Xerox Corporation

David B Playfair

Wayne D Drinkwater

Jan Marie Enderle

William H Wayman

Frederick A Philbrick

Karl Edwin Kurz

Jonathan David Sadik

Paul Martin Wegman

Steven C Hart

Nancy Lynn Belknap

Bruce J Parks

Darryl L Pozzanghera

Michael Brundige

Kevin L Maltzahn

Michael Harris

James J Franzen

Duane H Fisk

Ricardo H Mendoza

Mark R Vannicola

A Lance Marchese

Virginia A Marqueling

Jan M Malicki

A ground plate includes an electrically conductive planar member having a long axis and a perpendicular short axis. The planar member has an elongated hexagonal shape having two opposing long sides, two opposing relatively shorter sides, and four angled sides between the long sides and the relatively shorter sides with a hollow central opening. Spring clips extend from inner edges of the hollow central opening. The inner edges from which the spring clips extend are parallel to the long axis. Each spring clip includes a distal end portion curving outward from the hollow central opening and is configured to contact a shaft extending through the hollow central opening to form an electrical connection between the planar member and the shaft. A tab projection extends from an outer edge of each of the relatively shorter sides. Each tab projection is in the same plane as the planar member.

Earth plate with breakaway rotated tabs

Earth plate

Apparatus and methods for maintaining flowability of solid-ink pellets when delivering solid-ink pellets from a container to an image-forming apparatus. The apparatus includes an extraction tube inserted into the container and connected to a vacuum source. Suction from the vacuum source impels pellets into the extraction tube through an extraction inlet, but pellet agglomerations may clog the system. Such a clog produces an immediate pressure spike within the extraction tube, an event detected by the clog detector. An actuator, responsive to the clog detector, drives an agitating structure that breaks up agglomerations and restores smooth pellet flow. Alternative embodiments can include devices having only the clog detector or the agitating structure. Alternative implementations of the agitating structure provide means for accomplishing pellet break up. The accompanying method detects the occurrence of a clog and responds by operating the agitating structure to break up agglomerations.

Method and system for clog detection and mitigation in delivering solid-ink pellets to an imaging apparatus

A replenishment carrier injection system is provided for adding carrier particles to a developer housing in a two-component developer toner imaging machine. The replenishment system includes (i) a carrier-only hopper for receiving and containing a first quantity of carrier particles; (ii) metering valves connected to a discharge end of the carrier-only hopper; (iii) a pneumatic plenum connected to the metering valves; (v) an air pump connected to the carrier-only hopper and to the pneumatic plenum for pressurizing the carrier-only hopper and for pneumatically conveying a metered quantity of carrier particles in an air stream from the pneumatic plenum; and (vi) carrier injection assemblies each being connected to the pneumatic plenum and including a conduit for carrier flow, a direct injector elbow connecting the conduit to a developer housing for directly injecting fresh carrier from the pneumatic plenum into the developer housing; and a fresh carrier current collector for detecting any fault in fresh carrier flow through said direct injector elbow the system into the developer housing.

Replenishment carrier injection system

Replenisher toner container for a xerographic machine

A teeter-totter valve device for metering magnetic particles from a hopper includes (i) a tube connected to the hopper for flow of magnetic particles out of the hopper; (ii) a teeter-totter member having a first arm including a first distal end, and a second adjustable arm including a second distal end; (iii) a support assembly supporting the teeter-totter member on and spaced from the tube; (iv) a first magnet located at the first distal end; (v) a second magnet located at the second distal; and (vi) a moving assembly for moving each of the first magnet and the second magnet towards and away from a first near point and a second near point on the tube to create or remove a point magnetic field and magnetic particles dam within the tube, thereby stopping or allowing flow of a desired quantity of magnetic particles past the first near point and past the second near point.

Teeter-totter valve for carrier replenishment system

An electrostatographic printer includes a development housing for supplying developer to an image receptor, and a replenisher in communication with the development housing. In a basic state, a regular supply of developer having a first predetermined TC is supplied. In a special state, a special supply of developer having a second predetermined TC is supplied. In response to determining the printer should be in the special state, the special supply of developer is requested to be installed in the printer, such as through Internet ordering to a vendor. The vendor can also 'custom-blend' a developer formulation based on transmitted machine conditions.

Developer cartridge replacement scheme for electrostatographic printing

An electrophotographic printing machine, wherein an electrostatic latent image recorded on a photoconductive member is developed to form a visible image thereof, the electrophotographic printing machine including a system, for removing contaminants from toner in a developer housing, the system including a filter system, positioned in a path of flowing developer material, the filter system having a screen for permitting developer material to travel therethrough while inhibiting contaminants from traveling therethrough when vibrated; the screen being inclined to the path of flowing developer material a vibration driver, operatively connected to the screen, for vibrating the screen.

Developer filtration module

Container end cap

A system for dispensing imaging development material into a printer from a re-supplying container dispensing aperture sealed by a sealing plug, which plug is automatically unsealed by the insertion of the container into the printer, and automatically resealed by removal of the container. Simply pushing the container towards its normal position against the imaging material input of the printer (here, a fixed auger tube) first automatically grasps the plug in a gripping system and then pushes the gripped plug into the interior of the container while firmly holding the plug on the end of the auger tube. After the material dispensing, or whenever else the container is removed, simply pulling the container away causes the plug to automatically re-seal the dispensing aperture and then to automatically release the plug gripping system so that the re-sealed container can be cleanly removed. The plug gripping system may be a readily engageable, but only forcibly releasable, gripper on the plug which engages a mating stationary member on the end of the printer auger tube.

Imaging material dispensing system

Plug for a toner container

A particulate image developer material mixing system for a reproduction apparatus, with a rotatably driven helical mixing coil in a developer material sump for mixing the developer material in the sump, and with a system for holding the rotatably driven helical mixing coil in the sump, and a system for anti-bridging of the developer material by agitating the developer material in the sump by agitating the mixing coil; including a smoothly rounded rod substantially extending inside of the helical mixing coil with a smoothly enlarged diameter end portion outwardly radiused to operatively intermediately engage the mixing coil so that as the helical mixing coil is rotatably driven at least one coil thereof is periodically partially detained and deformed on the smoothly enlarged diameter end portion and then periodically released automatically after a further rotation, so as to provide a periodic anti-bridging agitation of the developer materials, at a desired frequency, and the free end of the helical mixing coil is a sealed coil, and the adjacent rod mounting plate is enlarged to prevent the coil from catching or interleaving on the rod or the mounting plate.

Image developer material agitation system with non-binding mixing coil

A system for sealing a member rotating about an axis of a support is provided. The system includes a magnetic field producing member and a magnetizable member. The magnetizable member is positioned adjacent the magnetic member. The magnetizable member has at least a portion thereof progressively increasing in thickness in a direction substantially parallel to the axis as distance from the axis increases.

Magnetic seal with tapered shunts

An imaging material replenishment system for a reproduction apparatus, with an imaging material container removably insertable into an insertion guide, which container has a containment lid automatically removed upon insertion, with a lid latching member with a latching notch normally latching the containment lid to the container. The insertion guide has a latch engaging member such as a fixed pin positioned to engage an unlatching ramp surface of the lid latching member as the container is inserted, a locking slot returning the pin therein during dispensing, and thus holding the lid there, and another, oppositely inclined, ramp surface automatically relatching the lid to the container as the container is removed after dispensing. An integrated contents encoding and interlock system is also provided.

Growing community of inventors

Penfield, NY, United States of America

David B Playfair