Patent ID: 6582222
Filing Date: 2003-06-24
Classification: B32B,G03G

Abstract:
For use in an electrostatographic machine for forming a toner image on a receiver member, a fusing station for fusing a toner image to a receiver member, said fusing station including a fuser roller operated in conjunction with a pressure roller, said fuser roller heated by at least a source of heat external to said fuser roller, said fuser roller being elastically deformable and engaged under pressure with said pressure roller so as to form a fusing nip therebetween, said pressure roller relatively harder than said fuser roller, said toner image on said receiver member moved through said fusing nip for said fusing, said fuser roller comprising:a rigid, cylindrical, core member; a multilayer in the shape of a deformable annular structure around said core member, said deformable annular structure including an elastomeric base cushion layer innermost around said core member, an elastomeric heat storage layer around said base cushion layer, an elastomeric heat distribution layer around said heat storage layer, and a thin flexible outermost gloss control layer around said heat distribution layer; wherein thermal conductivity of said heat storage layer is greater than thermal conductivity of said base cushion layer; wherein thermal conductivity of said heat distribution layer is at least as great as thermal conductivity of said base cushion layer; wherein said base cushion layer is characterized by a preselected value of a ratio of said thermal conductivity of said base cushion layer divided by a thickness of said base cushion layer; wherein said heat storage layer is characterized by a preselected value of a ratio of said thermal conductivity of said heat storage layer divided by a thickness of said heat storage layer; wherein said heat distribution layer is characterized by a preselected value of a ratio of said thermal conductivity of said heat distribution layer divided by a thickness of said heat distribution layer; wherein said gloss control layer is characterized by a preselected value of a ratio of said thermal conductivity of said gloss control layer divided by a thickness of said gloss control layer; wherein a ratio of said thermal conductivity of said heat storage layer divided by said thermal conductivity of said base cushion layer has a preselected value; and wherein a ratio of said thermal conductivity of said heat distribution layer divided by said thermal conductivity of said base cushion layer has a preselected value.