Abstract:
A toner cartridge includes a waste bin and hopper designed with a rigid agitator assembly. A non-yieldable agitator is mounted on a shaft whereby the rotation of the shaft results in the synchronous rotation of the agitator. As the shaft rotates, the agitator enters into, through, and out of engagement with the toner within said toner chamber.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/907,470 entitled: “Integrated Toner Cartridge with Toner Agitator and Sensing Device,” filed Apr. 1, 2005, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/742,323 entitled: “Removable Toner Cartridge Universal Adapter,” filed Dec. 19, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,136,608. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Laser printers use a coherent beam of light, hence the term “laser printer,” to expose discrete portions of an image transfer drum thus attracting the printing toner. Toner is a mixture of pigment (most commonly black) and plastic particles. The toner becomes electrostatically attracted to exposed portions of the image transfer drum. The toner is transferred to paper, or other medium, as it passes over the rotating image transfer drum. Subsequently, the paper is heated so that the plastic is melted thereby permanently affixing the ink to the paper. 
     The vast majority of commercially available desktop laser printers include replaceable or removable toner cartridges that incorporate an image transfer drum, a toner tank, and a metering system. A drive mechanism is connected to the drum and metering system. Modern toner cartridges often include a variety of sensors that interact with the laser printer to indicate the status of the cartridge. Indications relating to toner level, print quality and general cartridge function are often included as well. A large number of types and sizes of toner cartridges are currently available. The sensing system typically includes an encoder wheel interconnected with a rotating agitator within a cylindrical toner tank. Movement of the agitator feeds toner into the metering system. The encoder wheel reports the movement of the agitator through the toner reservoir. 
     A particular failure of the devices of the prior art is the use of a yieldable drive assembly in the agitating mechanism. Such agitating mechanisms require low profiles to minimize drag as they move through the toner so that the agitator can spring forward as soon as the end of the agitating mechanism exits the toner. The resulting low profile agitating mechanisms don&#39;t optimize agitation of the toner. 
     Furthermore, the torque exerted upon a yieldable drive apparatus is concentrated on the outer tip of the yieldable drive shaft. Furthermore, impulse forces can shear the tip of the shaft where the range-of-motion limiting device is connected when the yieldable drive paddle contacts toner that has become packed (during non-use). 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The long-standing but heretofore unfulfilled need for a toner cartridge that is adapted to be of an simplified construction, thereby limiting the number of elements required during manufacture, and which also includes improvements that overcome the limitations of prior art toner cartridges is now met by a new, useful, and non-obvious invention. 
     The novel toner cartridge is adapted to fit within a toner cartridge-receiving cavity of a printer, and comprises a toner chamber with a shaft mounted for rotation therein. An agitator is mounted on the shaft whereby the rotation of said shaft results in the synchronous rotation of said agitator. As the shaft rotates, the agitator enters into, through, and out of engagement with the toner within said toner chamber. 
     A light blocking wheel is disposed in integral, and in non-yielding engagement, with a distal end of the shaft at a point external of said toner chamber. In this embodiment rotation of the shaft results in synchronous rotation of said light blocking wheel. At one end of the agitating assembly, a drive gear is disposed integrally, and in non-yielding engagement, with a distal end of said shaft at a point external of said toner chamber. As with the light blocking wheel, rotation of said drive gear results in synchronous rotation of said shaft and agitator. 
     A window is present at a point along the outer circumference of the light blocking wheel to allow the printer to find a home position. Without the presence of the window, the printer would generate an error message which would cease operation of the printer. 
     The agitator of the present invention includes angled and straight support members disposed between said agitator and said shaft. Each support member is equipped with a plurality of alternating angled tooth members disposed along a toner engaging surface of said support members. This configuration provides an optimum mixing surface for the toner. Additionally, the angled tooth members help to chip away toner which has become packed during non-use. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a non-yieldable drive mechanism that can be used with a ratcheting gear mechanism as described in International Patent Application PCT/US 05/11,160 entitled “Integrated Toner Cartridge with Toner Agitator and Sensing Device.” 
     It is another object of the instant invention to provide a non-yieldable drive with fewer moving parts, which can fail, than that of the prior art. The additional parts required by the prior art pose numerous disadvantages, such as: higher cost associated with assembly and manufacture; the use of additional bushings; and failure due to binding of non-essential moving parts. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1A  is a semi-exploded perspective view of the novel rigid agitator and shaft assembly. 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the light blocking wheel and drive gear in an alternate embodiment wherein both components are located on the drive side of the novel toner cartridge. 
         FIG. 1C  is an alternate perspective view of the light blocking wheel and drive gear in an alternate embodiment wherein both components are located on the drive side of the novel toner cartridge. 
         FIG. 2  is a close-up perspective view of the driven end of the novel apparatus. 
         FIG. 3  is a close-up perspective view of the alternating tooth members of the novel apparatus. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and within which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments by 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 invention. 
     In a general embodiment the novel toner cartridge has a photoconductive drum on which an electrostatic image is formed. The photoconductive drum rotates in a plane perpendicular to that of the print medium passing through the toner cartridge. A recovery blade is placed in direct contact with the photoconductive drum. During the imaging stage, the photoconductive drum is exposed to light, usually a laser, which imprints a latent image thereon. A developing roller converts the electrostatic-image into a toner-image. Toner is then transferred to the print medium by means of static electricity, an opposite polar charge on the print medium, established by a transfer roller. The recovery blade then scrapes the waste toner from the photoconductive drum and directs it to the waste bin. 
     CONSTRUCTION OF THE NOVEL TONER CARTRIDGE 
     Rigid Agitator and Shaft Assembly 
     It will now be seen, referring to  FIGS. 1A–1C , the novel toner cartridge of the instant invention includes light blocking wheel  83 . As shown in  FIG. 1A  light blocking wheel  83  is disposed on the driven side of the novel toner cartridge adapted but  FIGS. 1B &amp; 1C  show light blocking wheel  83  can also be formed integrally with drive gear  40  on the drive side thereof. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1A  light blocking wheel  83  is mounted on the driven end  70   a  of agitator shaft  70 . Agitator shaft  70  is coaxially mounted for rotation within the toner chamber of the novel toner cartridge. Light blocking wheel  83  remains in synchronous rotation with shaft  70  via the non-yielding engagement of shaft key  396  and wheel lock  397 . Seal  33  is disposed at the driven end  70   a  of shaft  70  between shaft  70  and light blocking wheel  83 . Seal  33  prevents the escape of toner from the novel toner cartridge. 
     Drive side  70   b  of shaft  70  mates with drive gear  40  in non-yielding engagement. Drive gear  40  is equipped with protrusion  88  which engages the outer wall of the toner cartridge on the drive side. In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1B and 1C  protrusion  88  is disposed on the outer side of light blocking wheel  83  rather than drive gear  40 . Drive-side key  89  mates with and engages drive gear  40 . The non-yielding engagement of shaft  70  to both drive gear  40  and light blocking wheel  83  ensures that the toner agitating assembling, comprising these elements, remains in synchronous rotation throughout operation of the toner cartridge. Such synchronous rotation ensures that the full force of rotation provided by drive gear  40  is exerted throughout the agitating apparatus. 
     Extending radially from shaft  70  and axially along the toner chamber is toner agitator  71 . As toner agitator  71  rotates toner is urged from the toner chamber toward the toner adder roller, as is known in the art. As is shown in  FIGS. 1A and 2 , toner agitator  71  is supported on shaft  70  by angled support members  72  and straight support members  84 . Ancillary support agitator  78  is disposed at the distal end of shaft  70  adjacent to drive gear  40 . 
     As is shown in  FIGS. 1A and 2 , straight supports  84  and angled supports  72  have a series of alternating tooth members  261 . The angled design and alternate orientation of tooth members  261   a  and  261   b , detailed in  FIG. 3 , provides a configuration which optimizes agitation of the toner in the toner chamber. Tooth members  261   a  and  261   b  are also uniquely disposed to aide in chipping apart and driving through compact toner, that is toner which has hardened while in storage or non-use. 
     Most printers employ a photo-optic system that determines the toner level by determining the location and timing measurements of indicia embedded on a timing disk (analogous in structure to light blocking wheel  83 ) When the printer starts its initialization sequence, a light sensitive sensor in the printer identifies the position of the window on the timing disk and relays a signal to the intelligence in the host printer which references the position of the window as the home position. The home position is necessary for the printer to complete the initialization sequence. An error signal is generated when the home position cannot be determined, thus disabling operation of the printer. 
     Light blocking wheel  83  is equipped with home window  82  to accommodate this feature of existing printers. It is worthy of note that light blocking wheel  83  does not aide the toner cartridge of the instant invention, or the host printer, to measure the volume of toner remaining in the toner chamber. Home window  82  is included on light blocking wheel  83  to allow the host printer to identify a home position. 
     It will be seen that the objects set forth above, and those made apparent from the foregoing description, are efficiently attained and since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matters contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. 
     It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall there between. Now that the invention has been described,