Patents Assigned to NexPress Solutions LLC
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Patent number: 6625408Abstract: A photoconductive drum assembly and an optical writer used in an electrophotographic printer/copier share the same mechanical fiducials for positioning these subsystems within the printer/copier frame or housing. Preferably, a pair of mounting pins used to position and support the drum assembly in a printer frame is also used to position the optical writer. As a result of this mounting scheme, a tolerance stacking problem is reduced and each subsystem can be removed from the printer housing without disturbing the position of the other. Further, the need for a mechanism to retract the optical writer from the vicinity of the drum surface to facilitate drum removal is eliminated, thereby lowering cost and increasing reliability.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2000Date of Patent: September 23, 2003Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Donald C. Buch, Robert A. Bovenzi, Allison A. Cooper, Robert M. Peffer, Paul H. Tam, Jeffrey R. Ulreich
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Patent number: 6625403Abstract: Determining the operational life of Operator Replaceable Component (ORC) devices within a printer. A replacement history of the ORC device is used to predict the future life of a newly installed ORC device. The database management system of the invention provides tracking of the remaining lifetime of the ORC devices. As the system keeps track of the remaining life of the ORC devices, the system will prompt the operator when the ORC devices need to be replaced. Once replaced, the ORC device database is updated with the life span data of the ORC device that was replaced.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2001Date of Patent: September 23, 2003Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Richard Robert Tilney Carling, Thomas Leonard Schwartz, Kenneth Thomas Doty
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Patent number: 6625407Abstract: A cantilever drum-mounting apparatus adapted for use in a document printer/copier having a housing having: an opening therein; a carriage movably mounted within the opening and adapted to receive, retain and rotatably support an axle of a drum; and a plurality of guide mechanisms, rotatably mounted on the carriage and engageable with opposing outer surface of the housing, for limiting movement of the carriage to a direction substantially normal to the axis for drum rotation. Preferably, movement of the carriage is controlled by the actuator of an air cylinder that cooperates with one or more reference surfaces within the housing opening to locate the drum axle at a desired position.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2001Date of Patent: September 23, 2003Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: James D. Shifley, Gregory L. Kowalski, Andreas Dickhoff, Andreas G. Nagy
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Patent number: 6619653Abstract: An offset sheet stacker device for flexible sheet material (2), especially paper, with at least one deflection wheel (3) which has at least one receiving slot (4) which is located essentially tangentially, a sheet feed device (5) which discharges into at least one receiving slot (4) when it is in the receiving position (6), and a sheet delivery stop (7) in the area of the deflection wheel (3) which is opposite a receiving position (6), the wheel running in a recess (8) of said sheet delivery stop (7) and the latter lying in the sheet delivery position (17) at least on one side of said receiving slot (4). On one shaft (9) there are at least two deflection wheels (3) which have receiving slots (4) in identical positions and that the shaft (9) can be inclined relative to the transport direction (10) of the sheet feed device (5).Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2001Date of Patent: September 16, 2003Assignee: Nexpress Solutions LLCInventor: Dirk Dobrindt
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Patent number: 6619209Abstract: A process and printing machine for determining registration errors and correcting therefore. At least one first registration mark is applied onto a conveyor belt for transporting a sheet, and at least one second registration mark is applied onto the sheet adjacent to the first registration mark. The first registration mark and the second registration mark are detected, the distance between the first registration mark and the second registration mark is calculated, and the difference between the calculated distance and a distance without different speeds of the conveyor belt and the sheet (a target value) is calculated.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 2002Date of Patent: September 16, 2003Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Ingo Klaus Michael Dreher, Heiko Hunold, Patrick Metzler, Stefan Schrader
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Patent number: 6618571Abstract: Toner material is transferred from a locally charged imaging member to a printed material with a d.c. voltage applied onto an a.c. voltage having voltage peaks in the range of 6-8 kV with a duration of 0.5-1.5 &mgr;sec combined with it.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2002Date of Patent: September 9, 2003Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Gerhard Bartscher, Udo Dräger
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Patent number: 6615732Abstract: A method and apparatus for setting register on a multicolor printing machine (1) having color printing units (6, 6′, 6″, 6′″) assigned to various printing inks, at least one image cylinder (2, 2′, . . . ), image production equipment (3,3′, . . . ) for producing color separations (7, 7′, . . . ) on the at least one image cylinder (2, 2′, . . . ) and a carrier (4) for printing substrates (15). An assignment of the image production points (11, 11′, . . . ) on the at least one image cylinder (2, 2′, . . . ) is carried out in order to achieve coincidence of register between the color separations (7, 7′, . . . ) in the print, by both the production of the image starts (10) and the production of areas (10′, 10″, . . . , 10n) of the color separations (7, 7′, . . . ) set on the basis of the print and the evaluation of register marks (9, 9′, 9″, 9′″).Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 2001Date of Patent: September 9, 2003Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Heiko Hunold, Patrick Metzler
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Patent number: 6611670Abstract: A fusing apparatus for heat fixing toner images onto a receiver medium. The apparatus includes a fuser member including an elastomeric contact surface; a pressure member forming a fusing nip to receive the receiver medium; a heater member including a conformable base cushion layer and an outer polymeric layer disposed over the base cushion layer, the heater member being in contact with the fuser and external thereto; and a radiant heat subsystem positioned externally of the heater member to provide heat to the surface of the first heater member which then contacts the fuser member so as to transfer heat thereto. The heater member is adapted to controllably exert pressure on the fuser member in order to controllably transfer heat to the fuser member, thereby providing control over the fusing capabilities of an eletrophotographic process.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2001Date of Patent: August 26, 2003Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Jiann Hsing Chen, Andrew Ciaschi, Joseph A. Pavlisko, Robert A. Lancaster, James H. Hurst, Charles E. Hewitt, Nataly Boulatnikov
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Patent number: 6611666Abstract: A method and apparatus for a single densitometer design that is used for all colors within multiple color image processing system. The preferred embodiment employs an LED having a light adjustment mechanism for controlling the amount of light received by a light detector in the densitometer. The coarse light adjustment is provided through a variable aperture. Fine light adjustment is accomplished through controlling the current through the LED, either by a potentiometer or through an automated process. Preferably, each of the LEDs is selected by wavelength to maximize the absorption by the colorant yielding light roughly complimentary to the colorant. The adjustment circuit provides advantage in color printing systems by allowing duplicate versions of the same densitometer circuit to yield similar voltage outputs for different colorants, thereby compensating for different absorption characteristics and light output of different colored LEDs.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2001Date of Patent: August 26, 2003Assignee: Nexpress Solutions LLCInventors: Matthias H. Regelsberger, Richard G. Allen, William A. Hameister, Bradley A. Twait
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Patent number: 6611345Abstract: Determining the position of a sheet pile (1, 12) having faces (2) and edges (3) is achieved by at least one defined illumination zone (5, 5′, 5″) produced on the sheet pile (1, 12) by diverging beams (4), and at least two boundaries (6, 6′, 6″, 6′″, 6″″, 6′″″) of at least one illumination zone (5, 5′, 5″) are detected and used to determine the position of the sheet pile (1, 12). A device is correspondingly configured with at least one illumination system (9, 9′) and at least one receiver (7, 7′). A positioning system (10) is additionally fitted with a controller (11) in order to bring the sheet pile (1, 12) from the determined actual position (20) into its desired position (21).Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2000Date of Patent: August 26, 2003Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLCInventor: Wolfgang Luxem
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Patent number: 6608986Abstract: A digital printing or copying machine (1), and a process which can be carried out with it, for one-sided or double-sided printing of a substrate (5) using at least one toner are proposed. The machine (1) includes at least one fixing device (3) for fixing of a toner image (29) on the substrate (5), having at least one heater (21, 23) for melting the toner image (29), past which the substrate (5) can be guided by a transport device (11) which has one or more transport elements (29, 63 to 71). The machine (1) is characterized in that the heater (21, 23) has at least two melt areas (31, 33, 43 to 47) on the substrate (5) which viewed in the substrate transport direction (15) are arranged in succession and laterally offset to one another.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2001Date of Patent: August 19, 2003Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Gerhard Bartscher, Gerald Erik Hauptmann, Frank-Michael Morgenweck, Kai-Uwe Preissig, Peter-Alexander Püschner, Domingo Rohde
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Patent number: 6608987Abstract: A machine for application and fixation of curable toner through a substrate and a method for printing and/or coating a substrate, especially paper or cardboard. The method includes the use of at least one curable toner in which at least one toner layer or at least one image having a toner layer is transferred to the substrate and fixed on it, the toner being a UV curable toner having at least one polymer that is exposed to UV (ultraviolet) radiation for crosslinking of its polymer chain. The degree of melting of the toner layer being fixed being controlled as a function of the desired luster.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2001Date of Patent: August 19, 2003Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Gerhard Bartscher, Domingo Rohde, Detlef Schulze-Hagenest
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Patent number: 6608641Abstract: A printer for printing color toner images on a receiver member of any of a variety of textures. The printer has a number of tandemly arranged electrophotographic image-forming modules respectively including a plurality of imaging subsystems to form a colored toner image transferred to a receiver member, the transfer of toner images from each of the modules forming a color print of the receiver member which is fused to form a desired color print. The image quality of the color print is produced by control of nonoperational co-optimization of fusing parameters and imaging subsystem parameters enabling printing on the variety of textures of receiver member.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2002Date of Patent: August 19, 2003Assignee: Nexpress Solutions LLCInventors: Peter Steven Alexandrovich, Richard George Allen, Muhammed Aslam, Jiann-Hsing Chen, Diane M. Herrick, Robert Arthur Lancaster, Yee Seung Ng, Joseph A. Pavlisko, Hwai-Tzuu Tai, Thomas Nathaniel Tombs
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Patent number: 6605399Abstract: A photoconductive sleeved primary image-forming member roller for use in an electrophotographic machine comprising a central member including a rigid cylindrical core member and a compliant layer formed on the core member; and a flexible, replaceable, removable, photoconductive sleeve member in the form of an endless tubular belt that surrounds and nonadhesively intimately contacts the central member.Type: GrantFiled: October 22, 2002Date of Patent: August 12, 2003Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Arun Chowdry, Steven Cormier, Dennis Grabb, Diane M. Herrick, John W. May, Edward T. Miskinis, Michel F. Molaire, Biao Tan, Thomas N. Tombs
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Patent number: 6604566Abstract: A laminator member for color proofing comprising a belt substrate; and a surface layer, said surface layer comprising: a polyamic-imide organic polymer binder; a fluorinated resin polymer; and a perfluoroalkylsubstituted fluororesin-reactive compound having the formula: where R5 is H or F; Q is OH, SiR6R7R8; R6, R7, and R8 being independently selected from the group consisting of Cl, OH, an alkyl group containing 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group containing 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, an acyloxy group containing 2 to about 4 carbon atoms, and an amino group containing 0 to about 4 carbon atoms; and n is an integer from 1 to about 15; with the proviso that, at least one of R6, R7, and R8 is Cl, OH, or an alkoxy, acyloxy, or amino group; and wherein said surface layer is adhered to said belt substrate by the polyamide-imide polymer binder.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 1999Date of Patent: August 12, 2003Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Jiann-Hsing Chen, Biao Tan, Joseph A. Pavlisko, Robert A. Lancaster, Craig M. Cody
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Publication number: 20030148205Abstract: A particulate toner composition comprises a dry blend of a low viscosity polymeric particulate toner component having a first selected melt viscosity and a first selected melt elasticity, and a high viscosity polymeric particulate toner component having a second selected melt viscosity and a second selected melt elasticity. The first and second melt viscosities and first and second melt elasticities are each selected so as to produce a lower variation in measured G60 gloss values as a function of fusing temperature for fused images formed from the dry blend toner composition than the corresponding variation in measured G60 gloss values for fused images formed from the low viscosity polymeric toner component of the composition.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 1, 2002Publication date: August 7, 2003Applicant: NexPress Solutions LLCInventor: Peter S. Alexandrovich
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Publication number: 20030139982Abstract: An inventory management system and method that allows an operator to manage an inventory for a system that has at least one piece of serviceable equipment with a plurality of replaceable components, wherein each of the replaceable components has an expected lifetime based on a predetermined criteria which the inventory management system observes via an inventory tracking system that uses parameters of expected use and predicted remaining life of the replaceable components to determine and manage the inventory.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 20, 2001Publication date: July 24, 2003Applicant: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Thomas Leonard Schwartz, Domenick Vitulli, Richard Robert Tilney Carling
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Patent number: 6595518Abstract: A three-way diverter having two paper guide elements which, in the area of the fork in the paper running paths, are pivotably arranged upstream of the dividing points of the paper running paths in such a way that, in a first position, they connect the access to the central outlet and, as a result of one of the paper guide elements in each case being pivoted into a second or third position, one of the outer outlets for the paper run is opened and the other outlets are blocked. The access has a funnel-like taper in the paper running direction and, downstream of the taper of the access, there are on both sides depressions which are sufficiently large that, in the second or third position, they accommodate both leading ends of the paper guide elements such that the latter lie to one side of the paper run.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2001Date of Patent: July 22, 2003Assignee: Nexpress Solutions LLCInventor: Dirk Dobrindt
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Publication number: 20030135431Abstract: An inventory management system and method that allows an operator to manage an inventory for a system that has at least one piece of serviceable equipment with a plurality of replaceable components, wherein each of the replaceable components has an expected lifetime based on a predetermined criteria which the an inventory management system observes via an inventory tracking system that uses parameters of expected use and predicted remaining life of the replaceable components to determine to manage the inventory.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 20, 2001Publication date: July 17, 2003Applicant: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Thomas Leonard Schwartz, Richard Robert Tilney Carling
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Patent number: 6592119Abstract: The invention concerns a stack height determination mechanism (25) for a stack (1) consisting of flat material (2) with at least one sensor (3) to determine stack height and a stack height control mechanism. Exact determination of the stack height, especially in order to exactly position the stack for the next delivery of material (2), is achieved in that a flat element (4) to determine the height of the stack (1) is brought into a bearing position (5) on the stack and that this bearing position (5) is determined by at least one sensor (3).Type: GrantFiled: May 7, 2001Date of Patent: July 15, 2003Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLCInventors: Uwe Hermann Goldbeck, Dirk Dobrindt