US5444516A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Photoreceptor drum axle improvement
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1994-04-28
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Granted: 1995-08-22
•
Expires: 2014-04-28
Abstract
Abstract A sleeve for the shaft section of a plastic drum axle used in toner cartridges for printing, copy and facsimile machines to rotatively support the photoreceptor drum. The sleeve is made of strong plastic or metal and is sized to snugly fit around the shaft section. Glue may be used to further secure the sleeve to the shaft section. The sleeve is slid onto the drum axle shaft section and abuts against the drum axle attach section. The sleeve has a length and an outside diameter which allow the sleeve to snugly fit in the gear piece of the photoreceptor drum, eliminating the clearance between the shaft section and gear piece passage. In this way the gear piece and photoreceptor drum are rotatively supported on the drum axle along nearly the entire length of the shaft section, preventing the photoreceptor drum from wobbling during operation and rotation.
Inventors
- 👤 Steven B. Michlin
- 👤 Dick D. Irwin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 11:31
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03G; G03G15/00; G03G15/75; G03G15/751; G03G21/00; G03G21/16; G03G21/1642; G03G21/1647; G03G21/1661; G03G21/1671; G03G2221/00; G03G2221/16; G03G2221/1606; G03G2221/1651; G03G2221/1657; G03G2221/18; G03G2221/183
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
129 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle used to support a photoreceptor drum in a toner cartridge for printing, copy and facsimile machines, said drum axle including an attach section for securing said drum axle to said toner cartridge, a fitting section adjacent said attach section for fitting said drum axle into said toner cartridge, and a shaft section, said shaft section having a length with only a portion of said length used for rotatively supporting said drum, said improvement comprising a sleeve placed around said shaft section such that said sleeve extends into said fitting section and abuts against said attach section, whereby said sleeve may be precisely located on said shaft section and enables nearly the entire length of said shaft section to rotatively support said drum.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
129 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle used to support a photoreceptor drum in a toner cartridge for printing, copy and facsimile machines, said drum axle including an attach section for securing said drum axle to said toner cartridge, a fitting section adjacent said attach section for fitting said drum axle into said toner cartridge, and a shaft section, said shaft section having a length with only a portion of said length used for rotatively supporting said drum, said improvement comprising a sleeve placed around said shaft section such that said sleeve extends into said fitting section and abuts against said attach section, whereby said sleeve may be precisely located on said shaft section and enables nearly the entire length of said shaft section to rotatively support said drum.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle as in claim 1 wherein said sleeve is made of strong plastic.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle as in claim 1 wherein said sleeve is made of metal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle as in claim 3 wherein said metal is metal alloy 1241.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle as in claim 3 wherein said sleeve is approximately one-quarter of an inch in length.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle as in claim 5 wherein said sleeve has an outside diameter of approximately three-eigths of an inch.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle as in claim 6 wherein said sleeve has an inside diameter of approximately five-sixteenths of an inch.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle as in claim 1 wherein said sleeve is approximately one-quarter of an inch in length.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle as in claim 8 wherein said sleeve is glued to said shaft section.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle as in claim 8 wherein said sleeve has an outside diameter of approximately three-eighths of an inch.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle as in claim 10 wherein said sleeve has an inside diameter of approximately five-sixteenths of an inch.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle as in claim 11 wherein said sleeve is made of metal.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle as in claim 12 wherein said metal is metal alloy 1241.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle as in claim 11 wherein said sleeve is made of strong plastic.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
20 words
An improvement for a plastic drum axle as in claim 1 wherein said sleeve is glued to said shaft section.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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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) | 1998-08-21 | 1999-02-20 | 1999-08-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-08-21 | 2003-02-20 | 2003-08-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-08-21 | 2007-02-20 | 2007-08-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |