Abstract:
A method of remanufacturing a seal spooling mechanism of a printer cartridge, the printer cartridge defining a seal passage, the seal passage providing access to a toner port of the cartridge to be covered by a toner seal, the seal spooling mechanism including a spool where a first toner seal may be wound, the seal spooling mechanism further including a spool frame where the spool may be mounted, the method including detaching the spool frame from the printer cartridge; inserting a second toner seal through the seal passage; sealing the toner port with the second toner seal, the second toner seal including a toner seal extension configured to extend out of the seal passage upon sealing the toner port; winding the toner seal extension around the spool; providing a replacement spool frame, the replacement spool frame being configured to be attached to the printer cartridge at a location that is different from the location where the spool frame was previously attached on the printer cartridge; and attaching the spool to the replacement spool frame.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     None 
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to electrophotography, particularly methods and apparatus for manufacturing or remanufacturing toner cartridges. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Printer cartridges typically include a toner hopper, which is configured to store toner. The toner hopper usually has a toner port where toner is drawn out during printing. Printer cartridges are typically packaged with a toner seal to prevent toner from escaping from the toner port during shipment or handling. The toner seal is typically a removable piece of material, such as plastic, which is laid and adhered to the surfaces surrounding the toner port. In some cartridges, the toner seal is removed by hand by the end user. 
     In some other cartridges, such as the cartridges for Hewlett Packard&#39;s HP4700 and HP9000 printer, the toner seal is removed by a seal spooling mechanism built within the printer cartridge. The seal spooling mechanism operates in a manner wherein after the printer cartridge is introduced into the proper printer, the seal is wound around a spool thereby removing it from the toner port. The toner port is consequently opened, and the toner may then be used for printing. 
     Used printer cartridges are often remanufactured. The remanufacturing of printer cartridges may include cleaning, repairing damaged parts, replacing worn parts, and adding toner. The toner hopper seal may be one of the worn parts replaced during remanufacturing. The new toner hopper seal may be introduced from one side of the toner hopper through a seal passage. For cartridges with seal spooling mechanisms built within the cartridge, a spool frame may block the access to the seal passage. To gain access to this blocked seal passage, re-manufacturers may break the frame bridge (reference no.  32  in  FIG. 2 ), which connects the spool holders of the spool frame. Re-manufacturers may then remove a sealing plug and insert a new seal. One problem with this method is that the frame may break or become susceptible to breaking, as the supporting structure for the spool frame, the frame bridge, is broken. As a result, the re-manufactured seal spooling mechanism may not properly work, or the remanufacturing may not be completed without finding a replacement frame. Another problem with the existing method is that it does not provide a way to secure the sealing plug after the new seal is installed. The unsecured sealing plug may detach and cause toner leak during shipment, handling, or use. Methods and devices for effectively remanufacturing cartridges with toner seal spooling mechanisms are desired and are addressed by the present invention. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
     The invention includes a method of remanufacturing a seal spooling mechanism of a printer cartridge, the printer cartridge defining a seal passage, the seal passage providing access to a toner port of the cartridge to be covered by a toner seal, the seal spooling mechanism comprising a spool where a first toner seal may be wound, the seal spooling mechanism further comprising a spool frame where the spool may be mounted, the method comprising detaching the spool frame from the printer cartridge; inserting a second toner seal through the seal passage; sealing the toner port with the second toner seal, the second toner seal comprising a toner seal extension configured to extend out of the seal passage upon sealing the toner port; winding the toner seal extension around the spool; providing a replacement spool frame, the replacement spool frame being configured to be attached to the printer cartridge at a location that is different from the location where the spool frame was previously attached on the printer cartridge; and attaching the spool to the replacement spool frame. 
     The invention also includes a method of minimizing leakage of toner stored in a printer cartridge, the printer cartridge comprising a toner hopper configured to store the toner, the toner hopper defining a toner port, the printer cartridge defining a seal passage substantially adjacent to and leading to the toner port, the method comprising providing a seal configured to surround the toner port; inserting the seal through the seal passage; providing a spool, the spool comprising a body around which the seal may be wound; attaching the seal to the spool; positioning a seal entry plug inside the seal passage; attaching a spool frame to the printer cartridge, the spool frame configured to rotatably hold the spool, the spool frame comprising at least one seal plug stop; positioning the seal plug stop proximate to the seal entry plug; attaching the spool to the spool frame; and configuring the spool to rotate and wind the seal when the printer cartridge is inserted in a predetermined printer, wherein the seal entry plug and the seal minimizes the toner from exiting the printer cartridge. 
     The invention further includes a spool frame for toner seal spooling mechanisms of printer cartridges, the toner seal spooling mechanism having a spool where a toner cartridge seal may be wound, the spool comprising a spool body, the spool body defining a first end and a second end, the spool frame comprising a first end holder configured to hold the first end of the spool body, the first end holder defining a base side and a free side; a second end holder configured to hold the second end of the spool body; the second end holder defining a base side and a free side; and a spool frame base connecting the first end holder and the second end holder, the spool frame base being attached to the first end holder and the second end holder at the respective base sides of the first end holder and the second end holder, the spool frame base not being attached to the free sides of the first end holder and the second end holder, wherein when the spool frame is attached to the printer cartridge, the seal may be pulled out of the printer cartridge. 
     The above description sets forth, rather broadly, a summary of embodiments of the present invention so that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and contributions of the present invention to the art may be better appreciated. Some of the embodiments of the present invention may not include all of the features or characteristics listed in the above summary. There may be, of course, other features of the invention that will be described below and may form the subject matter of claims. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or as illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is substantially a perspective view of a printer cartridge disassembled to provide access to the toner seal spooling mechanism. 
         FIG. 2  is substantially a side view of the toner seal spooling mechanism of  FIG. 1  with the spool detached. 
         FIG. 3  is substantially an exploded view of the toner seal spooling mechanism of  FIGS. 1 and 2  with the spool and seal entry plug having been removed and the spool frame having been cut out of the cartridge. 
         FIG. 4  is substantially a perspective view of a seal insertion tool with a replacement seal. 
         FIG. 5  is substantially a perspective view showing the attachment of the replacement seal to the cartridge using the seal insertion tool shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is substantially a side view of the cartridge shown in  FIG. 4  with the seal plug reattached and the seal extension hanging out of the seal passage. 
         FIG. 7  is substantially a side view of the cartridge with the spool frame shown in  FIG. 6  with the seal extension removed for the purpose of showing the details of the spool frame. 
         FIG. 8  is substantially a side view of the cartridge with the replacement seal being attached to the spool. 
         FIG. 9  is substantially a perspective view of a spool frame of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     When a toner seal is no longer needed to cover a toner port, the toner seal can be positioned substantially away from the toner port to allow the toner to be used for printing. In some cartridges, the toner seals are removed by hand by the end user. In some cartridges, automatic spooling mechanisms are in place to eliminate requiring the end users to remove the seals by hand. The present invention includes methods and devices for automatically spooling toner seals of printer cartridges. 
     The present invention includes methods for remanufacturing existing spooling mechanisms of printer cartridges. Before describing one of the methods, the order in which the steps are presented below is not limited to any particular order and does not necessarily imply that they have to be performed in the order presented. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the order of these steps can be rearranged and performed in any suitable manner. It will further be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that some steps may be omitted or added and still fall within the spirit of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the first step may involve providing access to the seal spooling mechanism  20  by separating the toner hopper from the waste hopper and removing cartridge end caps on the toner hopper (not shown). Once the seal spooling mechanism  20  is accessible, it can be realized that the seal spooling mechanism  20  may include a spool  22  where a used toner seal  24  may be wound. The spool  22  is usually mounted to a spool frame  26 , which holds and allows the spool  22  to rotate. The spool  22  may include a spool head  28 , which may act as part of a gear that is configured to rotate with the end caps (not shown). The spool  22  is designed to operate such that when the printer cartridge is inserted in a printer, the end caps and the spool  22  will rotate, which in turn cause the toner seal  24  to wind around the body of the spool  22 . 
     As a subsequent step, the spool  22  may be manually detached from the spool frame  26 . After the spool  22  is manually detached from the spool frame  26 , a spool frame  26  is left on the printer cartridge. Referring now to  FIG. 2 , it can be appreciated that the spool frame  26  may include two opposing spool end holders  30   a  and  30   b , which are joined by a bridge  32 . The spool frame  26 , spool end holders  30   a  and  30   b , and bridge  32  are typically manufactured from one plastic mold with the drum roller assembly  34 . Thus, they all form a single piece of material. 
     Next, with reference to  FIG. 3 , the spool frame  26  may be cut out of the drum roller assembly  34  at an area proximate to the end cap attachment holes  36   a ,  36   b , and  36   c  preferably without altering the physical structures of the end cap attachment holes  36   a ,  36   b , and  36   c . It can be realized that after the removal of the spool frame  26 , two compartments  39  and  43  may be visible on the printer cartridge, depending on the cartridge being remanufactured. For the HP4700 cartridge of Hewlett Packard, a first compartment  43  may be defined by walls  45   a, b,  and  c,  and  41   c . The first compartment  43  may be rectangular in shape and may be used to hold a replacement spool frame discussed below. A second compartment  39  may be a seal entry compartment  39  defined by walls  41   a, b, c,  and  d . The seal entry compartment  39  may define the seal passage  38  where a replacement seal may be introduced. The second compartment  39  may include a seal entry plug  40 . The seal entry plug  40  may be removed from the inside of the seal passage  38  to open up the seal passage  38  for the installation of the replacement seal. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a replacement seal  42  may be a flat piece of elongated plastic material. The replacement seal  42  may have one side with adhesive configured to fasten that side of the replacement seal  42  to the surfaces surrounding the toner port. The side opposite to the adhesive side that may not include any adhesive. The adhesive side may be covered with cover material that may be peeled to expose the adhesive. The replacement seal  42  may be positioned around a seal insertion tool  44  such that the length of the insertion tool (except for the handle) is covered by the replacement seal. The adhesive side of the replacement seal  42  may be positioned around the insertion tool such that when the insertion tool is inserted in the cartridge, the adhesive side is allowed to cover the toner port of the cartridge. 
     When the tool  44  that is inserted through the seal passage  38  reaches the end of the seal passage  38  ( FIG. 5 ), the cover material of the replacement seal may be peeled, and the tool may be pressed against the toner hopper  45  to allow the adhesive of the replacement seal  42  to adhere to the surfaces surrounding the toner port  43  thereby allowing the replacement seal to close the toner port  43 . The tool  44  may then be withdrawn from the seal passage  38  leaving the replacement seal  42  therein. 
     The replacement seal  42  preferably includes a length  46  that extends out of the seal passage  38  when the replacement seal  42  has been inserted (hereinafter “extending seal portion”) ( FIG. 6 ). The extending seal portion  46  may be allowed to hang outside the seal passage  38 . The seal passage  38  may then be closed by inserting therein either the existing seal entry plug  40  or a new seal entry plug  40  ( FIG. 7 ). The seal entry plug  40  may be made of flexible rubber material capable of snugly fitting within the seal passage  38  and may utilize friction to secure itself within the seal passage  38 . 
     A base  54  of a replacement spool frame  50  is preferably fastened to the first compartment  43 . The replacement spool frame  50  preferably includes a pair of spool holders  52   a  and  52   b . Each spool holder  52   a  or  52   b  may be substantially U-shaped to accommodate the cylindrical body of the spool  22  (not shown). The U-shaped structure of each spool holder  52   a  or  52   b  may be designed to rotatably hold the cylindrical body of the spool  22 . Each spool holder  52   a  or  52   b  are preferably attached to a base  54 . The base  54  may include a predetermined length configured to separate spool holder  52   a  or  52   b  at a distance that would allow the spool  22  to properly wind the seal  24  (not shown). The length of the base  54  may also be predetermined to snugly fit within the first compartment  43 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , the extending seal portion  46  is preferably wrapped around the spool  22 . A piece of adhesive tape  48  may be attached to the end of the extending seal portion  46  and to the spool  22  to attach the extending seal portion  46  to the spool  22 . The rest of the extending seal portion  46  may then be wrapped around the spool  22  by rotating the spool  22  until the extending seal portion  46  wrapped around the spool  22  is substantially tight. The spool  22  may then be attached to the spool holders  52   a  and  52   b  of the replacement spool frame  50 . 
     It can now be realized that the present invention provides a method of remanufacturing toner seal spooling mechanisms of printer cartridges from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The remanufacturing method of the present invention allows the seals of automatic spooling mechanisms of printer cartridges to be replaced while maintaining the ability to spool the seals effectively and automatically upon the insertion of the printer cartridges to proper printers. It is noted that the remanufacturing method of the present invention is not limited to being implemented in the remanufacturing environment. The method of the present invention may be utilized in manufacturing toner seal spooling mechanisms and may be implemented by the OEMs. 
     It can further be realized that the present invention also provides an alternate spool frame for existing toner seal spooling mechanisms. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the alternate spool frame  50  may be attached on a printer cartridge at a location that is different from the location where the spool frame of the OEMs is attached. Additionally, unlike the spool frame of the OEMs, the alternate spool frame  50  does not substantially block the seal entry passage  38 . The attachment of the spool frame holders  52   a  and  52   b  to the base  54  helps the alternate spool frame  50  provide these benefits. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 9 , the alternate spool frame  50  preferably includes spool frame holders  52   a  and  52   b  that are only partially attached to a base  54 . Each spool frame holder  52   a  and  52   b  preferably include its respective base side  53   a ,  53   b  and free side  55   a ,  55   b . The base  54  is preferably attached to the base side of the spool frame holders  52   a  and  52   b . The base  54  is preferably not attached to the free side of the spool frame holders  52   a  and  52   b . The base  54  is preferably made of substantially thick material that may have a substantially flat bottom  57 . The substantially thick base with flat bottom  57  may provide a sturdy point of attachment for the alternate spool frame  50 . Thus, it can be realized that the present invention may provide a sturdy spool frame that may ensure longer lasting spool operation than conventional remanufacturing methods. 
     A pair of projections  56   a  and  56   b  may be attached to each free side of the spool frame holders  52   a  and  52   b . The pair of projections  56   a  and  56   b  is preferably designed to serve as stop devices for the seal entry plug  40 . That is, the seal entry plug  40  may abut against the pair of projections  56   a  and  56   b  thereby remain secured within the seal passage  38  ( FIG. 7 ). It can therefore be appreciated that the methods and devices of the present invention may provide additional safeguards against toner leaks during shipment and handling. 
     Although the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. For example, the sizes and intended position of the replacement spool frame on the printer cartridge may be varied. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. The invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the above description or as illustrated in the drawings.