Method and apparatus for ambient temperature pressure fixing of toners

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A PERMANENT IMAGE ON A SHEET WHEREIN THE IMAGE IS A FIXED IMAGE OF TONER POWDER, COMPRISING MEANS FOR CREATING AN ELECTROSTATIC LATENT IMAGE, MEANS FOR DEPOSITING TONER POWDER UPON SAID SHEET TO FORM A TONER POWDER IMAGE PATTERN IN CONFORMITY WITH SAID LATENT IMAGE, AND MEANS FOR FIXING THE TONER POWDER IMAGE TO SAID SHEET, SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS INCLUDING TWO UNHEATED PRESSURE ROLLS AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH HAS A SMOOTH, DEFORMABLE SURFACE WHICH IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO FAILURE DUE TO ABERRANT DEFORMATION, SAID DEFORMATION EXCEEDING THE ELASTIC LIMIT FOR THE SURFACE BUT BEING WITHIN THE PLASTIC LIMIT FOR THE SURFACE, SAID DEFORMATION BEING CAUSED BY LOCALIZED PRESSURE CONTACT WITH A MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY THICKER THAN THE COMBINED THICKNESS OF SAID SHEET AND SAID TONER POWDER, MEANS FOR APPLYING PRESSURE TO SAID ROLLS SUFFICIENT TO FIX SAID TONER POWDER IMAGE AND TO PRODUCE ABERRANT DEFORMATION OF SAID DEFORMABLE SURFACE, MEANS FOR FEEDING INDIVIDUAL SHEETS TO SAID PRESSURE ROLLS AT SPACED INTERVALS, A WORKING SURFACE ON SAID AT LEAST ONE ROLL, CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF NYLON-6 AND A WORKING SURFACE ON THE OTHER ROLL WHICH IS AT LEAST AS HARD AS SAID NYLON-6, SAID NYLON-6 WORKING SURFACE HAVING A THICKNESS OF AT LEAST ABOUT 0.25 INCHES, SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT IT TO RECOVER FROM ABERRANT DEFORMATION AT AMBIENT TEMPERATURE, WHILE REMAINING IN SERVICE.

Claim 5

THE METHOD OF PROVIDING A PERMANENT IMAGE ON A SHEET WHEREIN THE IMAGE IS A FIXED IMAGE OF TONER POWDER COMPRISING THE STEPS OF CREATING AN ELECTROSTATIC LATENT IMAGE, DEPOSITING TONER POWDER UPON SAID SHEET TO FORM A TONER POWDER IMAGE PATTERN IN CONFORMITY WITH SAID LATENT IMAGE, AND FIXING THE TONER POWDER IMAGE TO SAID SHEET, SAID LAST MENTIONED STEP INCLUDING PROVIDING TWO UNHEATED PRESSURE ROLLS, AT LEAST ONE HAVING A WORKING SURFACE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF NYLON-6, AND THE OTHER HAVING A WORKING SURFACE WHICH IS AT LEAST AS HARD AS SAID NYLON-6, AND ADVANCING SHEETS, BEARING TONER POWDER IMAGES BETWEEN SAID ROLLS AT SPACED INTERVALS, THEREBY FIXING SAID TONER IMAGES AND MAINTAINING SAID ROLLS IN DIRECT ROLLING CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER WHEN OUT OF CONTACT WITH SUCCESSIVE ADVANCING SHEETS, WHEREBY ABERRANT DEFORMATIONS WHICH EXCEED THE ELASTIC LIMIT FOR THE MATERIAL FORMING THE WORKING SURFACE OF THE ROLLS BUT ARE WITHIN THE PLASTIC LIMIT FOR SAID MATERIAL DEVELOPED DURING THE ADVANCEMENT OF SHEETS BETWEEN SAID ROLLS, ARE CORRECTED WHEN THE ROLLS ARE IN DIRECT ROLLING CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER.

Claim 6

THE METHOD OF PROVIDING A PERMANENT IMAGE ON A SHEET WHEREIN THE IMAGE IS A FIXED IMAGE OF TONER POWDER COMPRISING THE STEPS OF CREATING AN ELECTROSTATIC LATENT IMAGE, DEPOSITING TONER POWDER UPON SAID SHEET TO FORM A TONER POWDER IMAGE PATTERN IN CONFORMITY WITH SAID LATENT IMAGE, AND FIXING THE TONER POWDER IMAGE TO SAID SHEET, SAID LAST MENTIONED STEP INCLUDING PROVIDING TWO UNHEATED PRESSURE ROLLS, AT LEAST ONE HAVING A WORKING SURFACE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF NYLON-6, AND THE OTHER HAVING A WORKING SURFACE WHICH IS AT LEAST AS HARD AS SAID NYLON-6, AND ADVANCING SHEETS, BEARING TONER POWDER IMAGES BETWEEN SAID ROLLS AT SPACED INTERVALS, THEREBY FIXING SAID TONER IMAGES AND MAINTAINING SAID ROLLS IN DIRECT ROLLING CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER WHEN OUT OF CONTACT WITH SUCCESSIVE ADVANCING SHEETS, WHEREBY ABERRANT DEFORMATIONS WHICH EXCEED THE ELASTIC LIMIT FOR THE MATERIAL FORMING THE WORKING SURFACE OF THE ROLLS BUT ARE WITHIN THE PLASTIC LIMIT FOR SAID MATERIAL DEVELOPED DURING THE ADVANCEMENT OF SHEETS BETWEEN SAID ROLLS, ARE CORRECTED WHEN THE ROLLS ARE IN DIRECT ROLLING CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER.