Cleaner/waste bottle interface sealing via toner valve
US5594541A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 9, 1994 |
| Grant date | Jan 14, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 9, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03G21/12
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus and method that uses a toner valve to seal the interface between a cleaner housing and waste container. The toner valve incorporates a two piece valve of which the larger, called the main valve, is housed in the cleaner housing, and the smaller, called the lid, is housed in the top of the waste container. When the waste container is inserted onto the cleaner housing, the main valve of the cleaner housing is coupled to the lid of the waste container. A handle extending from a shaft in the main valve enables movement of the complete toner valve. The coupling of the two piece toner valve enables the toner valve to work as a single unit when the handle is rotated, opening the waste container and the cleaner housing and providing a totally sealed open path for the toner to fall from the cleaner housing to the waste container. Further rotation of the two piece toner valve closes both the cleaner housing and the waste container. The main valve seals the cleaner housing preventing toner from escaping and the lid seals the waste container preventing toner from spilling upon removal from the cleaner housing.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.