Air stripping device for elastomeric surface

Claim 1

In an electrostatic reproduction machine in which copies are produced from document information and wherein the powder images are fixed to the copy sheets by passing the powder images on the sheets through a nip formed by an elastomeric fuser roll and a back up roll which apply heat and pressure thereby fusing the powder images onto the sheets, an improved stripping apparatus for stripping copy sheets from the surface of an elastomeric fuser roll comprising: a stripper member positioned at a predetermined distance from an elastomeric fuser roll surface and from which copy sheets are to be stripped, said stripper member having a tip portion having at least one aperture formed therein facing the elastomeric fuser roll surface at an acute angle relative to a tangent to the fuser roll surface, air supply means for providing pressurized air in communication with the aperture to cause a rippled effect on the elastomeric fuser roll surface to cause separation of the copy sheet leading edge therefrom onto the stripper member, wherein the tip portion of the stripper member is positioned at an angle ranging from about 10° to 30° relative to a tangent to the fuser roll surface.