US 12,436,495 B2
Nip separator for separating rollers in an image forming device
Richard Louis Goin, Lexington, KY (US); Bartley Charles Gould, II, Lexington, KY (US); Virgil Johnson, Jr., Versailles, KY (US); and Leah Kaitlin Pettit, Berea, KY (US)
Assigned to Lexmark International, Inc., Lexington, KY (US)
Filed by LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL, INC., Lexington, KY (US)
Filed on Jun. 12, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/741,255.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/533,748, filed on Aug. 21, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2025/0068095 A1, Feb. 27, 2025
Int. Cl. G03G 21/18 (2006.01); G03G 15/00 (2006.01); G03G 15/01 (2006.01); G03G 15/08 (2006.01); G03G 21/16 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 21/1821 (2013.01) [G03G 15/0121 (2013.01); G03G 15/0808 (2013.01); G03G 15/0813 (2013.01); G03G 15/0818 (2013.01); G03G 15/0896 (2013.01); G03G 15/757 (2013.01); G03G 21/1647 (2013.01); G03G 21/1676 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A nip separator for use in an image forming device, comprising:
a retainer configured to retain the nip separator on a first rotatable component of the image forming device during operation of the image forming device with the nip separator rotatable about a rotational axis of the first rotatable component independent of the first rotatable component, the nip separator is manually installable on the first rotatable component; and
an arm extending from the retainer to contact a second rotatable component of the image forming device to maintain separation between surfaces of the first rotatable component and the second rotatable component when the nip separator is in an engaged position, the nip separator is rotatable about the rotational axis of the first rotatable component from the engaged position to a disengaged position by contact between the arm and the second rotatable component upon rotation of the second rotatable component in an operative rotational direction of the second rotatable component to permit continued operative contact between the surfaces of the first rotatable component and the second rotatable component when the nip separator is in the disengaged position.