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:
Oct. 26, 2004
Filed:
Jan. 31, 2003
Quintin Phillips, Boise, ID (US);
John Huffman, Meridian, ID (US);
Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P., Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
Apparatus include a toner cartridge that defines a primary toner reservoir and at least one secondary toner reservoir. A gate device is also included, wherein the gate device is configured to selectively control the flow of toner from the secondary toner reservoir to the primary toner reservoir. Methods of operating a toner cartridge include providing a toner cartridge having a primary toner reservoir and a secondary toner reservoir. The toner cartridge is operated to initially deplete toner from the primary toner reservoir. At a given level of toner depletion from the primary toner reservoir, toner is dumped from the secondary toner reservoir into the primary toner reservoir for replenishment thereof.