Card – picture – or sign exhibiting – Check – label – or tag – Holder
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-25
2001-06-26
Melius, Terry Lee (Department: 3628)
Card, picture, or sign exhibiting
Check, label, or tag
Holder
C040S649000, C040S490000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250004
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for a recyclable plastic enclosure for use in an office machine, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for a recyclable plastic enclosure which includes an information material holder, for use in an office machine.
2. Discussion of the Background
Designing reusable components for office machines, including image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, facsimile machines, and so forth, has been on its way to becoming popular in response to a recent rising tide of a recycling movement. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 08-340182 (1996) describes a recyclable enclosure, having a sheet decal, for office machines. This recyclable enclosure can be recycled without removing the sheet decal.
Many office machines are equipped with a transparency case, usually bonded on a surface of a recyclable exterior cover of the office machine, for holding information material such as a business card that indicates various kinds of information including contacts for supplies, repairs, and so forth. Such a case is generally made of PP (polypropylene) resins while the recyclable exterior cover is made of ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) resins. Since the PP resins have no compatibility with the ABS resins, recycling of the ABS exterior cover together with the PP case produces a resin having an inferior characteristic. Therefore, the ABS exterior cover needs to undergo a recycling process after the PP case is removed therefrom.
To solve this problem, a transparency case made of PS (polystyrene) resins which has a compatibility with ABS resins has been recently studied, to be bonded on a surface of a recyclable cover of an office machine. In this case, however, a bonding material may become a foreign substance for the ABS resin recycling operation even though the transparency case is no longer a foreign substance.
Therefore, it is believed that there is no office apparatus which includes a recyclable plastic enclosure which includes an information material holder and which can be recycled together with the information material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel office apparatus which includes a recyclable plastic enclosure which includes an information material holder and which can be recycled together with the information material holder.
To achieve these and other objects, the piesent invention provides a novel office apparatus that includes a recyclable exterior cover. In one embodiment, an office apparatus includes an exterior cover and a card holder. The exterior cover is a recyclable molded component made of plastic and swingably mounted on the apparatus. The plate holder holds an information plate. The exterior cover and the plate holder are integrally molded.
The information plate may indicate information related to at least one of operations and maintenance of the apparatus.
The information plate may indicate information related to contacts for ordering at least one of supplies and repairs for the apparatus.
The plate holder may include a plurality of integrally-molded projections and depressions.
The plate holder may include a projection for protecting the information plate against slip-off from the plate holder.
The exterior cover may integrally form the plate holder at a back side thereof.
To achieve the above-mentioned and other objects, the present invention also provides a recyclable plastic molded cover for use in an apparatus. The recyclable plastic molded cover includes an exterior cover and a plate holder. In one embodiment, the exterior cover is a recyclable molded component made of plastic and covers a body of the apparatus. The plate holder holds an information plate. The exterior cover and the plate holder are integrally molded.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1500269 (1924-07-01), Reynolds
patent: 2262058 (1941-11-01), Sinclair
patent: 3295241 (1967-01-01), Chiuminatto
patent: 3981092 (1976-09-01), Ramsdale
patent: 4291475 (1981-09-01), Schoemer
patent: 4299043 (1981-11-01), Lathrop et al.
patent: 4531311 (1985-07-01), Howard et al.
patent: 4531312 (1985-07-01), Stoddart
patent: 4593486 (1986-06-01), Visocky et al.
patent: 4679341 (1987-07-01), Goldman
patent: 5488656 (1996-01-01), DeArkland
patent: 8-034088 (1996-02-01), None
patent: 8-340182 (1996-12-01), None
Hewitt James M
Melius Terry Lee
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Ricoh & Company, Ltd.
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