Xerox Corporation

Mark John Gearing

Christopher D Olliffe

Stephen John Abbott

Stephen P Wood

Christopher W Sneath

Lee Paul Monahan

Benjamin Budding

A method and system are disclosed for determining the end of life condition for a replaceable unit, which may be associated with a multifunction device, and have a useful life expectancy based upon a number of operations. A counter associated with the multifunction device maintains a running count of operations for the unit. Once the number of performed operations of the replaceable unit reaches a given percentage of the expected life of that unit, an analysis is performed on a running history of the fault codes. Once the number of fault codes attributable to any given replaceable unit meets or exceeds a predetermined level, such as a percentage of the running history, a notification is generated indicating a need to replace the replaceable unit.

Fault-based unit replacement

A corotron cleaning assembly includes a self-seating, spring-loaded locating pin drivingly connected to a drive unit that is used to drive a wire cleaning head that is located within a CRU. This assembly allows for easy separation of the drive unit from the cleaner when the CRU that contains the wire is replaced. The bullet shaped pin rides on a worm drive and when the pin is driven into the cleaner head, the bullet hits an inclined ramp and is biased downward until such a point that the pin hits a recessed receptacle. Once the pin is in the receptacle, the pin is capable of driving the wire cleaning head. When the cleaning head is removed, the act of removal separates the pin from the receptacle.

Cleaning head pick-up system

Growing community of inventors

Bedfordshire, United Kingdom

Mark John Gearing