Cleaning apparatus having a surface-conforming blade

Claim 2

A cleaning apparatus for removing particles from a moving surface in an electrostatographic reproduction apparatus, the cleaning apparatus including: (a) a cleaning blade having a cleaning edge for making cleaning contact at a cleaning point P1 with the surface being cleaned; (b) float mounting means for mounting said cleaning blade such that said cleaning edge thereof can move floatingly in and out, up and down, and rotationally at said cleaning point P1 relative to, and in response to moving contact with the surface being cleaned; and (c) means for uniformly pressing and loading said cleaning edge of said blade into cleaning engagement with the surface being cleaned.

Claim 3

A cleaning apparatus for removing residual developer particles from a moving surface in an electrostatographic reproduction apparatus, the cleaning apparatus including: (a) first and second cleaning points P1 and P2 at each of which toner particles are removable from such a surface, said first and second cleaning points P1, P2 lying in a fixed path of the moving surface being cleaned; (b) a first cleaning element including a cleaning portion thereof positioned at said first cleaning point P1 for removing toner particles thereat from the moving surface being cleaned, said first cleaning element being mounted such that said cleaning portion thereof can move at said first cleaning point P1 in response to contacting movement thereat by the moving surface being cleaned; and (c) a second cleaning element for removing toner particles at said second cleaning point P2 from the moving surface being cleaned, said second cleaning element being mounted so as to be movable through said first and second cleaning points P1, P2 such that said second cleaning element first contacts and loads said cleaning portion of said first cleaning element into cleaning engagement with the moving surface being cleaned at said first cleaning point P1, and then contacts and cleans such surface being cleaned at said second cleaning point P2.

Claim 4

A cleaning apparatus for removing residual developer particles from a moving surface in an electrostatographic reproduction apparatus, the cleaning apparatus including: (a) first and second cleaning points P1 and P2 at each of which toner particles are removable from such a surface, said first and second cleaning points P1, P2 lying in a fixed path of the moving surface being cleaned; (b) a first cleaning element including a cleaning portion thereof positioned at said first cleaning point P1 for removing toner particles thereat from the moving surface being cleaned, said first cleaning element being mounted such that said cleaning portion thereof can move at said first cleaning point P1 in response to contacting movement thereat by the moving surface being cleaned; and (c) a second cleaning element for removing toner particles at said second cleaning point P2 from the moving surface being cleaned, said second cleaning element being mounted so as to be movable through said first and second cleaning points P1, P2 such that said second cleaning element first contacts and loads said cleaning portion of said first cleaning element into cleaning engagement with the moving surface being cleaned at said first cleaning point P1, and then contacts and cleans such surface being cleaned at said second cleaning point P2.

Claim 5

The cleaning apparatus of claim 2 including means for transporting the removed toner particles away from the surface being cleaned.

Claim 6

The cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first cleaning point P1 is downstream of said second cleaning point P2 relative to the movement of the surface being cleaned.

Claim 7

The cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first cleaning element is a scraper blade.

Claim 8

The cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein said second cleaning element is a fiber brush.

Claim 9

The cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein said cleaning portion of said first cleaning element is a scraping edge.

Claim 10

The cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein said cleaning portion of said first cleaning element can move substantially universally at said first cleaning point P1 relative to the surface being cleaned.

Claim 11

The cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first cleaning element includes float mounting means for mounting said first cleaning element so that said first cleaning element can move floatingly relative to the surface being cleaned.

Claim 12

The cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein said second cleaning element is mounted so as to be movable rotatably through said first and second cleaning points P1, P2.

Claim 13

The cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein at said first and second cleaning points P1, P2 said second cleaning element is being moved in a direction relatively opposite that of the moving surface being cleaned.

Claim 14

The cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein said second cleaning element first makes loading contact with said cleaning portion of said first cleaning element at a point Just downstream of said first cleaning point P1 and then maintains such loading contact with said first cleaning element while moving through said first cleaning point P1.

Claim 15

The cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein said second cleaning element in moving through said first cleaning point P1 contacts and transports therefrom toner particles removed at said first point P1 by said cleaning portion of said first cleaning element from the moving surface being cleaned.

Claim 16

The cleaning apparatus of claim 3 wherein said transport means includes vacuum means for moving toner particles away from the surface being cleaned.

Claim 17

A cleaning apparatus for removing toner particles from a moving surface to be cleaned in an electrostatographic apparatus, the cleaning apparatus comprising: (a) a cleaning blade having a cleaning tip adapted to be positioned at a first cleaning point P1 on the surface being cleaned for removing toner particles from such surface; (b) float mounting means for supporting said cleaning blade such that said cleaning tip thereof is movable floatingly at said first cleaning point P1 relative to the surface being cleaned; and (c) means including a rotatable fiber brush adapted to be positioned to engage the surface being cleaned for removing toner particles at a second cleaning point P2 from the surface being cleaned, said fiber brush being mounted so as to be rotatably movable through said first and second cleaning points P1, P2 such that said fiber brush contacts and loads said cleaning tip of said cleaning blade into cleaning engagement against the surface to be cleaned, and such that said fiber brush also engages the surface to be cleaned at said second cleaning point P2 for removing toner particles therefrom.

Claim 18

A cleaning apparatus for removing toner particles from a moving surface to be cleaned in an electrostatographic apparatus, the cleaning apparatus comprising: (a) a cleaning blade having a cleaning tip adapted to be positioned at a first cleaning point P1 on the surface being cleaned for removing toner particles from such surface; (b) float mounting means for supporting said cleaning blade such that said cleaning tip thereof is movable floatingly at said first cleaning point P1 relative to the surface being cleaned; and (c) means including a rotatable fiber brush adapted to be positioned to engage the surface being cleaned for removing toner particles at a second cleaning point P2 from the surface being cleaned, said fiber brush being mounted so as to be rotatably movable through said first and second cleaning points P1, P2 such that said fiber brush contacts and loads said cleaning tip of said cleaning blade into cleaning engagement against the surface to be cleaned, and such that said fiber brush also engages the surface to be cleaned at said second cleaning point P2 for removing toner particles therefrom.

Claim 19

The cleaning apparatus of claim 15 wherein said float means includes: (a) a housing member of said apparatus; (b) a blade support member connected to said housing member; (c) a float gap for accommodating the thickness T of said blade, said gap being larger than said thickness T of said blade, and said float gap being defined by said support member and said housing member; (d) spaced blade retaining pins connected to said support member and projecting into said float gap, each said retaining pin having a predetermined diameter d1; and (e) spaced mounting apertures in said blade for receiving said blade retaining pins, said mounting apertures being spaced correspondingly to said spaced retaining pins, and each said aperture having a diameter d2 substantially greater than the diameter d1 of a corresponding retaining pin.