MXPA97010329A - Toner cartridge with external planar installation guides - Google Patents

Abstract

A toner cartridge (1) has wing-like guides (9a, 9b) on opposite sides, the guides being curved to follow a curved guide track in a printer in which the cartridge is installed. The cartridge may be readily grasped by handles (3a, 3b) and inserted in the guide tracks of the printer near the top and front and then readily directed down and into the rearárea of the printer.

Description

TONER CARTRIDGE WITH EXTERNAL FLAT INSTALLATION GUIDES DESCRIPTION CROSS REFERENCE WITH RELATED REQUESTS The following patent applications US address the subject matter of the subject matter disclosed or incorporated in the disclosure of this application Series No. 08 / 602,648, filed on February 16, 1996, now US Patent No. 5,634,169, entitled "Multifunctional Coding Wheel for Cartridges Used in an Electrophotographic Output Device "; five utility applications filed on the same day as this application entitled "Toner Cartridge with Feed Device Output Stirrer", Series No. 08 / 770,328; "Toner Cartridge with Location on the Photoconductor Shaft", Series No. 08 / 770,326; "Toner Cartridge with Housing and Terminal Construction" Series No. 08 / 770,330; "Toner Cartridge with Thermal Screen Shutter" Series No. 08 / 770,334; and "Vent Plug in the Toner Cartridge" Series No. 08 / 770,329; and an application for an ornamental design filed on the same day as this application entitled "Laser Printer Toner Cartridge" Series No. 29 / 066,775. TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to electrophotographic development and, more particularly, relates to a toner cartridge having external installation guides. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The assignee of this invention has commercially manufactured and sold toner cartridges of two different general designs. For its larger laser printers, the cartridge has contained a pump for dosing the toner of the type set forth in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,012,289 to Aldrich et al. and 5,101,237 Molloy, while the external structure of the cartridge is as disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,136,333 to Craft et al. The details of other items in the cartridge have varied. For a smaller, light emitting diode printer, the cartridge is as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,337,032 to Baker et al., Which has a toner feeding device that extends well below a level that it has the toner addition roller and which has independent drive systems for the photoconductive roller and for the developer roller system as set forth in U.S. Patent No. 5,331,378 to Baker et al. U.S. Patent No. 5,528,342 to Setoriyama discloses a cartridge, generally of the type mentioned above, with insertion guides, the guides being spaced projections. The present invention employs flat insert guides on opposite sides of the cartridge. This allows easy installation of the cartridge from the front to the inside of a printer by a person directing the guides into the slots in the printer. EXHIBITING THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a toner cartridge having external guides on opposite sides, which are flat, suggestive of wings, and which are bent to follow a curved guide channel in a printer. The cartridge can be held by a person and easily inserted into the guide channels of the printer near the top and front of the printer, allowing the cartridge to be easily directed downward to a rear area in the printer. The flat members are thin in their initial location of entry into the guide groove for ease of insertion and are increased to a greater thickness in their posterior locations to guide the cartridge more accurately. The outer shell of the cartridge is largely a single molded part, which includes the flat guide. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The details of this invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge of the left back and above, where the left is determined by viewing the printer from its front side where the cartridge insertion is done; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the left front part and above the cartridge sectioned near the top; Figure 3 is a top right front view of the cartridge with additional cover elements, removed; Figure 4 is a top right rear view of the cartridge with cover elements removed; Figure 5 is a top left rear view of the cartridge with removed cover elements; Figure 6 is a top right rear view of the cartridge sectioned similarly to the section of Figure 2; Figure 7 is a lower left front view of the cartridge; Figure 8 is a lower right rear view of the cartridge; Figure 9 is a front right perspective view of the housing member of the feeding device; Figure 10 is a left front view of the interior of a printer in which the cartridge 1 is installed; Figure 11 is a partially sectioned right side view showing more details of parts shown in Figure 10 with the cartridge installed; Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the inner end member of the feeding device; Figure 13 is a perspective view showing the inside of the other end member of the feeding device; Figure 14 is a perspective view of the clutch plate; Figure 15 is a perspective view of an easily removable bushing; Figure 16 is a perspective view showing the removable bushing installed; Figure 17 is a right rear view showing in detail a shutter; Figure 18 is a perspective view of an extended terminal inserted in the photoconducting drum; Figure 19 is a right perspective view showing the elements within the cartridge cover; Figure 20 is a bottom left perspective view showing the elements within the cartridge cover; Figure 21 is a right perspective view showing parts of the cartridge installed in a printer; and Figure 22 shows the inside of the cartridge cover where it receives an extension from the feeding device; Figure 23 shows elements of the plug of the feeding device before assembly; Figure 24 shows the plug of the assembled feed device only; and Figure 25 shows an alternating cross section of the plug of the feeding device to illustrate air flow.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The removable, self-contained printer cartridge 1 is shown in figure 1 in a perspective view from the left rear and above (considering that the handles 3a and 3b that are in the front and side have the upper shutter pivoted 5 being the upper side). For purposes of illustration, Figure 1 shows the top plug 5 pivoted downwardly towards its open position and the bottom plug 7 pivoted back and up towards its open position. In actual operation, these positions are achieved by interaction with the printer or other device in which the cartridge 1 is installed as will be explained below. To facilitate and guide the insertion of the cartridge 1 into the printer, the cartridge 1 has a left guide wing 9a and a right guide wing 9b. The guide wings 9a and 9b are thin planes formed as arcs of a relatively large circle, except near the front, where the bottom 9aa is enlarged accordingly. The guide wings 9a and 9b are mirror images of each other, except that in this particular embodiment described, the left guide wing 9a is wider (laterally extended further) than the right guide wing 9b simply to accommodate the amplitude provided by a particular printer in which the exemplary cartridge 1 is to be installed. In the embodiment described herein, the lower shutter 7 is pivoted from the left rear cover 31a on a left upper drive link arm to and from the rear cover (not shown) on a right upper actuator link arm 11b, located on opposite sides of the shutter 7. Each link arm lia and 11b is integral with an actuator 13a and 13b, respectively, each of which has a actuating rectangular surface 13aa and 13bb, respectively, which extend over the respective guide wings 9a, 9b. A pivoted lower shutter link 15a and one side of the lower shutter 17a, pivoted towards the lower link 15a and the upper drive link Ia complete a conventional four bar linkage to provide rotation of the shutter 7 in response to the rotation of the actuator 13a. The trailing end of the coil spring 19a is connected to a flat lower hook on the link arm lia to deflect the closed shutter 7 when the cartridge is not inserted into a printer or other device. The front end of the spiral spring 19a is connected to an upper hole 31aa under the actuator 13a. A mirror image of these parts (see figure 3) exists on the opposite side, the corresponding part of which will be designated by the same number with letters "b". When the cartridge 1 is installed in the printer, the actuating surfaces 13aa and 13bb are pushed down the mating surfaces of the printer towards the positions above the wings 9a, 9b, respectively, as shown in Figure 1. The cartridge 1 is inserted by a human operator holding the handles 3a, 3b through the holes 3aa, 3bb and moving the cartridge 1 in the direction of the shutter 5 and towards the back of the printer (291, figure 10) in which you are installing. A series of rising flanges 21 spaced apart along the width of the cartridge 1 under the handles 3a, 3b, except in the holes 3aa and 3bb, provide strength while the holes 3aa and 3bb provide space for the fingers of a person to hold the handles 3a, 3b. On the left side there is a projection extending upwardly, relatively broadly 23. In a preferred combination of the embodiment of the invention described herein and an exemplary printer, the upper part of the projection 23 interacts with a commutator. physical detection in the printer to detect that a cartridge has been installed 1. The front cover 25, in which the handles 3a, 3b, the flanges 21 and the projection 23 are formed integrally, it is above a separate toner feeding device, as will be described. The upper cover of the cleaning chamber 27 is towards the rear of the shutter 5. The immediately inner wings 9a and 9b are elongated, raised locating surfaces 29a, 29b to which pressure is applied by a printer to firmly place the turning mechanisms of the cartridge 1 when cartridge 1 is installed. The locator surfaces 29a and 29b, the wings 9a and 9b, as well as the rear cover 31 under the wing 9a, are formed integrally with the cleaner housing 27. Also integral with these elements is the front cover 25 having handles 3a, 3b and an outer cover 33 on the left side and generally coextensive in length with the length of the front cover 25. The cover 33 has a U-shaped housing 35 in its upper part. The housing 35 seizes the sparring projection 37a as will be explained and an assembly hole 39a near the upper front part of the cover 33 and a hole containing a spring 39b near the lower front part of the cover 33. A coupler 41 receives an actuating element of a printer containing an Oldham coupler for rotationally driving the developer roller 43 (not shown in Figure 1) and the toner adding roller 45 (not shown in Figure 1). To the rear of the coupler 41 is the shaft 47 of the photoconductive drum 49 (drum not shown in Figure 1). Figure 2 is a perspective view of the left front part and above the cartridge 1 sectioned near the top to show internal elements. In the immediate front part there is a large cylindrical toner feed device 61, which has a control knob 63, which, during the operation, is rotated in the clockwise direction as shown in figure 2 The control knob 63 has an external toner movement bar 63a, which extends through the amplitude of the feed device 61 except for a far left section 63a to which it is inserted as will be explained. When the cartridge 1 is installed for operation in a printer, the rear wall 61a of the feeding device 61 terminates at about one third of the total height of the feeding device 61 as a flat surface 61aa (specifically, the feeding device 61 has a diameter of 106mm and the vertical distance from the bottom point of the feeding device 61 to the horizontal plane that coincides with the surface of the highest point 61aa of the rear wall 61a is 35.3mm). The upper surface 61aa of the back wall 61a is thin and flat with a slight downward angle from the feeding device 61 to facilitate removal of the molded part from its mold. An extension 65a from a stirring bar 65 has a dependent projection 65b (see Figure 9) resting on the upper wall 61aa, thereby placing the bar 65 slightly above the upper wall 61aa. The extension 65a extends beyond the top wall 61aa to a location in which the bar 63a of the control knob 63 encounters the extension 65a as it rotates. The surface 61aaa opposite the surface 61aa from which the toner comes out is flat and is approximately 50 degrees from the vertical position (best seen in Figure 9) when the cartridge 1 is installed for operation on a printer . The vertical flanges 67 located immediately on the rear side of the rear wall 61a are reinforcements for the upper wall 69 formed approximately one third below the upper part of the feeding device 61. The toner movement bar 63a of the control knob 63 it is located exactly adjacent to the sides of the feeding device 61 except where the upper part of the rear wall 61a and the start of the upper wall 69 form an opening for the toner to be supplied backwards from the feeding device 61 towards the Turning mechanisms of the cartridge 1. This is best shown in Figure 9. In Figure 2, a small part of the developing roller 43 to which the coupler 41 is directly attached, is seen beyond the flanges 67. The developing roller 43 is parallel and is in contact with the photoconductive drum 49. The cleaning chamber 27 has internal deflectors , vertical, separated 71, which are reinforcing members as well as members limiting the unbalanced accumulation of toner in the chamber 27. The toner that is not transferred during development is discarded from the photoconductive drum 49 by the wiper blade 73, the which is mounted on a vertical panel 73a, which has a horizontal reinforcement 73aa to increase the strength. As best seen in Figure 3, panel 73a is mounted on a support member 75, which has vertical columns 75a (Figure 2), 75b on opposite sides. The panel 73a is mounted on the vertical columns 75a, 75b by a screw 77a on a column 75a and a screw 77b on a column 75b. Figure 3 is a top right side view with additional cover elements, removed and part of the wiper removed to illustrate the internal configuration of the cartridge 1. The solid steel doctor blade 91 extends parallel to and in press-contact with the developer roller 43. The blade 91 contacts the roller 43 at approximately 20 degrees from the vertical position towards the toner-adding roller 45. Figure 3 also shows the metallic electrical contact 93 with the doctor's blade 91, the metallic electrical contact. 95 with the toner addition roller 45 and the metallic electrical contact 97 with the developer roller 43. The outer ends 93a, 95a, 97a of the contacts are directed against the metal contacts in the printer when the cartridge 1 is installed and thus making contact electrical to receive the electrical potentials from the printer. The cartridge development system 1 is essentially very similar to that of the Optra brand family of printers sold by the assignee of this invention. As in that family of printers, the toner additive roller 45 is conductive foam subject to a steel shaft and the developer roller 43 is made of semiconductor material attached to a steel shaft. When the cartridge 1 is installed for operation in a printer, the cartridge 1 is oriented generally as shown in figure 3 and the horizontal plane containing the lowest surface of the toner adding roller 45 is 22.6 mm above the point lower of the feeding device 61. The toner adding roller 45 and the developing roller 43 are articulated in the rear extensions 99a and 101a (figure 4) of the end members 99 and 101 (figure 4) of the feeding device 61. agitator 65 has a curved portion 65aa that becomes parallel to extension 99a where it pivots toward extension 99a on pin 103a. As the control knob 63 rotates, the bar 63a contacts the extension 65a, thereby rotating the agitator 65 about the bolt 103a upwards. The agitator 65 then returns to the near rear wall 61a under the force of gravity to dislodge the toner, which otherwise tends to accumulate on the exit surface 61aaa (see Figure 9). Figure 4 is a top right rear view with removed cover elements showing more fully the end members 99 and 101 of the feed device 61 and its extensions 99a and 101a. The spacer projection 37b is integral with the end member 101. Below and to the front of the projection 37b is the spring-mounted post 131b, which mounts one end of the spring 132b, the other end of which is mounted in hole 242 (better seen in figure 20). The perpendicular protective wall 133 is also integral with the end member 101, which extends below and backward to present a barrier that physically protects to the coding wheel 135. The lower portion of the wall 133 forms a flat contact surface 133a for receiving a locating roller from the printer when the cartridge 1 is installed. The coding wheel 135 is linked to the control knob 63 through of a control command clutch assembly 163 having a torsional deformation member 163 (Figure 5) in order to provide information as to the amount of toner in the feed device 61 for the printer in which the cartridge is installed 1 by detecting the location of windows 135a. Additionally, other windows 135b provide other information, while wider window 135c provides a local location reference. The selected light blocking tags 136 are located between the windows 135b and 135c and the block windows of a series of windows 135b to thereby accommodate information on the wheel 135. The details and operation of the coding wheel 135 are described in FIG. US Patent Application Serial No. 08 / 602,648, filed on February 16, 1996, now US Patent No. 5,634,169, entitled "Multi-Functional Coding Wheel For Cartridges Used in an Electrophotographic Output Device" and does not make any contribution to the invention of this specification. Figure 4 also shows electrical contacts 93, 95 and 97 as they are supported by the floor 137 extending perpendicularly from the extension of the feeding device 101a. The vertical flanges 139 extend from the floor 137 between the contacts, 93, 95 and 97 to give ground resistance 137. The mounting roller 141a is articulated to the extension of the feeding device 99a and the symmetrical mounting roller 141b is mounted in the extension of the feeding device 101a. The rollers 141a and 141b contact inner surfaces of the cartridge cover 1, as will be described. The surfaces 133a and 161a (FIG. 5) of the feeding device 61 rest on rollers in the printer as will be described later. The end member of the feeding device 101 has an opening that receives a cylindrical, resilient, exactly fitting plug, 143. Prior to installing the plug 143, the toner is loaded in the feeding device 61 through the open hole, then the Stopper 143 seals the hole. The photoconductive roller 49 has at its right end a transfer roller drive clutch 145, which drives a roller in the printer when the cartridge 1 is installed in the printer. Figure 5 is an upper left rear view with removed cover elements that more fully show the exterior of the members 99 and 99a of the feed device 61. The spacer projection 37a is integral with the end member 99. Underneath and towards the front of the projection 37a is a spring mounting post 131a, which mounts one end of the spring 132a, the other end of which is mounted in a hole in the member 431 (figure 19), which is a interior extension of cover 33 (figure 2). The perpendicular protective wall 161 is also integral with the end member 99, which extends under and backward so that a barrier physically protects the clutch assembly of the torsion control handle 163. The lower portion of the wall 161 forms a flat contact surface 161a to receive a locating roller from the printer when - l the cartridge 1 is installed. The details of the clutch assembly of the control knob 163 are not part of this invention and are more fully set forth in the patent application Serial No. 08 / 602,648 now US Patent No. 5,634,169, mentioned above . The clutch 49a, integral with the end of the photoconductive drum 49, receives the energy from a take-up clutch in the printer when the cartridge 1 is installed in the printer. The coupler 41 is integral with the developer roller 43 and drives the inactive clutch 165, which drives the toner addition roller 45 (FIG. 3) upon engagement with the clutch 167, which is integral with the toner adding roll 45. coupler 41 receives power from an actuator in the printer, which is separated from the driver for the drum 49, but preferably from a single motor in the printer. The clutch 167 drives the large clutch of the compound clutch 169. The clutch 169 drives the large clutch of the compound clutch 171, and the clutch 171 drives the clutch assembly of the control knob 163. A clutch plate 173, which assembles the clutches 165 and 169, is mounted on the extension of the feeding device 99a by the mounting screw 175. Figure 5 shows the end of the agitator 65 opposite that shown in Figure 3. That end has a curved portion 65bb that becomes parallel to the extension 101a of end member 101 when pivoted towards extension 101a on a pin 103b. Continuing the detailed description of the cartridge incorporating a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 is a top right rear view sectioned near the top similar to the section of Figure 2. Figure 6 illustrates more clearly the assembly of the doctor blade 91 mounted to press on the developer roller 43 under the bypass of the leaf spring 191. The blade 91 is located on the left rear side by the projection 361 (better seen in Figure 14) and in the back by extension 196a (FIG. 12) of the end member of feed device 99, which forms front and rear barriers to hold the left side of the doctor blade 91. Similarly, on the right side, two surfaces coming from 101a , which include a posterior extension 365 (better observed in figure 13) and a frontal extension 366 (figure 13) form the front and back r holding the right side of the doctor blade 91, symmetrical to the receptacle holding the left side of the doctor blade 91. The upper part of the blade 91 is held by the spring 191. An adhesive tape 192 through the upper part of the doctor blade 91 bridges the attached horizontal edge of the wall 69 (figure 2) for sealing, as is conventional. The spring 191 has blunt ends 191a and 191b, separated from the center, which contact the blade 91 to deflect it downwardly over the developer roller 43. A central shoulder 197, integral with the shoulders 67, forms a cavity that receives the center of the spring 191. The horizontal shoulders 199a and 199b, opposed to central portions of the spring 191, formed integrally with the flanges 67, are horizontal barriers to prevent the spring 191 from moving towards the front. Preferably, in order to permit abrupt handling of the cartridge 1, which could occur during shipping, solid upper arresting members (not shown) are attached on both sides on each side between the shoulders 199a and 199b and the sides 99a. and 101a, respectively. 0.18 mm are separated above the upper part of the blade 91 and, therefore, contact the blade 91 only during rough handling. Figure 6 also illustrates posts 141aa and 141bb, which are molded as extensions of members 99a and 101a, respectively, and support mounting rollers 141a and 141b, respectively (Figure 5).

Figure 7 is a lower left front illustration of the cartridge 1 observed externally. A series of horizontal depressions 221 along the back of the feeding device 61 provide a hardened surface for the thumbs when the fingers hold the cartridge through the opening 3aa and 3bb. A series of relatively long vertical ridges 223, integral with the lower part of the feeding device 61 serve as paper and other media guides, although a series of shorter flanges 225, located behind the start of the flanges 223 and between the flanges 223, prevent the medium from becoming clogged as the medium encounters the photoconductive drum 49, located immediately after the flanges 223 and 225. Beyond the drum 49, the medium finds additional media guide ridges 227 located at the bottom of the plug 7. Figure 7 also provides a clear view of the idle clutch 165 and the clutch 167. Figure 8 is a lower right rear illustration of the cartridge 1 observed externally. This shows the complete right guide wing 9b with the enlarged front 9bb. Figure 8 shows the right cover elements that were omitted in Figure 6. A front lower cover section 241 is located above most of the coding wheel 135 and has an access hole 243 for ease of assembly and has an access opening 244 (better observed in figure 20). The cover section 241 steps up a small amount to provide accommodation to the spring 132b (FIG. 20) so that it extends between the post 131b (FIG. 4) and the hole 242 (best observed in FIG. 20). In general, the cover section 245 is above and in front of and is integral with the cover section 241, which is located above the remaining upper front portion of the cartridge 1. The section 245 has a shaped housing. of U 247 in its upper part that imprisons the separating projection 37b. At the rear of the section 245 opposite the area above the photoconductive drum 49, rectangular channels 249 are located, the second rectangular channel 249a and the last rectangular channel 249b opening to the passage of air to cool the photoconductive drum 49 during the operation of the cartridge 1. The far rear portion 251 of this particular embodiment of the invention described herein assembles links 11b and 17b to the shutter 7. A lower section 253 of the cover located below and in front of the passages 249a and 249b assembles the shaft 47 of the photoconductive drum 49 and has two upper symmetric ventilation holes 255a and 255b in order to pass air to the cooling drum 49. Figure 9 is a front straight perspective view of the housing of the molded plastic member 271 forming the central portion and the central extension of the feeding device 61 with the end member 99 attached and the agitator 65 installed. It is observed that it forms a cylindrical chamber with an outlet opening formed between the wall 69 and the wall 61a. An insert 273 in the lower rear portion of the feeding device 61 provides space for the rollers in the printer. As best seen in Figure 2, the control handle bar 63a has a far left insertion section 63aa to clear the insertion 273. The member 271 has a slot 275 around its right side. A directly similar slot is found around the left side. The end member 101 has a coupling flange 321 (Figure 13). During manufacture, the slot 275 engages the flange 321 in an end member 101 and the two will be welded together with ultrasonically created heat. The member 99 is attached to the left side of the member 271 in the same manner as with the flange 322 (FIG. 2) inserted in a coupling slot (not shown) on the left side of the member 271.

A slit 277 above the extension of the agitator 65a allows sufficient rotation of the agitator 65 to allow the arm of the control knob 63a to pass beyond the extension 65a while preventing a full turn of the agitator 65. Revealing Installation The housing 271 and its subject end members 99 and 101, form the toner feed device 61. The extension 101a joins the toner adding roller 45 and the developer roller 43. The clutch plate 173, which is attached to the extension 99a by the screw 175, articulates the opposite ends of the toner addition roller 45 and the developer roller 43. Accordingly, a single unit assembly is formed from the feed device 61 rearwardly and includes a developer roller 43. Photoconductor and Cover Assembly The front cover 25, the handles 3a, 3b, the left outer cover 33, the wall rear 31, (figure 1), the right deck sections 241, 245 and 251, (figure 8), the wings 9a, 9b and the cleaning chamber 27 are a single molded part. The photoconductor 49 is articulated in this part with its axis 47 extending beyond the covers on the opposite sides. The shutter 7 movably rests on the left cover 31 and the right rear cover 251. Accordingly, a single unitary assembly of the cover members, the photoconductive drum 49 and the shutter 7 is formed. In use, the springs 132a and 132b urge the developing roller 43 against the photoconductive drum 49 at a predetermined tension. When the cartridge 1 is collected, the developer and the photoconductor and the cover assembly rotate under gravity until the projection 37a (Figure 1) contacts the housing 35 and the projection 37b (Figure 8) contacts the housing 247, holding together by this to the two assemblies. Lower Shutter As a Thermal Barrier When the lower shutter 7 is opened, it covers the entire lower surface of the cleaning chamber. The material of the plug 7 is polycarbonate, a material that deflects the heat of the determining operation that occurs after the paper moves back from the contact with the photoconductive drum 49. The material of the body of the photoconductor and the cover assembly, the feeding device 61, end members 99 and 101, and plug 5 are made of polystyrene, which is lower in cost than polycarbonate. The added cost of the polycarbonate plug 7 is justified because the plug 7 provides thermal protection to the cleaner 27, which allows the member to be polystyrene. Stirrer Bar System The cartridge 1 toner is monocomponent, which can become static and cohesive when left undisturbed for a while. This stagnation and settling of the toner can be aggravated by the slight vibrations generated by the printer motor and the clutch train in a laser printer. The failure in the supply of toner from the wall 61a through the slotted exit surface 61aaa is the consequence of the settling, stagnation and cohesive nature of the monocomponent toner in the feeding device 61. The resting angle of the settled toner ( that is, the angle of inclination of a surface on which the settled toner rests before "falling" by its own weight) can reach or exceed 90 degrees. The exit surface 61aaa is tilted upward at approximately 50 degrees from the upright position during operation (angle A, figure 9), allowing the toner to settle in a stack that does not reach the toner 45 additive roller. leads to a premature failure of printing, called "starvation", as it would result with the use of an empty cartridge. Experimentally, as much as 230 grams of the 465 gram capacity of the toner feed device 61 have been found in the feeding 61 of a cartridge 1 when starvation has occurred due to the existence of a toner stagnation stack that prevents the supply of toner to the toner adding roll 45. The stir bar 65 overcomes toner stagnation and toner supply failure to the toner addition roller 45. The primary function of the stirring bar 65 is to prevent stagnation of toner and to supply the toner from the entrance of the developer pool to the toner adding roller, thus avoiding premature failure when printing. As the control knob of the feeding device 63 rotates counterclockwise (FIG. 3), it reaches a point in its rotation where it begins to contact the extension 65a and the lifting shaker bar 65. The control knob control 63 continues to raise the stir bar 65 until it loses the clutch with extension 65a. At this point, the stirring bar 65 falls again by gravity towards the resting position, transporting toner from the entrance of the development chamber to the toner adding roller. (Although not useful in the disclosed embodiment, an alternative is a bearing on the extension 65a or on the upper wall 61aa, which will cushion the fall.Those bearing would also serve as a spacer to control the position of the agitator in the downward position and eliminate projection 65b). At the top of its path, the stir bar 65 is out of the way of the main pool control knob 63 and approaches a slit. 277 in the housing of the feeding device 271 (figure 9). The slit 277 provides space for the stir bar 65 to clear the end of the control knob of the feed device 63, and prevents overrun of the agitator arm 65, which would cause it to lock in an upper position when the cartridge is shipped, stored, or drive outside the machine. In the upper position, the stir bar 65 forms an almost vertical wall on the wall of the feeding device 61a. The initial opening above the wall 61a is approximately 26.7 mm, while the height of the bar 65 facing that opening is 7 mm. This allows room for the toner from the main pool to flow between the agitator 65 and the inclined wall 61aaa. It also serves as a temporary barrier preventing the delivery of excessive amounts of toner from the feed device 61 to the toner adding roll 45. As the stir bar 65 falls into its resting position, both the newly supplied toner and any stagnant toner remaining on the wall 61aaa are pushed towards the toner addition roller 45. The movement of the agitator 65 also agitates the toner in the area above and towards the developer roller for the doctor blade line of doctor 91, helping to avoid the packing and stagnation of toner in this volume. The agitator 65 can preferably be implemented by stamping (or laser cutting) and can be formed from a metal sheet with elastic characteristics that maintain the shape of the agitator during assembly and operation. The entire part containing the bar 65, the extension 65a and the curved portions 65aa and 65bb can preferably be made by stamping all the features in one operation. As planned for the preferred embodiment, illustrated herein, the bar 65 may have a length approximately eqto the length of the toner adding roller, which may be, for example, 220 ir-m; and has an exemplary height of approximately 7 mm; a thickness of 1.3 mm, chosen to give a stirring mass of the whole stamped part of, for example, approximately 20 grams. Since the stir bar 65 is driven by gravity, the mass is chosen to provide sufficient driving force to push the toner stagnant along the wall 61aaa towards the toner-adding roller 45, but the mass is limited in order to not affecting the torque sensing function of the control knob of the feeding device 63. The articulated segments 65aa and 65bb and the associated distance from the bolts 103a and 103b to the stirring bar 65 determine the arc traveled by the bar 65 as falls from the upper position to the descending position. In the present preferred embodiment, the pivoting distance of 13.5 mm, for example, allows the control command to travel from an upward position that leaves a gap of 3 mm between the bottom of the bar 65 and the wall 61aa, to a 3mm downward position above the toner addition roller 45. With this design, the weight of the control knob is effectively applied to move the toner over the distance traveled by the arc. A shorter pivot distance would result in insufficient travel to capture and supply toner; and would require a heavier control command to exert the same force on the toner during the distance traveled through the arch. The bolts 103a and 103b are smaller in diameter (1 mm, for example) than their holes in which they fit in portions 65aa and 65bb to prevent binding due to the formation of the toner. The extension 65a is long enough to engage the active segment of the control knob 63. Additionally, the length of the extension 65a is long enough to overcome the active segment of the control knob 63 when the extension 65a engages the control first. control 63 to avoid scratching the surface of the control knob. A small radius (of 0.5 mm, for example) is placed on the lower tip of the extension 65a to prevent chafing of the control knob 63 as it releases the extension 65a. The total length and the elasticity of the agitator 65 allow the assembly on the bolts 103a and 103b by simple deviation of the part. Accordingly, this agitator design works to experience toner stagnation and to supply the toner from the input of the feed device 61 to the active area of the toner adding roller 45. The agitator 65 and its extensions 65a, 65aa and 65bb are a single part. The stirring bar 65 is operated internally, without clutch, cams or external seals that would be required by an agitator operated externally. In this way, the cost and complexity of the clutch, seals, friction and toner leakage are eliminated as problem areas. The agitator 65 is frequently activated enough to move the toner and prevent stagnation without adding excessive agitation or damage to the toner. This design improves the supply of first-inlet-first-toner toner from the feed device 61 to the smaller area containing the toner-45 adding roller by preventing excessive supply of toner in the raised position and by opposing the return of the toner. from the area of the toner adding roller 45 to the feeding device 61. Dimensions With the cartridge installed for operation, the location of the contact line of the toner adding roller 45 with the developing roller 43 is 105 degrees from the vertical position. The contact line angle of the photoconductive drum 49 towards the developing roller 43 is 95 degrees from the vertical position. As previously stated, the doctor blade contact line is 20 degrees from the vertical position. The length from the bottom of the feeding device 61 to the horizontal plane coincident with the edge of the upper surface 69 near the feeding device 61 is 61.96 mm, creating an initial opening of approximately 26.7 mm (as previously indicated, the lower surface 61aa is 35.3 mm). The upper surface 69 has a slightly upward angle towards a higher point of 64.34 mm. The diameter of the toner adding roller 45 is 14 mm and is located with its circumference 1 mm above the lower part of the body of the feeding device 271 immediately below it. The diameter of the developer roller 43 is 20.11 mm and is located with its circumference 2 mm above the lower part of the body of the feeding device 271 immediately below it. The length from the bottom of the feed device 61 to the horizontal plane coincident with the bottom part of the developer roller 43 is 23.7 mm and the corresponding length to the bottom of the toner adding roller 45 is 22.6 mm. The diameter of the photoconductive drum 49 is 30 mm. The lower part of the body 271 under the rollers 43 and 45 is at an angle of 6 degrees upwards to provide sufficient space for the guide flanges 225 on the outside of the body 271. Installation of the Cartridge Figure 10 is a front view left of the inside of a printer with which the inventive cartridge described herein can be used by means of an exemplary preferred embodiment. The cartridge 1 is installed in a printer 291 (Figure 10) from the front to a final position well within the printer 291. To accomplish this, the guide wings 9a and 9b are initially guided by a lower path 293 on a path curve, which guides the cartridge 1 under the laser print head (not shown) and over the paper feed elements 295. The path is downward, which uses gravity while inserting the cartridge 1, thereby facilitating the insertion. The guide 293 (and a guide not shown, which is a mirror image of the guide 293 on the opposite side of a printer 291) has the same curvature as the wings 9a, 9b so that the wings 9a, 9b can follow guide 293 and its opposite guide. The upper guide 297 is parallel to the guide 293. The guide 297 extends further into the printer than the guide 293. A guide (not shown), which is a mirror image of the guide 297, is on the side opposite of the printer 291. The guide 297 easily finds the actuating surface 13bb during the insertion of the cartridge 1. As the cartridge 1 moves backward, the actuating surface 13bb is rotated to open the obturator 7 (as the surface 13aa turns on finding a mirror image of guide 297 on the left side of the printer). This anterior movement of the obturator 7 is very advantageous since it eliminates the need for space and the mechanism that would be required if the drive were to occur at the end of the insertion of the cartridge 1. The right reference position roller 299 is also shown in FIG. on which the contact surface 133a rests when the cartridge is inserted. The contact surface 161a will rest on an identical roller (not shown) on the opposite side of the printer 291. The back of the roller 299 is a V-shaped block 301, shown more clearly in Figure 11, and an electrical contact associated 302. Further back is a vertical tab 303, which will contact the shutter 7 to keep it open as will be described. As cartridge 1 is inserted, the wings 9a, 9b are guided by the guides 293 and 297 and the mirror image guide (not shown) on the opposite side of the printer 291. As the insertion continues, the wings 9a, 9b fall from the lower guide 293 (and its mirror image guide) and the shaft 47 of the photoconductive drum 49 falls towards the V-shaped block 301 and a block in the form of Mirror image V (not shown) on the opposite side of the printer 291. A thin metal sheet dependent 302 (figure 11, shown in side view) is contacted and somewhat curved by the shaft 47 as it is guided by the V-shaped block 301. This creates a connection to operate the potential towards the shaft 47. When the cartridge 1 falls in a V-shaped block 301, the lug 303 contacts the plug 7 to keep the shutter open 7. Prior to that , the longer length of the upper guide 297 was sufficient to keep the shutter 7 open. In this final position, the cartridge 1 is located more precisely with respect to the functional elements. The cartridge 1 is held in the printer 291 as described below under the heading "Reference Surfaces". To remove the cartridge, it is held by the handles 3a, 3b and is pushed precisely up and forward. The wings 9a and 9b enter again between the guides 293 and 297, and the cartridge can be released. Cartridge Manufacturing All molded parts follow the technical dictation (to avoid distortion in cooling) of keeping the enclosed surfaces of the same thickness. According to the above, the molded projections observed from the back (shown, for example, in Figure 13) appear as holes in the part. The circles in the drawings with crosses of dotted lines indicate the gate where the molten resin was received in the mold (shown, for example, also in Figure 13). The assembly of the cartridge 1 begins with a connection of the body of the feeding device 271 to its end members 99 and 101 with the control knob 63 installed. The interior of the end member 99 is shown in Figure 12 and the interior of the member 101 is shown in Figure 13. Both are molded parts of polystyrene resin. Each of the members 99 and 101 are coupled to their corresponding body side 271 (Figure 9). The edge 321 of the member 101 enters the slot 275 in the right flange of the member 271. The edge 322 of the member 99 enters the slot (not shown) at the left edge of the member 271 that engages the edge 322. Those portions are maintained slightly held in a crack and welded ultrasonically, with the control knob 63 inserted before the last of the two end members was welded. Then, a nozzle (not shown) snaps into the central hole 325 of the member 101 about the axis of the control knob 63 and a second nozzle (not shown) is snapped in a similar manner about the axis of the control knob 63 in the central hole 329. The stir bar 65 (FIG. 9) is then flexed and installed by mounting the end portion 65aa on the bolt 103a and the end portion 65bb on the bolt 103b. The toner additive roller 45 with low friction washers at each end is then installed by tilting its shaft through the hole 333 (FIG. 12) in the member 99, giving strength, and then moving the roller 45 laterally to conduct its shaft through a snap-fit nozzle (not shown) in hole 335 in member 101. Before installing the toner adding roller 45 and the clutch plate 173, a sickle-shaped seal member having a semicircular central body (not shown) is installed on each side of the location of the developer roller 43. Such a seal is illustrated in the IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 33, No. 3B, August 1990, pp. 29-30, entitled "Printer Toner Seal". The location of this seal on the right side is the surface labeled 383 in FIG. 13. This is essentially standard as the mastic is first applied at each end of the location for the seal and the ends of the condescending elongated seal are pressed in. the chew The seal has edges directed slightly towards the center. A sealing system such as this one is essentially the same as in the previous cartridges.

The doctor blade 91 (best seen in FIG. 6) is then installed by driving it vertically upwards behind the edge 365 (FIG. 13) to the right. In the completed cartridge 1, the blade 91 is held in the lower part by contact with the developing roller 43. The developing roller 43 with low friction washers at each end is installed by placing the left end of its shaft beyond the member end 99 (figure 12) and threading the right end of its shaft through the central hole of the nozzle 375, shown in figure 15. The clutch plate 173 is shown alone in figure 14. It has a hole 351 for receiving the shaft of the toner addition roller 45 and the hole 359 for the axis of the developer roller 43. A central hole 353 is about to receive the screw 175 but the hole 353 is significantly larger than the axis of the screw 175. The clutch plate 173 has a shaft 355, a shaft 357, and a vertically extending projection 361. Clutch plate 173 is led to member 99 while axles of toner adding roller 45 and developer roller 43 They run through holes 351 and hole 359, respectively. The clutch plate 173 is rotated until the projection 361 strikes the edge of the doctor blade 91. This serves as a locator for the clutch plate 173 and the doctor blade 91. The screw 175 is tightened in the hole 353 to fix plate 173 in that position. Clutches 169, 165 and 171 are pressed on shafts 355, 357 and 363 (Figure 5, in member 99). (As shown in Fig. 14, such axes have an enlarged head with a space in order to deform when they receive a pressing force). A clutch 167 is also pressed onto the axle of the toner adding roller 45. The clutch assembly of the control knob 163 is pressed onto the axis of the control knob 63. These clutches and the drive coupler 41 are manipulated towards their axes by the two cross sections that have "D" comparison. The nozzle 375 has a flat outer segment 377 which allows the nozzle 375 to enter the opening 379 (FIG. 13) in the member 101 since the opening 379 is circular with an open circle segment smaller than half, in which the nozzle 375 can be adjusted in one orientation. The nozzle 375 is then rotated in a direction to rotate the lower projection 381 downward, which removes the orientation in which the nozzle 375 can be adjusted through the incomplete segment 379 and closes the nozzle 375 in place. The installed nozzle 375 is shown in Fig. 16. In operation, the developer roller 43 rotates in one direction to rotate the projection 381 downwardly. The advantage of the nozzle 375 is that it is provided for a relatively easy installation and change of the developer roller 43 in the event that a member requires a replacement during subsequent tests. The drive coupler 41 is then snapped into the left end of the developer roller shaft 43 using a locating baffle to slightly separate the coupler 41 from the cover 31. The mounting rollers 141a and 141b are pre-applied by press fit. during termination of the feeding device 61. An adhesive tape is applied through the top of the doctor blade 91. The spring 191 then flexes in place to bypass the doctor blade 91 downward. After the toner is installed and tested for leaks, the above-mentioned upper stop members on each side of the shoulders 199a and 199b are applied individually and remain in place, supported by their rear adhesive cover. The coding wheel 135 is also installed by snap fit. With the rollers 43 and 45 and the doctor blade 91 in place, the metal contact 93 is inserted between the edges 139. The contact 93 has arrowhead sides to join the edges 139, and extends upwards and over the two poles 385 (FIG. 4) in the member 101a and extend toward a curved end that is pressed against the doctor blade 91. The contacts 95 and 97 have similar arrowhead sides that they are driven into the edges 139 and end in short curved ends 387, 389, respectively, which are pressed against the axes of the roller 45 and 43, respectively. Contact vaseline is added to the contacts and shafts. The above are part of the revealing installation. The photoconductor and cover assembly are assembled separately. The wiper blade panel 73a (see figure 3) is installed using screws 77a and 77b. The linking arms 11, 17, 17a, 17b and 15a, 15b are assembled in a known manner by projections having extensions that enter the coupling holes in the attached arms. The arms are then rotated to operating positions in which the extensions do not find an opening and therefore secure the members together while leaving them free to rotate. The links 13a to lia and 13b to 11b are held by a bolt 401 with lock, as shown in Figure 17. The bolt 401 has a circular flexible arm 403 and the arms lia and 11b have a coupling edge 405b (not shown the edge on the opposite side). The bolt 401 is inserted through the holes of the member 13a and lia and another bolt 401 is inserted through the holes of the members 13b and 11b. The bolts 401 are then rotated until their arms 403 flex around the edge 405b and the edge on the opposite side, respectively, and then recover to be secured under the edge 405b and the edge of the opposite side, respectively. This keeps both links of fbars in place. The bolt 401 has a shaft 407 (best seen in Figure 4), which extends into a slot (not shown) on each side of the cleaner 27 to add stability to each fbar link. The plug 7 is installed by flexing the plug 7 and locating the pins 431b (figure 1) and a bolt on the opposite side (not shown) and by inserting the bolt 431b and the bolt on the opposite side in the holes on the sides of the locator surface 29a, 29b, respectively. The bolt 431b has a spiral compression spring 433 wound around it, which is tensioned to deflect the cover 7 upwards. As best seen in Figure 19, one end of the spring 132a is clamped through a hole in the connector projection 431 of the cover 33 on one side and the opposite end of the spring 132a is temporarily fastened to the hole 39a of the cover 33. As best seen in Figure 20, the spring 132b is clamped through a hole in the connector projection 242 of the cover 241 on one side and the opposite end of the spring 132b is temporarily fastened to the hole 243 of the cover. cover 241. The photoconductive drum 49 is installed in the cleaner housing assembly by placing the drum and the two clutches 49a and 145 (see figures 4 and 5) in position with a thin washer, (not shown) on the left side and by inserting the shaft 47 through that assembly and the housings 31 (figure 2) and 253 (figure 8). The standard E-shaped fasteners are installed on each end of the shaft 47 to contain the drum and the axis of lateral movement. As shown in Figure 18, the extension terminal 145a of the clutch 145 has an internal copper blade 421 with three sharp points 421a. The copper foil 421 also has an elongated member 421b that extends over the central hole. The terminal 145a is inserted into the drum 49. The points 421a are driven into the aluminum cylinder that forms the inside of the drum 49, creating a physical as well as electrical connection. The shaft 47 is then threaded through the clutch 145, the drum 49 and then through the clutch 49a. This bends the elongated member 421b so that it is pressed against the shaft 47 and makes electrical contact. The revealing installation is then placed before the photoconductor and the cover assembly and the two move together. Covers 33 and 241, 245 flex outwards and then close to the final position. The springs 132a and 132b are removed from the holes 39a and 243 and manually attached to the projections 131a and 131b, respectively. This completes the cartridge 1. It will be readily understood that any joint where toner is contained should be sealed. Immediately inside the supports of the toner control knob 63 and the toner addition roller 45 are located end seals of synthetic rubber. Figure 13 shows a receptacle 335 having upper and lower projections receiving such a seal, the seal having coupling extensions that fit into the projections to prevent rotation of the seal. The ends of the cleaner chamber 27 have foam walls with external adhesive to ensure their positioning. As previously known, other extended bonds have a plastic tape (polyethylene terephthalate) with a side containing pressure sensitive adhesive applied thereto by the adhesive. As was also previously known, the developer roller 43 is sealed with a tape that is cantilevered from the bottom of the body 271 to be located in front of the roller 43. A second adhesive strip seals the far rear end of the body 271. Such a seal It is basically standard and does not form part of this invention. Toner In a preferred embodiment, the cartridge 1 employs a monocomponent electrophotographic toner which can be basically conventional. The amount of toner in the feed device 61 is limited by the pressure mismatch of the print quality and by detecting the toner level by the toner resistance in the control knob 63. When the cartridge 1 is in the installed position, A typical top level of the toner will be 10 mm above the upper barrier wall 61aa. The presence of toner at that typical higher level is indicated in Figure 9 by the surface toner lines 425, but the toner is otherwise shown as transparent for clarity. The real toner is, of course, a dry, opaque powder. During use, the toner is exhausted to lower levels and moved by the control knob 63. As is conventional, the developer roller 43 applies toner 425 to the photoconductive drum 49 to develop electrostatic images on the photoconductive drum 49. Reference Surfaces The figure 19 shows only the roller 141a of the assembly of the feeding device finally installed and, therefore, located on a flat surface 441 which is an extension of the cover 33. Similarly, figure 20 shows only the roller 141b of the assembly of the feeding device finally installed and therefore located on a flat surface 443 which is an extension of the cover 241. Such positioning of an assembly with the photoconductive roller and an assembly with the developing roller for lateral adjustment of the rollers is essentially the same as in the previous cartridges. However, in the described embodiment of the current cartridge, the cartridge 1 has flat surfaces 133a and 161a and the printer 291 has the second set of rollers (roller 299, figure 10 and its mirror image), on which the flat surfaces 133a and 161a rest, respectively. In the previous cartridges, a second set of rollers was part of the cartridge. As in the previous cartridges, the two roller assemblies 141a, 141b, 299, and the mirror image of the roller 299, define a plane of movement to guide the developer roller 43 toward the proposed contact with the photoconductive drum 49. Figure 19 shows a projection 23, which is an extension of the cover 33 and, as the cartridge 1 is installed in a printer as shown in Figure 19, it is generally above a flat surface 445 of the printer structure. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 20, a flat upper flange 447 is an extension of the cover 241 and, when the cartridge 1 is installed in a printer, it is located above a flat surface (448 of FIG. 10). ) of the structure of the printer. A flat bottom surface 449 (Figure 19) is located under the projection 23 of the cover 33, and a flat bottom surface 451 (Figure 20) of the cover 245 is under the edge 447. The bottom surfaces 449 and 451 are locating surfaces resting on surfaces of structure 445 and 448, respectively. Figure 21 shows the right side of the cartridge 1 installed in a printer with emphasis on the cantilevered roller 461 which presses down the locator surface 29b. A second cantilevered roller (not shown), which is a mirror image of the roller 461, exists and presses down the locator surface 29a. The roller 461 and its mirror image roller are attached to the structure of the printer. They are deflected firmly downwards by a spiral spring 463 for the roller 461 and a mirror image spiral spring for the mirror image roller. As the cartridge 1 is inserted into the printer by the movement of the wing 9a in the guides 293, 297 and the wing 9b in the corresponding mirror image guides, the locator surface 29b finds the cantilevered roller 461 and the surface locator 29a finds a corresponding mirror image cantilever mounted roller; and the locator surfaces 29a, 29b rotate these rollers upwardly as the cartridge 1 continues to move. When the wing 9a falls off the guide 293 and is finally placed by the shaft 47 that sits on the V-shaped block 301, the cantilevered roller 461 completely contacts the surface 29b, as shown in Figure 21. When the top cover of the printer is closed, a sheet spring placed downwardly on the printer cover contacts the projection 23 on the left front side of the cover 33 and a second spring placed downward on the cover of the printer contacts the surface 447 on the right cover 241. Such interaction of a cartridge with a printer cover is generally conventional, as illustrated by U.S. Patent No. 5,365,315 to Baker et al. As the lid is closed, a charging roller mechanism moves to the obturator 5 and then continues to move down to open the obturator 5 by pushing it downward and to drive a charge roller in contact with the photoconductor 49. A beam of The laser for the discharge drum 49 is also directed through the opening left after the plug 5 is pivoted downward, as shown in U.S. Patent No. 5,526,097 to Rea. In summary, the photoconductor and the cover assembly are located downwardly on the front surfaces 449 and 451, are located downwardly by the shaft 47 in the V-shaped block 301 and in the V-shaped mirror image block. and they are held in the downward location by the cantilevered roller 461 on the surface 29b and the mirror-mounted cantilever roller on the surface 29a. The developer installation is located laterally by the springs 132a and 132b that move the assembly so that the developer roller 43 contacts the photoconductor 49, and is located downwardly by the rim 133a resting on the roller 299 and the rim 161a resting on the mirror image roller of the roller 299. The developer does not require an upward locator since it has sufficient weight so as not to move upwards. The edges 133a and 161a resting on the roller 299 and a mirror image roller respectively allow the developer installation to be adjusted laterally. In the previous cartridges, both sets of rollers were in trajectories in the cartridge. This required difficult tolerances to locate the lower part of the cartridge inside the printer. In the subject cartridge the edges 133a and 161a have no parts linked to the guide edges of the medium 223 and 225, which are the same molded part as the flanges 133a and 161a. Figure 22 shows an extension of the lateral member 99 held in a slot 471 in the lower part of the cover 25. This provides lateral location between the assembly of the feeding device and the cover 25. The lateral location structure is generally similar to the previous cartridges. If desired, the upper portions of the end members 99 and 101 may have an ascending edge or pump, which will strike the cover 25 during rough handling and thereby limit the relative upward movement of the assembly of the feeding device with respect to the cover 25. When installed in the printer, the frame members contact the left cover 31 and the right cover 241 to ensure they do not contact the feed device assembly and interfere with its free movement on the roller 299 and its image roller of mirror on flanges 133a and 161a, respectively. Ventilation by the Stopper Stopper 143 (Fig. 24) in a preferred form is a venting element that allows air to escape from the cartridge 1 while blocking the toner. The cartridge 1 in the exposed mode is designed to operate at high speed in order to print from 8 to 24 or more standard pages per minute. This operation generates a potentially harmful internal pressure level during the operation, which contributes to toner leakage from the cartridge 1. To release such pressure, the plug 143 is a labyrinth design that ends in a plush felt. Often, but not exclusively, leaks occur immediately after the cartridge becomes inactive. The internal pressure in the feed device 61 is created by ingesting air with toner 425 contained by the developer roller 43 beyond a seal (not shown) under the developer roller 43. The toner addition roller 45 pushes this air mixture / toner away from the developer roller, which creates an increase in pressure in the feed device 61 until a pressure equilibrium is reached. As shown in FIG. 23, cap 143 is formed from a single molded part 481 having a circular base member 483 and a circular cap member 485 separated by a thin connector arm 487, which has a central slit. 489 to allow the joint as a solid joint. The base 483 has a series of equally spaced outer holes 491 around the entire lower circumference of the base 483. Extending from the bottom of the base 483 and located inwardly is a circular wall 493 having separate rectangular openings 495 in the interior. outer end of the wall 493 equally spaced around the entire circumference of the wall 493. Similarly, the lid 485 has a circular wall 497 extending from the top of the lid 485 having rectangular openings 499 at the end exterior of the wall 497 equally spaced around the entire circumference of the wall 497. A standard felt disk 501 F3 is pressed towards the center of the cover 485 where it contacts the inner part of the holes 503 (FIG. 24) at the center of the the lid 485. To complete the plug 143 as shown in figure 24the lid 485 and the base 483 are intermixed by the bending arm 487 at the point of articulation 489. In this position no part of the openings 499 is opposite the outer holes 491 and no part of the openings 495 is opposite to the openings 495. holes 499. Figure 25 is an alternating cross-sectional view of Figure 24 showing all holes 495 and 499 and indicating the alternating path through angles 505a and 505b in the arrow under discussion 505. As shown in Figure 25 , the plug is held together by a snap fit in which the lower circumference of the base 483 is slightly smaller than the circumference of the lid 485. In operation, when the pressure is increased in the cartridge 1, the air, which contains potentially toner particles, enters the openings 491 which are inside the feed device 61. That air enters the circular chamber 507, as illustrated by the arrow 505, and it is blocked by the wall 497 immediately opposite the hole 491 and, therefore, must be moved to the right or to the left, as illustrated by the curved arrow 505a, to reach the openings 499. The air then enters the chamber 509. air is blocked by the wall 493 and must also move to the right or to the left, as illustrated by the curved arrow 505b, to reach the openings 495, which are at the opposite end of the chamber 509. After passing to through the openings 495, as shown by the arrow 505, air enters the central chamber 511 and passes through the felted filter 501 and then out of the cartridge 1 through the holes 503. (Figure 23 shows four central edges 513a-513d, which divide the chamber 511 into four equal parts. However, the edges 513a-513d are for the structural support of the felted disc 501 and, functionally, the chamber 511 can be a single chamber). The labyrinth configuration of this plug construction 143 results in continuous operation as an air vent with only a minor accumulation of toner inside the plug 143. The internal chambers 507, 509 and 511 are concentric circles.

Claims (4)

1. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the present invention, it is considered as a novelty and therefore the property described in the following claims is claimed as property. A toner cartridge for an image forming apparatus comprising a toner feed device, a developer roller that receives toner in controlled quantities from said toner feeding device, and a photosensitive roller which rotates through the toner supplied by said developer roller, said cartridge having curved flat members on opposite sides of said cartridge for movement guided by slots in said image forming apparatus, said members being substantially continuous planes for being guided by substantially continuous slots, said members being thin flat in their initial entry locations into said grooves and said continuous members having a thicker member in the separate locations of said initial locations so as to facilitate entry into said grooves as said initial locations are significantly thinner than the amplitude of said slots. The cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that each flat member is molded of plastic as a unitary member that includes the body of said cartridge from which each said flat member extends. The cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that said feeding device contains electrophotographic toner for developing electrostatic images. The cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that said feeding device contains electrophotographic toner for developing electrostatic images.