Patent ID: 7449662

Claim:
An air heating apparatus for use in an image forming system configured to deposit colorant on media during an image forming operation, comprising: a mass to store heat energy; a heater to provide the heat energy to the mass; a power source to supply power to the heater; an air movement device to push air toward the mass wherein heat is transferred from the mass to the air, and to move heated air from the mass toward the media; and circuitry to control operation of the heater during the image forming operation to maintain a magnitude of current supplied by the power source to the heater below a current rating of the power source, wherein the circuitry is configured to control power applied to the heater according, at least in part, to a temperature of at least one of the mass and the heated air, and wherein the heated air provides energy to vaporize at least part of fluid included in the colorant deposited on the media during the image forming operation.