis Arline, Jr.
  • Shock mount frame for copiers
    Patent number: 5560313
    Abstract: A shock mounting assembly for attaching a copier/printer to shock mounts aboard a vessel. The assembly includes two steel supporting members attached to the base of the copier/printer that are easily and quickly screwed into two nonparallel shock mount frames with four jack screws to raise the copier/printer off its casters and restrain it in a fixed position. The four jack screws make detachment from the shock mount assembly a simple and time efficient process for repairmen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1996
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Charles R. Brewer, III, Douglas W. Gates
  • Decurler apparatus for reducing cross curl in sheets
    Patent number: 5555083
    Abstract: A decurler for reducing cross curl in sheets includes at least one grooved elastomer transport belt and a ribbed pinch shaft. The ribs of the decurler shaft extend into the grooves in the belt to provide one-sided corrugations to a passing sheet and provide distributed localized bending of the copy sheet in the area of the belt grooves. Distributed local bending in the cross direction, as well as, in the wrap in the process direction around the ribbed decurler shaft provide cross curl reduction in the process direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1996
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Youti Kuo, James F. Smoak
  • Vacuum transport apparatus
    Patent number: 5548388
    Abstract: A limited drive force prefuser vacuum transport apparatus includes at least two sets of belts entrained around a vacuum plenum to provide a limited drive force on sheets being driven by the vacuum transport apparatus. One set of the belts is deliberately driven at a lower speed than the other of the at least two sets of belts in order to maintain the ability of limited slip of sheets on the vacuum belt transport, thus accommodating speed variations among components of a copier/printer including a photoreceptor, paper transport and fuser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1996
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Richard A. Schieck
  • Two step, large latitude, stalled roll registration system
    Patent number: 5543909
    Abstract: A stalled roll registration method and apparatus used as the sole timing adjustment in a paper path includes a clutch or motor driven registration nip, a buckle chamber and two sensors. After a sheet reaches a sensor upstream of the registration nip, the sheet lead edge advances a fixed distance into the stalled registration nip in order to buckle a known amount. Afterwards, the registration nip advances the deskewed sheet until a second sensor downstream of the registration nip is reached. The registration nip then stops, allowing the sheet to form an upstream buckle. This second buckle can be large since the lead edge is constrained by the registration nip. Therefore, large timing variations between sheet locations and image locations can be accommodated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 6, 1996
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Lisbeth S. Quesnel
  • Edge raggedness and background removal by post development member
    Patent number: 5539506
    Abstract: An apparatus for removing the edge raggedness and background toner level of, for example, tri-level images by reestablishing the images and cleaning fields of the first developed image with a closely spaced electrode. The toner is redistributed by electrical and/or mechanical forces which leads to the removal of edge raggedness and background toner before transfer of the tri-level images to a copy sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 23, 1996
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Lloyd F. Bean, Victor Berko-Boateng
  • Edge raggedness and background removal by post development member
    Patent number: 5532092
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing the edge raggedness and background toner level of, for example, tri-level images by reestablishing the images and cleaning fields of the first developed image with a closely spaced electrode. The toner is redistributed by electrical and/or mechanical forces which leads to the removal of edge raggedness and background toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1996
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Lloyd F. Bean, Victor Berko-Boateng
  • Post transfer corrugator
    Patent number: 5519477
    Abstract: A device that addresses the problem of substrate distortion created by a fuser nip being transmitted back to a transfer nip includes a post transfer corrugator that introduces a non-image side protrusion in the substrate path between the transfer zone and the fuser zone. The post transfer corrugator forces the substrate to flatten out any distortion caused by the fuser/nip and prevents this distortion from entering the transfer zone. The corrugator also supports the substrate so as to increase the wrap angle of the substrate around an electrostatic member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1996
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Conrad J. Bell, Alan B. Amidon
  • Stack height sensing machanism
    Patent number: 5518230
    Abstract: An active stack height sensing mechanism that operates through a cam off a disc stacker which performs one cycle per sheet stacked. After a sheet is stacked, a stack height clamp contacts the stack and stops. If the stack height is too low or within a predetermined range, a flag attached to the clamp will block a light beam path between an emitter and receiver and trip the stack height sensor. If the stack height is too high, the stack height sensor will not be made indicating that the stacker should be indexed down.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1996
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Richard F. Scarlata, Jose J. Soler, W. Bradford Willard
  • Multi-gate tandem decurler
    Patent number: 5515152
    Abstract: A decurler apparatus in a machine changes sheet bending direction away from image (AI) to toward image (TI) direction by use of tandem gates and bending baffles to direct copy papers to different decurling paths to reduce copy curl. A controller automatically determines the optimum decurling path for an individual copy paper according to sensor inputs derived from the paper basis weight, color layers, image area coverage and relative humidity. An operator control feature is included that allows operators to reduce output curl of out-of-specification papers through push-buttons on a machine control panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 7, 1996
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Youti Kuo
  • Curl detection through pneumatic acquisition sensing
    Patent number: 5454556
    Abstract: A machine includes a scheme for detecting the level of curl in sheets in a stack by measuring the time it takes to acquire a sheet with a bottom corrugation vacuum feeder (BVCF). A vacuum switch changes state at a preset vacuum level thereby detecting any significant rise in vacuum which occurs when a sheet has been acquired by the BCVF. A digital control circuit senses the change of state which takes place in the vacuum switch and feeds a signal to the machine's microprocessor which in turn signals an air knife in the BVCF to increase or decrease air pressure toward the sheet stack to compensate for the stressed state of the sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 3, 1995
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Robert P. Siegel
  • 90 degree paper feed transition module
    Patent number: 5449165
    Abstract: A transition module adapted to accept copy sheet input from an input feeder short edge first and feed the copy sheets long edge first to the main paper path of a processing apparatus. The transition module includes a belt-on-belt transport to move copy sheets into the transition module from, for example, the output of a third party feeder. The sheets are fed to the belt-on-belt transport and driven against a registration edge. The belts are continuously running and provide enough drive force to move the sheets to the registration edge, but not enough to overdrive the sheets or cause buckling. Once each sheet is registered, double `D` rolls are activated for one revolution to pull the sheet from the belts and feed it to an exit nip located downstream from the `D` rolls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1995
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Raymond A. Naramore
  • Gateless rocker inverter
    Patent number: 5449160
    Abstract: A gateless rocker inverter for reversing the lead and trail edges of a sheet includes two idler roll and drive roll nip pairs with the drive rolls continuously rotating in opposite directions. The idler rolls are attached to two ends of a coupler of a four-bar linkage which opens and closes the nips in sequence, first to drive the sheet forward and subsequently to drive the sheet in a reverse direction out of the inverter for duplexing purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1995
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Ssujan Hou, Lam F. Wong, Lisbeth S. Quesnel, Paul J. DeGruchy
  • Full productivity high performance inverter
    Patent number: 5449163
    Abstract: A full productivity, high performance inverter apparatus includes a sheet input nip, a sheet output nip, a reversing roll nip downstream of the input and output nips, and adjustable interleaving baffles for guiding sheets of a wide variety of lengths between the input nip, output nip, and the reversing nip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1995
    Inventors: Lam F. Wong, Russell J. Sokac, Lisbeth S. Quesnel