Dynamic end-seal for toner development unit
AssigneeLexmark International, Inc.
InventorsJohn Andrew Buchanan, Jarrett Clark Gayne, Jason Paul Hale, Benjamin Keith Newman, Tom E Stickler
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AssigneeLexmark International, Inc.
InventorsJohn Andrew Buchanan, Jarrett Clark Gayne, Jason Paul Hale, Benjamin Keith Newman, Tom E Stickler
Estimating the term…
An article used to seal the interface between the developer roll, doctor blade and developer housing in a laser printer toner cartridge is described. The sealing member described in the present application performs static sealing between the components while the cartridge is idle and performs dynamic sealing while the toner cartridge is used for printing, keeping the sealing surfaces free from toner by actively pushing the toner back into the developer sump. The seal has a rotary seal portion which seals between the frame of the cartridge and the developer roll, and a blade seal portion which seals between the frame of the cartridge and the doctor blade. The rotary seal portion is biased toward the surface of the developer roll and incorporates, on its face adjacent to the developer roll, ridges which act to push the toner away from the edge of the developer roll in use. The blade seal portion is biased toward the doctor blade.
A sealing member for an image forming apparatus including a frame member, a developer roll and a blade member, structured so as to prevent leakage of toner in the image forming apparatus, said sealing member being made from a flexible, low modulus material and comprising:
A process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus, said process cartridge comprising:
A process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus, said process cartridge comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.