U.S. patent number 3,749,287 [Application Number 05/249,819] was granted by the patent office on 1973-07-31 for toner container and holder for electrostatic copiers.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Automated Copier Systems, Inc. Invention is credited to Isaac W. Sanders.
United States Patent |
3,749,287 |
Sanders |
July 31, 1973 |
TONER CONTAINER AND HOLDER FOR ELECTROSTATIC COPIERS
Abstract
A liquid toner dispenser, adapted for installation as a unit in
a new or pre-existing electrostatic copier, comprises a toner
bottle provided with a metering valve assembly and associated with
a supporting bracket adapted to be positioned adjacent an access
door in the electrostatic copier. The bracket is provided with
guideways adapted to receive the bottle through the opening created
by the access door, and cooperating with the access door to
properly position the valve assembly of the toner bottle adjacent a
manually or automatically actuatable electromechanical operator
affixed to the bracket and functioning, when actuated, to dispense
a predetermined amount of liquid toner from the toner bottle.
Inventors: |
Sanders; Isaac W. (Fort
Lauderdale, FL) |
Assignee: |
Automated Copier Systems, Inc
(Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
|
Family
ID: |
22945151 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/249,819 |
Filed: |
May 3, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/325;
248/311.3; 222/DIG.1; 222/181.2; D18/43 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G03G
15/104 (20130101); Y10S 222/01 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G03G
15/10 (20060101); B67d 003/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;222/181,186,504,DIG.1
;248/311 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Reeves; Robert B.
Assistant Examiner: Kocovsky; Thomas E.
Claims
Having thus described my invention, I claim:
1. A liquid dispenser comprising a bracket having a pair of spaced,
substantially coplanar guideways, a stop structure overlying said
guideways in spaced relation thereto, an enclosed liquid container
supported by said bracket between said stop structure and said
guideways in slidable relation thereto with a first wall of said
container bearing on said stop structure, spaced portions of a
second wall of said container opposite to said first wall bearing
on said spaced guideways, each of said guideways including spring
means for urging said container toward said stop structure, a
metering valve assembly extending outwardly of said container
between said spaced portions of said second wall, said valve
assembly being adapted to be positioned at a predetermined location
between said guideways when said container is slidably inserted
into said bracket, and a valve operator mounted on said bracket,
said operator including an actuator having at least a portion
thereof positioned adjacent said predetermined location for
engagement with said valve assembly to permit the selective
dispensing of a quantity of liquid from said container.
2. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein at least one end of said
bracket is open to permit slidable insertion of said container into
said open end and along said guideways, and a hingedly mounted
access door located adjacent the open end of said bracket for
selectively closing said open end.
3. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said container is of elongated,
flat-sided, substantially rectangular cross section,
configuration.
4. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said bracket has a
substantially U-shaped cross section, said stop structure
comprising the base of said U-shaped cross section, said pair of
guideways comprising portions of the legs of said U-shaped cross
section, adjacent the free ends of said legs, extending inwardly of
said legs toward one another and positioned vertically below said
stop structure.
5. The dispenser of claim 4 wherein said U-shaped cross section
bracket is elongated in configuration and open at one end to permit
insertion of said container through said open end, the opposite end
of said bracket including a further stop structure for limiting the
extent to which said container may be inserted into said
bracket.
6. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said operator comprises an
electrically actuatable solenoid operative selectively to move said
actuator relative to said guideways into and out of engagement with
said valve assembly, said solenoid being attached to said bracket
at a position vertically above said stop structure, said actuator
comprising an elongated arm passing in a vertically downward
direction from said solenoid to a position vertically below said
guideways.
7. The dispenser of claim 6 including a manually operable switch
mounted on said bracket and electrically coupled to said solenoid
for manually controlling the energization of said solenoid to
effect movement of said actuator.
8. A dispenser comprising a bracket of substantially U-shaped cross
section having a pair of spaced legs the free ends of which extend
inwardly toward one another to define a pair of spaced,
substantially coplanar guideways, the base of said U-shaped cross
section comprising a stop structure overlying said guideways in
vertically spaced relation thereto, an enclosed container for
material to be dispensed, said container being supported by said
bracket between said stop structure and said guideways in slidable
relation thereto, a first wall of said container bearing on said
stop structure, spaced portions of a second wall of said container
opposite to said first wall bearing on said spaced guideways, said
bracket including an upwardly inclined guide structure merging at
its lower end into the base of said U-shaped cross section for
guiding said container into said bracket to a position between said
stop structure and said guideways, a valve assembly extending
outwardly of said container between said spaced portions of said
second wall, said valve assembly being adapted to be positioned at
a predetermined location between said guideways when said container
is slidably inserted into said bracket, and a valve operator
mounted on said bracket, said operator including an actuator having
at least a portion thereof positioned adjacent said predetermined
location for engagement with said valve assembly to permit the
selective dispensing of a material from said container.
9. A dispenser comprising a bracket having a pair of spaced,
substantially coplanar guideways, a stop structure overlying said
guideways in spaced relation thereto, an enclosed container for
material to be dispensed, said container being supported by said
bracket between said stop structure and said guideways in slidable
relation thereto with a first wall of said container bearing on
said stop structure, spaced portions of a second wall of said
container opposite to said first wall bearing on said spaced
guideways, at least one end of said bracket being open to permit
slidable insertion of said container into said open end and along
said guideways, a hingedly mounted access door located adjacent the
open end of said bracket for selectively closing said open end,
said access door including a spacer member thereon operable when
said door is closed to engage the end of said container closest to
said door, a valve assembly extending outwardly of said container
between said spaced portions of said second wall, said valve
assembly being adapted to be positioned at a predetermined location
between said guideways by the spacer member on said door by
slidably inserting said container into said bracket and then
closing said door, and a valve operator comprising an actuator
having at least a portion thereof positioned adjacent said
predetermined location for engagement with said valve assembly to
permit the selective dispensing of material from said container.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electrostatic copier machines of
the type employing liquid toners for developing electro-fax copy
paper and/or zinc oxide photo-conductive offset masters, and is
more particularly concerned with a novel apparatus adapted to be
mounted as a unit, e.g., as a replacement or "add-on" unit on a
pre-existing copier, to guide, position, and retain a toner
concentrate container or bottle within the copier for purposes of
permitting predetermined amounts of toner concentrate to be
dispensed when desired.
Electrostatic copiers which utilize liquid toners conventionally
include a bottle or other container for toner concentrate,
associated with an appropriate mechanism for dispensing quantities
of said concentrate from the container when desired. In the past,
the concentrate container has normally been associated with a
series of hoses and/or adapters which are in turn connected to an
air pump, or to a venturi assembly, operative to force a quantity
of the liquid concentrate out of the container under either
positive or negative pressure produced by the air pump or venturi.
In practice, when the operator has been required to replenish the
toner concentrate supply, the operator has had to disconnect the
hoses and adapter from the existing emptied toner bottle or
container, refill the bottle or container or otherwise provide a
filled such container, and then reconnect the hoses and adapter to
achieve an operative connection between the toner supply and air
pump or venturi. This task, in its entirety, has been messy, has
often produced spillage on clothing or carpets, is comparatively
time consuming, and has sometimes resulted in improper connections
between the toner supply and air pump or venturi whereby toner has
not been properly dis-pensed thereby placing the entire equipment
out of operation until the error is corrected, e.g., by a service
call.
The present invention is intended to obviate all of the foregoing
difficulties. More particularly, the present invention is concerned
with an improved dispensing arrangement, for toner concentrate,
adapted for installation in original copiers, or as a replacement
unit in pre-existing copiers. The unit comprises a novel container
associated with a novel supporting bracket, arranged to eliminate
the need for hoses and/or adapters and simultaneously to eliminate
the chance of spillage when the copier toner concentrate supply
must be replenished. The arrangement is such that an emptied toner
concentrate container can be rapidly and efficiently replaced by a
completely enclosed filled container, with ambiguous insertion and
accidental displacement of the filled container being positively
prevented, and with the filled container being automatically
positioned to achieve a desired dispensing function simply by
inserting the container into place in its associated bracket. The
copier equipment is not required to be shut down for any
significant period of time to accomplish toner replenishment; and
such replenishment can be accomplished in a clean and rapid fashion
by unskilled personnel, with service calls due to difficulties
arising out of improper replenishment being eliminated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, the dispenser unit
comprises a toner concentrate supply taking the form of a
completely enclosed, self-contained toner bottle having
cross-sectional and length dimensions which are closely related to
those provided by an associated supporting bracket adapted to
receive, retain, and properly position the bottle for dispensing
the contents thereof within the copier.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the toner bottle
(which is preferably fabricated of plastic to reduce the chances of
breakage) is of elongated, flat sided, configuration, has a
substantially square or rectangular cross section, and is provided
with a metering valve assembly projecting outwardly from one side
of the bottle adjacent one end thereof, the valve assembly being so
arranged that, when acutated, it dispenses a measured supply of
toner concentrate. The toner bottle cooperates with a supporting
bracket adapted to be attached to an interior side wall of a copier
machine at a position closely adjacent an access door in said
machine; and, when said access door is opened, the bracket in turn
cooperates with the resultant access opening to form an entrance
way for receiving the toner bottle and properly positioning the
bottle valve assembly relative to an operator or actuator mechanism
mounted on said bracket.
More particularly, the supporting bracket comprises a channel
shaped member so arranged that it provides a pair of spaced
guideways between which the valve assembly of the toner bottle may
be slidably inserted. The spaced guideways are preferably provided
with leaf-type compression springs which are adapted to engage
spaced wall portions of the bottle as the bottle is slidably
inserted into the bracket, and which act as a compensating device
permitting a limited variation in size of the toner bottle while
maintaining the bottle in firm engagement with an upper stop
forming a portion of the bracket. A rearward stop is also
preferably provided on the bracket to limit the extent to which the
toner bottle can be inserted. The bottle and bracket dimensions are
such that, if the bottle is not completely inserted into its
associated bracket, final insertion to a desired registration
position is achieved simply by closing the aforementioned access
door. To this effect, the access door is preferably provided with a
spacer which is adapted to bear upon the end of the toner bottle
opposite to the valve assembly end thereof, to serve as a further
compensating device permitting limited variations in the length of
the toner bottle and operating to assure that the toner bottle
valve assembly is disposed at a predetermined position relative to
the bracket when the copier machine access door is closed.
The unit further includes an electromechanical operator of the
solenoid type, comprising an actuator located at a predetermined
position relative to the bracket guideways, for cooperation with
the toner bottle valve assembly. The solenoid and actuator are
preferably mounted on the bracket itself to achieve a completely
self-contained assembly adapted for installation, as a unit, in new
or pre-existing copiers. The solenoid actuator is adapted to be
operated manually, e.g., by depression of a switch, or it can be
operated automatically by an electronic sensing control; and, in
either case, it functions when operated to depress and then release
the metering valve assembly of the toner bottle, thereby to cause a
measured supply of toner concentrate to be dispensed.
When the toner concentrate supply, in a copier employing the
present invention, is depleted, the toner supply can be replenished
simply by opening the copier access door, manually grasping and
removing the empty bottle therefrom, slidably reinserting a filled
bottle into place, and then closing the access door. This simple
and unambiguous series of steps quickly and automatically assures
that the toner supply is properly replenished for subsequent
dispensing, and does this without requiring any disconnecting and
reconnecting of hoses and/or adapters, and without exposing the
user to the concentrate itself.
While the present invention finds particular application in
connection with the dispensing of toner concentrate in
electrostatic copiers, it will be understood by those skilled in
the art that the structure can be employed in other dispensing
applications as well; and therefore terms such as "toner" and
"toner concentrate" used herein, and in the appended claims, are
intended to be generic to various liquids which may require
dispensing by use of the support and dispenser mechanism of the
present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view of a toner dispenser unit constructed in
accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an end view of the unit shown in FIG. 1, taken on line
2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view, at substantially full scale, of the
valve assembly comprising a portion of the dispenser unit; and
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view, at reduced scale, of the
toner dispenser unit.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the several figures, like numerals of which refer to
like parts throughout, it will be seen that the toner dispenser
unit of the present invention comprises a completely enclosed
bottle or container 10 adapted to retain a supply of toner
concentrate therein. In the preferred embodiment of the present
invention, the container 10 is fabricated of an appropriate plastic
material; and, preferably, is of elongated, flat-sided,
substantially rectangular cross-sectional configuration. In order
that the comparative dimensions of the various parts may be more
fully appreciated, it should be noted that, in one embodiment of
the invention, the toner container 10 has a length of substantially
5-1/4 inches, a width of substantially two inches, and a height of
substantially 2-5/8 inches.
The bottom surface of container 10, adjacent one end of said
container, is provided with an integral neck having external
threads formed thereon, adapted to receive a valve assembly 11. The
valve assembly is, in itself, of known construction and includes an
interior stem 12 (see FIG. 3) on which are mounted a pair of
conical valve members 13a, 13b, (see FIG. 1) in end to end
relation. A spring 14 urges valve members 13a, 13b in a downward
direction causing the member 13b to seat on an interior shoulder to
keep the valve assembly in closed condition while, at the same
time, positioning the valve member 13a below the discharge opening
15 of the valve assembly, in freely spaced relation thereto.
In known fashion, if valve member 13a is urged upwardly against the
force of spring 14, valve member 13a seals the discharge opening 15
while, at the same time, valve member 13b moves upwardly away from
its interior shoulder; and this in turn permits a measured supply
of liquid from the interior of container 10 to flow past valve
member 13b for eventual discharge through opening 15 when valve
members 13a and 13b are permitted to return, under the force of
spring 14, to their original quiescent positions. By the
arrangement shown, therefore, when the container 10 is positioned
in substantially horizontal orientation with its valve assembly 11
in substantially vertical orientation, a measured amount of fluid
may be discharged from the container 10 simply be pushing the valve
members 13a, 13b upwardly against the force of spring 14, and
thereafter releasing the valve members for return to their original
position.
It must be understood of course, that the particular valve assembly
shown in the drawings, and described above, represents part of the
preferred embodiment of the present invention but does not, per se,
characterize the invention. Variations in the type of valve
assembly employed can readily be made by those skilled in the art
without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
Container 10 is intended for support, within a new or pre-existing
copier, at a position such that the valve assembly 11 may be
appropriately manipulated to permit the dispensing operation
described above, with the dispensed fluid then being discharged
into an appropriate orifice 16 for use by the copier in developing
a print. To assure that the valve assembly can be properly
actuated, and to further assure that the dispensed fluid is
properly directed into the equipment for utilization, it is
necessary that the container 10 be properly positioned within the
copier, and that such proper positioning be achieved in a simple
and substantially foolproof manner. These considerations are
realized by virtue of a special bracket, forming a portion of the
present invention, which is so located and dimensioned that it
achieves the container positioning considerations described.
The supporting bracket comprises a substantially L-shaped metallic
member 17 having a substantially vertically extending portion 17a
and a substantially horizontally extending portion 17b the free end
of which is bent to provide a flange 17c which is in turn welded to
a vertical plate 18 which extends both above and below the level of
horizontal portion 17b. The composite structure thus forms a
channel-shaped bracket of substantially inverted U-shape comprising
element 17b, forming the base of the U, and downwardly extending
portions 17a and 18a which form the legs of the U.
The legs of the aforementioned U-shaped channel bracket are bent
inwardly, toward one another, adjacent their free ends to form
spaced, substantially coplanar guideways 19 and 20 between which
the valve assembly 11 of container 10 can freely pass when the
container 10 is inserted into the channel-shaped portion of the
supporting bracket. The two guideways 19, 20 preferably have
leaf-type compression springs 21 and 22 affixed thereto, e.g., by
rivets 23. As illustrated in the drawings, the springs 21 and 22
are positioned above their respective guideways and are adapted to
engage spaced portions of the underside of container 10, at
opposite sides of valve assembly 11, to urge the container 10 into
firm engagement with horizontal portion 17b of member 17, which
horizontal portion acts as an upper stop for the toner bottle. The
springs 21 and 22 also act, of course, as compensating devices in
that they permit the toner bottle height to be varied within limits
without requiring any change in the dimensions of the supporting
bracket.
The forward edge of horizontal portion 17b merges into an upwardly
inclined guide structure 24 which extends from said portion 17b
toward the open front of the supporting bracket. The rear edge of
portion 17a is also preferably provided with an inwardly extending
rearward stop member 25 which partially closes the corresponding
end of the supporting bracket, and limits the extent to which the
toner bottle can be slidably inserted into the bracket. Because of
this arrangement of parts, the toner bottle 10 can be inserted into
the bracket adjacent the open end thereof, i.e., adjacent the free
end of inclined upper guide 24, and may then be slid rearwardly
along guideways 19-21, 20-22 until the end of container 10 adjacent
to valve assembly 11 engages rear stop 25. When this is done, the
valve assembly 11, projecting downwardly from bottle 10 between the
guideways 19, 20, reaches a predetermined registration position
relative to said guideways.
It will be understood that the foregoing registration position is
achieved only if the valve assembly end of toner bottle 10 is first
inserted into the channel bracket. This consideration is readily
met simply by the provision of appropriate instructions to the
operator of the device. If desired, however, the toner bottle and
corresponding bracket can be so formed, e.g., by the provision of
complementary keys and keyways on the corresponding side or top
surfaces of said bottle and bracket, as to positively prevent
reverse insertion of the toner bottle.
It will further be noted that the desired registration position
between valve assembly 11 and guideways 19, 20 is achieved only if
the bottle 10 is inserted to a proper extent along said guideways.
In practice, the overall mounting structure is adapted to be
attached to an interior wall of the copier, e.g., through the
provision of fastening apertures 26, at a position closely adjacent
a hingedly mounted access door 27 in the copier housing. The access
door 27 is preferably provided with a spacer 28 on its interior
surface, adapted to engage the end of toner bottle 10 opposite to
the valve end thereof, when the access door 27 is closed. When the
door is opened, the bottle 10 may be slidably inserted through the
resulting access opening into and along the bracket between
guideways 19, 20 and upper stop 17b; but if the bottle is not fully
inserted, a final proper positioning of the bottle occurs
automatically when the spacer 28 on access door 27 comes into
contact with bottle 10 as the access door is moved to its fully
closed position. By reason of this operation, spacer 28 assures
that the bottle 10 is properly positioned along the guideways
(thereby, in some instances, permitting the rearward stop 25 to be
eliminated); and said spacer 28, if properly resilient (e.g., foam
rubber or the like) acts as a further compensating device
permitting limited variation in the length of the toner bottle.
An electromechanical operator, having an actuator adapted to
properly manipulate valve assembly 11, is affixed directly to the
supporting bracket to give the overall structure a unitary
configuration permitting it to be installed as a unit on new or
pre-existing copiers. More particularly, the portion of member 18
above horizontal stop 17b acts as a mounting bracket on which a
solenoid 30 and a microswitch 31 are affixed. Solenoid 30 and
switch 31 are interconnected to one another by appropriate
electrical connections, which are in turn adapted to be connected
to an appropriate source of AC potential generally designated 32. A
manual plunger 33 extending through the wall of the copier housing
is adapted to be manually depressed, when desired, to close switch
31 thereby to energize solenoid 30; and depression and release of
manual plunger 33 causes a corresponding energization and
de-energization of solenoid 30 to effect a desired dispensing
operation. Alternatively, energization control of solenoid 30 can
be effected automatically by an appropriate sensing device.
The armature 34 of solenoid 30 is positioned below the solenoid
and, in the de-energized condition of solenoid 30, rests on a stop
35 formed integral with member 18. A bifurcated bracket 36 is
attached to solenoid armature 34 for movement therewith, and
includes a pin 37 which extends through the upper end of an
elongated actuator arm 38. Actuator arm 38, as best shown in FIGS.
2 and 4, extends downwardly from the solenoid through an aperture
39 formed in horizontal member 17b, and through a further aperture
40 formed in member 18 above guideway 20, to a position vertically
below guideways 19, 20. The lowermost end of actuator 38 is bent
inwardly to provide a portion 38a which is positioned below and
between the guideways 19, 20 at the registration position assumed
by valve assembly 11 when toner bottle 10 is fully inserted into
its supporting bracket. Since the actuator arm 38 passes through
the aforementioned apertures 39 and 40 in the supporting bracket,
this positioning of portion 38a adjacent the registration position
of valve assembly 11 is positively assured and maintained.
When switch 31 is closed (or an appropriate signal is received from
an automatic sensing device) to energize solenoid 30, armature 34
is lifted upwardly off of its associated stop 35, thereby
simultaneously drawing actuator arm 38 upwardly; and the portion
38a of said arm accordingly engages valve assembly 11 to move valve
elements 13a, 13b thereof upwardly. When the switch 31 is
thereafter opened (or the signal from the automatic sensing device
ceases) the consequent de-energization of solenoid 30 permits the
armature 34 to return to its lower stop position thereby releasing
the valve members 13a, 13b for movement to their lower positions
under the force of spring 14, and dispensing a measured quantity of
toner concentrate.
While I have thus described the preferred embodiment of the present
invention, many variations will be suggested to those skilled in
the art. It must therefore be understood that the foregoing
description is intended to be illustrative only and not limitative
of the invention. All such variations and modifications as are in
accord with the principles described are meant to fall within the
scope of the apended claims.
* * * * *