Abstract: An imaging unit for an electrophotographic image forming device includes a housing having a rotatable photoconductive drum. A frame at a rear of the housing is positioned to matably receive a toner cartridge and is open to a portion of an outer surface of the photoconductive drum. An electrical contact is positioned along a first side wall of the frame for contacting a corresponding electrical contact in the image forming device and is electrically connected to processing circuitry on the housing. The electrical contact of the imaging unit faces upward and is unobstructed from above. A cam surface is positioned along an inner side of the first side wall of the frame for contacting an electrical connector of the toner cartridge and moving the electrical connector of the toner cartridge from a retracted position to an operative position upon mating of the toner cartridge with the imaging unit.

Abstract: A replaceable unit for use in an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a photoconductor unit having a rotatable photoconductive drum and a developer unit having a rotatable developer roll that is positioned to supply toner to the photoconductive drum. An electrical contact is positioned to contact a corresponding electrical contact in the image forming device when the replaceable unit is installed in the image forming device. A spring mechanically biases the developer unit relative to the photoconductor unit applying a bias force on the developer roll toward the photoconductive drum. The spring is electrically conductive and forms a portion of an electrical path from the electrical contact of the replaceable unit to an imaging component of the replaceable unit for carrying voltage from the electrical contact of the replaceable unit to the imaging component of the replaceable unit.

Abstract: An improved organic photoconductor drum having a protective overcoat layer and method to make the same is provided. The protective overcoat layer is prepared from a curable composition including nano metal oxide particles sized less than 400 nm in combination with an urethane acrylate resin having at least 6 functional groups.

Abstract: An imaging device has first image transfer from photoconductive drums to an intermediate transfer member (ITM) and second image transfer from the ITM to media. Transfer rolls oppose the drums from an opposite side of the ITM and electrically ground to a frame of the imaging device by mechanical connection. The rolls may be laterally offset from the drums. The ITM has relatively low surface and volume resistivity. An imaging subassembly may include the frame, the ITM, and the transfer rolls grounded to the frame.

Abstract: An improved overcoat layer for an organic photoconductor drum used in an electrophotographic image forming device is provided. The overcoat layer is prepared from a curable composition including a charge transport molecule containing four radical polymerizable hydrophilic functional groups containing an oxygen atom of the general structure shown below: wherein R1 and R2 contain a spacer group and a radical polymerizable hydrophilic functional group containing an oxygen atom, R3 and R4 are a non-radical polymerizable functional group, and R5 and R6 contain a spacer group and a radical polymerizable hydrophilic functional group containing an oxygen atom. The curable composition may also contain at least one optional curing agent. This overcoat layer improves wear resistance of the organic photoconductor drum without negatively altering the electrophotographic properties, thus protecting the organic photoconductor drum from damage and extending its service life.

Abstract: A method of preparing an organic photoconductor drum having a protective overcoat on its outermost surface is provided. In an example embodiment, a photoconductor drum having an electrically conductive substrate, a charge generation layer, a charge transport layer and an outermost protective overcoat layer is provided. The photoconductor drum is cured using a two-step process. The first curing step applies either ionizing irradiation, such as with an electron beam or by gamma rays or applies non-ionizing irradiation such as ultraviolet light to the photoconductor drum. A mask is sized and placed over the print area of the initially cured photoconductor drum, thereby exposing the outermost edges of the photoconductor drum. The outer edges of the masked photoconductor drum is then exposed to a second curing step using ultraviolet light irradiation.

Abstract: An improved organic photoconductor drum having a protective overcoat layer and method to make the same is provided. The protective overcoat layer is prepared from a curable composition including nano metal oxide particles sized less than 400 nm in combination with an urethane acrylate resin having at least 6 functional groups.

Abstract: A color imaging device includes a plurality of developer rolls with a common operating point, such as a common operating voltage. To determine the operating point, an acceptable range of color density is determined for each toner, the range being lighter and darker than an optimum color density for that toner. A search range is devised such that values within the range are examined relative to deviations from the optimum color density per each toner. The common operating point is selected as that having the lowest deviation per all toners. Also, if the common operating point corresponds to a color density darker than the acceptable range of color density for any toner, additional halftoning occurs compared to traditional halftoning, such as for continuous tones or solids. In this way, four color developer rolls can be operated from a single power supply, yet still provide acceptable color images.

Abstract: A toner cartridge according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a toner reservoir. An outlet port faces downward on a front of the housing near a first side of the housing. A linkage is positioned on the first side of the housing and has an engagement surface that is accessible at the rear of the housing. A projection is positioned on the first side of the housing and is movable between a first position and a second position. The projection is operatively connected to the linkage such that the projection moves upward from the first position to the second position when the engagement surface receives a forward force that is toward the front of the housing. The projection extends outward sideways from the first side when the projection is in the second position.

Abstract: An imaging device and a method of processing a document at the imaging device which includes receiving a message associated with the document, transmitting the message to a server communicatively connected to the imaging device, receiving an identifier of the message as stored in the server, converting the identifier to an image scannable by a mobile device, and adding the image to an output page of the document. An input language and an output language of the message associated with the document may be predetermined or may be received from a user of the imaging device.

Abstract: A toner container installable in an image forming device having a controller according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for storing toner. A chip is positioned on the housing and configured to receive a first write command from the controller of the image forming device. The chip is further configured to determine whether a transmission cycle bit of the first write command matches a transmission cycle bit of a second write command received by the chip from the controller of the image forming device previous to the first write command. The chip is further configured to resend to the controller of the image forming device a response to the second write command if the transmission cycle bit of the first write command matches the transmission cycle bit of the second write command.

Abstract: A toner cartridge according to one example embodiment includes a first positioning slot positioned on a first side of a housing of the toner cartridge for receiving a first corresponding positioning rib in an image forming device for defining an axial position of a photoconductive drum relative to the image forming device when the toner cartridge is installed in the image forming device. A second positioning slot is positioned on a second side of the housing for receiving a second corresponding positioning rib in the image forming device for defining an axial position of a developer roll relative to the image forming device when the toner cartridge is installed in the image forming device. The first and second positioning slots extend upward from a bottom of the housing near a longitudinal end of the housing.

Abstract: A toner cartridge according to one embodiment includes a housing having first and second alignment guides that extend outward from a first side and a second side of the housing, respectively, and that run along a front-to-rear dimension of the housing. Third and fourth alignment guides extend outward from the first side of the housing. The third alignment guide is spaced toward the front of the housing from the fourth alignment guide. Bottom surfaces of the third and fourth alignment guides are unobstructed to sit on top of a corresponding guide surface in an image forming device to control a vertical position of the toner cartridge in the image forming device. The bottom surfaces of the third and fourth alignment guides are aligned with each other in a vertical dimension of the housing and are positioned higher than the first and second alignment guides.

Abstract: A toner container installable in an image forming device having a controller according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for storing toner. A chip is positioned on the housing and configured to, after sending a first busy response to the controller of the image forming device, receive a second write command from the controller of the image forming device that is abbreviated relative to a first write command received from the controller of the image forming device and that requests the chip to send a response to the first write command. The chip is further configured to send a response to the first write command to the controller of the image forming device if upon receiving a read command corresponding to the second write command the chip has completed processing the first write command.

Abstract: An assembly for an image forming device includes a first replaceable unit and a second replaceable unit matable with the first replaceable unit. One of the first and second replaceable units includes a reservoir for storing toner and the other of the first and second replaceable units is configured to receive toner from the one of the first and second replaceable units. An electrical connector on the first replaceable unit is movable between a retracted position and an operative position. The electrical connector on the first replaceable unit includes an electrical contact for contacting a corresponding electrical contact in the image forming device when the electrical connector is in the operative position. A cam on the second replaceable unit is positioned to engage the electrical connector and to cause the electrical connector to move from the retracted position to the operative position when the first and second replaceable units mate.

Abstract: Separation strips in a dam aid in the separation of adjacent sheets of media being fed from a stack of sheets so that only one sheet is fed to a process station and, more particularly, to separating the uppermost or top sheet of a stack of sheets from the next adjacent sheet during feeding of the top sheet from the stack of sheets of media. When a lift plate is present that adjusts the height of the media stack, rotation of the separation strips to maintain a constant separation angle improves media feed reliability. Curvature of the separation strips may also maintain the separation angle as the lift plate raises the position of the top media sheet.

Abstract: A method of curing a protective overcoat layer on the outermost portion of an organic photoconductor drum using dual curing process is provided. The first curing step applies either ionizing irradiation, such as with an electron beam or by gamma rays or applies non-ionizing irradiation such as ultraviolet light to the overcoated photoconductor drum. A mask or shield is sized to be placed over the print area of the initially cured photoconductor drum, thereby exposing the outermost edges of the photoconductor drum. The outer edges of the masked photoconductor drum is then exposed to a second curing step using non-ionizing irradiation such as ultraviolet light.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to a method to make a chemically prepared toner that employs a crash cooling process. In particular, the crash cooling process involves the addition of a toner slurry having a temperature between 70° C. and 90° C. to an equivalent amount of cold water having a temperature between 5° C. and 20° C. Polyester and styrene acrylic toners as well as polyester core shell toners having a borax coupling agent between the toner core and toner shell made from this cooling process results in an improvement to the amount of toner waste, thereby achieving a higher toner usage efficiency for an electrophotographic printing system.

Abstract: A fuser assembly includes a heated member and a backup member defining a fusing nip. Toner fuses to media in the nip at a fusing temperature and process speed during an imaging operation. Upon receipt of a command to commence imaging, a controller operates a heater to heat the fuser assembly to a first temperature less than the fusing temperature and operates a motor to rotate the fuser assembly at a speed lower than the process speed to prevent overheating the heated and backup members. Before a first media reaches the fusing nip, a speed of the motor is increased to the process speed to properly advance the media through the nip at the process speed. Upon the first media arriving at the fusing nip, the controller increases the temperature of the heater to a second temperature greater than the first temperature to prevent cold offset.