Endless belt power transmission systems or components – Friction drive belt – Including particular means connecting opposite ends to form...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-05
2001-10-02
Bucci, David A. (Department: 3682)
Endless belt power transmission systems or components
Friction drive belt
Including particular means connecting opposite ends to form...
C474S237000, C474S254000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296587
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flexible seamed endless belt. More particularly, the present invention relates to a flexible seamed endless belt that has a seamed portion as thick as the other portion and has high strength and good smoothness.
2. Description of the Related Art
Endless belts are widely used for transmission of rotary motion from power sources such as electric motors. They are usually formed from a flat elongated rectangular or parallelogramatic material by joining its opposing ends. Joining may be accomplished by bonding, sewing, or stapling. The resulting joints often present steps and mechanical discontinuity which impair accurate transmission of rotary motion. Consequently, they cannot be used as photoreceptors, intermediate sheets, image transport devices, fusing members, transfix devices, and the like in electrostatographic and electrographic image forming and processing machines. These machines need an endless belt free of joint or an endless belt with a specially designed joint which has no adverse effect on accurate transmission of rotary motion.
Unfortunately, joint-free endless belts need a complex technology which leads to high production cost and hampers mass production. This is true with large endless belts.
Improvements have been made in joined endless belts such that joints substantially do not affect accurate transmission of rotary motion. One way to achieve this object was to make butt joints by heat fusion bonding, ultrasonic fusion bonding, or adhesive bonding.
The disadvantage of endless belts produced in this manner is that the joint is not sufficiently strong and hence liable to break due to repeated flexural and frictional stresses. This leads to their short lives.
There is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 8-99737 (1996) a new endless belt which has been contrived to tackle the above-mentioned problem. This endless belt is formed from a flat material whose opposing ends have engageable structures to join them together. The resulting joint is greatly improved in strength. Unfortunately, this technology, which employs a solid thermoplastic adhesive to make the joint, cannot be applied to endless belts made of thermally vulnerable materials.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, which was completed to address the above-mentioned problem, provides a flexible seamed endless belt that has a seamed portion as thick as other portion, produces substantially no adverse effect on accurate transmission of rotary motion, permits a wide selection of adhesives applicable to it, possesses high strength and good smoothness, and resists repeated flexural and frictional stresses it encounters during its use.
The seamed endless belt of the present invention, formed from a flexible belt-like member, has engaging structures at both ends of the belt-like member, which are unseparable in an advancing direction of the belt when the structures are engaged with each other. The belt also has a seamed portion formed by engaging structures engaged with each other, and a cured film made of a resin composition containing a curable resin, which covers the seamed portion.
In the seamed endless belt, the curable resin may be a thermosetting resin and the cured film may be formed by heating the resin composition.
The curable resin may be a radiation-curable resin and the cured film may be formed by exposing the resin composition to a radiation, alternatively.
The cured film may be formed by at least either heating the resin composition on the seamed portion or pressing the resin composition against the seamed portion.
The cured film may alternatively be formed on a base material that is peeled off and removed from the film after forming of the film is completed.
In the seamed endless belt, the resin composition may be flowable at a normal temperature and the cured film may be formed by applying the resin composition to the seamed portion and curing it. The resin composition may contain a thermoplastic resin.
Another seamed endless belt according to the present invention, formed from a flexible belt-like member having a tensile modulus of elasticity Tb includes engaging structures at both ends of the belt-like member, which are unseparable in an advancing direction of the belt when the structures are engaged with each other. The belt also includes a seamed portion formed by engaging structures being engaged with each other, and a reinforcing film which covers the seamed portion and has a tensile modulus of elasticity Ta satisfying Tb>2Ta.
Another seamed endless belt according to the present invention, formed from a flexible belt-like member, has engaging structures at both ends of the belt-like member, which are unseparable in an advancing direction of the belt when the structures are engaged with each other. The belt also has a seamed portion formed by the engaging structures being engaged with each other, and a reinforcing film which covers the seamed portion, wherein a T-peel adhesion strength between the belt-like member and the reinforcing film is not less than 50 gf/cm.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2792318 (1957-05-01), Welch
patent: 5487707 (1996-01-01), Sharf et al.
patent: 5721032 (1998-02-01), Parker et al.
patent: -A-8-99737 (1996-04-01), None
Katoh Seiichi
Kawashima Ayumu
Tateishi Akira
Bucci David A.
Fuji 'Xerox Co., Ltd.
Johnson Vicky A.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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