Electrophotography – Internal machine environment – Particle or contaminant control
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-10
2003-03-25
Pendegrass, Joan (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Internal machine environment
Particle or contaminant control
C157S001420, C428S114000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06539187
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tearable sealing member provided with a control tearing means for controlling the width of the strip to be torn out of the seal film.
PRIOR ART
Tearable sealing member for unsealably sealing an opening of a developer container for containing a developer for an image forming apparatus are known and marketed for example under the Trademark “Goldseal”, CF Technology. Said tearable member comprises a seal film for closing the opening and a tearing member cooperating with the seal film for tearing a strip out of said seal film in a longitudinal direction, from a first end of the strip up to a second end of the strip, so as to define an opening.
Other tearable sealing members exists.
It has been observed that in some case, when tearing the strip out of the sealing film, the width of the strip was reduced during the tearing operation, whereby the width of the opening formed is variable.
In order to solve this problem, it has been proposed to form two parallel grooves in the seal film by means of a laser.
It has also been proposed (U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,606) to fix on a foamed sealing film a tape, a portion of which forms a tearing member. The tape needs to be properly glued on the sealing film for having a correct tearing operation. Moreover, the portion of the tape extending outside of the seal film needs to remain free of gluing means. It is therefore not possible to use a common commercial glue tape for its production.
The present invention relates among others to a tearable sealing member in which the control tearing means acts after the initial tearing, i.e. the tearing of the strip is controlled after the initial tearing.
Tearable sealing member of the invention will be now be disclosed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a tearable sealing member for unsealably sealing an opening of a developer container for containing a developer for an image forming apparatus, said tearable member comprising a seal film for closing the opening and a tearing member cooperating with the seal film for tearing a strip out of said seal film in a longitudinal direction, from a first end of the strip up to a second end of the strip, so as to define an opening. The seal film is provided with a means for controlling a minimum width of the strip to be torn out during at least its partial tearing, preferably at least partly its initial tearing. Said control means defining at least a control tearing line selected from the group consisting of a at least partly curved control tearing line, a control tearing line with at least a portion extending in a direction forming an angle with respect to the longitudinal tearing direction and a control tearing line with a portion having at least a curved portion and a portion extending in a direction forming an angle with respect to the longitudinal tearing direction. When the control tearing line is linear or substantially linear, said control tearing line has advantageously a portion forming an angle comprised between 2° and 88° with respect to the longitudinal direction, preferably between 5 and 85°, most preferably between 15 and 75° with respect to said longitudinal direction. Preferably, the seal film and the tearing member are portions of a same structure, i.e. a film structure comprising a portion forming the seal film and another portion forming the tearing member.
The at least curved control tearing line is advantageously selected from the group consisting of portion of substantially circular lines, portions of ellipses, portions of sinuses, portions of tangents, portion of parabols, portion of hyperbols, portion of spirals, etc., and combinations thereof
The sealing film is preferably an easily tearable film or plastic film, comprising one or more layers, for example comprising two superposed layers, such as two or more than two co extruded layers. The film or layer(s) thereof can be prepared from polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene, copolymer (polyethylene/polypropylene), polyamide, polyurethane, high density polyethylene, low density polyethylene, vinyl alcohol copolymer and mixtures thereof. The film or a layer thereof can be foamed, partly foamed or not foamed, and/or can form of a single continuous phase, a continuous phase with a dispersion phase, and/or can be mono axially oriented, bi axially oriented or partly tri axially oriented (embossed), etc. Examples of possible films are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,169,696; 6,054,209; 6,156,441, etc., the scope of which is incorporated by reference.
According to an embodiment, the tearable sealing member comprises a plurality of control means defining two or more control tearing lines distant from each other in the longitudinal direction, each control means being selected from the group consisting of a at least partly curved control tearing line, a control tearing line with at least a portion extending in a direction forming an angle with respect to the longitudinal tearing direction and a control tearing line with a portion having at least a curved portion and a portion extending in a direction forming an angle with respect to the longitudinal tearing direction. For example, said plurality of control means are located on the seal film along its longitudinal direction, so that a first control tearing means act at a first moment of the teasing operation, while at least another control tearing means act at another moment of the tearing operation.
According to a detail of a tearable sealing member of the invention, the tearable sealing member comprises at least a control means defining a first control tearing line for at least a portion of a first edge of the strip to be torn and a second control tearing line for at least a portion of a second edge of the strip to be torn, each control tearing line being selected from the group consisting of a at least partly curved control tearing line, a control tearing line with at least a portion extending in a direction forming an angle with respect to the longitudinal tearing direction and a control tearing line with a portion having at least a curved portion and a portion extending in a direction forming an angle with respect to the longitudinal tearing direction. When the control tearing line is linear or substantially linear, said control tearing line has advantageously a portion forming an angle comprised between 2° and 88° with respect to the longitudinal direction, preferably between 5 and 85°, most preferably between 15 and 75° with respect to said longitudinal direction.
Preferably, the tearable sealing member comprises at least a control means defining a first control tearing line for a portion of a first edge of the strip to be torn and a second control tearing line for a portion of a second edge of the strip to be torn, said first and second control tearing lines being each associated to a means defining a substantially linear tearing line substantially parallel to the longitudinal tearing direction, said first and second control tearing lines being selected from the group consisting of a at least partly curved control tearing line, a control tearing line With at least a portion extending in a direction forming an angle with respect to the longitudinal tearing direction and a control tearing line with a portion having at least a curved portion and a portion extending in a direction forming an angle with respect to the longitudinal tearing direction. The means defining a substantially linear tearing line substantially parallel to the longitudinal tearing direction is advantageously contacting one or more control tearing means.
According to an advantageous embodiment, the seal film has two opposite faces, each face being provided with at least one control tearing means. The control tearing means of the first face are or are not located at places corresponding to the places where the control tearing means of the second face. However, preferably, the control tearing means of the first face are located at places corresponding substantially to the places where the control tea
Darby & Darby
Pendegrass Joan
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