1. An apparatus for receiving, storing, and dispensing a stranded material, the apparatus comprising:
a tubular member having an axial direction and a radial direction, configured to receive a stranded material wrapped therearound;
a first flange configured to engage the tubular member and comprising
a core portion, having an arbor aperture therein and configured to support the apparatus on an arbor through the arbor aperture, and
a outer portion extending radially away from the core portion to an outer edge and configured to restrain the stranded material in an axial direction;
a second flange configured to engage the tubular member; and
the first flange, further comprising a base and a closure, wherein the base is corrugated to have a first face and a plurality of recessed regions offset therefrom to form corrugations, and wherein the closure is configured to stiffen the first flange by creating closed cross-sections increasing the section modulus in selected corrugations.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the closure is secured to the base by a fastener.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fastener is selected from the group consisting of a bolt, a rivet, a screw, a tack, a staple, a barb, a glue, an adhesive, a bonding agent, and a weldment.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the closure is corrugated.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the closure and base are fastened together to define at least one axis of symmetry therebetween.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the closure and base define a plane of symmetry therebetween.
7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the closure and base extend radially substantially parallel to one another.
8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the closure and base are configured to extend radially in nonparallel relation to one another.
9. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the base and closure are counter symmetric and define a counter symmetric axis.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the base and closure define a counter symmetric plane.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the base and closure are configured to have corresponding corrugations therein offset circumferentially from one another.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the base and closure are substantially identical.
13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outer portion comprises the base and the closure.
14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base is a single, homogeneously moldable piece configured to be moldable by a process selected from the group consisting of vacuum forming, blow molding, injection molding, roto-molding, fabrication from stock, pressing, stamping and hand lay up.
15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the closure is a single, homogeneous piece configured to be formable by a process selected from the group consisting of vacuum forming, blow molding, injection molding, roto-molding, casting, fabrication from stock, pressing, stamping, hand laying, pouring, rolling, calendering, and stretching.
16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first flange has a circumferential direction and an inside face toward the second flange, and wherein the corrugations are configured to have a circumferential dimension selected to reduce incursion of the stranded material into the corrugations on the inside face.
17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the core portion and the outer portion are configured to selectively fail by absorbing energy without catastrophic failure of the apparatus.
18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the core portion and the outer portion are configured to selectively fail by absorbing energy without catastrophic failure of the apparatus in a standard drop test.
19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the core portion and the outer portion are configured to substantially pass a standard drop test from a height of from about 25 inches to about 48 inches with a full complement of a stranded material for which the apparatus is designed.
20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein catastrophic failure is rendering the apparatus inoperative to dispense the stranded material.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A separation device disposed downstream from a first rotary body and a second rotary body contacting the first rotary body in a recording medium conveyance direction in which a recording medium is conveyed between the first rotary body and the second rotary body, the separation device comprising:
at least one separator disposed opposite one of the first rotary body and the second rotary body,
each of the at least one separator including:
a front aligned in an axial direction of the one of the first rotary body and the second rotary body and including a recording medium conveyance face over which the recording medium slides, the recording medium conveyance face including a front edge produced with a burr having a height not greater than about 25 micrometers; and
a recess produced on the recording medium conveyance face and extending in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction,
wherein the recording medium conveyance face has a surface roughness defined by one of an arithmetic average roughness not greater than about 1.5 micrometers, a maximum height not greater than about 10.0 micrometers, and a ten point average roughness not greater than about 7.2 micrometers.
2. The separation device according to claim 1, wherein the separator contacts one of the first rotary body and the second rotary body.
3. The separation device according to claim 1, wherein the separator is disposed opposite one of the first rotary body and the second rotary body with a given interval therebetween.
4. The separation device according to claim 3, wherein the given interval is in a range of from about 0.1 mm to about 0.6 mm.
5. The separation device according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium conveyance face of the separator is coated with fluoroplastic.
6. The separation device according to claim 1, wherein the front of the separator is made of fluoroplastic.
7. The separation device according to claim 1, wherein the recess extends substantially throughout an entire width of the front of the separator in the direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction.
8. The separation device according to claim 1, wherein the separator further includes:
a base integrally molded with the front; and
a shaft mounted on the base.
9. The separation device according to claim 8, further comprising:
a compression spring anchored to the base of the separator; and
a screw to press the compression spring,
wherein as the screw presses the compression spring, the base of the separator rotates about the shaft thereof.
10. The separation device according to claim 8, wherein the base of the separator rotates about the shaft thereof to bring the front of the separator into contact with one of the first rotary body and the second rotary body.
11. The separation device according to claim 8, wherein the base of the separator rotates about the shaft thereof to isolate the front of the separator from one of the first rotary body and the second rotary body with a given interval therebetween.
12. The separation device according to claim 8, wherein the front of the separator is softer than the base of the separator.
13. A fixing device comprising:
a first rotary body;
a second rotary body contacting the first rotary body: and
a separation device disposed downstream from the first rotary body and the second rotary body in a recording medium conveyance direction in which a recording medium is conveyed between the first rotary body and the second rotary body,
the separation device including at least one separator disposed opposite one of the first rotary body and the second rotary body,
each of the at least one separator including:
a front aligned in an axial direction of the one of the first rotary body and the second rotary body and including a recording medium conveyance face over which the recording medium slides, the recording medium conveyance face including a front edge produced with a burr having a height not greater than about 25 micrometers; and
a recess produced on the recording medium conveyance face and extending in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction,
wherein the recording medium conveyance face has a surface roughness defined by one of an arithmetic average roughness not greater than about 1.5 micrometers, a maximum height not greater than about 10.0 micrometers, and a ten point average roughness not greater than about 7.2 micrometers.
14. An image forming apparatus comprising the separation device according to claim 1.