The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 11, 1997
Filed:
Jul. 25, 1996
Paul M Wegman, Pittsford, NY (US);
Mikhail Vaynshteyn, Rochester, NY (US);
Oleg Y Abramov, St. Petersburg, RU;
Sergei D Raybov, St. Petersburg, RU;
Yuri A Yudin, St. Petersburg, RU;
Alexander G Kashkarov, St. Petersburg, RU;
Alexander N Gerasimov, St. Petersburg, RU;
Xerox Corporation, Stamford, CT (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for filling a container with toner using a series of traveling magnetic fields to control the flow of toner from a supply of toner to the container. Initially, an empty container is placed under a fill tube through which the toner will be supplied to the container. In the filling process the traveling magnetic fields, which are supplied by turning on and off a series of solenoids, and gravity cause toner from the toner supply to move through the fill tube. When a solenoid is turned on toner particles are attracted to its magnetic field where a plug of toner is formed. The solenoids are controlled so that a discrete amount of toner is supplied in each on/off cycle of the solenoids. The solenoid on/off cycle is repeated until the container is filled with toner. When the container is filled, the appropriate solenoid is activated so that a plug of toner stops the flow of toner in the fill tube. The filled container is removed from the fill tube and an empty container is put in its place so that the solenoid on/off cycle may begin again.