SK212006A3 - Toner container closure - Google Patents

Abstract

Seal (2) of a toner container (1), which is used in printers, copying and fax machines, consists of the actual closing element, which overlaps the discharge aperture of toner container (1), of an opening means (5) and possibly of a sealing, for example of an elastic foam material, along the seal (2) circumference, which prevents toner spilling from the cartridge during its usage in a printing device. The closing element of seal (2) is an elastic preloaded layer (3), to which an easily breakable strip (11) may be attached, or an elastic preloaded layer (3) joined with a closing layer (12); also in this case an easily breakable strip (11) may be attached either to the elastic preloaded layer (3) or to the closing layer (12).

Description

Toner Cartridge Cap

Technical field

The invention relates to a toner cartridge closure for laser printers, copiers and fax machines, in particular to protect the toner from moisture and to prevent its loss during handling and transport.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The main function of the toner cartridge closure in the cartridge is to provide a mechanical barrier against leaking from the cartridge during transport and handling of the cartridge, as well as to prevent moisture from entering the cartridge during storage. When installing the cartridge, the cap must be easy to remove or remove. open so that the toner flows smoothly from the cartridge into the working parts of the cartridge.

The known cartridge sealing caps made of foil or foam and foil (GB 2 321 219) consist of two immediately joined portions of a wider rectangle - a body overlapping the opening for the toner passage to the cartridge working portion and the tapered-tail tapered portion tearing to form a hole. The tapered tapered portion - the tail - is folded at the point of contact of the two portions and rotated 180 ° so as to return over the closure body back to its beginning where it is led out of the cartridge through the intended opening. The toner cartridge is opened by pulling the end of this tapered portion protruding from the cartridge, thereby pulling the cap or a portion thereof out of the cartridge and releasing the cartridge working opening through which the toner stored in the cartridge is gravitationally transferred to other working portions of the cartridge.

In order to ensure the proper functioning of the toner cartridge, it is important that the opening created after opening the cap has the prescribed geometric dimensions and location so that the cap or some of its parts do not create impediments to the toner movement.

From the viewpoint of the cartridge installer, the opening must be simple, without the need to exert excessive pulling force on the opening and

- the 2 pulled-out part of the closure does not cause the operator to become soiled with toner that could be deposited on the pulled-out part. At the same time, the operator should be informed that the opening of the container has been successful - e.g. in that the withdrawn portion of the closure has unambiguous geometric dimensions without any material deformation features.

For example, the closure is made of a bundle of fibers which are arranged parallel to the longer sides of the closure, i.e. in the tail direction. The material has a higher tensile strength in the direction of the fibers and a lower one in the direction perpendicular to the fibers. The opening in this type of closure is created by pulling the tail and overcoming the force joining the fibers transversely and then separating the material along the fibers (US

523,828, 6,350,503; GB 2,289,238). Such closures are structurally simple, their construction and the geometry of the opening in the closures depend on the properties of the base material. Requirements to reduce the tensile force required to tear off the center strip - the tail defining the aperture, as well as the accuracy of the resulting aperture, have led to reinforcement of the band either by local bonding areas or by laminating transverse reinforcements at certain intervals.

041 202). Another solution is the closure described in EP 0 895 138 A2, consisting of several layers, wherein in one of the layers longitudinal cavities are formed by means of a laser. In this case, above the layer in which the cavities are formed, there must be a layer of reflective material to stop and reflect the laser beam.

From the point of view of the installation method, the bases are used for cartridges where the toner cartridge discharge opening is directly accessible after mechanical disassembly and the seals are sealed. Seal closures are used in cartridges where the hopper opening needs to be accessed by modifying the toner portion of the cartridge. In such cases, when reassembling the cartridge, it is necessary to seal the opening created to allow the cap to be installed. The gasket may be installed separately, but it is preferable that the gasket is an integral part of the closure.

The method of opening the various variations of closures used in vtoner cartridges is based on the principle that the strip-shaped portion of the cap is removed, thereby creating an opening through which toner is supplied from the cartridge to the working portions of the cartridge. The disadvantage of such an opening system is the dependence on the properties of the material used and also the fact that to create a sufficiently large opening through which the toner can flow without hindrance from the container, a considerable

- 3 of the original cap from the cartridge removed manually before use.

It is an object of the sealing closure of the toner cartridge of the present invention to provide a closure that removes as many existing drawbacks as possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This object can be achieved by closing the toner cartridge of laser printers, copiers and fax machines, in particular to protect the toner from moisture and to prevent its loss during handling and transport. The toner supply container closure consists of a closure element which opens at a designated point in the opening line by the opening means and the opening means. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The closure has a closure element formed of an elastic prestressed layer which, when opened by the opening means, shrinks to its basic dimension without internal stress and thereby opens the discharge opening of the toner cartridge.

The closure element may also be designed such that an easily tear strip is attached to the elastic prestressed layer.

In another possible solution, the closure element has an elastic prestressing layer connected to the closure layer, or it may have an easily tear strip attached to the elastic prestressing layer or to the closure layer.

The closure element according to the preferred embodiment may be mounted on the reinforcing element. It is preferred that the stiffening element is of a rigid material and it is favorable that the rigid material is compressible in a direction perpendicular to its surface. The reinforcing element may be made of cardboard or plastic with a honeycomb structure.

To prevent toner leakage from the cartridge after opening the cartridge, it is preferred that strips of compressible foam material are attached to the closure element. In another preferred embodiment, a frame of compressible foam material or a strip of compressible foam material is attached to the reinforcing element.

The opening means may be a pulling opening means, such as a wire, a fiber, or a tape attached to the closure element, for example by gluing, welding, or mechanical elements.

The opening means may also be a cutting mechanism.

In another possible solution, the opening means is an electric heating wire.

The opening means is preferably integrated into the closing element.

In a solution in which a point cut at the point of opening is formed in the elastic prestressing layer or closure layer or in an additional easily tear strip, the opening means is a fixing strip which closes and fixes the point cut until the closure is opened.

When the elastic prestressing layer is joined to the closure layer, the elastic prestressing layer may be formed by at least one frame or at least one strip. If there are more than one strip, they may be arranged in parallel or in the form of a "V" or "U".

Advantageously, in the opening line of the elastic prestressing layer or the sealing layer or the easily tear strip, depending on where the opening location is determined, directional guiding elements are formed, which may be in the form of slits, recesses or notches.

The present invention describes an improved closure for use in both new and recycled toner cartridges. The use of elastic elements biased to assist in the formation of the discharge opening eliminates the risk of incorrect opening due to tearing of the sealing material in the wrong place, minimizing the portion of the closure that needs to be pulled out of the cassette as well as the opening force.

By using mechanical force or electrical current to initiate the opening of the cartridge, it is possible to create a discharge opening without the need for user intervention automatically after inserting the cartridge into the printer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 shows a toner cartridge, FIG. 2 shows a closure according to the present invention with a closure element shown comprising an elastic prestressing layer, a pulling opening means and an opening line, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the closure of FIG. 4 shows a toner cartridge with a closure mounted in accordance with the present invention, FIG. 5 shows the closure of FIG. 2 after opening; the elastic prestressing layer is shown in a contracted shape without prestressing, FIG. Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a closure wherein the elastic prestressing layer is attached to the reinforcing element; Fig. 7 is a schematic view of a closure wherein the elastic prestressing layer is attached to the multiple reinforcing element; Fig. 8 is a schematic view of a closure where the elastic prestressing layer is attached to a multiple reinforcement element reduced to a plurality of crossbands; 9 is a schematic view of the closure of FIG. 6 wherein the opening means is an electric heating wire; FIG. Fig. 10 is a schematic view of a closure wherein the elastic prestressing layer is supplemented by a readily tear band and is fastened to the reinforcing element; 11 is a schematic view of the closure of FIG. 10, wherein the opening means is an electric heating wire; FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a closure, wherein the elastic prestressing layer is supplemented by a closure layer associated therewith; FIG. 13 is a schematic view of the closure of FIG. 12, wherein the elastic prestressing layer consists of a plurality of frames; FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the closure of FIG. 12, wherein the elastic prestressing layer consists of a plurality of strips; FIG. 15 is a schematic view of the closure of FIG. 12, wherein the elastic prestressing layer consists of V-shaped strips; FIG. Fig. 16 is a schematic view of a closure where an easily tear band (without reinforcing element) is attached to the elastic prestressing layer; Fig. 17 is a schematic view of a closure using an elastic prestressing layer, a reinforcing element and compressible foam strips; 18 is a schematic view of a closure using an elastic biasing layer, a sealing layer, a reinforcing element, and compressible foam strips;

- 6 fig. Fig. 19 is a schematic view of a closure using an elastic prestressing layer, a sealing layer and compressible foam strips (without reinforcing element); 20 is a schematic view of the closure using an example of a cutting mechanism prior to opening the closure; FIG. 21 is a schematic view of the closure using an example of a cutting mechanism after opening the closure and forming a toner passage opening; FIG. Fig. 22 is a schematic view of a closure using an example of a removable fixation overlap of an opening location on an easily tear strip; Fig. 23 is a schematic view of a closure using an example of initiating the opening of an easily bursting strip by spot melting with an electric heating wire; Fig. 24 is a schematic view of a closure using an elastic bias layer and a closure layer opened by cutting the closure layer by a cutting mechanism; Fig. 25 is a schematic view of a closure using an elastic biasing layer and a closure layer opened by spot melting the closure layer by means of an electric heating wire; 26 is a schematic view of the closure with the rearrangement of the individual layers, the reinforcing element being positioned below the elastic prestressed layer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention solves the toner cartridge 1 closure 2 (Fig. 1, 4) of the toner cartridges that are used in printers, copiers and fax machines. from moisture during cassette storage and prevents loss during cassette transportation and handling before installation. The closure 2 of the toner supply container 1 consists of the closure element itself, which covers the discharge opening of the toner supply container 1, of the opening means 5 and optionally of a seal e.g. of flexible foam material around the periphery of the closure 2, which prevents toner from spilling out of the cartridge while in use in the printing apparatus. The closure element in the basic type of closure is formed by an elastic prestretched film 3 which opens at a predetermined location in the opening line 6 by tearing, for example by pulling the pulling opening means 51 protruding from the cartridge and pulling it out of the cartridge. The elastic prestressed foil 3 collapses upon opening

- 7 basic dimension without internal tension, thereby releasing the spill opening to allow the toner to flow smoothly into the inner working parts of the toner cartridge 1. As a result of the present invention, the force required to open the closure is reduced, as well as the need to remove only the portion needed to cut the closure (fiber, tape) from the cassette, thereby eliminating the risk of contamination by the operator or the environment with toner during opening. a portion of the cap in the cartridge will block toner that may adhere to the part being pulled out.

Example 1

The closure 2 has a closure element formed of an elastic prestressed layer 3 (Figs. 2, 3, 17) which opens at a predetermined location in the tear opening line 6 by pulling on the pull opener 51, which may be a wire, fiber or tape The pulling opener 51 (Figs. 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 22) is also pulled out of the toner cartridge 1. The closure 2 is fixed to the neck of the toner cartridge 1 by means of an adhesive layer

9. It may also be fixed by welding or other mechanical means. Upon opening, the elastic prestressing layer 3, which comprises a component biased in a direction perpendicular to the opening line, shrinks to its basic dimension without internal stress (Fig. 5) and opens the discharge opening 7 of the toner cartridge 1. The pulling opening means 51 may also be integrated within the elastic prestressed layer 3. The opening means 5 may also be a moving cutting mechanism 53 (Figs. 20, 21). The elastic prestressing layer 3 can also be cut by heat, for example, using an electrically heated wire 52 (Figs. 9, 11). Another possible way of opening the closure 2 is to use a hot melt adhesive to attach it to the neck of the discharge opening 7 of the toner cartridge 1. The closure 2 is then opened by heating a hot melt adhesive, such as an electric heating wire 52, heated by a current passage, which is located on a designated opening line 6 of the closure 2 at its contact with the discharge edge of the neck of the toner cartridge 1.

Example 2

The closure 2 has a closing element formed by an elastic prestressing layer 3 supplemented by an easily tear strip 11 (Figs. 10, 11, 16). The light-tear band 11 is attached to the elastic prestressed layer 3 by use of adhesive, welding, or mechanical means. The closure 2 is fastened to the neck of the toner cartridge 1 as shown in Example 1. Line 6 of the opening of the closure 2 passes through the easy-tear band H - The opening means 5 may be a pulling opening means 51 such as wire, thread or tape strip 11 by gluing, welding, or mechanical elements. The pulling opening means 51 can also be integrated inside the easy-tear belt 11. The easy-tearing belt 11 can also be opened by other opening means 5, as shown in the example.

Example 3

In this example, the closure 2 is designed so that the discharge opening 7 of the toner cartridge 1 overlaps the closure layer 12 of a rigid non-stretch film to which the elastic prestressing layer 3 is attached (Figs. 12, 18, 19, 24). The elastic prestressing layer 3 is connected to the sealing layer 12 by gluing, welding or mechanical elements. The elastic prestressing layer 3 may be formed by one or more frames 31 (Fig. 13), optionally one or more strips 32 (Fig. 14), which may be arranged in parallel or in the form of a "V" (Fig. 15) or v "U" (not shown). The described closure 2 is affixed to the neck of the toner cartridge 1 by means of an adhesive layer 9. It may also be fastened by welding or other mechanical means. The opening means 5 is a pulling opening means 51, such as a wire, fiber or tape, attached to the elastic biasing layer 3 or the sealing layer 12 by gluing, welding or mechanical elements. The pull opener 51 may also be integrated within the elastic prestressed layer 3 or the closure layer 12.

In another solution, the closure layer 12 can be cut by a moving cutting mechanism 53 (Figs. 20, 21, 24) or by using an electrically heated wire 52 to replace the pulling opening means 51. Another possible way of opening the closure 2 is by using a hot melt adhesive. fixing it to the spout opening 7 of the toner cartridge 1. The closure 2 is then opened by heating a hot melt adhesive, for example an electric heating wire 52, which is located at a designated location in the opening line 6 of the closure 2 at the point of contact of the closure 2 with the discharge edge of the neck of the toner cartridge. Opening the closure layer 12 allows the elastic prestressing layer 3 to shrink to its basic dimension without internal stress, pulling the closure layer 12 attached thereto, thereby opening the discharge opening 7 of the toner cartridge 1.

Example 4

The closure 2, as described in Example 3, in this case the closure element is formed by joining the elastic prestressed layer 3 and the closure layer 12 and the easily tear strip 11 (not shown). The easy-tear band 11 is attached to the elastic prestretched layer 3 or the closure layer 12. The closure 2 is fastened to the neck of the toner cartridge 1 by means of an adhesive layer 9. It may also be fastened by welding or other mechanical means. The opening line 6 of the closure 2 extends through the easy-tear belt t1. The opening means 5 may be a pulling opening means 51, such as a wire, a fiber, or a tape, attached to the easy-tear belt 11 by gluing, welding, or mechanical elements. The pull opener 51 may also be integrated within the easily tear strip H. The easy tear strip 11 may be slit by a moving cutting mechanism 53 or may be thermally slit by, for example, using an electric heating wire 52.

Example 5

The closure 2 as described in Examples 1 to 4, wherein the closure element is attached to the reinforcement element 4 (Figs. 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 22, 23, 26). ) using adhesive, welding, or mechanical means. The reinforcement element 4 may also be formed by frames 41 (Fig. 7) or may be formed by strips 42 (Fig. 8). The reinforcement element 4 may be multiple (Fig. 7, 8). The stiffening element 4 made of rigid material prevents the closure 2 from bending under the force of the elastic prestressing layer 3. For toner cartridges in which the parts preventing access to the neck of the toner discharge opening 7 are removed from the cartridge before the closure 2 is mounted, made of a material compressible in a direction perpendicular to its surface. The reinforcing element 4 may be

- 10 of cardboard or plastic with a honeycomb structure. The compressibility of the stiffening element 4, when installing the closure 2, allows the space around the installed closure 2 to be filled and sealed. The inner part of the stiffening element 4 serves to further strengthen the closure 2, which is removed only after fastening the closure 2 to the neck of the discharge opening 7 of the toner cartridge 1. The closure 2 is fastened to the neck of the toner cartridge 1, for example by gluing, while the permanent adhesive layer 9 is protected from contamination by overlapping with siliconized paper 8 from application. An alternative way of fastening the closure 2 is by welding or using mechanical means. The closure 2 is opened using the opening means 5 described in Examples 1 to 4. The closure element can be attached to the reinforcing element 4 by using a hot melt adhesive and the closure 2 is opened by heating a hot melt adhesive, for example an electric heating wire 52 in the opening line 6 of the closure 2 at the point of contact of the closure element and the reinforcing element 4.

Example 6

The closure 2 described in Examples 1 to 5 comprises a frame 13 of compressible foam material or a strip 131 of compressible foam material to prevent toner leakage from the cartridge after opening the toner cartridge 1 (Figs. 17, 18, 19). Strips 131 of compressible foam material may be fastened to the closure element. A frame 13 of compressible foam material or a strip 131 of compressible foam material can be attached to the reinforcing element 4.

Example 7

The closure 2 according to the preceding embodiments, in which the opening means 5 forms a cutting mechanism 53 (Figs. 23, 25) by which a point cut is formed in the opening 61 at the opening 61 in the elastic prestressed layer 3 or the closing layer 12 or in the additional easy tear strip 11. The internal forces of the elastic prestressed layer 3, after forming a point cut at the opening 61, cause the closure 2 to be opened along its entire length at a predetermined location in the opening line 6, thereby creating a toner discharge opening 7 for toner transfer into the

- 11 working parts of toner cartridge 1. The opening line 6 may be determined by the tearing properties of the material used or may also be determined by directional guides such as cuts, perforations, depressions or notches at a predetermined location in the opening line 6 of the elastic prestressing layer 3, the sealing layer 12 or the easily tear strip .

Example 8

The closure 2 according to Example 7, in which the opening means 5 forms an electric heating wire 52, by which the thermal melting of the material of the elastic prestressed layer 3, the closing layer 12, or the supplementary tear strip 11 creates a point cut at the opening 61 (Fig. 23). 25). The internal forces of the elastic prestretched layer 3, after a point cut at the opening 61, cause the closure 2 to open all along its length at a predetermined location in the opening line 6, thereby creating a toner discharge opening 7 for transferring toner into the working portions of the toner cartridge. The opening line 6 may be determined by the tearing properties of the material used or may also be determined by directional guides such as cuts, perforations, depressions or notches at a predetermined location in the opening line 6 of the elastic prestressing layer 3, the sealing layer 12 or the easily tear strip 11

Example 9

The closure 2 according to the preceding embodiments 1 to 5, in which an elastic pre-stressed layer 3, a closure layer 12, or an additional easy-to-tear strip 11 is provided with a point cut at the opening 61 which is closed and fixed removably strip 14 (Fig. 22). When opening the closure 2, the fixing strip 14, which in this case is the opening means 5, is removed and the internal forces of the elastic prestressed layer 3 cause the closure 2 to open all along its length on a predetermined opening line 6 thereby creating a toner discharge opening 7 into the working parts of the toner cartridge. The opening line 6 may be determined by the tearing properties of the material used or may also be determined by directional guides such as cuts, perforations, depressions, or indentations at a designated location

- 12 in the opening line 6 of the elastic prestressing layer 3, the sealing layer 12 or the easily tear strip 11

It is to be understood that there may be other various modifications of the described invention that do not go beyond the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

Claims (22)

PATENT CLAIMS A toner cartridge cartridge for laser printers, copiers and fax machines, in particular to protect the toner from moisture and to prevent its loss during handling and transport, comprising a closure element and an opening means (5), characterized in that the closure element is elastically prestressed layer (3). Closure according to claim 1, characterized in that an easily tear band (11) is attached to the elastic prestressed layer (3). The closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic prestressing layer (3) is connected to the closure layer (12). Closure according to claim 3, characterized in that an easily tear band (11) is attached to the elastic biasing layer (3) or the sealing layer (12). The closure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the closure element is fastened to the reinforcing element (4). Closure according to claim 5, characterized in that the reinforcing element (4) is made of a rigid material. A closure according to claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the solid material is compressible in a direction perpendicular to its surface. The closure according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the reinforcing element (4) is made of cardboard. The closure according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the reinforcing element (4) is made of plastic with a honeycomb structure. A closure according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that strips (131) of compressible foam material are fastened to the closure element. A closure according to any one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that a frame (13) of compressible foam material or a strip (131) of compressible foam material is fastened to the reinforcing element (4). The closure according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the opening means (5) is a pulling opening means (51). A closure according to claim 12, characterized in that the pulling opening means (51) is a wire, a fiber or a tape. The closure according to claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the opening means (5) is a cutting mechanism (53). The closure according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the opening means (5) is an electric heating wire (52). A closure according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the opening means (5) is integrated into the closure element. The closure according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the opening means (5) is a fixing strip (14). A closure according to any one of claims 3 to 17, characterized in that the elastic prestressing layer (3) is formed by at least one frame (31). The closure according to any one of claims 3 to 18, characterized in that the elastic biasing layer (3) is formed by at least one strip (32). The closure according to claim 19, characterized in that the strips (32) are arranged in parallel or in the form of a "V" or "U". The closure according to any one of claims 3 to 20, characterized in that directional guiding elements are formed in the opening line (6). 22. The closure of claim 21, wherein the directional guiding elements are cuts, perforations, depressions or notches.