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:
Sep. 19, 2000
Filed:
Nov. 10, 1998
Applicant:
Inventors:
Assignee:
Minolta Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G03G / ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
399 27 ; 399106 ; 399262 ;
Abstract
In the present invention, a winder shaft of a toner supplying device and that of an imaging cartridge are coupled with gears, and a lock lever for locking rotation of gears is provided with the toner supplying device. Moreover, only when the imaging cartridge is attached to the toner supplying device, the lock lever is set released by a rib disposed for the imaging cartridge, whereby removals of seals for the toner supplying device and the imaging cartridge is made feasible. Thus, without accompanying fear that the seals are removed during storage, toner supplying device can be attached so as to supply toner when a toner in the imaging cartridge is used up.