Patent ID: 7182334

Claim:
An air diffusing vacuum transport assembly in an image reproducing machine comprising: (a) a vacuum plenum assembly including a vacuum chamber; (b) belt support means for supporting a movable continuous belt around said vacuum plenum assembly, said belt support means including a heat pipe, and said heat pipe comprising a roller and a heat conductive fluid sealed therein; and (c) an air diffusing vacuum transport belt mounted around said vacuum plenum assembly for supporting and transporting a substrate over said vacuum plenum assembly, said air diffusing vacuum transport belt including: (i) a first perforated layer for mounting over said vacuum plenum assembly, said first perforated layer including a top surface and a bottom surface, solid areas, and perforated hole areas interspersing said solid areas for directing pressurized airflow from said top surface through to said bottom surface; and (ii) a second non-perforated layer formed over said top surface of said first perforated layer and covering said solid areas and said perforated hole areas, said second non-perforated layer having an inner surface positioned over said top surface of said first perforated layer, and an outer surface for uniformly supporting substrates, and said second non-perforated layer being porous to air for diffusing pressurized airflow from said outer surface thereof into said perforated hole areas of said first perforated layer, thereby enabling transporting of image carrying substrates without vacuum belt induced image defects.