Patent Application
20130077991
Image forming devices use consumable components, such as toner cartridges. To reduce and save cost it is often desirable to remanufacture used parts of an image forming device. It may be desirable to provide an adapter used to facilitate the modification and remanufacture of an image process cartridge such as a printer toner cartridge. A technique to use such an adapter to modify an imaging process cartridge intended is disclosed. The method used enables an image processor cartridge designed to operate in one type of imaging device to be adapted for use in a plurality of imaging devices such as multiple brands of printers.
Print toner cartridges, once spent, are unusable for their original purpose and may be discarded, even though the image process cartridge itself may still have potential life. As a result, techniques have been developed to remanufacture and refurbishing of various types of imaging components such as toner cartridges, ink cartridges, magnetic rollers and the like. The remanufacturing process may entail disassembly of the various structures of the cartridge, replacing toner, cleaning, adjusting or replacing any worn components and reassembling the cartridge.
Currently, many types of imaging cartridges exist that may be used in only one type of imaging device. Such cartridges may only be remanufactured for use in the same type of imaging device. This constitutes an inefficient allocation of resources because a used cartridge may not be used in any other print device. The differences between printer cartridges for various types of printing devices may only be a slight indentation or protuberance in the body of the imaging cartridge. Such an indentation or protuberance may be incorporated by printer manufacturers in order to restrict a print cartridge from being interchangeable with other imaging cartridges produced by competing manufacturers. Minor modifications to the restricted imaging cartridge may adapt the cartridge for use in other types of printers. What is currently needed in the art is a means by which a restrictive indentation or protuberance may be removed in order to enable the image processing cartridges to be adapted for reuse in other different image processing devices and a method by which such components may be used to remanufacture an imaging cartridge.
The present application presents a plurality of apparatus configurations and methods which enable an imaging cartridge previously configured for use in one specific printer to be modified into a configuration such that the converted cartridge may be used in a variety of different printers. The modified cartridge may also be used in the cartridge for which it was originally designed. The modified cartridge may now be used in multiple printers, which offers the benefit of reducing the number of imaging cartridge configurations a reseller must store in inventory. The modified cartridge offers the further benefit of allowing remanufactured cartridges from an existing printer to be used in a new printer for which replacement cartridges are not yet readily available.
In one aspect of the present application, a rectangular tab feature is cut off from the contact side end plate. Also, the boss and slide area are cut off from the gear side end plate.
In another aspect of the present application, a rectangular tab feature is cut off from the slide area of the contact side end plate. Also, the entire gear side end plate is removed and replaced with a specially molded endplate that does not contain a boss or a slide.
In another aspect of the present application, the entire contact side end plate is removed and replaced with a specially molded end plate. Also, the gear side end plate is removed and is replaced with specially molded end plates. Cutting is not used to remove tab features.
In another aspect of the present application, the entire contact side end plate is removed and replaced with a specially molded end plate. Also, the boss and slide area are cut off from the gear side end plate.
These and other features and objects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the embodiments, which should be read in light of the accompanying drawings.
In this regard, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be used as a basis for designing other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention;
The following detailed description of preferred embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings which illustrate specific embodiments of the application. In the discussion that follows, specific techniques for converting an imaging process cartridge, such as a toner printer cartridge, for installation into one or more different types of printers are disclosed. Other embodiments having different structures and operations for the conversion of other types of cartridges for use with other types of printers do not depart from the scope of the present application.
In a third embodiment, a specially molded gear side end plated is used. The rectangular tab feature, or boss, is not physically removed from the gear side. Now the entire OEM gear side end plate is removed and replaced with a specially molded gear side end plate. The specially molded gear side end plate does not contain the boss and the slide area that were prevalent on the removed gear side end place. The replacement molded gear side end plate is thus molded to resemble the modified gear side end plate without the boss similar to the gear side end plate of the previous embodiment. Thus removal of boss or features from the gear side is not performed because the molded replacement gear side end plate has been molded to the desired replacement gear side end plate from which the boss was removed in the previous embodiment. It may still be necessary to physically modify the contact side end plate by removing a portion manually from the contact side end plate which is opposite to the gear side end plate.
The method of removing the gear side end plate and replacing it with a molded gear side end plate comprises several steps. First the currently attached gear side end plate is located. Next, any fastening device or impediment to the removal of the OEM gear side end plate is removed and set aside. Next the OEM gear side end plate is removed from the cartridge body. Then the specially molded replacement gear side end plate is aligned and located into the vacant position on the side the cartridge. Finally the previously set aside fastening devices are replaced to securely affix the new replacement gear side end plate onto the cartridge.
In a fourth embodiment, a specially molded contact side end plate is used. Here, the rectangular tab feature, or boss, is removed from the gear side end plate as in the previous embodiment. In the present embodiment, the OEM contact side end plate is removed and then replaced with a specially molded contact side end plate. The specially molded contact side end plate does not contain the boss that was prevalent on the removed contact side end place. The replacement molded contact side end plate is thus molded to resemble the modified with the boss removed contact side end plate of the previous embodiment. Thus removal of boss or features is not performed on the contact side because the molded replacement contact side end plate has been molded to the desired replacement contact side end plate from which the boss was removed in the previous embodiment. It may still be necessary to physically modify the gear side end plate by removing a part from the gear side end plate.
The method of removing the OEM contact side end plate and replacing it with a molded contact side end plate is comprised of several steps. First the currently attached contact side end plate is located. Then, any fastening device or impediment to the removal of the OEM contact side end plate is removed and set aside. Next the OEM contact side end plate is removed from the cartridge body. Then the specially molded replacement contact side end plate is aligned and located into the vacant position on the side the cartridge. Finally the previously set aside fastening devices are replaced to securely affix the new replacement contact side end plate onto the cartridge.
In a fifth embodiment similar to a combination of the features in the first, second and third embodiments. The universal cartridge can be created by replacing the OEM contact side with a specially molded contact side end plate and replacing the gear side end plates with new, specially molded gear side end plates. This solution would not require any existing end plate to be cut or modified because both the contact side end plate and the gear side end plate would be removed and disposed of, to be replaced by specially molded contact side and gear side end plate.
In a sixth embodiment, any combination of modification by physical removing the boss, the slide area, or any other portion of either the contact side end plate or of the gear side end plate may be combined with the molded replacement contact side end plate or the gear side end plate. The contact side end plate could be modified by removing a portion, while the gear side end plate could be replaced with the molded replacement. The contact side end plate could be replaced with the molded replacement while the gear side end plate could be modified by removing a portion such as a boss.
The modification of the gear side could be performed first prior to the modification of the contact side. Alternately, the contact side could be modified first prior to the modification of the gear side. Alternately, both the gear side and the contact side could be modified simultaneously. The removing of a portion from the gear side end plate or a portion from the contact side end plate could be performed by any one of, but not limited to: cutting, sawing, snipping, grinding, sanding, pounding, hammering, chiseling, burning, vaporizing, melting, smelting, acid bathing, or sonically reducing.
The cartridge modification embodiments can be complex requiring significant modifications to the cartridge sections in the form cuts, replacement components, or covers. Alternately, the modification may be relatively simple to achieve the conversion and/or universal capabilities. The embodiments herein feature the OEM HP CB540A to CB543A cartridges used in the HP CP1515 family of printers and by making certain modifications to the cartridge, produce a cartridge that will emulate the HP CE320A to CE323A cartridges and fit and function in the HP CP1525 & HP CM1415 MFP printers as well as the HP CP1515 family of printers. The present embodiment concerns the HP CP1515 as a “legacy printer” or “legacy cartridge” while the HP CP1525/CM1415 MFP may be the “new printer” or “new cartridge.” It is understood that the methods and examples cited in this document shall not be restricted to the specific cartridges, printers, methods, etc. stated but can be expanded for use in other printers, cartridges, or similar related conversion/universal methods.
The embodiments describe making a cartridge that is designed for a legacy printer to work in a new printer. The described methods may also be used to enable a cartridge designed to be used in one printer family to also be used in another printer family. The described methods may also be used to allow a cartridge designed to be used in one brand of printer to also be used in a different brand printer.
The embodiments describe modifying a used cartridge to allow the cartridge to fit into more than one type of printer. Alternatively, a new toner cartridge having the features of the modified toner cartridge may be provided. This allows for a universal toner cartridge to be made when there is no source of used toner cartridges.
The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification. Thus, the appended claims are intended to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirits and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described. Accordingly, all appropriate modifications and equivalents may be included within the scope of the invention.
Although this invention has been illustrated by reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made which clearly fall within the scope of the invention. The invention is intended to be protected broadly within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
