Cleaning apparatus for electrostatic copy devices

Claim 2

Cleaning apparatus for removing electrostatically charged toner particles from a surface of an electrostatic plate comprising: a rigid member having a roughened surface; a porous compliant wiper having an outer surface containing a plurality of pores having cell walls mounted for wiping engagement with the surface of the plate for removing charged toner particles therefrom and for entraining a plurality of removed charged toner particles in said plurality of pores and mounted for wiping engagement with the surface of the rigid member; drive means for effecting relative movement between the surfaces of said rigid member, said plate and said wiper whereby at least a portion of the outer surface of said wiper is alternately engaged by the surface of the plate and said surface of the rigid member, said moving engagement between the surfaces of said rigid member and said wiper moving the cell walls of said plurality of pores to dislodge charged toner entrained therein; electrical bias means for applying an electrical field between said rigid member and said wiper of a polarity to repel charged toner from said wiper to said rigid member when the outer surface of the wiper engages said surface of the rigid member.

Claim 3

The cleaning apparatus set forth in claim 1 further comprising: second electrical bias means for applying an electrical field between said plate and said wiper of a polarity to attract charged toner from the surface of the plate to said wiper when said wiper engages the surface of the plate.

Claim 4

The cleaning apparatus set forth in claim 1 further comprising: conductive mounting means for mounting said wiper in wiping engagement with the surface of the plate, said bias means applying a bias to said mounting means thereby creating said electrical field.

Claim 5

The cleaning apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein the surface of the plate and the rigid member are serially mounted for closed loop motion with respect to said wiper, said wiper sequentially alternately engaging the surface of the plate and said rigid memBer.

Claim 6

The cleaning apparatus set forth in claim 4 further comprising: second electrical bias means for applying an electrical field between said plate and said wiper of a polarity to attract charged toner from the surface of the plate to said wiper when said wiper engages the surface of the plate.

Claim 7

The cleaning apparatus set forth in claim 4 further comprising: conductive mounting means for mounting said wiper in wiping engagement with the surface of the plate, said bias means applying a bias to said mounting means thereby creating said electrical field.

Claim 8

An electrostatic reproduction apparatus comprising: a member mounted for closed loop motion in a first direction having an electrostatic imaging surface and at least one groove extending transverse to said first direction; drive means for driving said member in said first direction in a closed loop past a plurality of processing stations; an imaging station for creating a latent electrostatic image on said imaging surface; a developer station for applying charged toner to said imaging surface; a transfer station for transferring the major quantity of said toner to a substrate; a cleaning station for cleaning residual toner from said imaging surface, said cleaning station comprising; a porous compliant wiper mounted for wiping engagement with said member for removing charged toner therefrom, sensing means for sensing the relative position of said at least one groove and said wiper, bias means, responsive to said sensing means for applying an electrical field between said member and said wiper of a polarity to repel charged toner from said wiper to said at least one groove of said member when said wiper engages said groove whereby toner is transported from said wiper to said developer station by said at least one groove.

Claim 9

An electrostatic reproduction apparatus comprising: a member mounted for closed loop motion in a first direction having an electrostatic imaging surface and at least one groove extending transverse to said first direction; drive means for driving said member in said first direction in a closed loop past a plurality of processing stations; an imaging station for creating a latent electrostatic image on said imaging surface; a developer station for applying charged toner to said imaging surface; a transfer station for transferring the major quantity of said toner to a substrate; a cleaning station for cleaning residual toner from said imaging surface, said cleaning station comprising; a porous compliant wiper mounted for wiping engagement with said member for removing charged toner therefrom, sensing means for sensing the relative position of said at least one groove and said wiper, bias means, responsive to said sensing means for applying an electrical field between said member and said wiper of a polarity to repel charged toner from said wiper to said at least one groove of said member when said wiper engages said groove whereby toner is transported from said wiper to said developer station by said at least one groove.

Claim 10

The electrostatic reproduction apparatus set forth in claim 7 further comprising: second bias means for applying an electrical field between said imaging surface and said wiper of a polarity to attract charged toner to said wiper from said imaging surface; switch means responsive to said sensing means for alternately actuating said first mentioned bias means and said second bias means, said first mentioned bias means being actuated when said at least one groove engages said wiper, said second bias means being actuated when said imaging surface engages said wiper.

Claim 11

The electrostatic reproduction apparatus set forth in claim 8 further comprising: conductive mounting means for mounting said wiper in wiping engagement with said member, said switch means alternately connecting said conductive mounting means to said first mentioned bias means and to said second bias means.