Toner container
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorJames P. Wang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A toner container includes a displaceable member located within the container and attached to one end of a flexible membrane utilized to seal the container closed. A bellows member also forms part of the container. Once the container is inserted into the copy machine in a sealed condition, operator initiated pressure upon an outer wall of the container causes the bellows member to collapse and further causes the displaceable member to move downward carrying with it the membrane member. As the membrane member is thus deflected, the seal of the membrane member to the toner container is broken allowing the contents of the container to escape into the copy machine. A safety mechanism is utilized with the container to prevent accidental operation of the displaceable member during shipment or handling.
Claims15
An enclosed container for powder material comprising:
- a cavity defining member;
- an opening defining member for defining an opening in said container;
- a flexible membrane member connected to said opening defining member for sealing said opening;
- said cavity defining member, said opening defining member and said membrane member collectively defining an enclosed cavity for containing said powder;
- a displaceable member contained completely within said cavity and proximate to said opening and having an end portion connected to said flexible membrane member and displaceable relative to said opening defining member, said displaceable member moving outward through said opening upon displacement thereof to dislocate said opening defining member allowing the powder contents of said container to be removed through said opening defining member;
- a movement allowing member for permitting movement of said displaceable member relative to said opening defining member.
A toner container adapted to dispense toner to a toner receptacle of a copy machine following insertion into the toner receptacle, the toner container comprising:
- a rigid cavity defining member;
- an opening defining member for defining an opening in the container;
- a flexible membrane member connected to the opening defining member for sealing the opening;
- a movement allowing member connected to the rigid cavity defining member for moving relative to the opening defining member;
- a displaceable member contained within the container interior proximate to the opening and having an end portion connected to the flexible membrane member and displaceable upon movement of the movement allowing member, the displaceable member moving outward through the opening upon displacement thereof to dislocate the membrane member from the sealing connection with the opening defining member thereby allowing the toner contents of the toner container to fall through the opening defining member into the toner receptacle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.