Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-03
2003-02-18
Pyon, Harold (Department: 1772)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
C428S189000, C428S036500, C428S305500, C015S104930, C015S210100, C015S256500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06521319
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention generally relates to electrophotographic printing, and more particularly, to an assembly and method for cleaning toner resin from the components of a printing device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Electrophotography is a process whereby the light image of an original representation to be copied is usually recorded in the form of a latent electrostatic image upon a photosensitive member of a printing device. The latent electrostatic image is subsequently rendered visible by application of electroscopic marking particles, known in the art as toner. The visible toner image can be either fixed directly on the photosensitive member or transferred from the photosensitive member to another support, such as a sheet of paper, with a subsequent fixing of the image thereto.
The toner is a thermoplastic resin compound and is contained in a cartridge in such printing devices as laser printers and photocopiers. The cartridge is a replaceable supply item for these printing devices. The toner is held in a reservoir in the cartridge and then transferred onto a developer roll in the printing device. The toner is then transferred onto a photoconductor in a pattern corresponding to the image to be printed. This procedure is based on a charge distribution created on the photoconductor surface.
A common problem associated with printing devices is the leakage of toner resin from the toner cartridge and/or the developer roll. Certain printing devices have multiple toner cartridges, thus multiplying the opportunity for toner resin leakage. Over time, the components of the printing device, particularly the paper-feed assembly within the device, can accumulate a significant amount of toner resin. This leads to poor print image quality, as well as the soiling of a user's hands and clothes and contamination of the environment around the printing device.
Accordingly, there has been an on-going need to find ways to clean the accumulated toner resin leaked to the components of the printing device. Several cleaning systems have been designed in an attempt to provide a solution to the identified need. However, the procedures used to date are, in general, costly, require a maintenance call, which can be frustrating due to inherent delays, and/or fail to remove a sufficient amount of toner resin to be successfully efficient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an assembly for cleaning toner resin from the components of a printing device that is provided in a kit to users of the printing device.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a two-part assembly for cleaning toner resin from the components of a printing device wherein a brush is manually used to wipe certain exposed components and a pad is mountable within the printing device to scrub certain inaccessible components as they move relative to the stationary pad.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an assembly for cleaning toner resin from the components of a printing device in order to substantially eliminate print defects associated with the accumulation of toner resin leaked from the toner cartridge and/or developer roll.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly for cleaning toner resin from the components of a printing device whereby a porous member is impregnated with a compound that has a strong affinity for toner resin particles.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an assembly for cleaning toner resin from the components of a printing device that utilizes a silicone copolymer that has the consistency of a paste for attracting and holding toner resin particles upon contact therewith.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a method of cleaning toner resin from the components of a printing device using a two-part kit wherein each part is adaptable to abrade the components of the printing device without inflicting damage while attracting and capturing noncontained toner resin particles within the impregnated porous material.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of cleaning toner resin from the components of a printing device that is inexpensive, user-friendly and effective for its purpose.
Additional objects, advantages and other novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned with the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the foregoing and other objects, and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention as described herein, a novel assembly and method for cleaning toner resin from the components of a printing device is disclosed. Testing of this assembly, as used according to the inventive method, has shown dramatic decreases, and in some cases, elimination of the print defects normally associated with leaked toner resin. The assembly is inexpensively made, easy to use and has proven the best means known to date to effectively remove toner resin from the components of a printing device.
In its broadest aspects, the assembly comprises a porous member impregnated with a silicone copolymer paste and a rigid member with a supporting base on which the porous member is mounted. A commercial embodiment of the invention takes the form of a two-part kit, wherein a first porous member is mounted to the supporting base of the first rigid member and a second porous member is mounted to the supporting base of a second rigid member.
In the preferred embodiment, the first porous member is substantially coextensive with the first rigid member in a lengthwise direction. A tab, and preferably a plurality of spaced tabs, extends from a first longitudinal side of the first rigid member. Each tab is cut along a line at its junction with the first longitudinal side of the rigid member and scored at the inner end of the cut so as to allow folding of the tab for operative positioning.
In preferred inventive kit, the second porous member extends from a first terminal edge of the second rigid member to a point intermediate along the lengthwise dimension of the second rigid member. The first and second porous members are preferably a low density polyether urethane foam.
In one of the key aspects of the inventive assembly, the silicone copolymer paste has the general formula
wherein x represents from about 98.8 molar percent to about 99.5 molar percent, y represents from about 0.5 molar percent to about 1.2 molar percent, and R comprises from about 70% by weight to about 100% by weight of a C
15
-C
60
alkyl group and from about 0% by weight to about 30% by weight of a C
2
-C
14
alkyl group. With respect to the copolymer moieties, x represents preferably from about 99.0 molar percent to about 99.2 molar percent and y represents preferably from about 0.8 molar percent to about 1.2 molar percent. Most preferably, x represents about 99.0 molar percent and y represents about 1.0 molar percent.
With respect to the R group in the second silicone polymer moiety, the C
2
-C
14
alkyl group is preferably a hexyl group. Furthermore, the C
15
-C
60
alkyl group is preferably a C
30
-C
45
alkyl group. Most preferably again, the C
30
-C
45
alkyl group is a C
36
alkyl group. In the inventive assembly, either of the C
15
-C
60
alkyl group and the C
2
-C
14
alkyl group may be halogenated, the most preferable halogen (if present) being fluorine.
The silicone copolymer in its broadest aspects has a molecular weight (weight average) in the range of from about 80,000 to about 250,000. The molecular weight is more preferably in the range from about 80,000 to about 150,000. Most preferably, the molecular weight of the silicone copolymer is about 110,000. The inventive assembly also contemplates that the silicone copolymer ha
Aulick Larry Oral
Powers George Nicholas
Weisman, Jr. Mark Stephen
Brady John A.
Lexmark International Inc.
Patterson Marc
Pyon Harold
LandOfFree
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