The bottling of consumable material from a container in a receiving agent is of particular importance in electrographic printers or copiers. In this use case it is necessary to continually introduce toner as a consumable material in at least one developer station as a receiving agent. The function of such a printer or copier is known from WO 00/19278, for example. The addition of toner to the developer station is described there as well; WO 00/19278 is expressly referenced and its content is additionally incorporated into the disclosure. It is described how a container with toner can be connected with a developer station in order to fill new toner into the developer station. It is additionally described how the content of the container for the toner can be recorded, for example in a transponder, in order to ensure that only the correct toner is filled into the developer station.
An arrangement to convey toner into a toner receiving container is likewise known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,463,243 B1 or EP 1 176 477 A1. The toner receiving container has a filling opening that can be opened or closed by a slider. A container for new toner (toner reservoir) contains a funnel-shaped device that can be closed by a cover. The slider can be coupled with the cover so that both can be opened together in order to fill new toner into the toner receiving container.
Additional arrangements for conveying toner into a toner receiving container are known from DE 196 06 097 A1 and DE 44 37 070 A1. DE 196 06 097 A1 describes an arrangement in which a closing part under spring tension closes the filling opening for the toner in the toner receiving container. By sliding the closing part along a guide rail, the closing part rotates and uncovers the filling opening so that toner can be filled into the toner receiving container. An arrangement results from DE 44 37 070 A1 in which a cylindrical toner reservoir is placed on a closing part of the toner receiving container and a connection is thereby established between the toner reservoir and the toner receiving container. By rotating the toner reservoir, the closing part for the toner receiving container and the toner reservoir is simultaneously opened so that toner can flow into the toner receiving container. By rotating the toner reservoir back, the connection between this and the toner receiving container is broken and the two containers are simultaneously close.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,229 A describes a toner reservoir that can be placed on a toner receiving container. The toner reservoir is sealed with a strip that is round around a sliding means, which strip can be pulled away from the toner reservoir together with the sliding means by an operator with a handle.
An additional arrangement with a toner reservoir results from U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,750 A. The toner reservoir is closed with an adapter that provides a top cover part with a an upper slider and a lower slider. The upper slider closes the toner reservoir; the lower slider arrests the upper slider. Upon placing the toner reservoir on a receiving device that is arranged adjacent to the toner receiving container, the lower slider enters into an active connection with the receiving device and thereby releases the upper slider, which furthermore remains arrested. The toner reservoir is slid laterally by the operator to the opening of the toner receiving container. The upper slider thereby enters into an active connection with the cover of the toner receiving container and opens the toner receiving container. In addition, the upper slider is released, such that it can open the toner reservoir. The connection with the lower slider is reestablished by sliding the toner reservoir back.
JP 04-066 983 A describes an arrangement in which it is prevented that too much toner is filled into a toner receiving container.
WO 2000/19278 A1 deals with a printing system in which it is monitored whether toner of the correct color is filled into the developer stations given color printing. A transponder in which the data of the toner in the developer stations are stored can respectively be used for this.
US 2002/025 197 A1 discloses an arrangement to fill toner into a developer station. The opening of the developer station can be closed with the aid of an elastic means when no reservoir is placed on the developer station.
It is an object to specify an arrangement with which new toner can be filled from a toner reservoir into a toner receiving container, for example into a toner box of a developer station of a printer or copier.
In an arrangement to convey toner from a toner bottle of a toner reservoir into a toner receiving container, the toner bottle has a cover to close an output opening thereof. The cover has an upper cover part to accept the toner bottle and a lower cover part to close the outlet opening. A first locking unit provided within the cover arresting the lower cover part to the upper cover part such that it cannot be displaced before placement of the toner reservoir onto the toner receiving container. The cover is receivable on the toner receiving container so that the outlet opening of the toner reservoir is positioned above a filling opening of the toner receiving container. A slider has an outlet opening, the slider closing or opening the filling opening of the toner receiving container. The slider has an unlocking unit that unlocks the first locking unit upon placement of the toner reservoir on the toner receiving container so that the lower cover part is no longer arrested to the upper cover part. The lower cover part and the slider have a latching unit that engages in an active connection upon placement of the toner reservoir onto the toner receiving container so that the lower cover part move with movement of the slider.
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the preferred embodiment/best mode illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, and such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates are included.
The preferred embodiment is realized such that the supply of the toner receiving container with toner is accomplished such that the safety of an apparatus (for example an electrographic printer or copier) in which the toner should be used is ensured, such that this is soiled as little as possible, and the operator is protected from contact with toner.
In order to convey the toner from the toner reservoir into the toner receiving container, according to the preferred embodiment an arrangement is proposed made up of: a toner reservoir for the toner with a first closing means unit for its outlet opening; and a toner receiving container for the toner with a second closing unit for its filling opening; in which the closing units are adapted to one another so that they can enter into an active connection, such that
In order to achieve this goal, an arrangement is proposed
In order to limit the slide travel for the lower cover part, the guide can be locked at one end in the one slide direction in the upper cover part. In the other slide direction, the upper cover part can have as a first locking unit at least one elastic snap clasp that engages in a catch arranged on the lower cover part. As a catch, the lower cover part can have at least one catch toe facing the upper cover part, on which catch toe the snap clasp elastically rests.
It is appropriate when two snap catches in the upper cover part and two catch toes in the lower cover part are provided as a first locking unit.
As a catch unit between the lower cover part and the slider, the lower cover part can have a toe and the slider can have a groove, such that upon placement of the cover on the toner receiving container the toe catches in the groove, and therefore the active connection is established. In order to secure the catching of the lower cover part in the slider, the frame of the toner receiving container into which the toner reservoir is inserted can be designed such that it guides the cover so that the lower cover part engages in the slider via insertion of the toe into the groove.
To facilitate the catching, the slider can have a recess adapted to the shape of the lower cover part, into which recess the lower cover part is inserted when the cover is placed on the toner receiving container.
The locking of the lower cover part with the upper cover part can be achieved in that the recess in the slider ends in at least one toe at one end, which toe the head of a snap clasp respectively strikes when the lower cover part is inserted into the recess, wherein the snap clasp is raised.
It is advantageous when a second locking unit with which the slider can be arrested in the toner receiving container is provided in the toner receiving container. The second locking unit can have a bolt under spring tension, situated in the direction of the slider, which bolt engages in the slider to stop. Furthermore, the second locking unit can have an actuation unit (in particular a magnet) that manipulates the bolt counter to the spring force to release the arrest so that the slider can be slid to open the filling opening of the toner receiving container. The slider can provide at its one end a catch opening in which the bolt can engage. This end of the slider can appropriately be designed as an angled plane that strikes the bolt upon shifting the slider to close the filling opening of the toner receiving container and presses the bolt down so that this can engage in the catch opening. The bolt can thus be pulled in by the magnet when the slider should be drawn out from the toner receiving container at its opening, and the bolt can be moved back into the catch position again by the spring force when the end of the slider has been moved past the slider to the bolt.
The actuation unit can be triggered by a control signal that is prompted by a transponder arranged on the toner reservoir, wherein the transponder emits the control signal to the actuation unit when the toner reservoir may be coupled with the toner receiving container.
Given the arrangement according to the preferred embodiment, next to its slide handle the slider can have the toe, the recess for the lower cover part and subsequently the passage opening for the toner, such that the filling opening of the toner receiving container is closed given the inserted position of the slider and the passage opening is positioned adjacent to the inlet opening of the toner reservoir in the retracted position of the slider, and toner can flow from the outlet opening of the toner reservoir into the filling opening of the toner receiving container via the passage opening.
In order to prevent that, given a partially withdrawn slider, toner can unduly arrive into the surroundings, the upper cover part can possess a turned groove at the area facing towards the passage opening and the frame, and the receiving frame can possess a ledge at this area. When the cover is inserted into the frame, the upper cover part with its turned groove rests on the ledge under pressure and seals this area.
The preferred embodiment thus provides a toner reservoir in which a toner bottle and a cover to receive the toner bottle are provided and the cover is executed such that it closes the outlet opening of the toner bottle as long as this is not inserted into the toner receiving container. The toner reservoir is thus designed so that it can only be opened when it has been inserted into the toner receiving container. For this, the cover provides an upper cover part and a lower cover part guided in the upper cover part, wherein the upper cover part has a first locking unit that arrests the lower cover part in the guide in the upper cover part as long as the toner reservoir is not placed on the toner receiving container. The first locking unit has at least one elastic snap clasp that engages in a catch (for example a catch toe) arranged on the lower cover part. The sliding path of the lower cover part is therefore limited in the one slide direction of the slider. The limitation of the sliding path of the lower cover part in the other direction can be achieved in that the guide for the lower cover part is terminated there.
After placing the toner reservoir on the toner receiving container, the first locking unit is actuated by an unlocking unit (for example a toe) arranged in the toner receiving container such that it releases the arrest of the lower cover part so that the lower cover part can be shifted. Since the lower cover part is simultaneously engaged in the slider, the lower cover part is also shifted with shifting of the slider, and the outlet opening of the toner reservoir is opened, and the passage opening is positioned between the outlet opening of the toner reservoir and the filling opening of the toner receiving container and therefore enables the filling of the toner into the toner receiving container.
To fill toner, the toner reservoir with its cover is thus inserted into the frame of the toner receiving container, wherein the lower cover part of the cover engages in the slider guided in the toner receiving container. The arresting of the lower cover part is then released by the unlocking unit (for example the toe) arranged in the toner receiving container. The slider can now be actuated together with the lower cover part to open and close the filling opening of the toner receiving container.
The arrangement with a toner reservoir TV with cover DE and toner bottle TF, and with a toner receiving container TA with slider SE, results from
According to
How the lower cover part 2 is arranged in the upper cover part (the guide of which is not discernible; see
How the cover 1, 2 (without toner bottle) is inserted into a frame 6 that is a component of the toner receiving container is shown in
A snap clasp is shown as a locking unit in
The slider SE can likewise be arrested, and in fact in the toner receiving container TA. This case can be learned from
If toner should be filled into the toner receiving container TA, the slider SE must be drawn out from the toner receiving container TA. It is required that the bolt 15 is attracted by the magnet 16 and therefore leaves the catch opening 14. This case results from
If the slider SE is slid back and therefore the filling opening of the toner receiving container is sealed again, the end piece 13 (formed as an inclined plane) strikes the bolt 15 and presses this downward, counter to the spring force, until this can engage in the catch opening 14 due to the spring force. The slider SE can now no longer be shifted. The position of
The actuation of the magnet 16 can be triggered by a control signal that, for example, is derived from a signal of a transponder associated with the toner bottle, in which signal information is stored about the content of the toner bottle. If the content of the toner bottle is permitted for filling into the toner receiving container, the control signal is generated that triggers the magnet 16 so that the bolt 15 is drawn out from the catch opening 14.
If the slider SE is partially withdrawn from the toner receiving container TA and the passage opening 12 only partially uncovers the passage for the toner, the danger exists that toner can exit in an undesirable manner into the surroundings. This case is to be learned from
An optimal seal occurs when the turned groove 20 rests under pressure on the ledge 21 in the frame 6. This can be realized so that a nose 25 in frame 6 on the wall of the upper cover part 1 exerts pressure on the sealing surface after the insertion of the toner reservoir TV. The nose 25 is well visible in
It can additionally be recognized from
While a preferred embodiment has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention both now or in the future are desired to be protected.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2006 007 304 | Feb 2006 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2007/051461 | 2/15/2007 | WO | 00 | 8/18/2008 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2007/093625 | 8/23/2007 | WO | A |
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5091750 | Yoshida et al. | Feb 1992 | A |
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6366742 | Reihl et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
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20020025197 | Mizoguchi et al. | Feb 2002 | A1 |
20020085857 | Kim et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
20070196136 | Yamamoto et al. | Aug 2007 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
44 37 070 | Apr 1995 | DE |
196 06 097 | Aug 1996 | DE |
0 571 767 | Dec 1993 | EP |
1 176 477 | Jan 2002 | EP |
1 179 755 | Feb 2002 | EP |
63-179377 | Jul 1988 | JP |
WO 0019278 | Apr 2000 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20090016770 A1 | Jan 2009 | US |