Lexmark International, Inc.

Funai Electric Company Ltd.

Neal Douglas McFarland

Dustin Daniel Fichter

Stacey Vaughan Mitchell

Edmund Hulin James, Iii

Steven Robert Komplin

Randal Scott Williamson

Gina Marie Johns

Angel Macuha Alagos

Pat Marlon Cartagena Limosnero

Michael William Lawrence

John Wayne Gassett

Johnnie A Coffey

Douglas Andagan Baena, Jr

Edward Joseph Walden

Robert Wilson Cornell

Kent Lee Ubellacker

Shirish Padmaker Mulay

Nicholas Jon Post

Katherine Mary Mulloy

Joe Carlo Enoc Bacon

Hannibal Bartolata Aljecera

Winston Bercades Gomez

Lowell Libo-On Tacadao

Genri Solano Belarmino

Pat Marlon Limosnero

A removable media tray assembly for an image forming device according to one embodiment includes a media tray having a bottom surface and a front wall extending upward from the bottom surface. A bottom surface defines a media storage location for storing a stack of media sheets. The assembly includes a housing having an opening therein to receive the media tray. A magnet and a plate provide a latching force FL greater than a pick motor stall force keeping the media tray in a closed position during media picking. A handle assembly including a finger bar and a pivoting link is mounted to the front wall. With the media tray being held closed by the latching force, a user-supplied actuation force FA that is less than 22.2 N applied to the finger bar, pivots the link which acts as a force multiplier providing a release force exceeding the latching force.

Removable media tray having a high latching force and a low opening force

A removable media tray with an adjustable rear tray extension operable by a rear media restraint. The tray extension is slidably attached to a front section of the tray via a cam having a locking arm engaged in a J-slot. When in the curved portion of the J-slot the front section and tray extension are locked together. A rear media restraint slidably latching to a track in the bottom of the tray has a locking lobe that engages with a locking notch on the cam. As the media restraint is slid toward the rear, the locking lobe initially rotates the cam moving the locking arm to the straight section of the J-slot, then the locking lobe engages with the locking notch, locking the media restraint to the tray extension. Thereafter, the media restraint and tray extension move together until the end of the J-slot is reached by the locking arm.

Removable media tray having sliding tray extension operable by a rear media restraint

A media restraint for a removable media tray and slidably operable without the use of a pinching force. The media restraint slidably positionable on a track in a removable media tray and is operable without pinching. A latching plunger in the media restraint is biased into engagement with a track provided in the removable media tray and is moved by a rack and pinion mechanism to a released position allowing the media restraint to be moved along the track. The media restraint is operable by a finger of the user applying a downward force to the media restraint to release the plunger from the track and allowing the media restraint to be moved along the track. Upon removal of the downward force, a biasing member reengages the plunger with the track.

Removable media tray having a media restraint with a latching plunger operable without the use of pinching

A media restraint for a removable media tray and slidably operable without the use of a pinching force. The media restraint slidably positionable on a track in a removable media tray and is operable without pinching. A pair of latching cams are used to engage the media restraint to the track and have serrated portions pivotally mounted to a bottom of the media restraint. The media restraint is operable by a finger of the user applying a downward force to the media restraint allowing a rack and pinion to horizontally translate a rack portion of the pair of latching cams away from the track and pivot the serrated portions away from the track and allowing the media restraint to be moved along the track. Upon removal of the downward force, a biasing member translates the latching cams back to reengage with the track.

Removable media tray having a media restraint with translating and pivoting latching cams operable without the use of pinching

A media restraint for a removable media tray and slidably operable without the use of a pinching force. The media restraint slidably positionable on a track in a removable media tray and is operable without pinching. A pair of pivoting latching cams are used to engage the media restraint to the track and have serrated portions pivotally mounted to a bottom of the media restraint. The media restraint is operable by a finger of the user applying a downward force to an actuator that spreads two cam plates apart which in turn pivot the pair of latching cams to release the media restraint from the track and allowing it to be moved along the track. Upon removal of the downward force, a biasing member lifts the actuator to bring the two cam plates back to their first positions thereby pivoting the pair of latching cams back to reengage with the track.

Removable media tray having a media restraint with sliding cams and pivoting latching cams operable without the use of pinching

A removable media tray for an imaging device having a rear media restraint coupled to a media length sensing system. A rear media restraint, slideably latchable to a track in the tray, has a rack that engages with a gear train that drives an encoder gear. As the rear media restraint is adjusted for different media lengths, the rack and gear train rotate the encoder gear. The encoder gear has a plurality of encoder tracks each track having a unique binary pattern. A sensor array of a plurality of sensors corresponding to the plurality of encoder tracks has a plurality of outputs that combine to form a digital signal fed to a controller in the imaging device allowing the controller to determine a media length based in the position of the rear media restraint.

Removable media tray having a rack and pinion media length sensing mechanism operable by a rear restraint

An imaging device having a sheet restraint sensing system is disclosed. The system includes a frame having an opening, a linear sensor strip located on the frame having a length, and a media tray having a sheet restraint that presses against the linear sensor strip when the media tray is located in the opening. The sheet restraint is constrained by the media tray to move relative to the media tray no more than a maximum adjustment displacement. The maximum adjustment displacement is less than the length of the linear sensor strip. Other systems are disclosed.

Systems for sensing sheet restraint position

A consumable supply item for an imaging device holds an initial or refillable volume of ink. Users orient a housing to deplete the ink in a direction of gravity toward a bottom of the interior. The imaging device has a rotating latch. The latch mates with a top of the supply item to keep in place the supply item. Fluid exit and air venting ports reside on a side of the housing that gets inserted first into a container slot of the imaging device. A space separates the ports so a biasing member can push against the housing to assist in ejecting the supply item upon users activating the latch. The ports are separated a maximum distance to facilitate the ejection, while the exit port remains near a bottom to minimize stranding ink. Further embodiments note arrangements, distances and consumer features, to name a few.

Fluid container having fluid interface for micro-fluid applications

A consumable supply item for an imaging device holds an initial or refillable volume of pigmented ink. Its housing defines an interior and exterior. The interior retains the ink and an exit port supplies it to an imaging device. Users orient the housing to deplete the ink in a direction of gravity toward a bottom surface of the interior en route to the exit port. The ink passes through a mixing chamber having inlet ports arranged to restrict to multiple different heights the entrance of the volume of ink from the interior. As ink draws from various heights into the chamber, sediments in the pigment mix together. The design overcomes settling. It also avoids mechanical stirring and other complex mixing techniques. Further embodiments include chamber shapes, configuration of inlet ports, and construction of the supply item, to name a few.

Fluid container having mixing chambers for micro-fluid applications

Color ink tank with micro fluid applications

Ink tank for micro-fluid applications

Growing community of inventors

Versailles, KY, United States of America

Neal Douglas McFarland