Cooling structure for fuser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2026093206-A1
Application number	US-202319111415-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 13, 2023
Priority date	Sep 13, 2022
Publication date	Apr 2, 2026
Grant date	—

Abstract

A print apparatus includes a toner image forming portion to form a toner image on a print medium, a fuser to fuse the toner image onto the print medium, and an air blower. duct guides cooling air from the blower to the fuser. The duct includes an outer wall, an inlet formed in the outer wall facing the blower, and an outlet facing the fuser. A slider may be slidable in a width direction of the print medium so as to adjust an opening amount of the outlet. A flexible guide member is provided to guide the cooling air from the inlet of the duct to the outlet. An outlet side end portion of the flexible guide member is connected to an end portion of the slider and an inlet side end portion thereof is slidably supported on the outer wall of the duct.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A print apparatus comprising:
a toner image forming portion to form a toner image on a print medium; a fuser to fuse the toner image onto the print medium; an air blower; a duct to guide cooling air from the blower to the fuser, the duct comprising an outer wall, an inlet formed in the outer wall facing the blower, and an outlet facing the fuser; a slider that is slidable in a width direction of the print medium to adjust an opening amount of the outlet; and a flexible guide member having an outlet side end portion connected to an end portion of the slider and having an inlet side end portion slidably supported on the outer wall of the duct.

2 . The print apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flexible guiding member allows the duct to have a form converging from the inlet toward the outlet.

3 . The print apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pivot member pivotally connected to the end portion of the slider,
wherein the outlet side end portion of the guide member is connected to the pivot member.

4 . The print apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the guide member and the pivot member allow the duct to have a form converging from the inlet toward the outlet.

5 . The print apparatus of claim 3 , wherein:
the slider has a first position where the opening amount of the outlet is at a reduced size and a second position where the opening amount of the outlet is at an increased size; and the print apparatus further comprising:
a guide groove to guide the pivot member so that the pivot member forms a first angle and a second angle greater than the first angle with respect to the slider in response to the slider being positioned in the first position and the second position, respectively.

6 . The print apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a toner cartridge to supply a toner to the toner image forming portion,
wherein the blower is positioned between the toner cartridge and the fuser.

7 . The print apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the toner cartridge is positioned on an upstream side of the blower; and the fuser is positioned on a downstream side of the blower with respect to a blowing direction of the blower.

8 . The print apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the duct comprises a first duct and a second duct that are symmetrically positioned in the width direction of the print medium; the blower comprises a first blower and a second blower respectively corresponding to the first duct and the second duct; the slider comprises a first slider and a second slider respectively corresponding to the first duct and the second duct; and the guide member comprises a first guide member and a second guide member respectively connected to the first slider and the second slider.

9 . The print apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:
a first rack gear portion and a second rack gear portion respectively on the first slider and the second slider; a pinion engaging with the first rack gear portion and the second rack gear portion; and a motor to rotate the pinion.

10 . A print apparatus comprising:
a toner image forming portion to form a toner image on a print medium; a fuser to fuse the toner image onto the print medium; an air blower; a duct to guide cooling air from the blower to the fuser, the duct comprising an inlet formed to face the blower, and an outlet facing the fuser; and an opening amount adjusting member that is slidable in a width direction of the print medium to adjust an opening amount of the outlet and to allow the duct to have a form converging from the inlet toward the outlet.

11 . The print apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the opening amount adjusting member comprises:
a slider that is slidable in the width direction of the print medium between a first position where the opening amount of the outlet is at a reduced size and a second position where the opening amount of the outlet is at an increased size; a pivot member pivotably connected to an end portion of the slider and having an angle with respect to the slider changing as the slider slides; and a flexible guide member having an outlet side end portion connected to the pivot member and an inlet side end portion slidably supported on an outer wall of the duct in which the inlet is formed.

12 . The print apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a guide groove to guide the pivot member so that an angle of the pivot member with respect to the slider increases as the slider slides from the first position to the second position.

13 . The print apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:
the duct comprises a first duct and a second duct that are symmetrically positioned in the width direction of the print medium; the blower comprises a first blower and a second blower respectively corresponding to the first duct and the second duct; and the opening amount adjusting member comprises a first opening amount adjusting member and a second aperture adjusting member corresponding to the first duct and the second duct, respectively, and being slideable in the width direction of the print medium to be symmetrical with each other.

14 . A print apparatus comprising:
a toner image forming portion to form a toner image on a print medium; a toner cartridge to supply a toner to the toner image forming portion; a fuser to fuse the toner image to a print medium; a first duct and a second duct positioned symmetrically in a width direction of the print medium between the toner cartridge and the fuser and each comprising an inlet and an outlet facing the fuser; a first blower and a second blower to supply cooling air through the inlets of the first duct and the second duct, respectively; and a first opening amount adjusting member and a second aperture adjusting member that are slidable symmetrically with each other in the width direction of the print medium to adjust opening amounts of the outlets of the first duct and the second duct, respectively.

15 . The print apparatus of claim 14 , wherein each of the first opening amount adjusting member and the second aperture adjusting member comprises:
a slider that is slidable in the width direction of the print medium between a first position where the opening amount of the outlet is at a reduced size and a second position where the opening amount of the outlet is at an increased size; a pivot member pivotally connected to an end portion of the slider; a guide groove to guide the pivot member so that the pivot member forms a first angle and a second angle greater than the first angle with respect to the slider responsive to the slider positioned in the first position and the second position, respectively; and a flexible guide member having an outlet side end portion connected to the pivot member and an inlet side end portion slidably supported on an outer wall of the duct in which the inlet is formed.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Lee Hanjun
• Noh Seounghoon
• Kim Younghoon

Classifications

• G03G2221/1645

  for conducting air through the machine, e.g. cooling · CPC title

• G03G2221/1639

  for the fixing unit · CPC title

• G03G15/2039

  with means for controlling the fixing temperature · CPC title

• G03G21/206 Primary

  Conducting air through the machine, e.g. for cooling, filtering, removing gases like ozone · CPC title

• G03G15/2021 Primary

  Plurality of separate fixing and/or cooling areas or units, two step fixing · CPC title