GB2312760A

GB2312760A - Filling a toner receptor from a mounted toner cartridge

Info

Publication number: GB2312760A
Application number: GB9708842A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Guy Chevrollier
Original assignee: Sagem SA
Current assignee: Sagem SA
Priority date: 1996-05-02
Filing date: 1997-05-01
Publication date: 1997-11-05
Anticipated expiration: 2017-05-01
Also published as: FR2748331A1; FR2748331B1; GB9708842D0; DE19717279B4; DE19717279A1; GB2312760B

Description

1 1 1 2312760 SET OF TWO CONTAINERS INTENDED TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH

OTHER FOR THE FILLING OF ONE BY THE OTHER WITH A CONSUMABLE PRODUCT A printer, in particular a laser printer, supplied with ink toner, comprises a toner reservoir which can be refilled with a toner cartridge. The reservoir and the cartridge are both provided with a trap and a trap closure member, the closure member being intended to slide in guides in order to open or close the trap. Furthermore, a plastic film may be welded detachably around the trap of the cartridge and cover the two sides of the closure member of the cartridge in order to ensure that it is sealed.

Generally, in order to refill the reservoir with toner, the cartridge is mounted on the reservoir, the two closed-off traps in facing relationship, then one pulls on a lever in order to simultaneously expose the two traps by sliding their respective closure members, the sealing film then being detached from the cartridge. Since the cartridge is disposed above the reservoir in communication with the latter, the toner may flow from the cartridge into the reservoir. Such a reservoir filling device comprising a lever is structurally complex, in particular on account of the high number of guides to be designed.

The present invention intends to provide a simpler filling device.

To this end, the invention relates to a set of two containers, intended to communicate with each other for the filling of one by the other with a consumable product, the containers each comprising a communication trap and a trap closure member and being arranged in order that the closure member of one of the 2 containers may be fixed to the other container, and in order to be able to be entrained in relative displacement in order to relieve the two traps of their respective sliding members and to place their traps in facing relationship.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the closure members are mounted to slide on their respective containers and the containers are arranged in order to slide relative to each other and to cause the opening of the traps.

Also preferably, one of the containers is mounted to slide in guides of its closure member and the closure member of the other container is mounted to slide in guides of said other container.

By virtue of this, the number of guides is greatly reduced with respect to devices of the prior art.

Furthermore, the container mounted to slide in closure member guides is advantageously arranged to slide in container guides.

Consequently, the container may be mounted either on the closure member with guides, or on the container with guides, or may be transferred from one to the other by simple sliding.

Also advantageously, the container mounted in closure member guides is arranged to cause the closure member of the other container to slide.

By virtue of this, the container sliding between closure member guides and container guides may push the closure member of the other container whilst expelling it from the container guides.

The invention will be better understood by means of the ensuing description of two embodiments of the set of the two containers of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one of the containers of the 3 first embodiment; Figure 2 shows a locking member of the set of Figure 1 and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the other container of the first embodiment of the invention.

In the first embodiment of the set, the two containerst in this case a toner cartridge 1 and a cartridge receptacle of the laser printer type, not shown, in this case provided with a removable receptacle adaptor 31, are intended to communicate with each other for the filling of the receptacle with toner by the cartridge 1.

The receptacle adaptor 31, to be mounted on the receptacle, provides in its base a wide communication opening 37 intended to come into facing relationship with an exposed communication trap of the receptacle, for filling with toner. Consequently. we shall describe solely the adaptor 31 of the receptacle, since it comprises all the structural and functional characteristics of the container in question of the set, necessary for understanding the invention.

The base of the toner cartridge 1 comprises a communication trap 2, of approximately rectangular shape, which is able to be covered by a trap closure member 3, which is itself rectangular. In this case the cartridge 2 may slide in two longitudinal guides 4 facing each other, of the cartridge closure member 3, by means of guide edges 5 situated on either side and along the cartridge trap 2.

In the plane where the longitudinal edges 5 extend, the cartridge 1 comprises two side edges 6, respectively situated at the two ends of the trap 2. One of the side edges is intended to come into abutment against a side rim of the cartridge closure member 3 disposed at one end of the guides 4 when the trap 2 is closed by the closure member 3. The other side edge 6 provides a f Ixing slot 7, not closed-off by the closure member 3 when the latter closes off the trap 2. The slot 7 is intended to take part in 4 the mounting of the cartridge 1 and the adaptor 31, as will be seen hereafter.

On the lower face of the closure member 3, situated below the cartridge 1, in this case two fixing lugs 8 are moulded, opposite each other, on the end of the closure member remote from that provided with the abutment rim, in the vicinity of the longitudinal edges of the closure member 3.

A plastic film, not shown, covers the lower and upper faces of the cartridge closure member 3, whilst being welded detachably around the cartridge trap 2 when the closure member 3 is closed, in order to ensure that the toner cartridge 1 is sealed.

The top of the receptacle adaptor 31 also provides a communication trap 32 able to be covered by a trap closure member 33 acting as a receptacle closure member after the mounting of is the adaptor 31 and the receptacle. It will be noted that the shapes and dimensions of the closure member 33 and of the trap 32 are approximately those of the closure member 3 and of the trap 2 of the cartridge 3.

The receptacle closure member 33 may slide, by means of its longitudinal edges 34, in two guides 35 disposed in facing relationship, on either side of and along the adaptor trap 32.

One of the ends of the receptacle closure member 33 comprises:

a fixing lug 36, in this case moulded on the upper face of the closure member 33, and intended to take part in the mounting of the cartridge 1 and of the adaptor 31; and two locking lug sockets disposed on the lower face of the closure member 33 and intended to cooperate with lugs 23 of the adaptor 31 in order to lock the closure member 33, as will be seen hereafter.

The top of the receptacle adaptor 31 comprises two side edges respectively situated at the two ends of the trap 32. One of the side edges comprises two f ixing openings 38 respectively provided in facing relationship, in the two longitudinal edges 39 of the top of the adaptor. These openings 38 are provided in order to take part in the mounting of the cartridge 1 and of the adaptor 31, as will be seen hereafter.

The side edge mentioned above comprises on its lower face, a locking member 21 fixed by screwing. The m emb er 21 is provided with two flexible legs 22, parallel to the longitudinal edges of the top, each comprising, on one free end of the leg, a locking lug 23 intended to be housed in one of the lug sockets of the receptacle closure member 33 in order to lock the closure member whilst mechanically blocking the opening. A portion of each leg 22 is arranged opposite the fixing openings 38 through which one can push and flex the legs 22 in order to unlock the receptacle is closure member 33.

The other side edge of the top of the adaptor 31 comprises on its upper face, a cross-member 40 provided with a transverse bar and with two short feet supported above the ends of the guides 35.

The cross-member 40 retains a slot 42 for the passage of the closure member 33 between the cross-member bar 41 and the top of the adaptor 31.

It will be noted that. the cartridge 1 intended to slide with the guide edges 5, in closure member guides 4, may also slide in guides 35 of the receptacle adaptor 31.

After the structural description of the arrangement of the. two containers, we shall now explain the mounting of the cartridge on the adaptor 31 mounted on the receptacle.

First of all it is necessary to position the cartridge 1 and the receptacle adaptor 31 relative to each other. The adaptor 31 and the cartridge closure member 3 are connected by introducing the fixing lugs 8 into the fixing orifices 38, and simultaneously, the cartridge 1 and the receptacle closure member 33, by 6 introducing the fixing lug 36 into the fixing slot 7. Then, by applying a slight downwards force to the adaptor 31, by means of the cartridge 1, the fixing lugs 8 push the legs 22 comprising lugs, which flex under the force, the lugs 23 being released from their respective sockets, and unlock the receptacle closure member 33. The cartridge 1 is then made to slide, relative to the adaptor 31, between the guides 4 of the cartridge closure member 3 and the guides 35 of the adaptor 31, the cartridge closure member 33 integral with the adaptor 31 being immobilised.

Upon sliding, the cartridge 1 for its part integral with the receptacle closure member 33, detaches the sealing film from the bottom of the cartridge 1 and expels, by pushing horizontally, the closure member 33, which slides and passes through the crossmember slot 42.

When the edge of the cartridge provided with the fixing slot 7 arrives in abutment against the cross-member bar 41, the traps 2, 32 are exposed and in facing relationship.

As regards the sealing of the cartridge, and in place of the plastic film welded detachably, it is also possible to cover the upper face of the cartridge closure member by sticking with a f ine band of foam to which is stuck, on the other side, a flexible plastic film, the covering of the closure member thus acting as a seal.

A first embodiment of the invention has just been described, which comprises a receptacle adaptor 31 to be mounted on a laser printer receptacle, generally designed for filling with toner by means of a lever. A second embodiment of the invention comprises a receptacle specifically designed to receive a cartridge without any necessity for an adaptor, the mounting of the cartridge on the receptacle being like that already explained.

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Claims

Set of two containers intended to communicate with each other for the filling of one by the other with a consumable product, the containers each comprising a communication trap and a trap closure member and being arranged in order that the closure member of one of the containers may be fixed to the other container, and in order to be able to be entrained in relative displacement in order to relieve the two traps of their respective closure members and to place their traps in facing relationship.
2. Set according to Claim 1, in which the closure members are mounted to slide on their respective containers and the containers are arranged to slide relative to each other and in order to cause the opening of the traps.
3. Set according to Claim 2, in which one of the containers is mounted to slide in guides of its closure member and the closure member of the other container and mounted to slide in guides of said other container.

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4. Set according to Claim 3, in which the container mounted to slide in the closure member guides is arranged to slide in the container guides.
5. Set according to Claim 4, in which the container mounted in closure member guides is arranged to cause the closure member of the other container to slide.
6. Set according to one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the containers and their closure members are arranged in order to be able to connect each container and the closure member of the other container by fixing means.
7. Set according to one of Claims 1 to 6, in which one of the containers comprises means for locking its closure member and the other container comprises means for unlocking said closure member.
8. Set according to Claim 7, in which said locking means comprise at least one flexible leg provided with a lug and a lug socket, respectively provided on the container and its closure member.
9. Set according to one of Claims 7 and 8, in which said unlocking means comprise at least one lug intended to release the lug from the lug socket.
10. Set according to one of Claims 6 to 9, in which the fixing means of one of the containers to the closure member of the other container comprise a slot provided in said container and a lug integral with said closure member.

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11. Set according to one of Claims 7 to 10, in which the means for fixing the closure member of one of the containers to the other container, are provided for unlocking the closure member of said other container.
12. Set according to one of Claims 1 to 11, in which one of the containers being a toner cartridge, and the other container being a toner receptacle, a plastic film covers the cartridge closure member by being welded around the cartridge trap, in order to ensure that the cartridge is sealed.
13. Set according to one of Claims 1 to 11, in which one of the containers being a toner cartridge, and the other container being a toner receptacle, a strip of foam is stuck to one side of the cartridge closure member and is covered on the other side by a flexible plastic film, in order to act as a seal for the cartridge.
14. Set according to one of Claims 1 to 13, in which one of the containers being a toner cartridge and the other container being a toner receptacle, the closure member of the receptacle is mounted on a receptacle adaptor.
15. A set substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying figures 1, 2 andlor 3.