Device for controlling access to containers for dispensing printing material
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorsJames R. Pryde, Mark Smith, Robert Hargreaves
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device (1) for controlling user access to at least one container (4) for dispensing printing material housed by a printing apparatus (5), the device (1) comprising an openable and closable barrier (2) corresponding to the container (4) and a lock for locking the barrier (2) in a closed position. The lock is overlapped by at least a portion of the barrier (2) both when the barrier (2) is in the closed position and when the barrier (2) is in an open position.
Claims15
A device for controlling user access to multiple containers for dispensing a printing material housed by a printing apparatus, the device comprising:
- operable and closable barriers, wherein each of the barriers is configured to cover a corresponding one of the containers;
- locks, each of which is configured for locking a corresponding one of the barriers in a closed position, wherein each of the locks is obscured by the corresponding one of the barriers when viewed from a front of the device and the corresponding one of the barriers is in the closed position;
- and
- indicators, each of which is configured for indicating to a user whether the corresponding one of the barriers is locked,
- wherein each of the locks is overlapped by at least a portion of the corresponding one of the barriers both when the corresponding one of the barriers is in the closed position and when the corresponding one of the barriers is in an open position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.