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:
Mar. 06, 2012
Filed:
Jun. 22, 2009
Karl Edwin Kurz, Rochester, NY (US);
Karl Edwin Kurz, Rochester, NY (US);
Xerox Corporation, Norwalk, CT (US);
Abstract
A printing apparatus and corresponding method for maintaining a level of a marking material in a marking material waste sump of a printing apparatus to a desired level. The printing apparatus includes a photoreceptor, a cleaning blade for cleaning marking material from the photoreceptor, a waste sump containing the marking material cleaned from the photoreceptor by the cleaner blade, the waste sump including an auger for selectively removing a portion of the marking material from the waste sump when activated, a determining device for determining a level of the marking material in the waste sump, and a controller receiving the determined level of the marking material from the determining device, the controller maintaining the level of the marking material in the waste sump to at or above a desired level by selectively activating the auger when the level of the marking material rises to a predetermined level and deactivating the auger when the level of the marking material is at the desired level, the desired level of the marking material providing a portion of the marking material to the photoreceptor to be used as lubricant between the photoreceptor and the cleaner blade.