Seal for toner cartridge
OwnerLester Corneliusinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A frangible tear strip for toner cartridges used in electro-photographic copying devices, in which bursting strength is increased without making it more difficult for the user to longitudinally tear the strip to create an opening for passage of toner prior to use. This is accomplished by providing multiple areas of transverse reinforcement of the strip either by increased local area fusing of the material, or the lamination of transversely extending reinforcements at spaced intervals. In a preferred embodiment, the reenforcing material extends the entire axial length of the seal. In a further embodiment, the reinforcing material includes a layer of foam material having a rectangular opening overlapping a corresponding opening in a toner cartridge.
Claims15
A seal for toner cartridge used in electrophotographic devices comprising:
- an elongated strip of fibrous non-woven material having a principal longitudinal axis and having axially aligned fibers lightly fused together in a synthetic resinous film to have substantial tensile strength in an axial direction and relatively less strength in a direction normal to said principal axis;
- said strip including a leading end and a trailing end and being bounded by first and second longitudinal edges, and first and second surfaces;
- adhesive means on said second surface adapted to adhere to a toner cartridge to overlie a toner dispensing slot therein;
- said strip having transversely extending areas of relatively greater degree of fusion to increase a transverse burst strength thereof without affecting the ability to be torn in an axial direction from said leading end to said trailing end between said longitudinal edges.
A seal for toner cartridges used in electrophotographic devices comprising a strip of fibrous non-woven material having a principal axis in which the fibers are axially aligned and lightly fused within a synthetic resinous film;
- said strip including transversely oriented areas of relatively greater fusion at periodic intervals along said principal axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.