Eastman-kodak Company

Satyan R Kalyandurg

John M Fiske

Frank Hacknauer

Salvatore C DeFazio

Robert J Ronnenberg

Kenneth D Corby

Michael William Didas

Richard S Fox

David M Gaudino

Blaise P Pelligra

Purnendu S Ojha

Michael E Baister

Edward S Nudelman

Suzanne M Lenhard

A toner container receiving apparatus has a sump and a sump opening with box-like upwardly extending vertical walls around the sump opening. A toner container includes box-shaped downwardly extending walls which fit around the sump walls when the container is positioned over the sump. A flexible cover is movable from a covering position above the box-shaped walls through a curved path to a position alongside an exterior vertical wall of the container. A lever on the receiving apparatus is movable to a vertical position and is coupled to structure which locks the container to the sump during that movement. A handle connected to the cover is positioned to fit into a slot into the lever and prevent moving of the lever away from its vertical locking position until the cover has been moved to its covering position. The cover is flexible enough to move through the curved path but stiff enough to be pushed back to its covering position.

Toner container and receiving apparatus therefor

A seal-forming device for a replenishment toner receiving aperture of a development apparatus includes a resilient member mounted to the development apparatus and around the aperture. The seal-forming device also includes a woven fabric that is mounted to the resilient member and to a part of the development apparatus. The woven fabric has warp and filling fibers. The warp fibers are larger than the filling fibers and are mounted to lie in the direction of loading and unloading a replenishment toner container relative to the seal-forming device.

Seal-forming device for a toner receiving aperture

A particulate agitator system located within the confines of a particulate sump enclosure comprises two slotted agitator panels, connected together by spaced bars, mounted on a pivot shaft, with one end partially extending from the enclosure. A pivot arm attached to the extending end has a camming surface on its unattached end adapted to periodically engage a pin extending from the side of an adjacent rotating gear. The arm and panels pivot in a first direction during such engagement, while a spring urges the arm and panels in the opposite direction in the absence of engagement, thereby causing the arm to strike an impact pin. The concurrent pivot action of the panels and vibrations of the enclosure when the impact pin is struck cause particles within the enclosure to remain in a free-flowing condition, thereby facilitating removal of the particles from the enclosure by a screw conveyor located at the bottom thereof.

Toner agitator system

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a novel device for applying an electrical bias to a conductive shell of a magnetic brush in an image reproduction machine. The conductive shell is rotatable about an axis of rotation and has an end surface generally perpendicular to the axis. The machine includes a source of electrical bias and a bearing block adjacent the end surface. The bearing block defines an opening elongated generally in the direction of the axis. The opening has a wide portion toward the end surfaace, a narrow portion away from the end surface and a spring support surface facing the end surface into which the narrow portion opens. The device includes an elongated conductive member, a compression spring and a narrow conductive connecting piece. The spring is positioned in the wide portion between the spring support surface and the conductive member, and urges the conductive member out of the opening and into contact with the end surface. At least the spring is too large to pass through the narrow portion. The narrow conductive connecting piece is positioned in the narrow opening and connects the conductive member to the source of electrical bias.

Apparatus for applying an electrical bias to a shell of a magnetic brush

A mounting system is provided for the development apparatus of the development station of an electrostatographic reproduction apparatus such as a copier or printer. The system includes a dual axis automatic lifting mechanism that includes a lever assembly displaceable along the vertical and horizontal axes, and a swivellable spring and plunger assembly which imparts a generally diagonal displacement force to the lever assembly.

Dual axis displacement lifting mechanism for a development apparatus

A cleaning apparatus which is loadable against a surface to be cleaned has a L-shaped self-loading blade, a holding member, and supporting members including a retaining pin and a spring member. The cleaning blade includes a base section and a cleaning section which can move relative to each other from unloaded positions to loaded positions.

Self-loading cleaning blade and holder therefor

A mechanism for responsively spacing the development roller of an electrostatographic development apparatus from an image-bearing surface consists of a generally triangular member. The triangular member includes a development-roller mounting aperture at the apex thereof, a scavenging-device mounting slot near the base, and flat portions at the base for contacting and riding on a pair of image-bearing-surface backup rollers.

Mechanism for responsively spacing a development roller

An internal scavenger device fits partially around the top portion of the development roller of a development apparatus. The device which consists of a single, stiff, electrically conductive and non-magnetic plate includes a development aperture, a wide carrier particle capture region adjacent the aperture, and +1300 VDC biasing source connected thereto.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Satyan R Kalyandurg