Patent ID: 7257359

Claim:
An apparatus for assisting in the transfer of an image from an image bearing member onto a copy substrate, comprising: an image bearing member carrying an image to be transferred; a feed mechanism for feeding a copy substrate to said image bearing member; a transfer assist mechanism arranged adjacent said image bearing member and movable to an activated position bearing on the substrate to maintain the substrate in contact with said image bearing member to assist in transferring the image thereto, and to a de-activated position that does not maintain the substrate in contact with said image bearing member; a sensor for generating a signal in response to passage of the leading edge and the trailing edge of the substrate before such edge is adjacent said transfer assist mechanism; and a controller operable to direct said transfer assist mechanism to move to said activated position and to direct said transfer assist mechanism to move to said de-activated position after a de-activation dwell time, said de-activation dwell time being at least initially a nominal dwell time based on an expected length of the substrate from its leading edge to its trailing edge, said controller further operable to change the de-activation dwell time from said nominal dwell time in response to receipt of a signal from said sensor generated in response to passage of the trailing edge of the substrate.