Patent Publication Number: US-8995873-B2

Title: System and method for refurbishing print cartridges and print cartridge toner blades

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. provisional patent application no. 61/703,503, filed Sep. 20, 2012, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for refurbishing print cartridges for a printer, and more particularly to systems and methods for refurbishing a toner cartridge for a printer by forming a permanent deflection, such as a crease, in a toner blade of the toner cartridge. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In some laser printers, electrostatically charged toner particles are transferred from a developer roller that is partially exposed to toner inside of the toner cartridge&#39;s toner reservoir, to a photoreceptive drum that is also part of the toner cartridge. In some cartridges, a foam toner adder roller is positioned in the supply hopper to pick up toner and push it against the developer roller to ensure that the developer roller has a sufficient toner supply. In some applications, two blades are mounted on the toner reservoir housing and make contact with the developer roller—a doctor blade, which may be made of steel or another substantially rigid material, meters the thickness of the toner layer that can be transferred from the developer roller to the photoreceptive drum, and a sealing blade, which may be made of polyester film or a similarly flexible material, seals the gap between the developer roller and the toner reservoir housing to prevent toner from leaking out of the toner reservoir through the gap. 
     After the layer of toner is transferred to the developer roller, it is transferred to those areas of the normally negatively charged photoreceptive drum that have been positively charged by the printer&#39;s laser beam to correspond to the desired printed image. The negatively charged toner transfers only to those areas of the photoreceptive drum that have been positively charged by the laser beam, and toner is repelled from those areas of the photoreceptive drum that remain negatively charged. After the toner particles are transferred to the photoreceptive drum, they are transferred to the media that is being printed, such as a piece of paper. This transfer is facilitated by a positively charged transfer roller that is located below the media. The transfer roller has a greater positive charge than the positively charged areas of the photoreceptive drum, and therefore pulls the negatively charged toner away from the photoreceptive drum. Ideally, all of the toner on the drum is transferred to the media, but in reality, relatively small amounts of toner can remain attached to the photoreceptive drum instead of being transferred to the paper. After the photoreceptive drum has transferred toner to the media, it passes over a primary charge roller that “erases” the positively charged areas of the photoreceptive drum such that substantially the entire photoreceptive drum is negatively charged. The photoreceptive drum then returns to the laser beam and is selectively positively charged for a subsequent printing cycle. 
     To prevent errant toner from remaining on the photoreceptive drum after the toner has been transferred to the media, many toner cartridges also incorporate a flexible wiper or wiper blade that is positioned against the photoreceptive drum at a location “upstream” of where the photoreceptive drum contacts the primary charge roller. The wiper blade wipes errant toner that remains attached to the photoreceptive drum into a toner waste reservoir as it passes by the wiper blade. The toner waste reservoir can also be equipped with a recovery blade that functions similar to the sealing blade and seals the gap between the photoreceptive drum and the toner waste reservoir housing to prevent waste toner from leaking out of the waste reservoir. 
     Used toner cartridges can be refurbished to allow the cartridge to be reused after the initial toner supply has become low or depleted. When a cartridge is refurbished, components of the cartridge such as the various drums and rollers, the doctor blade, the wiper blades, the various sealing and recovery blades, and the like, may be checked to see if they need to be replaced or, if possible, refurbished. 
     SUMMARY 
     In some aspects, a method of refurbishing a used toner blade for a toner cartridge is provided and includes obtaining a used toner blade including a fixed portion configured for attachment to a portion of the toner cartridge, and a depending portion extending away from the fixed portion, the depending portion of the used toner blade having a permanent deformation in a first direction as a result of an initial period of use. A permanent deflection is formed between the fixed portion and the depending portion to permanently deflect the depending portion in a second direction opposite the first direction. 
     The method optionally may include fixturing the toner blade. If the fixed portion of the toner blade is attached to the portion of the toner cartridge, fixturing the toner blade may include fixturing the portion of the toner cartridge. Forming the permanent deflection may include creasing the toner blade. Forming the permanent deflection may further or alternatively include applying localized pressure to the toner blade. Forming the permanent deflection may still further or alternatively include engaging a deflecting die with the toner blade, which may include engaging the deflecting die with the toner blade at a location between the fixed portion and the depending portion. If a deflecting die is used, forming the permanent deflection may include moving the deflecting die along a length of the toner blade. The permanent deflection may be formed substantially adjacent to the fixed portion. Obtaining the used toner blade may include obtaining a used developer roller sealing blade. Obtaining the used toner blade may also or alternatively include obtaining a used toner cartridge to which the toner blade is attached. 
     In other aspects, a refurbished resilient toner blade for a toner cartridge is provided. The toner blade is substantially planar when new and becomes permanently deformed in a first direction after an initial period of use. The refurbished toner blade includes a fixed portion configured for attachment to a portion of a toner cartridge, a depending portion extending away from the fixed portion, and a permanent deflection formed during refurbishment of the toner blade. The permanent deflection extends between the fixed portion and the depending portion, and deflects the depending portion in a second direction opposite the first direction. 
     The permanent deflection may include a crease extending along a length of the toner blade. The toner blade may be formed of polyester film. The toner blade may comprise a developer roller sealing blade. The permanent deflection may be substantially adjacent to the fixed portion. 
     In still other aspects, a refurbished toner cartridge is provided and includes a toner reservoir portion including a body. The body defines a relatively flat shelf portion. A toner adder roller is rotatably supported by the body. A developer roller sealing blade includes a fixed portion attached to the shelf portion, and a depending portion extending away from the fixed portion. The depending portion has a permanent deformation in a first direction as a result of an initial period of use. The sealing blade also includes a permanent deflection formed between the fixed portion and the depending portion. The permanent deflection deflects the depending portion in a second direction opposite the first direction. The permanent deflection may include a crease extending along a length of the developer roller sealing blade, and the toner blade may be formed of polyester film. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       To understand the present invention, it will now be described by way of example only, not by way of limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is an end view of a toner reservoir portion of a new, uninstalled toner cartridge for use in an electrophotographic printer. 
         FIG. 2  is an end view similar to  FIG. 1  and showing the toner reservoir portion assembled with other portions of the toner cartridge. 
         FIG. 3  is an end view similar to  FIGS. 1 and 2  showing a used toner reservoir portion that has been removed from a toner cartridge and in which a developer roller sealing blade has become permanently deformed. 
         FIG. 4  is an end view similar to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3  showing a used toner reservoir portion that has been refurbished by deflecting the sealing blade. 
         FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of a first device for deflecting a developer roller sealing blade of a toner cartridge. 
         FIG. 6  is a side perspective view of the first device of  FIG. 5  with a toner reservoir portion of a toner cartridge positioned for deflecting of the developer roller sealing blade. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a second device for deflecting a developer roller sealing blade of a toner cartridge. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     While the subject matter of this disclosure can be embodied in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail at least one specific embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of certain principles and is not intended to limit the broad aspects of the disclosed subject matter to the embodiment(s) illustrated. 
     As discussed in the foregoing Background section, toner cartridges include several wipers and blades of various configurations that function to regulate or otherwise control the application or removal of toner to or from the various rollers and drums within the toner cartridge. These wipers and blades shall be collectively referred to herein as “toner blades.” Of course, different toner cartridges may have different configurations of rollers, wipers, and blades for controlling the application and removal of toner to or from the various drums and rollers in the toner cartridge, which wipers and blades shall also fall within the scope of the term “toner blades” as used herein. Although the following description references a system and method for refurbishing a developer roller sealing blade on the toner reservoir portion of a toner cartridge, the concepts, teachings, and structures discussed herein may also be applied to the refurbishment of other toner blades used in other portions of a toner cartridge. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a toner reservoir portion  10  of a toner cartridge for installation in a printer, such as a laser printer. The reservoir portion  10  includes a body  14  and a toner adder roller  18  rotatably supported by the body  14 . A curved cradle portion  22  of the body  14  includes a relatively flat shelf portion  26  at one end, and a toner blade in the form of a developer roller sealing blade  30  coupled to the shelf portion  26 . The sealing blade  30  includes a fixed portion  34  that is attached to the shelf portion  26 , and a depending portion  38  that extends away from the shelf portion  26  toward the toner adder roller  18 . The sealing blade  30  can be formed of a variety of materials, however flexible but resilient polyester films such as MYLAR® and the like are frequently used. As shown in  FIG. 1 , which illustrates a new reservoir portion  10 , the sealing blade  30  is substantially flat and planar before the reservoir portion  10  is assembled with the rest of the toner cartridge. The sealing blade  30  can be attached to the shelf portion  26  of the body  14  in a variety of ways. For example, in some embodiments double-sided adhesive tape attaches the fixed portion  34  of the sealing blade  30  to the shelf portion  26 . 
     Referring also to  FIG. 2 , which shows the reservoir portion  10  assembled with the rest of the toner cartridge, the cradle portion  22  is configured to receive a developer roller  42 . The developer roller  42  fits within the cradle portion  22  and engages the toner adder roller  18 . The depending portion  38  of the sealing blade  30  engages an outer surface  46  of the developer roller  42  and is deflected in a first direction, e.g. generally downwardly as viewed in  FIGS. 1-4 . Because the sealing blade  30  is inherently resilient, the depending portion  38  is biased against the outer surface  46  of the developer roller  42 . During operation, as the developer roller  42  rotates it picks up toner from the toner adder roller  18 . The thickness of the toner applied to the developer roller  42  is subsequently metered by a doctor blade (not shown) and transferred to the positively charged areas of a photoreceptive drum (not shown). The sealing blade  30  maintains pressure against the “upstream” side of the developer roller  42  to prevent substantial leakage of toner from the reservoir portion  10 . 
     Referring also to  FIG. 3 , although the sealing blade  30  is inherently resilient, after an extended period of operation where the depending portion  38  is in contact with the developer roller  42 , the sealing blade  30  can lose some of its resiliency and take on a permanent bend in the first direction (downwardly in  FIGS. 1-4 ). Thus, in some used toner reservoir portions  10 , the depending portion  38  may remain in the downwardly deflected position shown in  FIG. 3  when the sealing blade  30  is disengaged from the developer roller  42 . As a result, if a used reservoir portion  10  having a downwardly deflected depending portion  38  like that shown in  FIG. 3  is re-installed into a toner cartridge, the depending portion  38  of the sealing blade  30  may be less firmly biased against the outer surface  46  of the developer roller  42  than when the toner reservoir portion  10  was new. Because the depending portion  38  is less firmly biased against the outer surface  46  of the developer roller  42 , the ability of a used sealing blade  30  to keep toner from leaking out of the reservoir portion  10  may be reduced, possibly resulting in an unacceptable degradation of print quality or an undesirable leaking of toner from the print cartridge as a whole. 
     Referring also to  FIG. 4 , which shows a used but refurbished toner reservoir portion  10 , a substantially permanent deflection  50  has been formed in the depending portion  38  of the sealing blade  30  substantially adjacent to the shelf portion  26  of the toner reservoir body  14 . The deflection  50  in the illustrated sealing blade  30  is in the form of a fairly sharp crease. However, the deflection  50  could also be in the form of a less pronounced but still substantially permanent bend, curve, or rounded portion to obtain similar results. As shown, the deflection  50  extends between the fixed portion  34  and the depending portion of the sealing blade  30 , and deflects the depending portion  38  in a second direction, e.g. generally upwardly as viewed in  FIGS. 1-4 . Thus, even though the depending portion  38  has taken on a permanent downward bend due to extended use before its refurbishment, when the refurbished toner reservoir portion  10  is assembled with other components to produce a remanufactured toner cartridge, the upwardly-deflected depending portion  38  is firmly biased against the outer surface  46  of the developer roller  42  to prevent substantial leakage of toner from the reservoir portion  10 . The performance of the refurbished toner reservoir portion  10  may be similar to or better than the performance of a new toner reservoir portion  10  having a new, substantially flat sealing blade  30 , like that shown in  FIG. 1 . Creasing the used sealing blade  30  can eliminate the need to completely replace a used and deformed sealing blade  30  with a new sealing blade  30  during the refurbishment process. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , one exemplary device  54  for forming the deflection  50  in the sealing blade  30  includes a base plate  56 , a pair of fixturing cleats  58 , a pair of rails  62 , and a carriage  66  slidably mounted to the rails  62 . The base plate  56  allows the device  54  to be secured to a work surface. The cleats  58  are configured for fixturing a toner reservoir portion  10  with respect to the base plate  56 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . It should be appreciated, however, that the cleats  58  could be reconfigured to fixture other portions of a toner cartridge having other toner blades for refurbishment in accordance with the present teachings. The carriage  66  includes linear bearings  70  that ride along the rails  62  and cooperate therewith to guide the carriage  66  for substantially linear, lateral movement during a deflecting operation. Bumpers  74  may be provided at the ends of the rails  62  to limit lateral movement of the carriage  66 . 
     The carriage  66  includes an upright assembly  78  to which a sub-carriage  82  is slidably mounted by way of rails  86  and linear bearings  90  similar to those used to mount the carriage  66  to the base plate  56 . The rails  86  and linear bearings  90  are arranged to provide substantially vertical sliding movement of the sub-carriage  82  with respect to the carriage  66  in a direction that is substantially perpendicular the lateral direction of movement of the carriage  66 . The upright assembly  78  includes a first handle  94  for sliding the carriage  66  laterally along the rails  62  during a creasing operation. The upright assembly  78  also includes a second handle  98  for moving the sub-carriage  82  substantially vertically between a raised position that allows for loading and unloading of the toner reservoir portion  10 , and a lowered position for performing the creasing or deflecting operation, the lowered position being shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The second handle  98  is coupled to the upright assembly  78  by an over-center linkage mechanism  102  configured to detently secure the sub-carriage  82  in the fully raised and fully lowered positions. A spring  104  or other biasing member may be interposed between the over-center linkage mechanism  102  and the sub-carriage to permit a controlled amount of relative movement between the sub-carriage  82  and the upright assembly  78  when the sub-carriage  82  is in the lowered position, as discussed further below. Although the illustrated device  54  is configured for manual operation, it should be appreciated that suitable motors, actuators, controllers, and the like could be incorporated into the device for automation of one or more steps of the deflecting operation. 
     The sub-carriage  82  includes an angled support block  106  that rotatably supports a deflecting die  110 . The deflecting die  110  is generally cylindrical and includes an enlarged, disk-like end  114  that engages the sealing blade  30  during a deflecting operation, as shown in phantom in  FIG. 4 . The deflecting die  110  also includes a reduced shaft portion  118  extending away from the end  114  and rotatably mounted within the support block  106  by a bearing  122 . While the illustrated deflecting die  110  includes a generally cylindrical end  114 , other end configurations are also possible including, for example, frusto-conical ends, ends having a rounded outer circumference, and the like. The support block  106  can be configured to include a collet, set screws, or similar features to allow for the exchange of differently configured deflecting dies  110  for the deflecting, creasing, or bending of different types of toner blades. 
     In operation, with the sub-carriage  82  in the raised position, a toner reservoir portion  10  is secured to the fixturing cleats  58 , which properly locate the toner reservoir portion  10  and, more specifically, the shelf portion  26  and the sealing blade  30 , with respect to the carriage  66 . The second handle  98  is operated to move the sub-carriage  82  to the lowered position, which engages the deflecting die  110  with the sealing blade  30  as shown in  FIG. 4 . In some embodiments, the deflecting die  110  presses the sealing blade  30  against the shelf portion  26  of the toner reservoir portion  10  to form the deflection. 
     As mentioned above, the over-center linkage mechanism  102  detently secures the sub-carriage  82  in the lowered position, which presses the deflecting die  110  generally downwardly against the sealing blade  30 . The pressure applied to the sealing blade  30  can thus be regulated or controlled by adjusting the over-center linkage mechanism  102  and through selection of an appropriate spring  104 . The first handle  94  is then operated to move the carriage  66  laterally along the rails  62 . As the carriage  66  moves laterally along the rails  62 , the deflecting die  110 , which is pressed against the sealing blade  30 , forms the deflection  50  in the sealing blade  30 . The bearing  122  allows the deflecting die  110  to rotate as it moves along the sealing blade  30 , thereby reducing the likelihood of damaging the sealing blade  30  during the deflecting operation. In addition, the spring  104  permits a limited amount of substantially vertical deflection of the sub-carriage  82  and deflecting die  110  as the carriage  66  moves laterally along the rails  62 , thereby allowing the deflecting die  110  to conform to minor irregularities that may be present along the length of the shelf portion  26 . The carriage  66  is moved side-to-side between the bumpers  74  one or more times to apply the deflection  50  along the entire length of the sealing blade  30 , or at least along the portion of the length of the sealing blade that contacts the developer roller  42 . In some constructions, the bumpers  74  can be adjusted to change the limits of lateral movement of the carriage  66  to accommodate toner cartridge components of different sizes. After the deflection  50  has been applied to the sealing blade  30 , the second handle  98  is operated to move the sub-carriage  82  to the raised position, and the toner reservoir portion  10  with the now deflected sealing blade  30  can be removed from the fixturing cleats  58 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , a second exemplary device  126  for deflecting the sealing blade  30  includes a base plate  130 , fixturing cleats  134 , a rail  138 , and a carriage  142  slidably mounted to the rail  138 . An arm  146  is pivotally mounted to the carriage  142  and includes a distal end  150  having a deflecting die  154  coupled thereto. Unlike the device  54 , which has the rotatable deflecting die  110  mounted on the vertically moveable sub-carriage  86 , the device  126  includes the substantially fixed deflecting die  154  mounted on the pivoting arm  146 . Operation of the device  126  includes pivoting the arm  146  rearwardly so the toner reservoir portion  10  can be positioned in the fixturing cleats  134 . The arm  146  is then pivoted forwardly to bring the deflecting die  154  into engagement with the sealing blade  30  of the toner reservoir portion  10 , and the carriage  142  is moved laterally along the rail  138  to form the deflection  50  in the sealing blade  30 . After forming the deflection  50  in the sealing blade  30 , the arm  146  can be pivoted rearwardly and the toner reservoir portion  10  can be removed from the fixturing cleats  134 . 
     Although the illustrated devices of  FIGS. 5-7  are configured to form a relatively sharp crease in the sealing blade  30 , it should be appreciated that similar devices could also be used to form alternative types of deflections, such as bends and/or curves, in the sealing blade  30  or in other types of toner blades. For example, by changing the configuration of the deflecting dies  110 ,  154 , rather than creasing the sealing blade  30 , the sealing blade  30  could be bent or curved in a desired fashion. Moreover, the specific configuration of the deflecting dies  110 ,  154  can be changed to accommodate other toner blades that are formed of different types of materials and that may be thicker or thinner than the illustrated sealing blade  30 . In some embodiments, the deflecting die  110 ,  154  may also be heated to further aid in forming a deflection in the sealing blade  30  or other toner blade. In still other embodiments, the sealing blade  30  or other toner blade may be heated using a heat gun, heating iron, or similar device to further aid in forming a deflection of a desired configuration. While the illustrated devices of  FIGS. 5-7  are configured such that the deflecting dies  110 ,  154  move with respect to the base plate  130  and the toner blade, other configurations may include a moveable fixture that moves the toner blade with respect to a deflecting die  110 ,  154  that is substantially fixed with respect to the base plate  130 . 
     Several alternative examples have been described and illustrated herein. A person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate the features of the individual embodiments, and the possible combinations and variations of the components. A person of ordinary skill in the art would further appreciate that any of the examples could be provided in any combination with the other examples disclosed herein. The term “plurality” as used herein indicates any number greater than one, either disjunctively or conjunctively, as necessary, up to an infinite number. Additionally, the word “including” as used herein is utilized in an open-ended manner. 
     While the foregoing has described what are considered to be the best mode and/or other examples, it is understood that various modifications may be made therein and that the subject matter disclosed herein may be implemented in various forms and examples, and that the teachings may be applied in numerous applications, only some of which have been described herein. It is intended by the following claims to claim any and all applications, modifications and variations that fall within the true scope of the present teachings.