Dry ink replenishment bottle with internal plug agitation device
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsMurray O. Meetze, Jr., Debora M. Litwiller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention relates to the packaging and subsequent removal of dry marking materials that tend to clump or bridge when shipped or stored in containers. Human operators are presently instructed to agitate such containers before installation into a marking engine but such agitation is unreliable. The present invention involves placement of agitation vanes on a displaceable inner seal within the cartridge such that such vanes will break apart clumps and bridges of the marking material during installation of the container upon the marking engine.
Claims35
A device for storing a supply of marking materials for use in a marking system, comprising:
- a. an open ended container defining a chamber in communication with the open end thereof with the marking materials being stored in the chamber of said container, said chamber having an end opposite the open end, a center point of such opposite end, a center point of the internal opening at the open end, and an axis running from the center of the opening at the open end to the center of the opposite end;
- b. an internal seal attached to the open end of said container, said internal seal having a body closely conforming to the internal opening of said container, said internal seal being removable from the open end of said container by displacement of said internal seal into the chamber of said container;
- and
- c. a vane attached to the body of said internal seal and extending away from the axis of the chamber.
An internal seal for a container for storing a supply of marking materials for use in a marking system, said storage device having an internal opening having a rim, and said internal seal comprising:
- a. a body closely conforming to the internal opening of the container, said internal seal being removable from the internal opening and said internal seal having a central axis running generally perpendicularly to the rim;
- and
- b. a vane attached to the body of the internal seal and extending away from the axis of the body.
A marking system with a supply of marking materials, said marking machine comprising:
- a. an open container defining a chamber in communication with the open end thereof with the marking materials being stored in the chamber of said container, said chamber having an end opposite the open end, a center point of such opposite end, a center point of the internal opening at the open end, and an axis running from the center of the opening at the open end to the center of the opposite end;
- b. an internal seal attached to the open end of said container, said internal seal having a body closely conforming to the internal opening of said container, said internal seal being removable from the open end of said container by displacement of said internal seal into the chamber of said container;
- and
- c. a vane attached to the body of said internal seal and extending away from the axis of the chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.