Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
169 words
A release agent donor member for a toner fixing system of the type wherein a polymeric release agent having functional groups is applied to the surface of a fuser member, the release agent donor member comprising a base member, an intermediate conformable silicone elastomer layer and an elastomer release agent donor layer comprising poly(vinylidenefluoride-hexafluoropropylene-tetrafluoroethylene) where the vinylidenefluoride is present in an amount less than 40 mole percent, a metal oxide present in an amount sufficient to interact with the polymeric release agent having functional groups to transport a sufficient amount of the polymeric release agent to provide an interfacial barrier layer between the fusing surface and the toner and being substantially unreactive with said elastomer, said elastomer release agent donor layer having been cured from a solvent solution thereof with a nucleophilic curing agent soluble in said solution and in the presence of less than 4 parts by weight of inorganic base per 100 parts of polymer, said inorganic base being effective to at least partially dehydrofluorinate the vinylidenefluoride.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
16 words
The donor member of claim 1 wherein the nucleophilic curing agent is a bisphenol crosslinking agent.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The donor member of claim 2 wherein the nucleophilic curing agent further comprises an organophosphonium salt accelerator.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
The donor member of any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the metal oxide is cupric oxide which is present in an amount of from about 5 to 30 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of polymer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
The donor member of claim 4 wherein the cupric oxide particles have a diameter of from about 4 to 8 microns.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
101 words
The donor member of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the base member is a cylindrical roll, said intermediate silicone elastomer layer comprises the crosslinked product of a mixture of at least one polyorganosiloxane having the formula: where R₁ and R₂ may be any of hydrogen or unsubstituted alkly, alkenyl or aryl having less than 19 carbon atoms, or fluorosubstituted alkyl having less than 19 carbon atoms each of A & D may be any of hydrogen, methyl, hydroxyl or vinyl groups and 0 < (m/n) ≦ 1 and m + n > 350; crosslinking agent and crosslinking catalyst.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
The donor member of claim 6 wherein the intermediate layer is from about 5.5 millimeters to about 6.5millimeters thick and said release agent donor layer is from about 0.025 to about 0.1 millimeters in thickness.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
The donor member of claim 7 wherein it has a hardness of from about 35 to 45 Shore A.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
108 words
A fusing assembly for fixing toner images to a substrate of the type wherein a polymeric release agent having functional groups is applied to the surface of a fuser member comprising: (A) a heated fuser roll; (B) a pressure roller engaging said fuser roller to provide a nip therebetween through which a copy sheet having an unfused toner image may be passed to fuse said toner image by contact with said heated fuser roll; and (C) a donor member to apply a polymeric release agent having functional groups to the surface of said fuser roll,the donor member being as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
The fusing assembly of claim 9 wherein said fuser roll is positively driven and said donor member is a roll rotatably driven by frictional contact with said fuser roll.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
The fuser assembly of claim 10 including a release agent sump and a release agent delivery roll for delivering release fluid from said sump to said donor roll.