Patent ID: 6128465
Filing Date: 2000-10-03
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
A multicolor reproduction machine comprising:(a) a blank paper substrate supply and feeding assembly including a substrate path;(b) a plurality of toner image forming units mounted to a frame along said substrate path, and each including:(i) a movable photoreceptor having a charge bearing surface;(ii) a charging device for applying a uniform layer of charge onto said charge bearing surface;(iii) an exposure device for image-wise dissipating charge from selected portions of said uniformly charged surface to electrostatically form a color separation latent image on said charge bearing surface; and(iv) a development apparatus for applying developer material including charged toner particles of a corresponding color onto the color separation latent image so as to form a toner color separation image of a final multicolor toner image; and(v) a transfix assembly for transferring and fusing the toner color separation image in registration from said photoreceptor onto a portion of paper substrate being fed along said substrate path; and(c) a blank paper substrate preconditioning apparatus (PSfor changing and stabilizing a size of the portion of paper substrate before it is fed to said image transfix assembly of each toner image forming unit of said plurality of toner image forming units, said PSPA being mounted along said substrate path and upstream of each said transfix assembly, relative to movement of the portion of paper substrate, and said PSPA including a pair of heat and pressure roller nips arranged in series for preheating to a temperature of at least 100 degrees Celsius, and pre-stressing, the portion of paper substrate to an extent that will not be altered by subsequent heat and pressure within each said image transfix assembly, thus resulting in highly registered quality reproduced toner images.