Electrophotography – Having particular structure – Modular or displaceable
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-19
2003-09-16
Pendegrass, Joan (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Having particular structure
Modular or displaceable
C399S124000, C399S401000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06621997
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2001-76986 filed on Dec. 6, 2001, in the Korean Industrial Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a duplex printer, and more particularly, to a duplex printer having a multi-function actuator selecting a movement passage of a printing medium according to one side or both sides of the printing medium and removing a jammed printing medium disposed in the movement passage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a duplex printer can print an image on one side or both sides of a printing medium according to a user selection.
FIG. 1
shows a cross-sectional view of the duplex printer having a conventional actuator. The duplex printer includes a simplex printing passage
10
and a duplex printing passage
20
.
The simplex printing passage
10
includes a development unit
11
developing a given image on a printing medium
1
fed by a feeding roller
3
, a fixing unit
14
including a pressure roller
12
and a heat roller
13
fixing the developed image on the printing medium
1
, a simplex transporting roller
16
transporting a printed printing medium
1
from the fixing unit
14
, and a discharge roller
5
discharging the printed printing medium
1
to a discharge tray
7
.
A duplex printing passage
20
includes a plurality of duplex transporting rollers
21
,
22
,
23
transporting the printing medium
1
, which has been printed on the one side thereof and is transported from the discharge roller
5
to the feeding roller
3
.
Also, an actuator
30
has one end
31
being hinged at a duplex printer frame and is disposed among the discharge roller
5
, the simplex transporting roller
16
, and the duplex transporting roller
21
. Therefore, the simplex printing passage
10
or the duplex printing passage
20
can be selected by moving the actuator
30
.
In the duplex printer, an operation of printing one side or both sides of the printing medium
1
is described as follows.
When printing on one side of the printing medium
1
, the printing medium
1
passes through the fixing unit
14
and is transported to the discharge roller
5
by the simplex transporting roller
16
and then discharged in a discharging direction to the discharge tray
7
by the discharge roller
5
. At this time, the printing medium
1
, which passes through the simplex transporting roller
16
, is freely moved into the discharge roller
5
because the actuator
30
is positioned at a first position P
1
.
Also, when printing on both sides of the printing medium
1
, first, the printing medium
1
, which has been printed on the one side thereof through the operation described above, is moved into the discharge roller
5
. And then the discharge roller
5
is rotated in a reverse direction before the printing medium
1
moves away from the discharge roller
5
so that the printing medium
1
is moved in an opposite direction. At this time, because the actuator
30
is located at a second position P
2
, the printing medium
1
, moved in the direction opposite to the discharging direction, can be moved into the duplex printing passage
20
. And then the printing medium
1
printed on the one side thereof is transported to the development unit
11
by the duplex transporting rollers
21
,
22
,
23
and the feeding roller
3
. Here, the other side of the printing medium
1
is turned to face upward by the duplex transporting rollers
21
,
22
,
23
and the feeding roller
3
. Then the printing medium
1
printed on the one side thereof is printed on the other side by the development unit
11
and the fixing unit
14
and discharged to the discharge tray
7
by the discharge roller
5
. Accordingly, the printing medium
1
can be printed on both sides thereof by the actuator
30
.
FIG. 2
shows a cross-sectional view of another type of duplex printer having another conventional actuator. The actuator
40
is rotatable disposed above the pressure roller
62
and includes a body
41
, a duplex guide
43
, a sensor arm
45
, and an actuator separator
47
independently projecting in a predetermined direction from the body
41
. Also, the duplex guide
43
, the sensor arm
45
, and the actuator separator
47
are integrally formed with the body
41
.
The body
41
has a cylindrical shape, and both ends thereof are rotatable disposed at an upper part of a frame where a pressure roller
62
is disposed.
The duplex guide
43
projects from the body
41
, is disposed above a heat roller
63
, and rotates upward by an interference with a front end of the printing medium
1
passing through the fixing unit
64
.
The sensor arm
45
projects from a vicinity of one end of the body
41
in an upward direction relative to the duplex guide
43
at an angle of approximately 120° with respect to the duplex guide
43
. When the duplex guide
43
is in a horizontal position, an upper part of the sensor arm
45
is detected by using a sensor
49
mounted on the duplex printer frame.
The actuator separator
47
projects from a vicinity of an opposite end of the body
41
in the upward direction relative to the duplex guide
43
at an angle of approximately 90°. The actuator separator
47
is used for manually rotating the duplex guide
43
by a predetermined angle to remove a jammed printing medium
1
. Accordingly, the jammed printing medium
1
to be removed from the fixing unit
64
is not blocked by the duplex guide
43
during removal of the jammed printing medium
1
.
In the duplex printer having the actuator
40
constructed as above, a duplex printing operation is performed as follows.
The printing medium
1
passes through the fixing unit
64
with the one side printed, the duplex guide
43
rotates by the front end of the printing medium
1
by a predetermined angle, and the printing medium
1
is moved into the discharge passage
50
.
After a trailing end of the printing medium
1
moves into the discharge passage
50
and does not contact the duplex guide
43
, the discharge roller
53
is rotated in the reverse direction so that the printing medium
1
is moved in the opposite direction. At this time, because the duplex guide
43
, which rotates downward to the horizontal position by a weight thereof, blocks above the fixing unit
64
and the printing passage
60
, the printing medium
1
moves in the opposite direction into the duplex printing passage
70
.
The printing medium
1
moved into the duplex printing passage
70
moves into the development unit
61
by a transfer roller
71
again, and then is printed on a non-printed side. Then the printing medium
1
printed on both sides thereof is discharged to the discharge tray
80
by the discharge rollers
51
,
53
. Accordingly, the printing medium
1
can be printed on both sides thereof by the operation of the actuator
40
.
However, in the duplex printer constructed as shown in
FIG. 1
, there is a problem that the jammed printing medium
1
cannot be removed by the actuator
30
when the jammed printing medium
1
is jammed in the fixing unit
14
. Therefore, a separate additional apparatus removing the jammed printing medium
1
is needed.
Also, in the duplex printer constructed as shown in
FIG. 2
, there is another problem that the jammed printing medium
1
is blocked by the duplex guide
43
when the jammed printing medium
1
is removed from the fixing unit
64
or the discharge passage
50
.
There is another problem that the separate additional apparatus separating the pressure roller
62
and the heat roller
63
of the fixing unit
64
requires a free space in which the separate additional apparatus is disposed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-function actuator having an actuator separating a pressure roller from a heat roller by an actuator separator so that a jammed printing medium is easily removed from a fixing unit.
Another object of the present inve
Pendegrass Joan
Samsung Electronic Co. Ltd.
Staas & Halsey , LLP
LandOfFree
Multi-function actuator of duplex printer does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Multi-function actuator of duplex printer, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Multi-function actuator of duplex printer will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3056716