Coating apparatus – Solid applicator contacting work – Pads or absorbent or porous applicators
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-13
2001-06-19
Edwards, Laura (Department: 1734)
Coating apparatus
Solid applicator contacting work
Pads or absorbent or porous applicators
C118S266000, C015S256510, C015S256530, C101S167000, C101S424000, C101S425000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06248170
ABSTRACT:
THE PRIOR ART
In the recycling technology of toner cartridges of copiers, facsimile machines and laser printers, it has been proposed to provide the photosensitive drum or the magnetic roller or primary charging roller with a coating. For these purposes, devices have been proposed for facilitating the coating step. The said devices use a swab impregnated with the coating composition (a liquid composition). In the known devices, the swab contact the drum or roller while driven in rotation, and the swab is moved horizontally and parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum or roller. Therefore, the amount of composition released from the swab when beginning the coating is higher than the amount of composition released from the swab at the end of the coating step. Problems of such a coating are:
not uniform coating,
risk of lack of coating composition for the last coated part of the drum or roller, whereby a part of the roller or drum to be coated can remain uncoated, due to a lack of composition in the swab.
The present invention has for subject matter a device whereby a substantially uniform coating can be obtained on elements such as drums, rollers, blades can be obtained.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device for coating at least a part of an element by means of a swab impregnated with a coating composition, said device comprising:
a support provided with a guiding path and with a means for bearing the element to be coated;
a mobile carriage with means for bearing the swab, said carriage being movable along the guiding path;
a means for ensuring a movement of the mobile carriage along the guiding path with respect to the element to be coated;
a means for pushing the swab towards the element to be coated so that a quantity of the composition released from the swab coats the element, and
a means for varying the quantity of released composition per unit of length of movement of the mobile carriage along at least a part of the guiding path, so that the coating of the said part is substantially uniform.
Advantageously, the device further comprises a room in which at least the support and the mobile carriage are located, said room being provided with an inlet connected to an air cleaning system. Preferably, the said inlet is adapted for ensuring a substantially laminar flow at least in the neighborhood of the support and the mobile carriage. Such an air inlet is advantageous for preventing dust or other solid particles to enter into the applied and/or to be applied on the coating before its complete hardening or its tack free.
According to an embodiment, the device further comprises a table, a vertical supporting element, and fixing means, whereby the support is movable between a first position in which the support is fixed to the table and a second position in which the support is fixed on the vertical supporting element. Preferably, the vertical supporting element is mounted pivotable around a vertical axis.
Preferably, especially when the element to be coated is a drum or a roller, the device further comprises a driving means for driving into rotation the element to be coated.
A preferred device of the invention comprises:
a support provided with a guiding path and with a means for bearing the element to be coated;
a mobile carriage with means for bearing the swab, said carriage being movable along the guiding path;
a means for ensuring a movement of the mobile carriage along the guiding path with respect to the element to be coated;
a means for pushing the swab towards the element to be coated so that a quantity of the composition released from the swab coats the element, and
a means for varying the quantity of released composition per unit of length of movement of the mobile carriage along at least a part of the guiding path, so that the coating of the said part is substantially uniform, whereby the said means for varying the quantity of released composition per unit of length of movement of the mobile carriage along at least a part of the guiding path is a means pushing of the swab towards the element to be coated during a movement of the mobile carriage along at least a part of the guiding path.
Advantageously, the means for varying the pushing of the swab towards the element to be coated varies the said pushing of the swab towards at least a part of the element during the movement of the carriage corresponding to the coating of the said part of the element by the swab, the said pushing varying substantially continuously from a first pushing force and a second pushing force so that the coating of the said part is substantially uniform. For example, in case of a vertical pushing of the swab towards the element to be coated, the said pushing varying substantially continuously from a first pushing force and a second pushing force higher than the first pushing force so that the coating of the said part is substantially uniform, while for a horizontal pushing of the swab towards the element, the said pushing varying substantially continuously from a first pushing force and a second pushing force lower than the first pushing force so that the coating of the said part is substantially uniform.
According to an advantageous embodiment, the mobile carriage has a body movable along the guiding path, said body being provided with a pivoting piece bearing the swab. The pivoting piece is preferably pivoting around an axis with respect to the body, said axis being advantageously parallel to the axis of the guiding path.
According to an embodiment, the means for ensuring a movement of the mobile carriage along the guiding path with respect to the element to be coated moves the said mobile carriage according to a back-and-forth motion. At least during a part of the forth motion, the swab contacts the element to be coated. Preferably, the device further comprises a means for moving the swab and the element to be coated aside during the back motion of the carriage.
The device comprises advantageously a means for moving the swab and the element aside before the coating of the element and/or after the coating of the element, for example just after the end of the coating step. This is advantageous in order to ensure that during a first relative movement of the carriage, the swab is progressively moved towards the element, while at the end of the coating, during a relative movement of the carriage, the swab is progressively removed from the element. Thus the swab when in relative movement with respect to the element to be coated is moved from a position aside the element to a contact position with the element before starting the coating operation, and from a position in contact with the element to a position aside after ending the coating.
According to an advantageous embodiment, the device further comprises a means for holding the swab and the element aside when the carriage is adjacent to a first position of the guiding path, and a means for displacing at least a part of the carriage when the carriage is moved away from the said first position, so that the swab contacts the element. This movement of the swab is advantageously realized by a roller working with a nock.
According to a specific embodiment, the means for bearing the element to be coated comprises two bearing elements between which the element to be coated is placed, said bearing elements being aligned along a first axis, said axis being preferably the axis of rotation of the element to be coated. The mobile carriage is movable along an axis parallel to the guiding path of the carriage, said axis being distant from the said first axis and being not parallel to the said first axis. The second axis forms advantageously an angle with a line parallel to the said first axis and crossing the said second axis, said angle being preferably comprised between 0.1° and 15°, for example between 0.1° and 5°, especially between 0.2 and 2°.
The invention relates also to a process for coating an element with a coating composition, in which a swab impregnated with the coating composition is contacted with the element to
CF Technologies
Darby & Darby
Edwards Laura
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