Selective fusing

Claim 2

Apparatus for regulating the operation of a fuser assembly in accordance with selected information requiring the energization of said fuser assembly wherein the radiant energy accumulated by said fuser assembly is a function of the expiration of time from an immediately preceding energization thereof comprising: sensing means for sensing the occurrence of a preselected information signal to energize said fuser assembly for a preestablished minimum period of time; and energizing means coupled to said sensing means for energizing said fuser assembly for a period of time that is dependent upon the interval of time that has expired intermediate successive occurrences of said preselected information signal.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said sensing means comprises means for serially storing each preselected information signal and the number of predetermined time durations separating successive ones of said pre-selected information signals in consecutive order; and means coupled to said storing means for generating a first energizing signal admitting of said pre-established minimum period of time when a preselected information signal is stored in a first position of said consecutive order.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said energizing means comprises means for generating a second energizing signal when a preselected information signal is stored in a first position of said consecutive order and a number of predetermined time durations are stored in the next successive positions of said consecutive order, said second energizing signal admitting of a period of time that is a function of said number of successively stored predetermined time durations.

Claim 5

Apparatus for regulating the fusing of electroscopic particles to successive portions of a support base intermittently moving through a fuser assembly wherein said fuser assembly includes a source of thermal radiation coupled to a variable supply of voltage, comprising: switch means included in said variable supply and adapted when energized to apply an increased voltage to said source of thermal radiation from said variAble supply to increase the heat radiated by said source whereby said electroscopic particles are fused to said support base; and means for energizing said switch means for a period of time when a portion of said support base is moved through said fuser assembly, said period of time being a function of the interval of time that has expired since an immediately preceding portion of said support base was moved through said fuser assembly.

Claim 6

Apparatus for regulating the fusing of electroscopic particles to successive portions of a support base intermittently moving through a fuser assembly wherein said fuser assembly includes a source of thermal radiation coupled to a variable supply of voltage, comprising: switch means included in said variable supply and adapted when energized to apply an increased voltage to said source of thermal radiation from said variAble supply to increase the heat radiated by said source whereby said electroscopic particles are fused to said support base; and means for energizing said switch means for a period of time when a portion of said support base is moved through said fuser assembly, said period of time being a function of the interval of time that has expired since an immediately preceding portion of said support base was moved through said fuser assembly.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 4 including storage means for storing the time related history of the movement of successive portions of said support base through said fuser assembly, said storage means being coupled to said means for energizing said switch.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said storage means comprises: shift register means including an input terminal to which is applied a signal representing the movement of a portion of said support base through said fuser assembly; and means for continually shifting on a periodic basis each signal applied to said input terminal through said shift register means whereby the relative positions occupied by signals within said shift register means is a function of the history of the movement of said support base through said fuser assembly.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said means for energizing comprises: first means for energizing said switch means for a preestablished minimum period of time when successive portions of said support base are moved through said fuser assembly within a first duration; second means for energizing said switch means for a second pre-established period of time when a portion of said support base is moved through said fuser assembly at a time later than the expiration of a first interval of time after an immediately preceding portion is moved therethrough, said second pre-established period of time being greater than said pre-established minimum period of time; and third means for energizing said switch means for a third pre-established period of time when a portion of said support base is moved through said fuser assembly at a time later than the expiration of a second period of time after an immediately preceding portion is moved therethrough, said second interval of time being greater than said first interval of time and said third pre-established period of time being greater than said second pre-established period of time.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said first means comprises first gating means coupled to the first position of said shift register means for producing a first energizing signal admitting of a pre-established minimum duration when said first position is occupied by a signal.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said second means comprises second gating means coupled to the first position of said shift register means and to a first preselected number of successive positions of said shift register means for producing a second energizing signal admitting of a second pre-established duration when said first position is occupied by a signal and none of said first preselected number of successive positions is occupied by a signal.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said third means comprises third gating means coupled to the second position of said shift register means and to a second preselected number of successive positions of said shift register means for producing a third energizing signal admitting of said pre-established minimum duration when said second position is occupied by a signal and none of said second preselected number of successive positions is occupied by a signal.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said first, second and third gating means are coupled to selective gating means, said selective gating means being adapted to produce a switch energizing signal admitting of said pre-established minimum duration when only said first energizing signal is produced, said second pre-established duration when only said first and second energizing signals are produced and a third pre-Established duration when said first, second and third energizing signals are all produced.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said variable supply includes bidirectional current conducting means supplied with an AC voltage, said bidirectional current conducting means being initially conductive at a point in the half cycle of said AC voltage that is a function of a control voltage applied thereto such that an increase in said control voltage tends to advance the initial conductive point and a decrease in said control voltage tends to retard the initial conductive point, said control voltage being increased in response to the energization of said switch means.

Claim 15

In combination with a heating element that is maintained at a temperature level no lower than a quiescent level of temperature, said heating element radiating an amount of heat that is dependent upon the length of time expired between successive energizations thereof, apparatus for selectively energizing said heating element for variable time durations such that a substantially equal radiant energy level is attained thereby during each energization irrespective of the length of time that has expired since an immediately preceding energization thereof, comprising: energizing means coupled to said heating element for supplying said heating element with energy; storage means for storing signals representative of the history of the selective energization of said heating element; first means coupled to said storage means and responsive to a selective energizing signal for energizing said heating element for a pre-established minimum duration of time when the immediately preceding energization of said heating element occurred within a first time duration; second means coupled to said storage means and responsive to a selective energizing signal for energizing said heating element for a second pre-established duration of time when a first interval of time has expired since the immediately preceding energization of said heating element, said second pre-established duration of time being greater than said minimum duration; and third means coupled to said storage means and responsive to a selective energizing signal for energizing said heating element for a third pre-established duration of time when a second interval of time has expired since the immediately preceding energization of said heating element, said third pre-established duration of time being greater than said second pre-established duration.

Claim 16

In combination with a heating element that is maintained at a temperature level no lower than a quiescent level of temperature, said heating element radiating an amount of heat that is dependent upon the length of time expired between successive energizations thereof, apparatus for selectively energizing said heating element for variable time durations such that a substantially equal radiant energy level is attained thereby during each energization irrespective of the length of time that has expired since an immediately preceding energization thereof, comprising: energizing means coupled to said heating element for supplying said heating element with energy; storage means for storing signals representative of the history of the selective energization of said heating element; first means coupled to said storage means and responsive to a selective energizing signal for energizing said heating element for a pre-established minimum duration of time when the immediately preceding energization of said heating element occurred within a first time duration; second means coupled to said storage means and responsive to a selective energizing signal for energizing said heating element for a second pre-established duration of time when a first interval of time has expired since the immediately preceding energization of said heating element, said second pre-established duration of time being greater than said minimum duration; and third means coupled to said storage means and responsive to a selective energizing signal for energizing said heating element for a third pre-established duration of time when a second interval of time has expired since the immediately preceding energization of said heating element, said third pre-established duration of time being greater than said second pre-established duration.

Claim 17

The combination of claim 13 wherein said storage means comprises plural stage shift register means including an input terminal for receiving an irregularly occurring selective energizing signal and a shift terminal for receiving a periodic shift signal, whereby the signals applied to said input terminal are shifted through said plural stages in timed relation such that the relative positions occupied by selective energizing signals is a function of the previous energizations of said heating element.

Claim 18

The combination of claim 14 wherein said first, second and third means comprise first, second and third gating means coupled to selective gating means; said first gating means including an input coupled to a first stage of said shift register means for producing a first energizing signal admitting of a pre-established minimum duration when a selective energizing signal is shifted into said first stage, said second gating means including an input coupled to said first stage of said shift register means and inputs coupled to a first preselected number of successive stages of said shift register means for producing a second energizing signal admitting of a second pre-established duration when a selective energizing signal is shifted into said first stage and none of said first preselected number of successive stages receives a selective energizing signal, said third gating means including an input coupled to a second stage of said shift register means and inputs coupled to a second preselected number of successive stages of said shift register means for producing a third energizing signal admitting of said pre-established minimum duration when a selective energizing signal is shifted into said second stage and none of said second preselected number of successive stages receives a selective energizing signal; and said selective gating means includes an output coupled to said energizing means for supplying said energizing means with a signal admitting of said pre-established minimum duration when only said first energizing signal is produced, a signal admitting of said second pre-established duration when only said first and second energizing signals are produced and a signal admitting of said third pre-established duration when said first, second and third energizing signals are all produced.