Abstract: The present invention relates to printers and media fixing mechanisms such as fusers and management of fuser performance. An article, device, method, and system are provided in which the time to the fuser nip of a sheet of media may be calculated and may be compared to the fuser ramp time. When the fuser ramp time exceeds the time for the sheet of media to reach the fuser nip, the fuser may be turned on.

Abstract: An image forming system (210) includes an engine controller (60) and memory device (152) with a power supply (162) supporting a 220 volt, 120 volt or 100 volt level. A fuser control capability indicator (164) is read by the engine controller (60) in order to determine the fuse control capabilities supported by the power supply (162) and, in conjunction, with a geographic region indicator of the system (210), a determination is made as to the appropriate fuser control process to adopt based on the geographic region in which the system (210) is used.

Abstract: A system and method that controls the amount of energy accumulated at the collection location of a printing device to prevent image transfer or offsetting between sheets of stacked media, in particular, media of high thermal capacitance. This may be accomplished by regulating one or more of a combination of factors, including media process speed and sheet interval or pause time, while providing adequate fusing of the toner and an efficient printing operation.

Abstract: An improved laser printer is provided that keeps its fuser at a standby temperature that is somewhat raised above the ambient temperature, which allows the printer to operate more quickly (to begin printing the first page) when a print job arrives at the printer. The time needed to raise the fuser's temperature is minimized, so that other printer operations become the determining factor in the time to first print parameter. The electrical energy that energizes the fuser is provided in a form that prevents light flicker, by use of AC waveform phase control, or by use of integer half cycle control. The present invention uses closed-loop feedback control, and the type of controller is a PID controller.

Abstract: To protect a belt fuser (20) a weighted value for sheets being fused is assigned which is larger for smaller widths and larger for longer length. For standard width media a negative value is assigned. A first count is maintained until it reaches a first threshold, after which (operations 76 and 86), the printer is slowed to half speed, twice interpage gap interval and lower fuser temperature. A subsequent count is made of a second set of weighted values (action 62). In response to the second count the interpage gap interval is increased depending on the size of the count and the nature of the media. For example (Table 1), narrow and long media is fed 2 sheets at 30 ppm, then 3 sheets at 15 ppm by slowdown, then 5 sheets at 9 ppm by increasing the gap interval during slowdown and the remainder of such sheets are fed at 5 ppm by further increasing the gap interval. Very short envelopes and paper are fed 10 sheets at 10 ppm and the rest at 15 ppm by the slowdown.

Abstract: An electrophotographic printing apparatus which eliminates overheating of the fuser belt when narrow gauge print media is utilized is disclosed. In this apparatus, a detection means determines whether a sheet of narrow gauge recording medium is being fed into the printer. When it is, the fuser heater is deactivated turned to a present lower temperature or is turned off when the narrow gauge recording medium exits the fusing nip. A preferred apparatus additionally contains means which measures the temperature of the heater once it is deactivated at predetermined intervals and, for each measurement, determines the amount of time required to bring the heater back up to the optimum fusing temperature. The preferred embodiment also includes a means for determining the amount of time it will take for the next piece of print media to travel from its current position to the fuser nip.