Patents by Inventor Richard C. Benton

Richard C. Benton 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: 7890037
    Abstract: A plurality of stripper fingers in a fuser assembly are provided to assist in preventing damage to the fuser roll caused by prior art fingers. In the present invention, skiis are positioned away back from the tip of the stripper finger. These skiis extend beyond the lower surface of the stripper finger and are enabled to lift the tip away from the fuser surface during a paper jam or hard stripping situation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth R. Rasch, Paul M. Fromm, Richard C. Benton
  • Patent number: 7570912
    Abstract: Washers are used for a pressure roll in a fusing system of an electrophotographic system that improve the functionality and durability of the pressure roll. These washers are made up of a rigid ring section having flexible (less rigid) fingers projecting from the inner periphery of the ring. This provides a more uniform pressure to be exerted in the pressure roll and, consequently, a more uniform nip for better handling and fusing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Paul M Fromm, Richard C Benton
  • Publication number: 20090180819
    Abstract: A plurality of stripper fingers in a fuser assembly are provided to assist in preventing damage to the fuser roll caused by prior art fingers. In the present invention, skiis are positioned away back from the tip of the stripper finger. These skiis extend beyond the lower surface of the stripper finger and are enabled to lift the tip away from the fuser surface during a paper jam or hard stripping situation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2008
    Publication date: July 16, 2009
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenneth R. Rasch, Paul M. Fromm, Richard C. Benton
  • Patent number: 7483667
    Abstract: Washers are used for a pressure roll in a fusing system of an electrophotographic system that improve the functionality and durability of the pressure roll. These washers are made up of a rigid ring section having flexible (less rigid) fingers projecting from the inner periphery of the ring. This provides a more uniform pressure to be exerted in the pressure roll and, consequently, a more uniform nip for better handling and fusing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Paul M. Fromm, Richard C. Benton
  • Publication number: 20080286019
    Abstract: Washers are used for a pressure roll in a fusing system of an electrophotographic system that improve the functionality and durability of the pressure roll. These washers are made up of a rigid ring section having flexible (less rigid) fingers projecting from the inner periphery of the ring. This provides a more uniform pressure to be exerted in the pressure roll and, consequently, a more uniform nip for better handling and fusing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Publication date: November 20, 2008
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Paul M. Fromm, Richard C. Benton
  • Patent number: 6968606
    Abstract: An assembly has a frame that defines at least one opening and a subsystem that is movable relative to the frame. At least one slide connects the subsystem to the frame such that the weight of the subsystem transmits a force to the slide. The slide includes at least one projection that extends through the at least one opening in the frame. At least one urging member biases the projection to at least partially counter the force transmitted to the slide by the weight of the subsystem. At least one docketing pin slides into at least one docking hole with minimal vertical load on the docking hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Paul M. Fromm, Richard C. Benton
  • Patent number: 6782228
    Abstract: Media removal apparatus having a stripper finger structure for separating the lead edge of an imaging media such as plain paper from a heated fuser roll and a stripper baffle for separating the portion of the imaging media beyond the lead edge of the imaging media from the heated fuser roll. The stripper finger structure is supported for movement between a home or standby position and an active position, with the finger tips in constant contact with the heated fuser roll, for effecting separation of the media's lead edge from the heated fuser roll. Likewise, the stripper baffle structure is supported for movement between home or standby positions to its active position where it effects separation of a portion of the imaging media beyond its lead edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth R. Rasch, Paul M. Fromm, Stephen D. Cipolla, Erwin Ruiz, Gregory P. Miller, David R. Kamprath, Richard C. Benton
  • Publication number: 20040151521
    Abstract: Media removal apparatus having a stripper finger structure for separating the lead edge of an imaging media such as plain paper from a heated fuser roll and a stripper baffle for separating the portion of the imaging media beyond the lead edge of the imaging media from the heated fuser roll. The stripper finger structure is supported for movement between a home or standby position and an active position, with the finger tips in constant contact with the heated fuser roll, for effecting separation of the media's lead edge from the heated fuser roll. Likewise, the stripper baffle structure is supported for movement between home or standby positions to its active position where it effects separation of a portion of the imaging media beyond its lead edge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2003
    Publication date: August 5, 2004
    Applicant: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth R. Rasch, Paul M. Fromm, Stephen D. Cipolla, Erwin Ruiz, Gregory P. Miller, David R. Kamprath, Richard C. Benton
  • Patent number: 6640059
    Abstract: In an apparatus, such as a fuser for xerographic printing, wherein sheets pass through a nip formed by two moving rollers, a substantially enclosed, effectively funnel-shaped path is defined to direct sheets from the nip to a subsequent processing station. When a jam condition occurs in the path, a movable surface defining the path moves to increase a size of the path. The increase in size prevents impaction of subsequent sheets entering the path, and also facilitates manual jam clearance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2003
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Paul M. Fromm, Richard C. Benton
  • Publication number: 20030118357
    Abstract: In an apparatus, such as a fuser for xerographic printing, wherein sheets pass through a nip formed by two moving rollers, a substantially enclosed, effectively funnel-shaped path is defined to direct sheets from the nip to a subsequent processing station. When a jam condition occurs in the path, a movable surface defining the path moves to increase a size of the path. The increase in size prevents impaction of subsequent sheets entering the path, and also facilitates manual jam clearance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2001
    Publication date: June 26, 2003
    Applicant: Xerox Corporation.
    Inventors: Paul M. Fromm, Richard C. Benton
  • Patent number: 6490428
    Abstract: In a fuser for xerographic printing, stripper fingers remove the print sheet from a fuser roll. Each stripper finger is a thin member which is urged against the fuser roll with a spring force caused by deformation of the stripper finger against the roll. Each stripper finger is mounted on a mount which is itself springably urged against a stop, so that the spring force of the stripper finger is largely independent of the spring force associated with the mount. The arrangement enables design latitude in choosing spring forces associated with the stripper finger and the mount, and also enables the stripper fingers to be moved away from damaging contact with a mis-stripped sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2002
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Paul M. Fromm, Richard C. Benton
  • Patent number: 5634188
    Abstract: A high capacity portable sheet cassette tray assembly for supporting and positioning a stack of sheets for feeding reliably, one at a time, in a sheet using machine. The high capacity cassette tray assembly includes a cassette frame for removing and reinstalling into a sheet supply station of the sheet using machine. The cassette frame has a front end over which sheets are fed into the machine, and forward feed corner snubbers that are mounted to the front end of the cassette frame. The high capacity cassette tray assembly also includes a liftable base plate mounted within the cassette frame for supporting a high capacity stack of sheets having a topmost sheet. Further, the high capacity cassette tray includes a constant angle parallelogram lifting assembly that has a rear end connected to the cassette frame, and a front end connected to the liftable base plate for lifting and supporting the base plate and a topmost sheet of a stack of sheets on the base plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1997
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Donald E. Johnston, Bruce A. Winship, Richard C. Benton
  • Patent number: 5519808
    Abstract: A transcription interface (10), connected to a general purpose digital computer (11) and a digital dictation recorder (20), for controlling various transcription functions and for automatically transferring information concerning dictation from the recorder (20) to an application program running on the digital computer (11). The recorder (20) generates a sequence of digitized dictation signals including a dictation segment and a digitized identification signal containing information corresponding to the dictation segment. The transcription interface (10) supplies an audio signal to an audio port (43) by converting the digital dictation signal to a signal that audibly reproduces the dictation for transcribing by a transcriptionist. The transcription interface (10) also formats the digitized identification signal to generate a message signal having a signal format compatible with the interface (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1996
    Assignee: Lanier Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard C. Benton, Jr., Scott G. Henion, John T. McKenna, II
  • Patent number: 5370381
    Abstract: A retard assembly for use in a friction retard separator feeder has a retard member, a support member for supporting the retard member, the retard assembly being mountingly engageable with a pivoting support frame for supporting the retard assembly at a first end of the pivot support frame and having a pivot point at its opposite end and substantially remote from the first end, the retard member support member having at least one mounting hub for mounting a locating pivot pin, which is engageable with the first end of the pivoting support frame, the retard member support member including at least one energy absorbing damping pad on the at least one mounting hub to absorb vibration of the retard pad between the retard member support member and the pivoting support frame when they are engaged, the energy absorbing damping pad being of a hardness sufficient to maintain an interference fit between the at least one mounting hub and the pivoting support frame to resist a permanent set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce A. Winship, Donald E. Johnston, Richard C. Benton
  • Patent number: 5163668
    Abstract: A retard assembly for use in a friction retard separator and feeder comprising a support member for supporting a retard member and a sheet entrance guide at the incoming end of the retard assembly having a substantially vertical portion and a substantially horizontal portion overlying the incoming guide entrance portion of the retard member in advance of the retard portion of the retard member, said sheet guide being vertically compliant and movable in said support member to enable a reduction in the spring rate in the entrance guide portion of the retard member to a level substantially below the level in the retard portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1992
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce A Winship, Donald E. Johnston, Richard C. Benton