Lexmark International, Inc.

Michael James Shanor

Brian Allen Blair

Christopher Kent Washing

Jeffrey Lawrence Tonges

Darin Michael Gettelfinger

Derek Masami Inouye

Edward Lynn Triplett

Dustin Daniel Fichter

Benjamin Charles Devore

Jie Chen

Franklin Joseph Palumbo

Jay Scott Siekmann

Matthew Ryan Keniston

Brian Lester Boettcher

James Anthany Carter, Ii

Mark William Amann

Stacey Vaughan Mitchell

Bartley Charles Gould, Ii

Philip David Jones

Michelle Elizabeth Beck

An assembly for an electrophotographic image forming device includes a drive coupler movable along an axial direction between a retracted position and an extended position. In the retracted position the drive coupler is disengaged from a drive interface of a first replaceable unit when the first replaceable unit is installed in the image forming device. In the extended position the drive coupler is engaged with the drive interface of the first replaceable unit when the first replaceable unit is installed in the image forming device for providing a rotational force to the drive interface of the first replaceable unit. A lever is operatively connected to the drive coupler such that the lever causes the drive coupler to move from the retracted position to the extended position upon the lever receiving an actuation force from insertion of a second replaceable unit that is toward the drive coupler along the axial direction.

Drive coupler actuation via replaceable unit insertion in an image forming device

A system for an electrophotographic image forming device includes a basket for holding multiple toner cartridges. A guide rail assembly operatively connected to an access door moves between a raised position and a lowered position to raise and lower the basket when the access door moves between an open position and a closed position. The basket is slidable along the guide rail assembly into and out of the image forming device when the guide rail assembly is in the raised position, and is in an operational position within the image forming device when the guide rail assembly is in the lowered position. A rail lock mechanism locks the access door in the open position when the guide rail assembly is in the raised position and the basket is extended out of the image forming device and unlocks the access door from the open position when the basket is inserted.

Door lock assembly for an image forming device

A system for an electrophotographic image forming device includes a basket including a plurality of positioning slots each including cartridge datum locators that position a plurality of toner cartridges relative to the basket. A first guide rail and a second guide rail, each movable between a raised position and a lowered position, raise and lower the basket when the first and second guide rails move between the raised and lowered positions. In the raised positions the first and second guide rails support the basket permitting the basket to slide along the first and second guide rails into and out of the image forming device. When the first and second guide rails are in the lowered positions basket datum locators within the image forming device support the basket and position the basket relative to the image forming device in order to position the toner cartridges relative to the image forming device.

Guide rail assembly for supporting a toner cartridge basket in an image forming device

A system for an electrophotographic image forming device includes a basket insertable into and extendable out of the image forming device. The basket includes a plurality of positioning slots each configured to receive a corresponding toner cartridge of a plurality of toner cartridges. The basket includes a cartridge latching assembly configured to apply a hold-down force on each toner cartridge to rigidly hold each toner cartridge against corresponding datums of the basket. A basket latching assembly in the image forming device is configured to apply a hold-down force on the basket when the basket is inserted into the image forming device to rigidly hold the basket against corresponding datums of the image forming device for positioning the plurality of toner cartridges in respective operational positions within the image forming device with only the cartridge latching assembly of the basket directly applying hold-down forces on the plurality of toner cartridges.

Latching assembly for securing toner cartridges in an image forming device

Front panel of multi-function electrophotographic printer scanner

Printer panel

A bump alignment assembly using at least two input media feeds for use in an imaging device. Two spaced apart media guides form a tunnel-shaped bubble chamber about a media path. Two media feed roll pairs are positioned adjacent to the entrance of the bubble chamber. The width of the entrance to the bubble chamber is equal to or greater than the separation of the feed nips of the two media feed roll pairs allowing two or more media paths to be accommodated without the use of media path extensions. A bump alignment roll pair is adjacent the exit of the bubble chamber. Entry, exit and biasing surface features of the media guides provide for buckling and bubble formation of media being fed into the bubble chamber.

Dual input bump alignment assembly for an imaging device

A detachable reversible pick mechanism for a media input tray. The pick mechanism comprises a reversible drive transmission having a drive shaft gear operatively connected to a pick axle gear, the drive shaft gear slidably engageable onto a cantilevered drive shaft extending from a housing, a pick axle having a pick wheel at each end, the pick axle operatively connected to the pick axle gear; and a transmission housing consisting of a top, a bottom, and a side surface defining a cavity therein for containing the reversible drive transmission, an opening in a front portion and in a rear portion of the transmission housing through which the pick axle and drive shaft, respectively, pass, the front portion dimensioned so that the pick wheels each extend beyond the top and the bottom of the front portion, and a releasable latch mounted on the side surface for rotatably engaging a free end of the cantilevered drive shaft to axially position the pick mechanism on the drive shaft, the latch allowing a user to readily dismount the pick mechanism for service or replacement.

Detachable reversible pick mechanism for feeding media from a media tray of an image forming device

A pick mechanism according to one exemplary embodiment includes transmission housing and a drive transmission engageable with a drive shaft for receiving rotational force from the drive shaft. A pick axle has at least one pick wheel mounted thereon and is operatively connected to the drive transmission for rotating the at least one pick wheel. A first stop extends from the transmission housing for limiting the rotation of the pick mechanism about the drive shaft. A method for feeding compressible media according to one embodiment includes rotating a pick mechanism downward about a drive shaft, limiting the downward rotation of the pick mechanism to convert the pick mechanism from a compliant element to a non-compliant element, and feeding a first compressible media from a top surface of a lift plate in a media process direction with the non-compliant pick mechanism.

Method for feeding compressible media in an image forming device

Apparatus for feeding compressible media in an image forming device with rotation limiting stop

Growing community of inventors

Lexington, KY, United States of America

Michael James Shanor