Lexmark International, Inc.

John Randolph McIntyre

Paul Douglas Horrall

Larry Steven Foster

Johnnie A Coffey

David Erwin Rennick

Richard Alden Ramsdell

Steven Alan Curry

Derek Masami Inouye

Delbert Lester Elliott

Matthew Christopher Coriale

A device and method for aligning a media sheet moving along a media path. An amount of skew that will occur as the media sheet moves along the media path is determined based on one or more physical characteristics. Previous testing of the device indicates that media sheets having particular physical characteristics will have a known amount of skew by the time they reach a predetermined location along the media path. The media sheet is moved the known amount so the media sheet is aligned. Test data is used to determine the amount of expected misalignment of the media sheet and the amount necessary to move the media sheet back into alignment.

Method and device to control the alignment of a media sheet in an image forming device

Toner cartridge (1) has a unitary assembly forming the handle (3a, 3b), the cover (25), side walls (33, 245) and the cleaner chamber (27) and hold the photoconductor drum (43). Each of the side walls has a U-shaped housing (35, 247) which loosely receives a pin (37a, 37b) from the side of the hopper (61). The hopper is part of a unitary assembly holding the toner adder roller (45) and the developer roller (43). Second pins (131a, 131b) from the sides of the hopper carry springs which pull the two assemblies together to press the developer roller against the photoconductor. The hopper also has flat ledges (161a, 133a) on each side for movement on roller in the printer. This further permits the cartridge to have central locating elements (29a, 29b), wing-like guides (9a, 9b) for insertion, links (13a, 13b) to open a lower shutter (7), and unobstructed ends of photoconductor shaft (47) for positively locating on that shaft.

Toner cartridge with housing and pin construction

A toner cartridge (1) has wing-like guides (9a, 9b) on opposite sides, the guides being curved to follow a curved guide track in a printer in which the cartridge is installed. The cartridge may be readily grasped by handles (3a, 3b) and inserted in the guide tracks of the printer near the top and front and then readily directed down and into the rear area of the printer. The guides are thin at their initial location of entry into the printer for easy insertion and increase to larger thickness regions (9aa, 9bb) to better guide the cartridge. The guides are a part of a unitarily molded cover assembly which includes the side walls (33, 241, 245).

Toner cartridge with external planar installation guides

The door (3) of a laser printer (1) is pivoted to the frame (1c) of the printer by a pin (21) of hinge (19). When the door is shut, link (33) is rotatably connected to the hinge at a location above the pin. Link 33 has an elongated slot (33a) at its end opposite the hinge in which a pin (51) does not encounter the edge of the slot when the door is closed. Spring (31) therefore rotates U shaped link 11 around its pivot point (15) to the frame to bring charge roller (9) into contact with photoconductor drum (5). When the door is manually opened, spring 31 provides an upward force, link 33 is moved forward where the slot engages pin 51, which pivots both link 13 and door 3 upward. Force of the charge roller against the drum is by the spring as the only active element, thereby providing a controlled force.

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Lexington, KY, United States of America

John Randolph McIntyre