Abstract: Disclosed is a slide-in formatter which can be installed in an image forming device such as a laser printer or a fax machine. The image forming device is fitted with a card cage on an interior side of the device housing. A formatter receiving slot is formed in the housing, adjacent to the card cage, extending from the exterior of the housing to its interior. The card cage includes a pair of opposing receiving rails positioned to receive and hold the side edges of formatter board. Suitable mating electrical connectors are attached to both the slide-in formatter board and the card cage which will complete an electrical connection between the slide-in formatter and the internal components of the image forming device.

Abstract: There is provided an arrangement within an electrophotographic printer that helps reduce deformation in the media by ensuring that the media remains under a constant tension. The arrangement uses a first roller for moving the media through the electrophotographic printer at a given linear velocity. A second roller, placed after the first roller, also moves the media through the electrophotographic printer. However, the second roller has a variable linear velocity, where the variable linear velocity having a maximum linear velocity that is greater than the first roller's linear velocity. Power is applied to the second roller through a clutch. When the maximum amount of power is being applied to the second roller, the clutch limits the variable linear velocity to that of the first roller's linear velocity. Thus, the clutch limits the variable velocity when the media is under a known tension, wherein the known tension is constant in the media while the media moves through the electrophotographic printer.

Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus for conveying the size of a media to a printing system. The apparatus is constructed from a tray that has several receiving positions, one position for each size of media. A plurality of conductive strips are attached to the top of the tray. Additionally, the conductive strips are arranged to be in contact with the printing system when the tray is inserted in the printing system. An insulating label is placed over the conductive strips. The insulating label has a unique pattern of holes for each of the receiving positions in the tray. Finally there is a back-stop attached to the tray in one of the receiving positions. The back-stop attaches over the label and has connections on the bottom of the back-stop arranged to make electrical contact through the unique pattern of holes with the conductive strips.

Abstract: In the typical fuser, the pressure roller is end mounted to the fuser assembly. Such a mounting creates a higher pressure on the ends of the roller. By removing deformable material from the ends, the pressure across the pressure roller can be equalized. An improved fuser assembly allows for the removal of the deformable material from the ends of the compliant hard fusing pressure roller. The improved fuser consists of the standard components of a fuser, namely a heated fuser roller and one or more pressure rollers. The pressure roller is constructed with a shaft on which a deformable material such as silicone rubber is formed around. A hard outer shell is then placed around the deformable material. The hard outer shell is longer than the deformable material thereby allowing the overall durometer hardness of the pressure roller to vary along the axis.

Abstract: An input roller pushes the media through the electrophotographic device at a given linear velocity. An output roller pulls the media through the electrophotographic device after the media leaves the input roller. The output roller has a linear velocity greater then the input roller's linear velocity. In-between the input and output rollers is a variable media path having an arcuate shape. A compressible media guide is placed along the concave side of the variable media path. As the media is pulled faster by the output roller, the variable media path decreases. The compressible media guide begins to compress thereby creating a constant tension in the media as it passes through the electrophotographic device. By keeping the media under a constant pressure, the likelihood of deformations is greatly reduced.

Abstract: A compliant hard fusing pressure roller for reducing media curl and wave in electrophotographic printers as part of an improved fuser apparatus. The improved fuser consists of the standard components of a fuser, namely of a heated fuser roller and one or more pressure rollers. The pressure roller is constructed with a central rotation shaft with a cylindrical deformable material such as silicone rubber is formed around the central rotation shaft. However, a cylindrical hard outer shell is formed around the deformable material. The compliant hard pressure roller exerts a tangential force toward the fuser roller. Because the outer hard shell of the compliant hard pressure roller is formed from a malleable type material, it provides some compliance and therefor deforms slightly from roundness for small, sharp errors in the fuser roller or media.

Abstract: A tent formed of a plurality of mechanically interconnected but pneumatically separate, elongate inflatable tubes defining the perimeter of the tent structure for being separately inflated and a plurality of valves pneumatically connected to respective separately-inflatable tube for inflating the tubes. A plurality of wall panels are suspended from and between the tubes to define the enclosure of the tent whereby the tubes define a support structure exterior to the enclosure of the tent.

Abstract: A resonant frequency reciprocating print bar drive mechanism having print bar assembly mass 12 and counterweight 13 held in spaced relationship to each other by first and second leaf springs 16 and 17, which are of equal flexural stiffness. Drive solenoid 14 is mounted between the first and second springs 16 and 17, for inducing reciprocal oscillation between print bar 12 and counterweight 13. The print bar assembly, counterweight and spring assembly is itself suspended as a single unit from perimeter frame 11 by suspension springs 15. Suspension springs 15 have a much lower spring rate than that of leaf springs 16 and 17, and, as a result, the print bar assembly 12 and counterweight 13 will reciprocally oscillate, relative to each other, at a single resonant frequency.

Abstract: A ribbon shield for a dot matrix printer which is comprised of a step contoured recessed cavity such that the ribbon sequentially wipes against an upper edge, a lower edge, towards the paper, the other lower edge and the other upper edge and the ink removed accumulates in the cavity whereby it is restrained from flowing onto the paper.

Abstract: A mount is provided for electrolytic capacitors, the mount being in the form of a ring having an internal shoulder portion. On the opposite end of the mount from the end on which the shoulder portion is located is a groove containing a compressible O-ring. When the capacitor is inserted in the mount with its terminals extending downwardly to the surface of a circuit board, the top edge of the capacitor can rest on the shoulder of the ring mount. Screws are inserted from the opposite side of the circuit board and engage the terminals. Upon being tightened, the capacitor can is drawn downwards bringing the end of the capacitor can into firm engagement with the ring mount and causing it to compress the O-ring so as to provide a seal between the O-ring and the surface of the circuit board.