Appeal No. 95-5098
Application 08/169,836
21. A heat and pressure fuser for fusing toner images
onto substrates, said fuser comprising:
an electrically resistive fusing belt having first and
second segments;
means for applying a voltage to said first segment for
elevating the temperature thereof and means for selectively
applying one of a plurality of voltages to said second segment
for elevating the temperature thereof for effecting images having
different degrees of gloss;
a plurality of electrically conductive rollers for
supporting said belt for movement in an endless path; and
a pressure roller cooperating with one of said
plurality of rollers to form an extended fusing zone
therebetween.
The Examiner’s Answer cites the following prior art:
Kogure et al. (Kogure) 4,813,372 Mar. 21, 1989
Ohashi et al. (Ohashi) 4,973,824 Nov. 27, 1990
OPINION
The claims stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as
unpatentable over Ohashi in view of Kogure. The examiner
correctly states that Kogure discloses applying electrical power
to a heat fusing roller to generate heat. Examiner’s Answer at
4-5. However, as appellants point out, that is not the claimed
invention. Appeal Brief at 5.
The claimed invention involves applying a voltage to
segments of a fusing belt, not to a fusing roller. There is no
suggestion offered by the examiner for applying voltage to
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