Paper cooling apparatus for an electrophotographic printer

• US 5,008,716 A
• Filed: 10/05/1989
• Issued: 04/16/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Printing Solutions, Ltd. (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi KOKI Company Limited (Koki Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Onose, Tsukasa, Kikuchi, Yasuo, Seino, Minoru, Ogawa, Toshitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Braun, Fred L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARLOW JR, JOHN E
• Application Number:
  US07/417,621
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 355/308, 355/309, 355/322, 355/282, 355/291, 355/30, 34/18, 34/23, 226/97, 271/211, 271/216, 271/217, 271/309, 493/408, 493/438, 493/439, 493/450, 270/39
• US Class Current: 399/341
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/2003 using heat
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6526 Computer form folded [CFF] continuous web, e.g. having sprocket holes or perforations
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6552 Means for discharging uncollated sheet copy material, e.g. discharging rollers, exit trays
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00421 Discharging tray, e.g. devices stabilising the quality of the copy medium, postfixing-treatment, inverting, sorting
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00455 Continuous web, i.e. roll
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00459 Fan fold, e.g. CFF, normally perforated

Abstract

An electrophotographic printer in which toner is printed and fused and the paper thereafter folded and stacked. To avoid toner stick a blower blows cooling air between adjacent folded sheets. The blower may be mounted on a horizotnally slidable paper guide. The stacker table may be lowered so that the top of the stack is maintained at the same height or the blower may be moved vertically in response to the output of a sensor detecting the top of the folded stack.

Claims

1. A paper stacking and cooling apparatus for an electrophotographic printer in which toner is printed on extending surfaces of paper and fused thereon to form printing comprising:

means for folding the printed fused paper so the printed surfaces are stacked horizontally imbricating the sheets, wherein said folding means includes a paper guide for the folded paper, said guide being slidable horizontally; and

means for blowing cooling air between said adjacent folded horizontal surfaces, said blowing means including a duct having a horizontally elongated rectangular outlet opening adjacent the stack of folder paper and an inlet opening and a blower attached to said inlet opening for supplying cooling air thereto, and wherein said duct is mounted to said guide.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said folding means includes a stacker table for receiving the folded paper and means to power said table so that the top of the folded stack is maintained at the same height.

3. A paper stacking and cooling apparatus for an electrophotographic printer in which toner is presented on extending surfaces of paper and fused thereon to form printing comprising:

means for folding the printed fused paper so the printed surfaces are stacked horizontally imbricating the sheets, wherein said folding means includes a paper guide for the folded paper; and

means for blowing cooling air between said adjacent folded horizontal surfaces, said blowing means including a duct having a horizontally elongated rectangular outlet opening adjacent the stack of folded paper and an inlet opening and a blower attached to said inlet opening for supplying cooling air, and wherein said blowing means further includes means for detecting the position of the top of the folded stack, and means for moving said duct and blower vertically along said paper guide in response to the output of said sensor.

4. A paper cooling apparatus for an electrophotographic printer in which toner is printed on extending surfaces and folded with the extending surfaces extending horizontally and with adjacent surfaces in contact, and said printer having a horizontally slidable paper guide comprising:

means for directing cooling air to the folded paper so that the air passes between said adjacent surfaces to cool the paper and prevent toner stick; and

means for mounting said cooling apparatus to said electrophotographic printer, said mounting means including means for mounting to said guide of said printer.

5. A paper cooling apparatus for an electrophotographic printer in which toner is printed on extending surfaces and folded with the extending surfaces extending horizontally and with adjacent surfaces in contact, and said printer having a horizontally slidable paper guide comprising:

means for directing cooling air to the folded paper so that the air passes between said adjacent surfaces to cool the paper and prevent toner stick, wherein said directing means includes a duct having a horizontally elongated rectangular opening adjacent the stack of folded papers and an inlet opening and a blower attached to said inlet opening for supplying cooling air thereto;

means for mounting said cooling apparatus to said electrophotographic printer, said mounting means including means for mounting to said guide of said printer; and

means for detecting the position of the top of the folded stack, and means for moving said duct and blower vertically along said slidable guide in response to the output of said sensor.