Simultaneous transfer and fusing of toner images

摘要

Three fuser rollers cooperate with a pressure roller to form an extended fusing zone through which a substrate carrying toner images passes with the toner images contacting the fusing belt. Electrical power is applied to the three fuser rolls in such a manner that only the portions of the belt in the fusing zone are heated. The energy is concentrated only in the part of the fusing belt where it is needed for fusing the toner images on the final substrate. Thus, the free extent of the belt or in other words the portion of the belt outside of the fusing zone remains unheated. Toner images are directly formed on or transferred to the unheated portion of the fusing belt. The images carried by the belt are then moved through the fusing zone where the images are simultaneously transferred and fused to a final substrate.