Patents by Inventor Jiann H. Chen

Jiann H. Chen 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).

  • Patent number: 6168867
    Abstract: A fuser member having a support metallic core and an outer layer of material formed over the metallic core, the outer layer including composite material, including a silicone T-resin; a crosslinked poly(dialkylsiloxane), wherein the poly(dialkylsiloxane) has a weight average molecular weight before crosslinking of about 5,000 to 80,000; and an aryl silane crosslinking agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: NexPress Solutions LLC
    Inventors: Stephen V. Davis, Jiann H. Chen, Joseph M. Szostek
  • Patent number: 6146751
    Abstract: A fuser member which comprises a base member, a silicone elastomer cushion layer, a vinyl- and hydride-containing silane adhesive layer, and a fluoroelastomer layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Inventors: Jiann H. Chen, Jerry A. Pickering, William J. Staudenmayer
  • Patent number: 6127041
    Abstract: A fuser member having a support metallic core and a layer of material formed over the metallic core, the layer including composite material, including a silicone T-resin; a crosslinked poly(dialkylsiloxane) incorporating an oxide, wherein the poly(dialkylsiloxane) has a weight average molecular weight before crosslinking of about 5,000 to 80,000; and a silane crosslinking agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2000
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Joseph M. Szostek, Jiann H. Chen, Stephen V. Davis, Charles E. Hewitt
  • Patent number: 6113830
    Abstract: Coated fuser members such as a fuser roller, pressure roller, or fuser belt, and the method of making the coated fuser members are disclosed. The release coating comprises an outermost layer of fluoropolymer resin uniquely bonded to a fluoroelastomer layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2000
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann H. Chen, Richard J. Kosakowski, Gary F. Roberts, Roger H. Calendine
  • Patent number: 6114041
    Abstract: A fuser member having improved toner offset release and wear characteristics. The outermost layer comprises a fluoroelastomer with thermally conductive fillers which are surface treated with a coupling agent that is interactive with the fluoroelastomer and with a release agent which may, optionally, be used on the surface of the fluoroelastomer layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2000
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Biao Tan, Jiann H. Chen, Tonya D. Binga, Douglas B. Wilkins
  • Patent number: 6096427
    Abstract: A toner fuser belt for use with electrophotographic apparatus including a thermally conductive substrate through which heat is applied; a toner release layer formed over the substrate; and an adhesion promoting layer including an aliphatic cross-linked polyurethane which is stable at fusing temperatures provided between the substrate and the toner release layer and wherein the aliphatic cross-linked polyurethane is selected to provide good adhesion between the substrate and the toner release layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2000
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann H. Chen, Charles C. Anderson, Andy Tsou
  • Patent number: 6083676
    Abstract: A method of forming a protective overcoat on a photographic element including the steps of providing a photographic element having a silver halide light-sensitive emulsion layer; applying a hydrophobic polymeric coating over the silver halide light sensitive emulsion layer; fusing the hydrophobic polymeric coating to the photographic element over the silver halide light sensitive emulsion layer to form a protective overcoat; by passing the photographic element through a nip formed between a heated fuser belt having a resin made by curing a composition including siloxanes and a roller to fuse the hydrophobic polymeric coating to the photographic element, wherein the siloxanes having a ratio of difunctional to trifunctional units of 1:1 to 1:2.7 and at least 90% of total number of functional units in the siloxanes are difunctional and trifunctional units, a weight average molecular weight of 5,000 to 50,000 grams/mole, and an alkyl to aryl ratio of 1:0.1 to 1:1.2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2000
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann H. Chen, Stephen V. Davis
  • Patent number: 6041210
    Abstract: A toner fuser roller with suppressed electrostatic charge build-up for fixing a toner image to a receiver includes a core; and an overcoat layer formed over the core and defining the surface that contacts the receiver, such overcoat layer including electrically conductive powders having a weight percentage between about 30 to 80 weight percent so as to make the overcoat layer electrically conductive and suppress electrostatic charge build-up and improve thermal conductivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann H. Chen, Robert A. Lancaster, Andy H. Tsou, Charles C. Anderson
  • Patent number: 6020038
    Abstract: An adhesion layer disposed in a fuser member between an underlying base cushion layer and an outer release layer comprises the reaction product of vinyl- and hydride-containing polydimethylsiloxanes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2000
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann H. Chen, Jerry A. Pickering, William J. Staudenmayer
  • Patent number: 5998033
    Abstract: A fuser member having improved toner offset release and wear characteristics. The outermost layer comprises a fluoroelastomer with thermally conductive metal oxide fillers and a silane coupling agent that is interactive with the fluoroelastomer and with a release agent which may, optionally, be used on the surface of the fluoroelastomer layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Biao Tan, Jiann H. Chen, Tonya D. Binga, Douglas B. Wilkins
  • Patent number: 5991591
    Abstract: A fuser for fixing particulate imaging material to a receiver sheet, including a fuser roller and a pressure roller in contact with the fuser roller which engage each other at a fixing nip, wherein pressure is used in fixing the particulate imaging material to the receiver sheet; a supply of offset preventing oil with such offset preventing oil being adapted to react with the zirconia ceramic or its composites to prevent offset of the particulate imaging material; a metering roller in contact with the supply of offset preventing oil for wicking such offset preventing oil onto the surface of the metering roller. The method further includes a donor roller in contact with the metering roller and the fuser roller for receiving offset preventing oil from the metering roller and applying it to the surface of the fuser roller; and one of the rollers forming the fixing nip having a surface formed from zirconia ceramic or its composites which has a hardness greater than 12 GPa and toughness greater than 6 MPa.sqroot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann H. Chen, Dilip K. Chatterjee, Stephen V. Davis
  • Patent number: 5968704
    Abstract: A transfer support and a method for fusing a transferable toner image to a face of a digital disc. In the method, a transferable toner image is electrophotographically printed onto a transfer layer. The transfer layer has a surface energy insufficient to retain the transferable toner image against a peel force of greater than about 550 Newtons/meter. The transferable image is registered against the face of the digital disc to provide a transfer support-digital disc pair. The transferable image is fused to the face of the digital disc. Registry of the transferable image and the face of the digital disc is maintained during fusing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann H. Chen, Joseph A. Pavlisko, Muhammed Aslam
  • Patent number: 5960245
    Abstract: A fuser member having a support metallic core and an outer layer of material formed over the metallic core, the outer layer including composite material, having a crosslinkable poly(dialkylsiloxane) incorporating an oxide, wherein the poly(dialkylsiloxane) has a weight average molecular weight before crosslinking of about 1,000 to 90,000; one or more crosslinkable poly(siloxane) selected from the group consisting of poly(diarylsiloxane), poly(arylalkylsiloxanes) or mixtures thereof wherein the (diaryllsiloxane) or poly(arylalkylsiloxane) has a weight average molecular weight before crosslinking of about 1,000 to 90,000, a silicone T-resin; at least one silane crosslinking agents; and wherein the weight average molecular weight of the mixture of poly(dialkylsiloxane) and poly(siloxane) is about 5,000 to 80,000.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann H. Chen, Stephen V. Davis, Robert A. Lancaster
  • Patent number: 5956555
    Abstract: A toner fuser belt for use with electrophotographic apparatus including a thermally conductive substrate through which heat is applied; and a toner release layer formed over the substrate; and including an aliphatic cross-linked polyurethane which is stable at fusing temperatures and wherein the aliphatic cross-linked polyurethane is selected to provide good adhesion to the substrate, inorganic material selected to increase toner fuser belt durability and being in an amount 20 to 60 percent by volume of the toner release layer, and a lubricant which reduces surface energy to thereby promote toner release of the toner release layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann H. Chen, Charles C. Anderson, Andy H. Tsou
  • Patent number: 5941170
    Abstract: Apparatus for drying receiver sheets prior to such receiver sheets receiving electrophotographic images, including at least one set of preconditioning rotatable rollers with each preconditioning rotatable roller in the set touching an opposing preconditioning rotatable roller to form a nip, wherein at least one of the preconditioning rotatable rollers in the set is formed from zirconia ceramic or zirconia composite; and the apparatus heating at least one of the surfaces of the preconditioning rollers of the set to dry receiver sheets as each passes through the nip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Stephen V. Davis, Jiann H. Chen, Dilip K. Chatterjee
  • Patent number: 5935712
    Abstract: A fuser member having improved toner offset release and wear characteristics. The outermost layer comprises a fluoroelastomer with thermally conductive fillers which are surface treated with a coupling agent that is interactive with the fluoroelastomer and with a release agent which may, optionally, be used on the surface of the fluoroelastomer layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Biao Tan, Jiann H. Chen, Tonya D. Binga, William J. Staudenmayer
  • Patent number: 5906881
    Abstract: Coated fuser members such as a fuser roller, pressure roller, or fuser belt are coated with a release coating comprises an outermost layer of fluoropolymer resin powder directly bonded to an underlying fluoroelastomer layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann H. Chen, Richard J. Kosakowski, Gary F. Roberts, Roger H. Calendine
  • Patent number: 5853893
    Abstract: A toner fuser member having improved toner release properties comprises a substrate and an outermost layer comprising a cured fluoroelastomer that includes at least about 21 mole percent of hexafluoropropylene (HFP) and at least 10 parts per weight of a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of cupric oxide, plumbous oxide, and mixtures thereof. Applying to the outermost layer of the fuser member an effective amount of a polymethyldisiloxane (PDMS) release agent that, optionally, includes at least one functional group reactive with the fluoroelastomer, followed by incubation at an elevated temperature, produces a surface having enhanced toner release characteristics on the outermost layer. A process for forming a toner fuser member having improved toner release properties comprises forming on a substrate an outermost layer having the above-described composition of cured fluoroelastomer and metal oxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann H. Chen, Tonya D. Binga, William J. Staudenmayer
  • Patent number: 5851673
    Abstract: A toner fuser member having improved toner release properties comprises a substrate and an outermost layer comprising a cured fluoroelastomer that includes at least about 21 mole percent of hexafluoropropylene (HFP) and at least 10 parts per weight of a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of cupric oxide, plumbous oxide, and mixtures thereof. Applying to the outermost layer of the fuser member an effective amount of a polymethyldisiloxane (PDMS) release agent that, optionally, includes at least one functional group reactive with the fluoroelastomer, followed by incubation at an elevated temperature, produces a surface having enhanced toner release characteristics on the outermost layer. A process for forming a toner fuser member having improved toner release properties comprises forming on a substrate an outermost layer having the above-described composition of cured fluoroelastomer and metal oxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann H. Chen, Tonya D. Binga, William J. Staudenmayer
  • Patent number: 5846632
    Abstract: A transfer support and a method for fusing a transferable toner image to a face of a digital disc. In the method, a transferable toner image is electrophotographically printed onto a transfer layer. The transfer layer has a surface energy insufficient to retain the transferable toner image against a peel force of greater than about 550 Newtons/meter. The transferable image is registered against the face of the digital disc to provide a transfer support-digital disc pair. The transferable image is fused to the face of the digital disc. Registry of the transferable image and the face of the digital disc is maintained during fusing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jiann H. Chen, Joseph A. Pavlisko, Muhammed Aslam