SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPLEMENTING A SCHEME FOR COOLING, AND MINIMIZING CURL IN, OUTPUT IMAGE RECEIVING MEDIA SUBSTRATES IN IMAGE FORMING DEVICES

• US 20150220052A1
• Filed: 01/31/2014
• Published: 08/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: FROMM, Paul M., RUSSEL, Steven M., RUIZ, Erwin, FACCHINI, Charles T. II, DERLETH, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,176,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6576 Decurling of sheet material
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/20 Humidity or temperature control also ozone evacuation; Internal apparatus environment control
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/206 Conducting air through the machine, e.g. for cooling, filtering, removing gases like ozone

Abstract

A system and method are provided for cooling and de-curling output image receiving media substrates prior to stacking them in output trays of office-sized image forming devices. Customer requirements are met by providing a cooling capacity with a simple module that is particularly adaptable to a standard office-sized image forming device without increasing a vertical footprint of the device. The substrate de-curling and cooling capacity is able to be retrofit on typical office-sized image forming devices as, for example, an upgraded output catch tray to provide an all stocks at rated speed capacity in the image forming device. A substrate and de-curling unit cools sheets of image receiving media substrate via conduction by pressing the sheets individually and in order to a pair of rotating cooling drums with a pair of cooperating belts supported by appropriate idler rollers in a paper path having a horizontal “S” shape.

Claims

1. A substrate cooling unit for use with an image forming device, comprising:

a first cooling roll;

a first transport belt that is in contact with a portion of an outer surface of the first cooling roll to substantially sandwich individual sheets of image receiving media between the first cooling roll and the first transport belt with a first surface of the individual sheets of image receiving media facing the first roll;

a second cooling roll positioned downstream of the first cooling roll in a process direction;

a second transport belt that is in contact with a portion of an outer surface of the second cooling roll to substantially sandwich the individual sheets of image receiving media between the second cooling roll and the second transport belt with a second surface of the individual sheets of image receiving media facing the second roll; and

an air source that introduces a cooling air flow to an inner surface of the first cooling roll and the second cooling roll.

2. The substrate cooling unit of claim 1, an outer physical profile of the substrate cooling unit not exceeding an outer physical profile of an output catch tray for the image forming device when viewed from above the image forming device.

3. The substrate cooling unit of claim 1, the first cooling roll having a larger diameter than the second cooling roll.

4. The substrate cooling unit of claim 1, the air source being positioned substantially orthogonally to a transport path comprising the first cooling roll, the first transport belt, the second cooling roll and the second transport belt and introducing the cooling air flow substantially axially through the first cooling roll and the second cooling roll.

5. The substrate cooling device of claim 1, the air source comprising a plurality of individual air sources being mounted internally to the first cooling roll and second cooling roll and introducing the cooling air flow substantially radially to impinge on an inner surface of the first cooling roll and the second cooling roll.

6. The substrate cooling unit of claim 1, further comprising an image receiving media inlet through which the individual sheets of image receiving media pass to be deposited on the first transport belt, the image receiving media inlet being aligned with an outlet of the image forming device.

7. The substrate cooling unit of claim 6, further comprising an image receiving media outlet through which the individual sheets of image receiving media pass after being processed through a transport path comprising the first cooling roll, the first transport belt, the second cooling roll and the second transport belt in the substrate cooling unit.

8. The substrate cooling unit of claim 7, further comprising an output catch tray into which the individual sheets of image receiving media are deposited when exiting the image receiving media outlet.

9. The substrate cooling unit of claim 8, further comprising a processor that provides a selection of a flow of the individual sheets of image receiving media exiting the outlet of the image forming device.

10. The substrate cooling unit of claim 9, the selection of the flow of the individual sheets of image receiving media exiting the outlet of the image forming device being one of through the substrate cooling unit to the output catch tray or bypassing the substrate cooling unit and proceeding directly to the output catch tray.

11. The substrate cooling unit of claim 10, the selection of the flow of the individual sheets of image receiving media exiting the outlet of the image forming device being based on a manual input received from a user via a user interface.

12. The substrate cooling unit of claim 10, the selection of the flow of the individual sheets of image receiving media exiting the outlet of the image forming device being based on an automated routine according to stored properties of the image receiving media.

13. The substrate cooling unit of claim 1, at least one of the first cooling roll and the second curling roll comprising a heat dissipating surface.

14. The substrate cooling unit of claim 1, at least one of the first cooling roll and the second curling roll comprising a Peltier cooling component.

15. The substrate cooling unit of claim 1, at least one of the first cooling roll and the second curling roll including a plurality of heat sink components in the form of inwardly radially extending protrusions mounted to an internal surface of the at least one of the first cooling roll and the second cooling roll.

16. An image forming device, comprising:

an image marking unit; and

a substrate cooling unit, comprising;

a first cooling roll;

a first transport belt that is in contact with a portion of an outer surface of the first cooling roll to substantially sandwich individual sheets of image receiving media between the first cooling roll and the first transport belt with a first surface of the individual sheets of image receiving media facing the first roll;

a second cooling roll positioned downstream of the first cooling roll in a process direction and having a diameter that is smaller than a diameter of the first cooling roll;

a second transport belt that is in contact with a portion of an outer surface of the second cooling roll to substantially sandwich the individual sheets of image receiving media between the second cooling roll and the second transport belt with a second surface of the individual sheets of image receiving media facing the second roll; and

an air source that introduces a cooling air flow to an inner surface of the first cooling roll and the second cooling roll,

wherein an outer physical profile of the substrate cooling unit does not exceed an outer physical profile of an output catch tray for the image forming device when viewed from above the image forming device.

17. The image forming device of claim 16, the air source of the substrate cooling unit being positioned substantially orthogonally to a transport path comprising the first cooling roll, the first transport belt, the second cooling roll and the second transport belt and introducing the cooling air flow substantially axially through the first cooling roll and the second cooling roll.

18. The image forming device of claim 16, the air source of the substrate cooling unit comprising a plurality of individual air sources being mounted internally to the first cooling roll and second cooling roll and introducing the cooling air flow substantially radially to impinge on an inner surface of the first cooling roll and the second cooling roll.

19. The image forming device of claim 16, an image receiving media inlet for the substrate cooling unit being aligned with an outlet of the image forming device, an image receiving media outlet for the substrate cooling unit being positioned at an end of a transport path comprising the first cooling roll, the first transport belt, the second cooling roll and the second transport belt in a process direction, and an output catch tray being provided into which the individual sheets of image receiving media are deposited when exiting the image receiving media outlet,

the image forming device further comprising a processor that provides a selection of a flow of the individual sheets of image receiving media exiting the outlet of the image forming device to one of through the substrate cooling unit to the output catch tray or bypassing the substrate cooling unit and proceeding directly to the output catch tray,

the selection of the flow of the individual sheets of image receiving media exiting the outlet of the image forming device being based on one of (1) a manual input received from a user via a user interface, and (2) an automated routine according to stored properties of the image receiving media.

20. A method for cooling and de-curling individual sheets of image receiving media in an image forming device, comprising:

providing a substrate cooling unit with an image receiving media inlet for the substrate cooling unit being aligned with an outlet of the image forming device, the substrate cooling unit comprising;

a first cooling roll;

a first transport belt that is in contact with a portion of an outer surface of the first cooling roll to substantially sandwich individual sheets of image receiving media between the first cooling roll and the first transport belt with a first surface of the individual sheets of image receiving media facing the first roll;

a second cooling roll positioned downstream of the first cooling roll in a process direction and having a diameter that is smaller than a diameter of the first cooling roll;

a second transport belt that is in contact with a portion of an outer surface of the second cooling roll to substantially sandwich the individual sheets of image receiving media between the second cooling roll and the second transport belt with a second surface of the individual sheets of image receiving media facing the second roll; and

an air source that introduces a cooling air flow to an inner surface of the first cooling roll and the second cooling roll,

an outer physical profile of the substrate cooling unit not exceeding an outer physical profile of an output catch tray for the image forming device when viewed from above the image forming device.

marking and fixing an image on an individual sheet of image receiving media according to a marking operation in the image forming device;

determining, with a processor, a need for cooling and de-curling of the individual sheet of image receiving media based at least on one of a composition of the individual sheet of image receiving media and characteristics of the marking operation; and

passing the individual sheet of image receiving media to one of through the substrate cooling unit or bypassing the substrate cooling unit based on the determining.