Patent Grant
7519308
The present disclosure relates to a device and method for removing image forming substances deposits. Such deposits may occur between two opposing surfaces that may be in contact in an image forming apparatus. The two surfaces may include a nip between a roller and blade member and the image forming substances may be toner. The image forming apparatus may include an electrophotographic device, ink printer, copier, fax, all-in-one device, multi-functional device or a cartridge suitable for use in any of those devices.
An image forming device, such as an electrophotographic device, ink printer, copier, fax, all-in-one device or multi-functional device may use an image forming substance such as toner or ink, which may be stored in a cartridge and may be disposed on media to form an image. The image forming substance, such as toner, may be fixed to the media using an image fixing apparatus, which may apply heat and/or pressure to the roller/blade. When electrophotographic devices, including exchangeable cartridges used in such devices, are stored and/or shipped after manufacture, they may be exposed to temperatures of about 40° C. and above, often for days. The exposure may cause toner to deposit and adhere to the surfaces of the developer roller and/or doctor blade.
The present disclosure relates in one embodiment to a method for removal of an image forming substance deposit in an image forming device. The image forming device may include two opposing surfaces that are capable of containing such deposit and the method includes positioning an insert between such surfaces wherein the insert is capable of removing the deposit when the insert is inserted or removed from the device. The method may include the additional step of operating the image forming device prior to positioning of the insert, as in, e.g., an image forming testing protocol, and prior to shipment and storage. A user may then remove the insert and proceed to a printing operation.
The present disclosure may also be described as an image forming device comprising two opposing surfaces capable of containing an image forming material deposit. The device may therefore include an insert positioned between such surfaces wherein the insert comprises a material that is capable of removing the deposit when the insert is inserted or removed from the device. The insert may be formed from a material that does not contain volatiles or other contaminants that may be released and/or interfere with any ensuing printing operation. The image forming device may be an image forming device cartridge.
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. This invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein.
With reference to
The nip may therefore be understood as any region between two opposing surfaces that are relatively close together and which may come in contact. A nip may therefore exist as between the surfaces of the developer roller 12 and doctor blade 14. In that context a nip may exist at other locations within an image forming device such as between two rollers or even between a stationery component and a moving component. A nip may therefore also be found between any two surfaces that are spaced apart and which accommodate the passage of a sheet of media upon which an image may ultimately be formed.
It may therefore be appreciated that as cartridges and/or image forming devices including toner are manufactured and tested prior to shipment, toner may come in contact with the developer roller 12 or doctor blade 14 and reside in the nip location 16 and form a deposit. Accordingly, reference to a toner deposit as being contained on the two opposing surfaces that may form the nip may be understood as toner being present on one of the surfaces, toner being present on both of the surface, or toner existing between the surfaces under consideration. In the event that these cartridges or devices become exposed to elevated temperatures during shipment or storage such toner deposit may weld or adhere to the surface of the roller 12 and/or blade 14. Such welding may also be more likely to occur in the nip due to contact pressure between the roller and blade surfaces. Such temperatures may be at or above about room temperature (25° C.) and may particularly take place at temperature at or above about 40° C. It may therefore be appreciated that such temperatures where toner may deposit and weld may be a function of the type of image forming substance and its associated thermal transition temperatures. For example, in the case of toner containing a polymeric binder, such temperatures may be at or above the glass transition temperature (Tg). Such temperatures may also be at a temperature between Tg and Tm (in the case of crystalline polymeric material) or between Tg and a temperature wherein the polymeric binder is prone to some level of flow and solidification upon cooling. The presence of such deposits and ensuing weld within the nip may then cause unacceptable print streaks and relatively dark bands in a printed page. This may result in customer complaints and even cartridge returns.
As shown in
The insert material herein may be preferably formed from a polymeric material and may be provided in sheet or film form which may be compressed when positioned within the nip. It may therefore have an initial thickness of about 0.25 inches or less, including all values and increments between 0.01-0.25 inches. The material may also have sufficient mechanical strength so that it may be inserted into the nip location as generally illustrated in
The insert may specifically include a fibrous material, including both woven and/or non-woven fabrics. A non-woven fabric may be understood as a collection of fibers that may be held together by mechanical interlocking (needlepunching), fusing of the fibers as in the case of thermoplastic fibers or by bonding with a binder (e.g. a polymeric binder). More specifically, the non-woven may amount to a thermally bonded material such as a spunbond material wherein polymeric filaments have been extruded, optionally drawn and placed on a moving screen to form a web of material. The non-woven may also include those that may be point-bonded which may be understood as using heat and/or pressure in a desired pattern to bind the fibers to form the non-woven substrate material. One preferred thermally bonded non-woven material includes a non-woven polyester/rayon fabric that contains an acrylic binder, such as STYLE 5203 available from Precision Customer Coatings, Ltd. Rayon is reference to those fibers that may be derived from regenerated cellulose, as well as those fibers composed of regenerated cellulose in which not more than about 15% of the hydrogen atoms of the hydroxyl groups have been substituted. Such non-woven material may have a basis weight of about 20-200 grams/square meter including all values and increments therein. Other polymeric resins that are contemplated herein include polyamides (nylons), polyolefin based materials (e.g., polyethylene and/or polypropylene), acrylic polymers, poly(ethylene terephthalate), polycarbonates, etc.
It is further contemplated that other more specific polymers and/or polymer blends may form the insert. Such polymers and/or polymer blends may include those that do not contain a substantial amount of volatiles that may be otherwise liberated (due to, e.g., thermal conditions) and which may therefore coat on the doctor blade or the developer roller or unfavorably interact with the image forming material (e.g., toner). Such volatiles may include, e.g., residual monomers, oligomers, residual solvent (in the case of a solvent based polymerization) as well as other relatively low molecular weight (MW) additives that may be incorporated into a polymeric material to target a specific property (e.g., a plasticizer). As may be appreciated, such relatively low molecular weight compounds contemplate those particular compounds that may have a MW of less than or equal to about 500 (i.e., ≦500), including all values and ranges therein. Furthermore, the concentration of such relatively low MW compounds may be at or below about 5.0% by weight (wt.), including all values and increments therein. It should also be understood that the insert may be selected from any suitable material that does not lead to the generation of volatiles under temperature conditions of up to and including about 40° C.
The insert herein may also be one that is selected so that upon insertion into the nip it is capable of frictionally engaging with the contacting surfaces so that any image forming material remaining on the contacting surfaces from a testing operation may be reduced or removed. Accordingly, the insert herein may include a surface texture that facilitates the removal of image forming material and such surface texture may be inherent in the insert materials selected or separately developed on the surface of the insert as may be required. It may therefore be generally understood that such surface texture may ensure that image forming material is efficiently reduced and/or removed from the nip and does not problematically adhere or weld to such contacting surfaces when the image forming device may be stored for excessive periods of time. Furthermore, upon removal from the nip, and as alluded to above, the insert may be selected such that it does not substantially shed any significant material such as some amount of loose fiber and/or particulate that would otherwise remain in the nip and potentially lead to the formation of white streaks on a printed page.
In addition, as shown in
In addition, the end section 38 may be configured to include geometric features that allow for mechanical engagement to other portions of the cartridge. For example, end section 38 may be shaped to engage with complimentary shaped features (gears, shafts, bearings, bushings, etc.) at either end of the developer roll 12 in the housing of the cartridge 10. Generally, these features may provide a friction-fit or snap-fit to the complimentary features on the housing 10 and may serve to position and releasably attach the insert to the cartridge 10 during storage and shipment. This is illustrated generally in
In another exemplary embodiment it may be appreciated that one may facilitate placement of the insert 20 into a given nip by providing the insert as shown generally in
The foregoing description of several methods and an embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise steps and/or forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5218410 | Nakabayashi et al. | Jun 1993 | A |
| 5227844 | Bhattacharjee et al. | Jul 1993 | A |
| 6845225 | Toyoda et al. | Jan 2005 | B2 |
| 7248812 | Tombs | Jul 2007 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20080038009 A1 | Feb 2008 | US |
