Electrophotography – Having particular structure – Modular or displaceable
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-08
2002-03-12
Brase, Sandra (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Having particular structure
Modular or displaceable
Reexamination Certificate
active
06356725
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photosensitive belt cartridge for accommodating a photosensitive belt on an endless track safely until the photosensitive belt is disposed in a liquid electrophotographic printer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, as shown in
FIG. 1
, a liquid electrophotographic printer such as, for example, a color laser printer, includes a photosensitive belt
10
which rotatably travels on an endless track while being supported by a plurality of rolls
11
,
12
, and
13
disposed in a printer body (not shown). The desired image is developed by a developing unit
14
on one side of the photosensitive belt
10
, is dried while being passed through the drying unit
15
, and is then transferred onto a printed medium
1
at a transfer/fixing unit
16
, which includes a transfer roll
16
a and a fixing roll
16
b.
Here, the unit in which the photosensitive belt
10
rotatably travels on the endless track will be called a ‘belt unit’. Roll
11
is a drive roll connected to a driving source (not shown) for rotating the photosensitive belt
10
, roll
12
is a back-up roll of the transfer roll
16
a, and roll
13
is a steering roll for preventing skewing of the photosensitive belt
10
.
Over time, as the photosensitive belt
10
is used, the accuracy of the image on the photosensitive belt
10
gradually deteriorates. Accordingly, after a certain period of time, the photosensitive belt
10
should be replaced with a new belt in order to produce a clearer image. Conventionally, a user manually replaced the photosensitive belt
10
disposed on the endless track by aligning the photosensitive belt
10
with a corresponding mounting position of the printer body (not shown), i.e., with the belt unit of the printer, and pushing the photosensitive belt
10
into the belt unit using both hands. During such a process, the user moves the steering roll
13
, which is movable in a direction as indicated by the double-headed arrow of FIG.
1
.
Accordingly, for replacement of the photosensitive belt
10
, the user moves the steering roll
13
to the position indicated by the dotted-line of
FIG. 1
so as to relax the tension of the photosensitive belt
10
, and discards the photosensitive belt
10
from the belt unit. Then, the user inserts a new photosensitive belt
10
into the belt unit, and finally fixes the photosensitive belt
10
at its right position by returning the steering roll
13
to its original position, thereby giving the original tension to the photosensitive belt
10
.
Since the shape of the photosensitive belt
10
is not fixed but is flexible, replacing the photosensitive belt
10
by aligning a new photosensitive belt
10
in the right position and inserting the new photosensitive belt
10
by hand is a complicated and bothersome process. Further, the possibility that the user mis-locates the photosensitive belt
10
also cannot be ignored. In addition, since the user is required to place their hands into the printer body (not shown) to discard the used photosensitive belt
10
from the belt unit of the printer body (not shown) by directly grasping the used photosensitive belt
10
, the user may be injured by other components in the printer body (not shown).
In order to overcome the above disadvantages found during the replacement of the photosensitive belt
10
using a conventional method, a photosensitive belt cartridge has been suggested. The photosensitive belt cartridge includes a photosensitive belt
10
disposed in an endless track therein, and is advanced to a photosensitive belt mounting position of the printer by being slid along advancing rails formed on the belt unit of the printer, thereby mounting the photosensitive belt
10
accommodated therein to the belt unit. As such, the replacement of the photosensitive belt
10
is simplified, and can be quickly performed.
Such a conventional photosensitive belt cartridge is shown in
FIGS. 2
to
5
, and is described in greater detail below.
FIG. 2
is a perspective view for showing the appearance of a conventional photosensitive belt cartridge, and
FIG. 3
is a rear perspective view of FIG.
2
.
As shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the conventional photosensitive belt cartridge includes a cartridge body
20
in which the photosensitive belt
10
is accommodated in an endless track, and a photosensitive belt supporting section
30
formed along the endless track of the photosensitive belt
10
in the cartridge body
20
at proper intervals, for pressing the photosensitive belt
10
into tight contact with the inner circumference of the cartridge body
20
.
The cartridge body
20
is substantially in the shape of a hollow ovoid which has one open end, and accommodates the photosensitive belt
10
in the endless track as in the printer body (not shown). The cartridge body
20
is assembled in a manner that a plate member of a certain size is curved until both opposite ends meet together to form a certain space therein, and a joint of the opposite ends of the plate member is fixed by a plurality of screws
21
. A =plurality of various sizes of elevations
22
are formed opposite to the open end of the cartridge body
20
. Further, guiding rails
23
and
24
are formed on the upper surface of the cartridge body
20
at certain intervals. The guiding rails
23
and
24
are configured to permit sliding movement along the advancing rails (not shown) of the belt unit of the printer. By the sliding movement of the guiding rails
23
and
24
and the advancing rails (not shown) having such a configuration, the photosensitive belt cartridge is inserted into the exact replacement position of the printer body.
The guiding rails
23
and
24
respectively include a pair of locking ribs
23
a
,
23
b
,
24
a
, and
24
b
, which are locked with and suspended on the advancing rails. Further, the leading ends of the locking ribs
23
a
,
23
b
,
24
a
, and
24
b
are cut away for an easier insertion of the guiding rails
23
and
24
into the advancing rails. After aligning and pressing the cut-away leading ends of the guiding rails
23
and
24
tightly against the lower surface of the advancing rails, by pushing the photosensitive belt cartridge, the locking ribs
23
a
,
23
b
,
24
a
, and
24
b
of the guiding rails
23
and
24
are smoothly fit in into the advancing rails, and thereby the photosensitive belt cartridge is mounted in the printer body (not shown).
As shown in
FIG. 5
, the photosensitive belt supporting section
30
includes a plurality of magnets
31
buried in the inner wall of the cartridge body
20
along the endless track of the photosensitive belt
10
at certain intervals, and a plurality of plate members
32
having one end fixed on an end of the inner wall of the cartridge body
20
, and the other end being magnetically-adhered to the magnets
31
, thereby fixedly supporting photosensitive belt
10
in cooperation with the magnets
31
. Here, one end of each plate member
32
is fixed on one end
20
a of the inner wall of the cartridge body
20
by using pairs of screws
33
.
In the conventional photosensitive belt cartridge constructed as described above, the photosensitive belt
10
is safely kept while being fixed between a plurality of magnets
31
and plate members
32
. In this conventional cartridge, the photosensitive belt
10
of the printer is replaced using the following method.
The user opens the front door of the printer, discards the used photosensitive belt
10
, aligns the guiding rails
23
and
24
of a new photosensitive belt cartridge with the advancing rails of the belt unit, and then pushes in the guiding rails
23
and
24
of the new photosensitive belt cartridge along the advancing rails of the belt unit. As shown in
FIG. 1
, the steering roll
13
of the belt unit is moved to the position indicated by the dotted line. After completely advancing the photosensitive belt cartridge into the printer body (not shown), the steering roll
13
is returned to its original position. Accordingly, when the ph
No Kwang-ho
Park Woo-yong
Brase Sandra
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
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