Blanket servicing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021232069-A1
Application number	US-201817051091-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 31, 2018
Priority date	Jul 31, 2018
Publication date	Jul 29, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

In an example of the disclosure, a blanket servicing system includes a rotatably mounted endless cleaning surface and a scraper. The endless cleaning surface is to have a first engagement with a blanket to obtain a layer of thermoplastic print agent from the blanket. The endless cleaning surface is to have a second engagement with the blanket to receive residue from the blanket onto the layer of thermoplastic print agent. The scraper is to scrape the endless cleaning surface to transfer the residue from the endless cleaning surface to a collection element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A blanket servicing system comprising:
a blanket to receive a thermoplastic print agent from a photoconductor element; a rotatably mounted endless cleaning surface, to receive a layer of thermoplastic print agent from the blanket,
wherein the endless cleaning surface is to engage with the blanket to transfer residue from the blanket to the layer of thermoplastic print agent on the endless cleaning surface; and
a scraper, to engage with the endless cleaning surface and transfer the residue from the endless cleaning surface to a collection element.

2 . The blanket servicing system of claim 1 , wherein the endless cleaning surface includes one from the set of a roller surface and a belt surface.

3 . The blanket servicing system of claim 1 , further comprising a heater to heat the endless cleaning surface; and wherein the scraper is to engage with the endless cleaning surface while the endless cleaning surface is being heated.

4 . The blanket servicing system of claim 3 , wherein the heater is used to heat the endless cleaning surface as the endless cleaning surface receives the layer of thermoplastic print agent from the blanket.

5 . The blanket servicing system of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic print agent obtained by the endless cleaning surface includes thermoplastic print agent received by the blanket from a photoconductor and is thermoplastic print agent that has not encountered a substrate.

6 . The blanket servicing system of claim 1 , further comprising biasing device to bias the scraper against the endless cleaning surface.

7 . The blanket servicing system of claim 6 , further comprising:
a variance recording engine to utilize a sensor to record a variance in thickness and/or density of the endless cleaning surface; a determination engine to determine a force with which the scraper is to be biased towards the endless cleaning surface in view of the observed variance; and an implementation engine to adjust the biasing device to exert the determined biasing force towards the endless cleaning surface.

8 . The blanket servicing system of claim 1 , wherein the scraper is to scrape the endless cleaning surface concurrent with the endless cleaning surface cleaning the blanket.

9 . The blanket servicing system of claim 8 , wherein the scraper is to scrape the endless cleaning surface concurrent with blanket being utilized in a printing operation.

10 . The blanket servicing system of claim 1 , wherein the scraper is movable along a linear track to traverse a width of the endless cleaning surface.

11 . The printer y e claim, wherein the collection element includes
a heater to heat the residue to a melting point within the collection element, and a mold to collect melted residue and allow the melted residue to cool to transform into a hardened state.

12 . The blanket servicing system of claim 1 , further comprising second collection tray, and a screw to engage with the residue in the first collection tray to chop the residue into pieces and cause the pieces to accumulate in the second collection tray.

13 . A method, comprising:
receiving thermoplastic print agent at a blanket from a photoconductor element; transferring a layer of the thermoplastic print agent from the blanket to a rotatably mounted endless cleaning surface; transferring residue from the blanket to the layer of thermoplastic print agent at the endless cleaning surface; and scraping the endless cleaning surface with a scraper to transfer the residue to a collection element.

14 . A blanket servicing system, comprising:
a rotatably mounted endless cleaning surface,
to have a first engagement with a blanket to obtain a layer of thermoplastic print agent from the blanket, and
to have a second engagement with the blanket to receive residue from the blanket onto the layer of thermoplastic print agent; and
a scraper, to scrape the endless cleaning surface to transfer the residue from the endless cleaning surface to a collection element.

15 . The blanket servicing system of claim 14 ,
further comprising a heater; wherein the heater is to heat the endless cleaning surface as the endless cleaning surface receives the layer of thermoplastic print agent from the blanket; and wherein to heater is to heat the endless cleaning surface as the scraper is scraping the endless cleaning surface.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Kedem Amir
• Kokotov Michael
• Feygelman Alex
• Nesher Guy
• Shalem Nadav
• Vinokur Michael

Classifications

• B08B1/34

  rotating about an axis parallel to the surface · CPC title

• G03G15/161 Primary

  with means for handling the intermediate support, e.g. heating, cleaning, coating with a transfer agent · CPC title

• G03G15/11 Primary

  Removing excess liquid developer, e.g. by heat · CPC title

• G03G21/0088

  removing liquid developer · CPC title

• G03G2215/1652

  of transfer roll · CPC title