US 6,246,841 B1 · Removable toner cartridge

Abstract

The weight of toner remaining at any time in a developer housing of a removable toner cartridge installed in a laser printer is determined by ascertaining the weight of the developer housing with the toner when printing is interrupted. The weight of the developer housing with the toner is ascertained through determining the magnitude of a rear reaction force on the side of the developer housing having the input for rotating a developer roll in the developer housing and then subtracting the weight of the developer housing from the weight of the developer housing with the toner. Next, the weight of the remaining toner is correlated to the determined rear reaction force. Then, the amount of the remaining toner is displayed to a user of the laser printer as a percentage of the initial total toner, either numerically or by a bar graph, for example. The developer housing is slidably received in a cleaner housing of the removable toner cartridge and is releasably connected thereto by a pair of biasing springs, which must be at different angles to a line passing through the centers of the developer roll and a photoconductive drum, which is rotatably mounted in the cleaner housing.

Claims37

Dependent claims

A removable toner cartridge for use in an image forming apparatus including:

a developer housing;
a cleaner housing receiving said developer housing and providing support thereto;
first biasing means for resiliently connecting one side of said developer housing and one side of said cleaner housing to each other;
second biasing means for resiliently connecting the other side of said developer housing and the other side of said cleaner housing to each other;
said developer housing and said cleaner housing having cooperating means for allowing movement of said developer housing relative to said cleaner housing;
said developer housing having toner stored therein;
a photoconductive drum rotatably supported by said cleaner housing;
a developer roll rotatably supported by said developer housing and engaging said photoconductive drum to form a nip therebetween, said developer roll transferring toner from said developer housing to said photoconductive drum when said developer roll and said photoconductive drum are rotated;
said developer housing having input receiving means for receiving an input to cause rotation of said developer roll;
said cleaner housing having input receiving means for receiving an input to cause rotation of said photoconductive drum;
and said developer housing having force transmitting means for transmitting a force exerted on one of the sides of said developer housing indicative of the amount of toner stored in said developer housing when said removable toner cartridge is disposed in an image forming apparatus and said developer roll and said photoconductive drum are not rotated.

8 more elements

A method of controlling the magnitudes of the forces acting on a developer housing of a removable toner cartridge installed in an image forming apparatus in which the developer housing is received in a cleaner housing of the removable toner cartridge with the developer housing rotatably supporting a developer roll, the cleaner housing rotatably supporting a photoconductive drum, and the developer housing resiliently connected to the cleaner housing by a pair of biasing springs connecting each side of the developer housing to one of the sides of the cleaner housing so that the magnitude of a rear reaction force at a point adjacent the rear of the developer housing is indicative of the weight of the toner remaining in the developer housing including:

disposing each of the biasing springs at a relatively small angle to a line connecting the centers of the developer roll and the photoconductive drum so that each has a relatively small vertical force component;
and optimizing other variable forces acting on the developer housing.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Removable toner cartridge

Life of this patent

Removable toner cartridge

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims37