Patent Publication Number: US-6905018-B2

Title: Packaging apparatus for wrapping and folding flexible photoreceptor belts

Description:
RELATED CASE 
     This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 10/625,206 U.S. Pat. No. 6,851,249 entitled “PACKAGING MACHINE AND METHOD FOR WRAPPING AND FOLDING FLEXIBLE PHOTORECEPTOR BELTS” filed on even date herewith, and having at least one common inventor. 
    
    
     The present invention relates generally to flexible photoreceptor belts, and more particularly to a packaging apparatus for wrapping and folding a flexible photoconductive belt loop so as to prevent light from shocking it during shipping and during loading into an image producing machine, such as an electrostatographic image reproduction machine. 
     In the art of electrostatography, a photoconductive member including an insulating photoconductive layer on a conductive layer is imaged by first electrostatically charging the imaging surface of the photoconductive insulating layer. The photoconductive member is then exposed to a pattern of activating electromagnetic radiation such as light, which selectively dissipates the charge in the illuminated areas of the photoconductive insulating layer while leaving behind an electrostatic latent image in the non-illuminated area. This electrostatic latent image may then be developed to form a visible image by depositing finely divided electroscopic toner particles on the surface of the photoconductive insulating layer. The resulting visible toner image can be transferred to a suitable receiving member such as paper. This imaging process may be repeated many times with reusable photoconductive insulating layers. 
     As is well known, the photoconductive member may be in the form of a flexible photoreceptor belt. These flexible belts have a substrate and sensitive layers that include an electrically conductive surface and at least one photoconductive layer. A common flexible photoreceptor belt comprises a substrate, a conductive layer, an optional hole blocking layer, an optional adhesive layer, a charge generating layer, a charge transport layer and, in some embodiments, an anti-curl backing layer. 
     These photoreceptor belts are usually thin and flimsy, but most importantly, they are very sensitive to light. Accordingly, during handling of these belts when shipping or loading them into an image reproduction machine, damage such as scratches, dents can result, and light shock can result if the belts are exposed for significant periods to light. Such damage ordinarily can lead to degradation in the quality of images produced thereon by the reproduction machine. 
     There is therefore a need for packaging apparatus that can wrap and fold a flexible photoconductive belt loop so as to prevent light from shocking it during shipping and during loading into an image producing machine. 
     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a packaging apparatus for packaging a flexible photoconductive belt loop to prevent light from shocking the flexible photoconductive belt loop during shipping and during loading into an image reproduction machine. The packaging apparatus includes (a) a cut sheet of light occluding and protective flexible member for wrapping over the flexible photoconductive belt loop. The cut sheet has a length L 2  including a first end, a second end, and (iv) at least one loop tacking aperture formed through a second end portion thereof. The packaging apparatus also includes a first adhesive tape member applied over the second end portion, through the at least one loop tacking aperture, and onto a first end portion. The packaging apparatus further includes a plurality of packaging cores, and a second adhesive tape member applied over the second end and over a portion of the main body portion. 
    
    
     
       In the detailed description of the invention presented below, reference is made to the drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a part of the folded flexible photoconductive belt loop using the packaging apparatus of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 2-6  are schematic illustrations of the folding of the flexible photoconductive belt loop using the packaging apparatus of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is an end view illustration of the tightly folded flexible photoconductive belt loop using the packaging apparatus of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective illustration of the tightly folded flexible photoconductive belt loop about to be unfolded for loading into an image reproduction machine; and 
         FIG. 9  is an end view illustration of the flexible photoconductive belt loop unfolded and ready for loading into an image reproduction machine, and yet still wrapped in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     While the present invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , it schematically illustrates the packaging apparatus  20  of the present invention. The packaging apparatus  20  is suitable for packaging a flexible photoconductive belt loop  30  that has a width W 1  and circumference L 1 , to prevent light from shocking the flexible photoconductive belt loop  30  during shipping and during loading into an image reproduction machine. The packaging apparatus  20  includes a cut sheet of light occluding and protective flexible member  32  for wrapping over an external surface of the flexible photoconductive belt loop  30 . The cut sheet of light occluding and protective flexible member  32  has a width W 2 , and a length L 2  that includes (i) a main body portion  33 , (ii) a first end  34  and a first end portion  35  adjacent the main body portion and the first end, (iii) a second end  36  and a second end portion  37  adjacent the main body portion and the second end, and (iv) at least one loop tacking aperture  38 ,  39  formed through the second end portion  37  of the cut sheet of light occluding and protective flexible member  32 . 
     The packaging apparatus  20  also includes a first adhesive tape member  44  applied over the second end portion  37 , through the at least one loop tacking aperture  38 ,  39 , and onto the first end portion  35  of the cut sheet of light occluding and protective flexible member  32  to form a protective loop  40  thereof around the flexible photoconductive belt loop  30 . The protective loop  40  and the flexible photoconductive belt loop  30  together form a wrapped assembly  50 . 
     The packaging apparatus  20  further includes a second adhesive tape member  48 , in the form of a removable pull tab, for applying over the second end  36  of the cut sheet of light occluding protective flexible member  32 , and over a section of the main body portion  33  of the cut sheet of light occluding protective flexible member  32  when assembled into the wrapped assembly  50  and folded in accordance with the present invention as described below. 
     In one embodiment, the light occluding protective flexible member  32  comprises photo paper, and specifically black photo paper. The total length L 3  of the light occluding protective flexible member  32  is significantly greater than the circumference L 1  of the flexible photoconductive belt loop  30 , thus allowing for overlapping first and second end portions  35 ,  37 . 
     In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the first adhesive tape  44 , (as shown in FIGS.  1  and  8 ), has an adhesive bottom surface and a printable top surface  46  including printed instructions  47  for handling the folded flexible photoconductive belt loop  30  for installation in an image reproduction machine. Further, the at least one loop tacking aperture  38 ,  39  comprised two, and are formed centered relative to the width W 2 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2-9 , the packaging apparatus  20  further includes a plurality  60  of cylindrical packaging core members C 1 , C 2 , C 3 , made for example, of paper, for supporting and forming the wrapped assembly  50  (of the flexible photoconductive belt loop  30  and the light occluding protective flexible member  32 ) into a tightly folded assembly  70  thereof. The plurality  60  for example comprises three cylindrical packaging core members, and includes first and second cylindrical packaging core members C 1 , C 2  located on the inside  31  of the flexible photoconductive belt loop  30  for stretching and tensioning the wrapped assembly  50  into a length L 4  approximately one-half L 1 . The plurality  60  also the third cylindrical packaging core C 3  located on the outside  51  of the wrapped assembly  50  for folding the wrapped assembly around one (C 1 ) of the first and second cylindrical packaging cores C 1 , C 2  into the tightly folded assembly  70  thereof. 
     In accordance with the present invention, each of the cylindrical packaging core members C 1 , C 2 , C 3  has a diameter Dm that is selected such that these first, second and third cylindrical packaging cores will be linearly aligned as shown in  FIGS. 6-7  when the wrapped assembly  50  is folded around a couple of them into the tightly folded assembly  70 . 
     In general,  FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a part of the tightly folded assembly  70  of flexible photoconductive belt loop  30  using the packaging apparatus of the present invention.  FIGS. 2-6  are illustrations of the folding of the flexible photoconductive belt loop  30  using the packaging apparatus of the present invention. As shown, the wrapped assembly  50  is folded along arrow  54  and  56  around the packaging cores C 3  and C 1 .  FIG. 7  is an end view of the tightly folded assembly  70  of flexible photoconductive belt loop and the packaging apparatus of the present invention.  FIG. 8  is a perspective illustration of the tightly folded assembly  70  about to be unfolded for loading into an image reproduction machine, and  FIG. 9  is an end view of the wrapped assembly  50  (of the flexible photoconductive belt loop  30  and packaging apparatus of the present invention) unfolded and ready for loading into an image reproduction machine, and yet still wrapped with the protective loop  40  in accordance with the present invention 
     Referring specifically now to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , in order to install the flexible photoconductive belt loop  30  into an image reproduction machine without risk of light shock, the second packaging core C 2  of the tightly folded assembly  70  thereof is inserted over a mandrel type member  80  located at a height greater than one-half L 1  above a floor surface. This exposes the trail end  36  and the second adhesive tape or pull tab  48  as shown. Above the pull tab  48 , the loop tacking and label adhesive tape  44  is located with the instructions  47  clearly visible. Peeling back or removing the pull tab  48  (as shown in  FIG. 9 ) will immediately allow the folded sections of the wrapped assembly  50  to unfold and drop into a straight-down hanging wrapped loop as shown. The unfolding and dropping will free the third packaging core C 3  (which initially was external to the wrapped loop  50 ) to fall free, but leave the other core C 1  inside the flexible photoconductive belt loop  30 , at the very bottom of the hanging wrapped loop  50 . With the loop tacking adhesive tape  44  still applied, the light occluding flexible member  32  is thus still intact as a protective loop  40  over the flexible photoconductive belt loop  30 , and the two loops together (as the wrapped loop  50 ) can be moved and handled for installation in an image reproduction machine (not shown) without risk of light shock to the flexible photoconductive belt loop  30 . 
     As can be seen, there has been provided a packaging apparatus for packaging a flexible photoconductive belt loop to prevent light from shocking the flexible photoconductive belt loop during shipping and during loading into an image reproduction machine. The packaging apparatus includes (a) a cut sheet of light occluding and protective flexible member for wrapping over the flexible photoconductive belt loop. The cut sheet has a length L 2  including a first end, a second end, and (iv) at least one loop tacking aperture formed through a second end portion thereof. The packaging apparatus also includes a first adhesive tape member applied over the second end portion, through the at least one loop tacking aperture, and onto a first end portion. The packaging apparatus further includes a plurality of packaging cores, and a second adhesive tape member applied over the second end and over a portion of the main body portion. 
     While the embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein is preferred, it will be appreciated from this teaching that various alternative, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be made by those skilled in the art, which are intended to be encompassed by the following claims: