1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to supply items used in electrophotographic image forming devices and more particularly to a retainer for containing processing circuitry mountable on a supply item in an imaging forming device and having positional control features.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to reduce the premature replacement of components used in an image forming device, toner cartridge manufacturers have begun to separate components having a longer life from those having a shorter life into separate replaceable units. Relatively longer life components such as a developer roll, a toner adder roll, a doctor blade and a photoconductive drum are positioned in one replaceable supply item commonly referred to as an imaging unit. The image forming device's toner supply, which is consumed relatively quickly in comparison with the components housed in the imaging unit, is provided in a reservoir in a separate replaceable supply item in the form of a toner cartridge that mates with the imaging unit. In this configuration, the number of components housed in the toner cartridge is reduced in comparison with traditional toner cartridges.
Onboard such supply items, there is processing circuitry used to store information about the supply item such as life, printing variables, etc. The processing circuitry is mounted on a circuit board on the supply item such that the contacts on the circuit board mate with corresponding contacts in the image forming device when the supply item is installed in the image forming device. In order for the image forming device to communicate with the processing circuitry, electrical connection must be made between the processing circuitry on the supply item and the image forming device. As such, it is important to accurately position the circuit board on the supply item relative to the connector contacts in the image forming device. This can be challenging in that circuit boards for this processing circuitry may have dimensional variation and few locating features. Also, the tolerances in the image forming device frame dimensions can lead to the connector contacts of the image forming device and the circuit board of supply item's processing circuitry not being properly positioned relative to each other. Further, to establish a reliable electrical connection, the contacts of the image forming device connector need to exert force on the supply item's processing circuitry circuit board. However, the force balance between the toner cartridge and the imaging unit is delicate because an imbalance of forces can cause print defects. Furthermore, these supply items can see many installations into a printer throughout their lives during which contaminants such as toner, paper dust, etc., can settle in the terminals of the circuit board of the supply item's processing device. These contaminants act like sandpaper when sandwiched between the image forming device's connecting pins and the contacts or terminals on processing circuitry circuit board which cause the contacting surfaces of the pins and the terminals to become worn and, in some cases, leads to a malfunction of the processing circuitry.
Accordingly, it will be appreciated that a retainer having positional control features that permit precise alignment for establishing a reliable electrical connection between the supply item's processing circuitry and the image forming device while minimizing external forces on the supply item and permitting the removal of contaminants from the contact surface of the processing circuitry circuit board is desired.
In one example embodiment, a retainer assembly is mountable on an exterior surface of an insertable supply item of an image forming device. The retainer assembly comprises a circuit board having processing circuitry with a plurality of contacts and a retainer having a top having an undersurface having first and second supports depending therefrom and a mounting platform position intermediate the first and second supports. The mounting platform comprises a pair of opposed side walls positioned intermediate to the first and second supports and extending between a front and a rear of the retainer; the front facing a direction of insertion of the supply item into the image forming device and a rear wall positioned transversely to the pair of opposed side walls and adjacent the rear of the retainer, the pair of opposed side walls and transverse rear wall forming a cavity receiving the circuit board therein. A portion of the rear wall and a portion of at least one side wall of the pair of opposed side walls form a mounting plane, the circuit board being mounted in the mounting plane with the mounting plane spaced apart from the undersurface of the top and, when the retainer is mounted on the supply item, away from the outer surface of the supply item. The portions of the rear wall and the at least one side wall of the pair of opposed side walls further define a datum point locating a corner of the circuit board on the retainer and aligning the plurality of contacts of the circuit board with respect to the retainer. The top, the first and second supports define an opening sized to receive therebetween a connector mounted within the image forming device that is in electrical communication with a controller in the image forming device. The connector has a plurality of electrically conductive connecting pins. An attachment device for removably attaching the retainer to the supply item is provided; and, an alignment device is provided on the retainer that engages with a corresponding alignment device on the supply item to establish a reference datum for the retainer when installed on the supply item for aligning the retainer with the supply item. When the retainer assembly is mounted on the supply item and the supply item is inserted into the imaging apparatus, the first and second supports align the plurality of connecting pins of the connector with corresponding ones of the plurality of contacts of the circuit board for electrical interconnection with the controller.
Deformable ribs may be provided on one wall of the pair of opposed side walls forming an interference fit with a side edge of the circuit board that exerts a force on the circuit board to bias it against the other side wall of the pair of opposed side walls. Recesses may be provided on the pair of opposed side walls and the rear transverse wall with the respective bottom surfaces of the recesses forming the mounting plane for the circuit board within the cavity while a side surface of the recess in the rear wall and a side surface of the one side wall of the pair of opposed side walls form the datum point. A front transverse wall depending from the undersurface of the top may also be provided opposite the rear transverse wall and have a second plurality of deformable ribs forming an interference fit with a front edge of the circuit board and exerting a second force along the front edge of the circuit board to bias the circuit board against the rear transverse wall.
A mounting boss for the circuit board depending from the undersurface of the top within the cavity may also be provided. The mounting boss having a top surface being substantially coplanar with the mounting plane and receiving a fastener retaining the circuit board within the cavity. A conductive interlock for electrically shorting two connecting pins of the plurality of connecting pins of the connector may also be provided in the retainer.
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of the various embodiments, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings.
The following description and drawings illustrate embodiments sufficiently to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited 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 carried out in various ways. For example, other embodiments may incorporate structural, chronological, electrical, process, and other changes. Examples merely typify possible variations. Individual components and functions are optional unless explicitly required, and the sequence of operations may vary. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in or substituted for those of others. The scope of the application encompasses the appended claims and all available equivalents. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limited sense and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.
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. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and “mounted,” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. In addition, the terms “connected” and “coupled” and variations thereof are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.
Referring now to the drawings and particularly to
In the example embodiment shown in
Controller 28 includes a processor unit and associated memory 29 and may be formed as one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). Memory 29 may be any volatile or non-volatile memory of combination thereof such as, for example, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), flash memory and/or non-volatile RAM (NVRAM). Alternatively, memory 29 may be in the form of a separate electronic memory (e.g., RAM, ROM, and/or NVRAM), a hard drive, a CD or DVD drive, or any processing device convenient for use with controller 28. Controller 28 may be, for example, a combined printer and scanner controller.
In the example embodiment illustrated, controller 28 communicates with print engine 30 via a communications link 50. Controller 28 communicates with imaging unit 32 and processing circuitry 44 thereon via a communications link 51. Controller 28 communicates with toner cartridge 35 and processing circuitry 45 therein via a communications link 52. Controller 28 communicates with media feed system 38 via a communications link 53. Controller 28 communicates with scanner system 40 via a communications link 54. User interface 36 is communicatively coupled to controller 28 via a communications link 55. Processing circuitry 44, 45 may provide authentication functions, safety and operational interlocks, operating parameters and usage information related to imaging unit 32 and toner cartridge 35, respectively. Controller 28 processes print and scan data and operates print engine 30 during printing and scanner system 40 during scanning.
Computer 24, which is optional, may be, for example, a personal computer, network server, tablet computer, smartphone, or other hand-held electronic device including memory 60, such as volatile and/or non volatile memory, input device 62, such as a keyboard and/or a mouse, and a display, such as monitor 64. Computer 24 also includes a processor, input/output (I/O) interfaces, and may include at least one mass data storage device, such as a hard drive, a CD-ROM and/or a DVD unit (not shown).
Computer 24 includes in its memory a software program including program instructions that function as an imaging driver 66, e.g., printer/scanner driver software, for image forming device 22. Imaging driver 66 is in communication with controller 28 of image forming device 22 via communications link 26. Imaging driver 66 facilitates communication between image forming device 22 and computer 24. One aspect of imaging driver 66 may be, for example, to provide formatted print data to image forming device 22, and more particularly to print engine 30, to print an image. Another aspect of imaging driver 66 may be, for example, to facilitate collection of scanned data from scanner system 40.
In some circumstances, it may be desirable to operate image forming device 22 in a standalone mode. In the standalone mode, image forming device 22 is capable of functioning without computer 24. Accordingly, all or a portion of imaging driver 66, or a similar driver, may be located in controller 28 of image forming device 22 so as to accommodate printing and/or scanning functionality when operating in the standalone mode.
Print engine 30 includes laser scan unit (LSU) 31, toner cartridge 35, imaging unit 32, and fuser 37, all mounted within image forming device 22. Imaging unit 32 and toner cartridge 35 are supported in their operating positions by a frame 90 (see
The electrophotographic imaging process is well known in the art and, therefore, will be briefly described. During an imaging operation, laser scan unit 31 creates a latent image on the photoconductive drum in cleaner unit 33. Toner is transferred from the toner sump in developer unit 34 to the latent image on the photoconductive drum by the developer roll to create a toned image. The toned image is then transferred to a media sheet received in imaging unit 32 from media input tray 39. Next the toned image is fused to the media sheet in a fuser 37 and sent to an output location or to one or more finishing options such as a duplexer, a stapler or a hole-punch. Toner remnants are removed from the photoconductive drum by the waste toner removal system housed within cleaner unit 33. As toner is depleted from developer unit 34, it is transferred from toner cartridge 35 into developer unit 34. Controller 28 provides for the coordination of these activities occurring during the imaging process.
With reference to
Each of first and second connectors 56, 57 has a plurality of connecting pins 58 engaging a corresponding plurality of contact pads or terminals 59 provided at processing circuitry 44, 45. In an example embodiment, each of processing circuitry 44, 45 has four terminals 59 providing connections for ground, power, and data communications such as a 2-wire bus. As shown, two additional connecting pins 58 and terminals 59 interconnect optional interlocks 48, 49 to controller 28. The number of connecting pins 58 and terminals 59 is a matter of design choice. Interlocks, 4849 are provided to ensure that imaging unit 32 and toner cartridge 35 are both installed in their respective operating positions within image forming device 22 before the laser in the LSU 31 can be turned on. In one form, interlocks, 48, 49 are metal shorting bars mounted on imaging unit 32 and toner cartridge 35 that interconnect or short two corresponding connecting pins in connectors 56, 57, respectively. If both pairs of connecting pins are not shorted, the power path to the laser is open and the laser cannot turn on. Other forms for interlocks 48, 49 such as, optical interrupters, capacitive or inductive sensors, may be used and are a matter of design choice.
As is known, the mounting frame 90 is used to establish the spatial relationship of the imaging unit 32, in particular, the photoconductive drum, to either the media to be printed or to the intermediate transfer member onto which the toned image on the photoconductive drum is transferred and to its connector 56. The mounting frame 90, along with positioning features on toner cartridge 35, establishes the spatial relationship of toner cartridge 35 to imaging unit 32 and to its connector 57. In turn, alignment features on each of the imaging unit 32 and toner cartridge 35 engage with respective alignment features found on retainers 80, 82 for referencing retainers 80, 82 to imaging unit 32 and toner cartridge 35, respectively. Last, positioning features on retainers 80, 82 locate the circuit boards for processing circuitry 44, 45, and optional interlocks 48, 49 on retainers 80, 82 allowing connectors 56, 57 to mechanically and electrically engage with processing circuitry 44, 45 and interlocks 48, 49, respectively.
Referring now to
Toner cartridge 35 is shown being inserted into the mounting frame in the indicated insertion direction where it is guided by frame 206 into a mating relationship with developer unit 34 of imaging unit 32 at its operating position OP2 designated by the black triangle. At operating position OP2 an exit port on the front wall 114 and adjacent second side wall 112 of toner cartridge 35 is aligned with the inlet port 207 of developer unit 34. A pair of guides 126, 128 is provided on the sides of toner cartridge 100 and is supported in channels or rails 96, 97, indicated by phantom lines in the mounting frame 90. This arrangement allows toner cartridge 35 to be removed and reinserted easily, such as when replacing an empty toner cartridge 35, without having to remove imaging unit 32. While rails or channels 94, 96 and 95, 97 are shown as being separate, rails or channels 94, 96 and 95, 97 may be one continuous rail or channel in the mounting frame.
Should a media jam occur beneath the imaging unit 32, the toner cartridge 35 and the imaging unit 32 may be readily removed to allow access to the media jam. The developer unit 34, cleaner unit 33 and frame 206 may also be readily removed as desired in order to maintain, repair or replace the components associated with developer unit 34, cleaning unit 33 or frame 206. However, it will be appreciated that this typically occurs with less frequency than the removal and reinsertion of toner cartridge 35.
Toner cartridge 35 includes a housing 102 having an enclosed reservoir for holding a quantity of toner therein. Housing 102 may be viewed as having a top or lid 106 mounted on a base 108. Base 108 is formed by first and second side walls 110, 112 connected to adjoining front and rear walls 114, 116 and bottom 117. In one embodiment, top 106 is ultrasonically welded to base 108 thereby forming the enclosed toner reservoir. Housing 102 also includes first and second end caps 118, 120 that are mounted to side walls 110, 112, respectively. First and second end caps 118, 120 may be snap fitted into place or attached by screws or other fasteners onto base 108. Various gears and or linkages are housed within the space between end cap 118 and side wall 110 and between end cap 120 and side wall 112. These gears and linkages are used for operation of interlocks that engage with the imaging unit 32 and for operation of a toner delivery system within toner cartridge 35 that includes a toner paddle assembly, feed auger, gear train, and exit port shutter for toner cartridge 35. A main interface gear 121 for toner cartridge 35 is mounted in end cap 118. Main interface gear 121 receives torque from a drive system housed within image forming device 22 and in turn drives the feed auger and the toner paddle assembly through one or more intermediate gears for the delivery of toner from toner cartridge 35. A handle 122 may be provided on top 106 or base 108 of toner cartridge 35 to assist with insertion and removal of toner cartridge 35 from imaging unit 32 and image forming device 22. Guides 126, 128 are shown mounted on the first and second end caps 118, 120, respectively.
Referring to
Example retainer 82 is discussed with reference to
One or more alignment devices 330 on retainer 82 and corresponding one or more alignment devices 130 (see
Alignment devices 130, 230 generally comprise, in one example form, at least two spaced cylindrical posts 132, 134, and 232, 234, respectively, projecting outwardly from the outer surface 119 of end cap 118 and the outer side surface 219 of cleaner unit 33. Posts 132, 134 define a reference datum or line on toner cartridge 35 that positions retainer 82 so that the contacts 382-385 are substantially parallel to the connecting pins of connector 57 when inserted therein. In retainer 82, hole 332 and slot 334 are spaced to correspond to posts 132, 134, respectively. The distal ends of posts 132, 134 are closely received into hole 332, and slot 334, respectively, when retainer 82 is attached to end cap 118. Slot 334 allows for any tolerance variations in the positioning of posts 132, 134 or in retainer 82 to be accommodated. Hole 332 and slot 334 may be blind openings (see
Retainer 82 provides a mounting platform on undersurface 308 for circuit board 380. The mounting platform, generally indicated by reference numeral 340, comprises three walls 342, 344, 346 that cantilever from undersurface 308. Side walls 342, 344 are opposed and extend between the front 310 and rear 311 of retainer 82 and, as illustrated, are generally parallel with supports 304, 306. Back wall 346 is transverse to opposed side walls 342, 344. Walls 342, 344, 346 generally form a cavity or pocket 348 that is U-shaped with an open end facing the front 310 of retainer 82. Ledges or recesses 352, 354, 356 are formed along the upper portion of the interior surfaces 342-1, 344-1 and 346-1 of walls 342, 344, 346 to provide for mounting of a circuit board 380 having processing circuitry 45. The heights H2, H3, H4 ledges 352, 356, 356, respectively as shown as being the same and are sized so that components mounted on the circuit board may be accommodated within cavity 348.
At least two of bottom surfaces 352-1, 354-1, 356-1 of ledges 352, 354, 356, establish a mounting plane 358 for circuit board 380, when mounted thereon. The intersection of the plane of side surface 356-1 of ledge 356 with one of the planes of side surfaces 352-2, or 354-2 establishes a datum point DP for locating a corner of circuit board 380 on retainer 82. As illustrated, the datum point DP is shown at the intersection of the planes of side surfaces 352-2 and 356-2. Rear and side edges 390, 391 of circuit board 380 would abut rear and side surfaces 356-2, 352-2, respectively, when installed in retainer 82. It should be realized that while ledges or recesses are shown in walls 342, 344, 346, rails or other extensions may be used to support circuit board 380 and establish mounting platform 340. As illustrated, circuit board 380 is mounted so that its contact surface side 386 faces away from undersurface 308 while its component surface side 387 having processing circuitry 45 mounted thereon would be housed in cavity 348. (See
To accommodate for tolerance stackup between the width of circuit board 380 and side walls 342, 346, one of the side walls is provided with deformable features 360. As illustrated in
Shown in
As shown front wall 347 encloses the front of cavity 348. Deformable features 370, such as ribs 370, are provided on the interior surface 347-1 of front wall 347 within cavity 348 and function in a similar fashion to deformable features 360 except along the front edge 389 of circuit board 380 and form an interference fit with circuit board 380 to ensure that the rear edge 390 of circuit board 380 abuts side surface 356-2. As illustrated two spaced ribs 370 extend into cavity 348 from interior surface 347-1. Example ribs 370 may extend approximately 0.2 mm. Again, the amount of extension is a matter of design choice. Deformable features or ribs 360, 370 may be triangular, hemispherical, or rectangular in shape. It can be appreciated that ribs 360, 370 can have other shapes aside from those mentioned above to create an interference fit with the circuit board 380.
With circuit board 380 mounted within cavity 348, front wall 347 extends in height to about contact surface 386 or slightly beyond and provides protection from chipping for the front edge 389 of circuit board 380 during insertion of connector 57 into retainer 82. As shown, rear wall 346 has a cutout or recess 349 so that mounting boss 362 and rear wall 346 have approximately the same cross-sectional area. This enables these features to be more reliably molded. Further the cross-sectional areas of walls 342, 344, 347 and mounting boss 366 and legs 368-1, 368-2 are similar to that of rear wall 346 for this reason.
Walls 342, 344, 346 are shown as three individual segments however, one continuous wall having three segments as described may also be used, walls 342 and 346 may be joined where they would intersect one another or walls 344 and 346 may be joined. The top inner edges of walls 342, 344, 346, 347 and the top edges of ribs 360, 370 may be chamfered to facilitate the insertion and mounting of circuit board 380 into cavity 348.
Mounting boss 366 is illustrated as being formed as a lateral extension of side wall 344 and depending from undersurface 308. Mounting boss 366 provides a planar mounting surface 368 on its top shown as a pair of parallel legs 368-1, 368-1 attached to mounting boss 366. Mounting surface 368 may be one continuous plane and is generally coplanar with mounting plane 358 assuming that interlock 49 and circuit board 380 have similar thicknesses so that all of the contact surfaces on circuit board 380 and interlock 49 are coplanar. Adjacent free ends of legs 368-1, 368-1 is slot 372 provided in top 302 of retainer 82. Slot 372 may be a through slot or a blind slot, like hole 332 or slot 334. The body 395 of interlock 49 is generally a rectangular plane. The front end 396 of interlock 49 is bent and received into slot 372. The rear end 397 of interlock 49 attaches to mounting boss 366 by a fastener 398, such as a screw 398, passing through hole 399 therein and into hole 367 of mounting boss 366. Turning the front edge 396 into slot 372 reduces the probability that the front edge 396 will snag a connecting pin in connector 57 during toner cartridge insertion. Interlock 49 is made from an electrically conductive material, such as stainless steel, and is about 5 mm in width and about 13 mm in length, and 0.3 mm in thickness. About 1.5 mm of the front portion of interlock 49 is inserted into slot 373 of retainer 82. The width of body 495 of interlock 49 is sized so that it will interconnect or short out two adjacent connecting pins in connector 57. The shape and size of the body 495 of interlock 49 is a matter of design choice.
As illustrated in
Retainers 80, 82, toner cartridge housing 102 including end caps 118, 120, and cleaner housing 204 are molded plastic parts. Any one of a number of plastic materials known to those of skill in the art can be used, such as for example, acrylonitride butadiene styrene (ABS).
As shown, circuit board 380 has a contact surface side 386 on which contacts 382-385 are mounted and a component side 387 on which processing circuitry 45 is mounted. Circuit board 380 has a plurality of spaced, aligned contact or contact pads. As shown example circuit board 380 has four aligned contact pads 382-385 that are mounted on a first surface or contact surface side 386 of circuit board 380 beginning at or adjacent the front or leading edge 389 and extending toward the rear or trailing edge 390 of circuit board 380. As shown there is a small gap between the front ends of contacts 383-385 while the front end of contact 382 extends closer toward the front edge 389 of circuit board 380. This allows for the connection between contact 382 and its corresponding connecting pin in connector 57 to occur first during toner cartridge 35 insertion and to break last during toner cartridge 35 removal. Terminal 382 may be used as a ground terminal. Terminal 383 may be used as a clock terminal to receive clock signals. Terminal 384 may be used as a data and/or control transmission terminal. Terminal 385 may be used as a common collector voltage (Vcc) terminal to supply power. Circuit board 380 may further include computing hardware for storing supply item parameters including but not limited to pages printed, first use date, and supply item ID. The computing hardware may include one or more processors, logic devices, and memory. The computing hardware may further comprise integrated circuits and digital signal processors, in which embedded program code may be stored and executed.
Processing circuitry 45 is mounted on circuit board 380 so as not interfere with the connection between terminals or contact pads 382-385 and their corresponding connecting pins in connector 57. This may be done by placing processing circuitry 45 adjacent to the rear edge 390 on contact or first surface 386 or, as shown, placing processing circuitry 45 on a second surface or component side 387 of circuit board 380 with contact pads 382-385 being fed through circuit board 380 for connection to processing circuitry 45.
Circuit board 380 is mounted in retainer 82 so that contact pads 382-385 are positioned substantially parallel to the insertion direction of toner cartridge 35. The datum point DP formed by the intersection side surfaces 352-2, 356-2 helps to ensure that circuit board 380 and its contacts 382-385 are properly aligned in retainer 82. The connection between the connecting pins of connector 57 and the contact pads 382-385 is a blind connection not visible to a user inserting toner cartridge 35 into imaging unit 32. Further contact pads 382-385 are approximately 1.6 mm wide by about 7 mm long while the connecting pins are approximately 2 mm wide. Given the small sizes of the contact pads and connecting pins, precise alignment between them is necessary to ensure reliable and repeatable electrical connection. Inside image forming device 22 paper dust and toner particles may settle out onto contacts 382-385 and interlock 49, the connecting pins should wipe a portion of the contact pads 382-385 and interlock 49 as connector 57 is inserted into retainer 82.
Defining the insertion direction to be along the X axis, and the vertical direction to be the Y axis, with the Z axis being orthogonal to both the X and Y axes (see
With reference to
Supports 187, 188, each have upper planar surfaces 187-1, 188-1 that are spaced away from contact surface 386 of circuit board 380 when the retainer 82 and circuit board 380 are installed. This spacing accommodates a front portion of connector 57 and connecting pins 530-535 when toner cartridge 35 is installed. Sloped cam surfaces 185, 186 extend between outer surface 119 to upper planar surfaces 187-1, 188-1. As shown in
As shown in
As rear end 520 of connector 57 moves past the upper edge of inclined surface 180, back surface 506 of connector 57 aligns with outer surface 119. During further insertion of the toner cartridge 35, at least one of the guide walls 183, 184 contacts at least one of side surfaces 522, 524, respectively, of the connector 57 such that the connector 57 rotates and becomes aligned vertically with respect to the midline 313 of opening 312 and retainer 82. As shown in
In
As mentioned above, the features of retainers 80, 82 are similar. As shown in
The foregoing description of several embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the application to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is understood that the invention may be practiced in ways other than as specifically set forth herein without departing from the scope of the invention. It is intended that the scope of the application be defined by the claims appended hereto.
This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/854,406, filed Sep. 15, 2015, entitled “Replaceable Unit for an Image Forming Device Having a Retainer Assembly Having Positioning Features for Processing Circuitry,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/489,527, filed Sep. 18, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,170,559, issued Oct. 27, 2015, entitled “Toner Cartridge for an Image Forming Device Having a Retainer Assembly Having Positioning Features for Processing Circuitry,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/532,186, filed Jun. 25, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,879,953, issued Nov. 4, 2014, entitled “Retainer Assembly Having Positional Features for Processing Circuitry Used Within an Image Forming Device Supply Item.”
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14854406 | Sep 2015 | US |
Child | 15220663 | US | |
Parent | 14489527 | Sep 2014 | US |
Child | 14854406 | US | |
Parent | 13532186 | Jun 2012 | US |
Child | 14489527 | US |