Electrophotography – Diagnostics – Consumable
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-15
2002-08-20
Chen, Sophia S. (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Diagnostics
Consumable
C399S012000, C399S038000, C399S111000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06438329
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates generally to a customer replaceable unit (CRU) for a printing machine, and more particularly concerns an automatic CRU setup and cleaner blade lubrication scheme in an electrophotographic printing machine.
In a typical electrophotographic printing process, a photoconductive member is charged to a substantially uniform potential so as to sensitize the surface thereof. The charged portion of the photoconductive member is exposed to a light image of an original document being reproduced. Exposure of the charged photoconductive member selectively dissipates the charges thereon in the irradiated areas. This records an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductive member corresponding to the informational areas contained within the original document. After the electrostatic latent image is recorded on the photoconductive member, the latent image is developed by bringing a developer material into contact therewith. Generally, the developer material comprises toner particles adhering triboelectrically to carrier granules. The toner particles are attracted from the carrier granules to the latent image forming a toner powder image on the photoconductive member. The toner powder image is then transferred from the photoconductive member to a copy sheet. The toner particles are heated to permanently affix the powder image to the copy sheet.
In printing machines such as those described above, a CRU is a customer replaceable unit which can be replaced by a customer at the end of life or at the premature failure of one or more of the xerographic components. The CRU concept integrates various subsystems whose useful lives are predetermined to be generally the same length. The service replacement interval of the CRU insures maximum reliability and greatly minimizes unscheduled maintenance service calls. Utilization of such a strategy, allows customers to participate in the maintenance and service of their copiers/printers. CRUs insure maximum up time of copiers and minimize downtime and service cost due to end of life or premature failures.
It is desirable to have an apparatus and method to determine whether the CRU being inserted into a machine is brand new or is one that has been partially used. It is further desirable that once a CRU is determined to be new that a patch of toner be placed on the photoreceptive member to provide lubrication to a cleaner blade to protect the photoreceptor from damage.
The following disclosures may relate to various aspects of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,455
Patentee: Pozniakas
Issue Date: Oct. 31, 1995
Some portions of the foregoing disclosures may be briefly summarized as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,455 discloses an adaptive cleaner blade lubricating system for electrophotographic printing machines. In an electrophotographic printing machine, the amount of residual toner available to lubricate a cleaner blade is calculated based on the density of the transferred image. A band of toner is deposited in an inner document gap in selective widths so as to provide an adequate amount of toner to lubricate the cleaner blade across the full width of the photoreceptor. The lubricating band may be variable or may be a constant width with the frequency of placement of the band determined based on average image density for a group of documents. In the preferred embodiment, the width of the toner band is varied as a function of the overall residual toner in each pixel location across the width of the photoreceptor based on the density of the images transferred. As a result of the varying lubrication bands, the cleaner blade is maintained so as to not tuck and cause streaking and/or damage while toner efficiency is maximized.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus to determine the status of a customer replaceable unit (CRU) in a printing machine. The apparatus comprises a customer replaceable unit monitor (CRUM) located on the CRU, said CRUM generating a signal indicative of a plurality of characteristics of the CRU and a machine controller, communicating with said CRUM when a CRU is installed in the printing machine, to receive the signal from said CRUM, said machine controller then causing the printing machine to operate in a predetermined manner as a function of the signal from said CRUM.
Pursuant to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrophotographic printing machine having an apparatus to determine the status of a customer replaceable unit (CRU) in a printing machine. The apparatus comprise a customer replaceable unit monitor (CRUM) located on the CRU, said CRUM generating a signal indicative of a plurality of characteristics of the CRU and a machine controller, communicating with said CRUM when a CRU is installed in the printing machine, to receive the signal from u said CRUM, said machine controller then causing the printing machine to operate in a predetermined manner as a function of the signal from said CRUM.
Pursuant to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of determining the status of a customer replaceable unit (CRU) in a printing machine. The method comprises generating a signal with a customer replaceable unit monitor (CRUM) indicative of a plurality of characteristics of the CRU and communicating with said CRUM when a CRU is installed in the printing machine, to receive the signal from said CRUM, said machine controller then causing the printing machine to operate in a predetermined manner as a function of the signal from said CRUM.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4961088 (1990-10-01), Gilliland et al.
patent: 4994853 (1991-02-01), Fukuchi et al.
patent: 5146270 (1992-09-01), Matsuo et al.
patent: 5708912 (1998-01-01), Lee
Budnik Roger W.
Pacer James M.
Raj Guru B.
Shoemaker Ralph A.
Swales Michael G.
Chen Sophia S.
Xerox Corporation
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