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US 3,942,889 AGranted
Residual toner removing apparatus
AssigneeMinolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsTakaji Kurita, Takao Fujiwara
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A residual toner removing apparatus which comprises a rotatable cleaning brush enclosed, except for two gaps, by a casing plate and a restriction board housed in a housing with an opening adjacent to a known photoreceptor surface. During rotation, brush hairs contact the casing plate to charge it with opposite polarity to toner particles, while the bursh hairs are compressed by the restriction board, thus the cleaning brush acting like a fan for circulation of air and entrained toner particles, which toner particles are mostly attracted by the casing plate and the housing wall forming an air flow chamber. A scraper actuated manually or motor-driven automatically at arbitrary times is advantageously provided in the air flow chamber for scraping off the adhering toner particles.
Claims14
A residual toner removing apparatus for use in an electrostatic copying machine, comprising:
- a housing mounted adjacent a photoreceptor surface and having an opening adjacent thereto;
- a rotatable cleaning brush having brush hairs;
- a casing plate;
- a restriction board, said casing plate and said restriction board enclosing said rotatable cleaning brush and being enclosed by said housing, said casing plate and said photoreceptor surface forming an inlet gap, said casing plate contacting said brush hairs, said restriction board and said casing plate forming an outlet gap and compressing said brush hairs, said housing and said casing plate forming a chamber communicating with said inlet and outlet gaps;
- charging means coupled to said casing plate for charging said casing plate with a polarity opposite to that of toner particles;
- and
- scraper means slidably interposed between and contacting said housing and said casing plate for scraping off toner particles adhering to said casing,
- whereby said cleaning brush, during rotation, causes an air flow through said inlet and outlet gaps and said chamber, said casing plate electrostatically collects toner particles, and said scraper means scrapes off toner particles adhering to said casing plate.
5 more elements
A residual toner removing apparatus for use in an electrostatic copying machine, comprising:
- a housing mounted adjacent a photoreceptor surface and having an opening adjacent thereto;
- a rotatable cleaning brush having brush hairs;
- a casing plate;
- a restriction board, said casing plate and said restriction board enclosing said rotatable cleaning brush and being enclosed by said housing, said casing plate and said photoreceptor surface forming an inlet gap, said casing plate contacting said brush hairs, said restriction board and said casing plate forming an outlet gap and compressing said brush hairs, said housing and said casing plate forming a chamber communicating with said inlet and outlet gaps;
- charging means coupled to said casing plate for charging said casing plate with a polarity opposite to that of toner particles;
- and
- scraper means slidably interposed between and contacting said housing and said casing plate for scraping off toner particles adhering to said casing by sliding between a front end and a rear end of said chamber, said scraper means being comprised of scraper boards operatively associated with a knob means provided externally of said housing so that when said knob means is rotated, said scraper means slides through said chamber between said front and rear ends of said chamber,
- whereby said cleaning brush, during rotation, causes an air flow through said inlet and outlet gaps and said chamber, said casing plate electrostatically collects toner particles, and said scraper means scrapes off toner particles adhering to said casing plate.
5 more elements
A residual toner removing apparatus for use in an electrostatic copying machine, comprising:
- a housing mounted adjacent a photoreceptor surface and having an opening adjacent thereto;
- a rotatable cleaning brush having brush hairs;
- a casing plate;
- a restriction board, said casing plate and said restriction board enclosing said rotatable cleaning brush and being enclosed by said housing, said casing plate and said photoreceptor surface forming an inlet gap, said casing plate contacting said brush hairs, said restriction board and said casing plate forming an outlet gap and compressing said brush hairs, said housing and said casing plate forming a chamber communicating with said inlet and outlet gaps;
- charging means coupled to said casing plate for charging said casing plate with a polarity opposite to that of toner particles;
- scraper means slidably interposed between and contacting said housing and said casing plate for scraping off toner particles adhering to said casing by sliding between a front end and a rear end of said chamber;
- and
- paper roll press means operatively coupled to said scraper means for contacting a paper supply and supplying paper when said scraper means is at the front end of the chamber and being separated from the paper supply when said scraper means slides to the rear end of the chamber, replenishment of paper being performed when said paper roll press means assumes the latter position,
- whereby said cleaning brush, during rotation, causes an air flow through said inlet and outlet gaps and said chamber, said casing plate electrostatically collects toner particles, and said scraper means scrapes off toner particles adhering to said casing plate.
6 more elements
A residual toner removing apparatus for use in an electrostatic copying machine, comprising:
- a housing mounted adjacent a photoreceptor surface and having an opening adjacent thereto;
- a rotatable cleaning brush having brush hairs;
- a casing plate;
- a restriction board, said casing plate and said restriction board enclosing said rotatable cleaning brush and being enclosed by said housing, said casing plate and said photoreceptor surface forming an inlet gap, said casing plate contacting said brush hairs, said restriction board and said casing plate forming an outlet gap and compressing said brush hairs, said housing and said casing plate forming a chamber communicating with said inlet and outlet gaps;
- charging means coupled to said casing plate for charging said casing plate with a polarity opposite to that of toner particles;
- scraper means slidably interposed between and contacting said housing and said casing plate for scraping off toner particles adhering to said casing by sliding between a front end and a rear end of said chamber;
- and
- motor means operatively coupled to said scraper means for driving said scraper means,
- whereby said cleaning brush, during rotation, causes an air flow through said inlet and outlet gaps and said chamber, said casing plate electrostatically collects toner particles, and said scraper means scrapes off toner particles adhering to said casing plate.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.