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. 25, 2001
Filed:
Nov. 19, 1999
Christopher Stephen Garcia, Rochester, NY (US);
Kenneth Michael Patterson, Rochester, NY (US);
Paul Essic Thompson, Rochester, NY (US);
Blaise Philip Pelligra, Rochester, NY (US);
Other;
Abstract
A seal assembly for preventing developer material from damaging the drive shaft bearing in an electrographic reproduction apparatus development station. The development station has a housing defining internal chambers for particulate developer material, a rotatable mixer located in a developer material reservoir chamber within the housing, a developer device for applying developer material to an electrostatic image to be developed, a rotatable transporting mechanism for moving developer material from the reservoir chamber to the developer device, and at least one drive shaft, carried in a bearing supported by the development station housing, for rotating the rotatable mixer, the rotatable transporting mechanism, and the developer device. The seal assembly includes a plurality of seal members associated with the drive shaft and extending progressively outwardly, in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft, from the developer material housing chambers of the development station toward the bearing. At least one of the seal members rotates with the drive shaft while adjacent seal members remain stationary.