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US 7,248,806 B2Granted
Paddle positioning system
AssigneeLexmark International, Inc.
InventorsBenjamin Alan Askren, Lenci Robert Kappes, Steven Michael Turney
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is directed to an article, system and method for determining and/or selecting the location of a toner engaging member in a developing agent device such as a toner cartridge. The article, system and method may be applied to a printing device such as a laser printer.
Claims17
A method comprising:
- providing a developing agent device including a toner reservoir, capable of containing toner, including a toner engaging member capable of contacting toner;
- providing a sensor within said developing agent device wherein said sensor is capable of providing signals;
- sampling signals from said sensor;
- determining when said toner engaging member engages said sensor, wherein said signals are indicative of a location of said toner engaging member along a path within said toner reservoir;
- and
- positioning said toner engaging member at a selected location along the path within said toner reservoir in response to said signals.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- providing a developing agent device, capable of containing toner, including a toner engaging member capable of contacting toner;
- providing a sensor wherein said sensor is capable of providing signals;
- sampling signals from said sensor;
- and
- determining an event occurrence by monitoring an output voltage v of said sensor at a time n and a previous time n-x to provide an output voltage difference (v(n)−v(n-x));
- measuring a maximum voltage output vmax and a minimum voltage output vmin and calculating (vmin−vmax);
- wherein said event is determined to occur when
- (v(n)−v(n-x))<f(vmin−vmax)
- wherein f is a constant and said event may be associated with said toner engaging member engaging said sensor and/or said toner engaging said sensor.
6 more elements
A printer comprising:
- a toner containing device including a toner reservoir, capable of containing toner, including a toner engaging member capable of contacting toner;
- a sensor wherein said toner engaging member is capable of engaging said sensor;
- and
- a processor in communication with said sensor capable of sampling signals from said sensor and determining when said toner engaging member engages said sensor, wherein said signals are indicative of a location of said toner engaging member along a path within a toner reservoir, and wherein said processor, during operation, positions said toner engaging member at a selected location along the path within said toner reservoir in response to said signals.
1 more element
An article comprising:
- a storage medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a machine result in the following operations:
- sampling signals from a sensor;
- determining when a toner engaging member engages said sensor, wherein said signals are indicative of a location of said toner engaging member along a path within a toner reservoir in a toner containing device;
- and
- positioning said toner engaging member in said toner containing device at a selected location along the path within said toner reservoir in response to said signals.
2 more elements
A toner cartridge comprising:
- a toner containing device including a toner reservoir, capable of containing toner, including a toner engaging member capable of contacting toner;
- a sensor wherein said toner engaging member is capable of engaging said sensor and said sensor is capable of communicating with a processor which is capable of sampling signals from said sensor and determining when said toner engaging member engages said sensor, wherein said signals are indicative of a location of said toner engaging member along a path within said toner reservoir, and wherein said toner engaging member is configured to be positioned at a selected location along the path within said toner reservoir in response to said signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.