US4930684A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Closure strip and method for remanufacturing a toner cartridge and toner cartridge
Assignee: Ricoh Printing Systems America Inc
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Filing: 1988-08-02
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Granted: 1990-06-05
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Expires: 2008-08-02
Abstract
Abstract A toner cartridge, the cartridge having a first and second section. A toner material is located in the first section and maintained in the first section by a gasket. The gasket comprises a flexible substrate having attached to one surface thereof, a sealing material. The gasket is inserted between the first and second sections such that the substrate is in contact with the first section and the sealing material is preferably in contact with the second section. When the gasket is removed from the toner cartridge, toner material present in the first section is allowed to pass into the second section and into operable contact with a toner carrying apparatus operably connected to the second section of the toner cartridge.
Inventors
- 👤 Laurence O. Patterson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 15:41
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03G; G03G15/00; G03G15/06; G03G15/08; G03G15/0894; G03G2215/00; G03G2215/00987; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S222/00; Y10S222/01
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
176 words
A reusable toner-proof closure strip for sliding insertion/removal in a toner cartridge having a toner container section having a container lip, a hopper section having a hopper lip abutting the container lip to form a pair of opposed channels within the toner cartridge, each of the channels having a container lip wall, a hopper lip wall, and a bottom wall, and an access slit in the cartridge; said closure strip comprising: a firm substrate strip of a width slightly less than the distance between the bottom walls of the opposed channels, of a thickness less than the distance between the container lip wall and the hopper lip wall of each channel, and of a length sufficient to sealingly abut the container lip during insertion in the slit while leaving a tab portion outside the slit; and resilient sealing means attached to one face of the substrate strip for making the closure strip fit snugly between the bottom walls of the channels and snugly between the container lip wall and the hopper lip wall of each channel.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
176 words
A reusable toner-proof closure strip for sliding insertion/removal in a toner cartridge having a toner container section having a container lip, a hopper section having a hopper lip abutting the container lip to form a pair of opposed channels within the toner cartridge, each of the channels having a container lip wall, a hopper lip wall, and a bottom wall, and an access slit in the cartridge; said closure strip comprising: a firm substrate strip of a width slightly less than the distance between the bottom walls of the opposed channels, of a thickness less than the distance between the container lip wall and the hopper lip wall of each channel, and of a length sufficient to sealingly abut the container lip during insertion in the slit while leaving a tab portion outside the slit; and resilient sealing means attached to one face of the substrate strip for making the closure strip fit snugly between the bottom walls of the channels and snugly between the container lip wall and the hopper lip wall of each channel.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The closure strip of claim 1, wherein the firm substrate strip is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic and thermosetting polymeric resinous materials.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The closure strip of claim 1 wherein the firm substrate strip is formed from a glass reinforced epoxy resin.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
The closure strip of claim 1 wherein the firm substrate strip is generally rectangular in shape having two relatively long edges and two relatively short edges.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
The closure strip of claim 4, wherein the resilient sealing means is located generally along the two relatively long edges and one of the relatively short edges of the firm substrate strip.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The toner cartridge of claim 5, wherein the resilient sealing means extends slightly beyond the two relatively long edges and is recessed slightly from one of the relatively short edges.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
39 words
The closure strip of claim 1 wherein the resilient sealing means comprises a resilient strip attached to the face of the substrate strip which does not abut the container lip during insertion of the closure strip in the slit.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
44 words
The closure strip of claim 7 wherein the resilient strip is of a width and length sufficient to abut the hopper lip during insertion of the closure strip in the slit and extends along and slightly beyond a side edge of the substrate strip.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
168 words
A toner cartridge comprising: a container section having a container lip; a hopper section having a hopper lip abutting the container lip to form a pair of opposed channels within the toner cartridge; each of the channels having a container lip wall, a hopper lip wall, and a bottom wall; an access slit in the cartridge; and a reusable toner-proof closure strip having: a firm substrate strip of a width slightly less than the distance between the bottom walls of the opposed channels, of a thickness less than the distance between the container lip wall and the hopper lip wall of each channel, and of a length sufficient to sealingly abut the container lip during insertion in the slit while leaving a tab portion outside the slit, and resilient sealing means attached to one face of the substrate strip for making the closure strip fit snugly between the bottom walls of the channels and snugly between the container lip wall and the hopper lip wall of each channel.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
168 words
A toner cartridge comprising: a container section having a container lip; a hopper section having a hopper lip abutting the container lip to form a pair of opposed channels within the toner cartridge; each of the channels having a container lip wall, a hopper lip wall, and a bottom wall; an access slit in the cartridge; and a reusable toner-proof closure strip having: a firm substrate strip of a width slightly less than the distance between the bottom walls of the opposed channels, of a thickness less than the distance between the container lip wall and the hopper lip wall of each channel, and of a length sufficient to sealingly abut the container lip during insertion in the slit while leaving a tab portion outside the slit, and resilient sealing means attached to one face of the substrate strip for making the closure strip fit snugly between the bottom walls of the channels and snugly between the container lip wall and the hopper lip wall of each channel.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The toner cartridge of claim 9, wherein the hopper section includes toner carrying means comprising a rotatable cylinder.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
199 words
A method of resealing a toner cartridge, comprising the steps of: (i) providing a spent toner cartridge having: a container section having a container lip, a hopper section having a hopper lip abutting the container lip to form a pair of opposed channels within the toner cartridge, each of the channels having a container lip wall, a hopper lip wall, and a bottom wall, and an access slit in the cartridge; (ii) providing a reusable toner-proof closure strip having: a firm substrate strip of a width slightly less than the distance between the bottom walls of the opposed channels, of a thickness less than the distance between the container lip wall and the hopper lip wall of each channel, and of a length sufficient to sealingly abut the container lip, inserted in the slit and leaving a tab portion outside the slit, and resilient sealing means attached to one face of the substrate strip for making the closure strip fit snugly between the bottom walls of the channels and snugly between the container lip wall and the hopper lip wall of each channel; and (iii) sliding the closure strip into the access slit to sealingly abut the container lip.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
199 words
A method of resealing a toner cartridge, comprising the steps of: (i) providing a spent toner cartridge having: a container section having a container lip, a hopper section having a hopper lip abutting the container lip to form a pair of opposed channels within the toner cartridge, each of the channels having a container lip wall, a hopper lip wall, and a bottom wall, and an access slit in the cartridge; (ii) providing a reusable toner-proof closure strip having: a firm substrate strip of a width slightly less than the distance between the bottom walls of the opposed channels, of a thickness less than the distance between the container lip wall and the hopper lip wall of each channel, and of a length sufficient to sealingly abut the container lip, inserted in the slit and leaving a tab portion outside the slit, and resilient sealing means attached to one face of the substrate strip for making the closure strip fit snugly between the bottom walls of the channels and snugly between the container lip wall and the hopper lip wall of each channel; and (iii) sliding the closure strip into the access slit to sealingly abut the container lip.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 11, wherein the firm substrate strip is generally rectangular in shape having two relatively long edges and two relatively short edges.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 12, wherein the resilient sealing means is located generally along the two relatively long edges and one of the relatively short edges of the firm substrate strip.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 13, wherein the resilient sealing means extends slightly beyond the two relatively long edges and is recessed slightly from one of the relatively short edges.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1993-06-04 | 1993-12-04 | 1994-06-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-06-04 | 1997-12-04 | 1998-06-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-06-04 | 2001-12-04 | 2002-06-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |