Abstract: A method to make an improved organic photoconductor drum of an electrophotographic image forming device is provided. The improved organic photoconductor drum is prepared using a curable composition including a charge transport molecule containing four radical polymerizable 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.

Abstract: A replaceable unit for an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example includes a housing having a toner reservoir. An electrical connector mounted on the housing is movable between a retracted position and an operative position. The electrical connector includes an electrical contact for contacting a corresponding electrical contact in the image forming device. The electrical contact is electrically connected to processing circuitry on the housing. In the retracted position, the electrical connector is tucked into a portion of the housing. In the operative position, the electrical connector is exposed to permit the electrical contact to contact the corresponding electrical contact in the image forming device. A linkage is operatively connected to the electrical connector and includes an engagement surface accessible on an exterior of the housing to receive an actuation force. Movement of the linkage moves the electrical connector between the retracted position and the operative position.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a photoconductive drum charged by a charge roll and opposed by a transfer roll to transfer an image from the drum. The drum becomes biased to a negative voltage by setting charges of negative voltage on both the charge roll and transfer roll. A controller switches the bias of the transfer roll to a positive voltage from the negative voltage and a delta or difference in a charge of the drum is determined from before and after the switching. Based on the delta, the voltage on the charge roll is boosted by a boost voltage to improve the charge on the drum. In this way, deteriorating or defective charge rolls can be still used to charge the drum to a proper voltage for imaging. Techniques for determining the delta, the boost and the magnitude of voltage charges are further embodiments.

Abstract: A replaceable unit for an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes an electrical contact positioned on a first side of a housing of the replaceable unit for contacting an electrical contact in the image forming device. A guide on the first side of the housing is positioned closer to a front of the housing than the electrical contact and leads rearward toward the electrical contact. The guide includes an inside surface that faces inward sideways toward a second side of the housing. At least a portion of the inside surface is angled inward sideways from front to rear permitting contact between the inside surface and an electrical connector in the image forming device to draw the electrical connector in the image forming device inward sideways relative to the replaceable unit during insertion of the replaceable unit into the image forming device.

Abstract: A replaceable unit for an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for storing toner. A rotatable shaft is positioned within the reservoir and has an axis of rotation. A first magnet and a second magnet are connected to the shaft and rotatable around the axis of rotation in response to rotation of the shaft. The first magnet and the second magnet pass near at least a portion of an inner wall of the housing forming the reservoir during rotation of the first and second magnets. An amount of angular offset between the first magnet and the second magnet varies depending on an amount of toner in the reservoir.

Abstract: An imaging device has a photoconductive drum with a surface that is charged and selectively discharged to create a latent electrostatic image of an image to-be-printed for attracting toner for transfer to a media. A memory of the imaging device stores energy density values for use by the laser beam that can be accessed by a controller according to a predetermined number of media imaged by the photoconductive drum. During imaging, the controller controls the laser beam based on the stored energy density values. The energy density of the laser beam is increased or decreased when the laser beam is scanned along the photoconductive drum.

Abstract: An improved organic photoconductor drum used in an electrophotographic image forming device and method to make the same is provided. The organic photoconductor drum contains a protective overcoat. The protective overcoat 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: where 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 curing agent. This organic photoconductor drum has excellent wear resistance without negatively altering the electrophotographic properties, thus protecting the organic photoconductor drum from damage and extending its service life.

Abstract: An Oldham coupler assembly for transferring rotary power between two shafts in an imaging device. The Oldham coupler includes an input plate, an output plate, and a drive plate and two pairs of coupling wheels, and, in one embodiment, made of the same plastic material. The drive plate has a pair of open-ended slots along one axis and a close-ended center slot along a second axis orthogonal to the first axis. The drive plate is mechanically coupled and positioned in between the input plate and the output plate. A plastic retraction spline assembly is slidably retained in the output plate and engages with a drive member in an imaging unit. The input plate includes gear teeth integrally molded into the outer circumference thereof decreasing the overall width of the Oldham coupler. The two pairs of coupling wheels have the same diameter.

Abstract: A toner cartridge includes a photoconductive drum and a boss that protrudes outward from a first longitudinal end of the toner cartridge at a rotational axis of the photoconductive drum. An outermost axial segment of the boss along the rotational axis includes a partial cylinder having a cross-sectional shape of a circular segment. An outer circumferential surface of the partial cylinder is convex to a bottom of the toner cartridge and forms a bottom contact surface of the boss that is unobstructed to contact and sit in a corresponding V-block in an image forming device when the toner cartridge is installed in the image forming device. The outermost axial segment of the boss includes clearance above a topmost portion of the partial cylinder and within the radius of the outer circumferential surface of the partial cylinder permitting the clearance to accommodate one or more features in the image forming device.

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 toner cartridge according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a toner reservoir. An outlet is positioned on the housing for exiting toner from the toner cartridge. An insert is selectably installable in the toner reservoir. The insert separates a first portion of the toner reservoir that is in fluid communication with the outlet from a remainder of the toner reservoir when the insert is installed in the toner reservoir providing a reduced capacity toner reservoir in the first portion of the toner reservoir.

Abstract: A method for estimating an amount of toner in a reservoir of an image forming device according to one example embodiment includes rotating a shaft positioned in the reservoir. By rotating the shaft, a first magnet and a second magnet having a variable angular offset between them are rotated around an axis of rotation of the shaft. The first magnet and the second magnet are continually sensed at a point in their rotational paths. An amount of angular offset between the first magnet and the second magnet is continually determined from the sensing. An estimate of the amount of toner remaining in the reservoir is continually updated based on a predetermined correlation between the determined amount of angular offset between the first magnet and the second magnet and the amount of toner remaining in the reservoir.

Abstract: A toner container according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for holding toner. A first electrode and a second electrode are positioned on the housing. The first electrode and the second electrode form a capacitor having a capacitance that changes in response to a change in an amount of toner in the reservoir between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode includes a first rod and the second electrode includes a second rod spaced from the first rod.

Abstract: A system for verifying a price associated with an item in a retail environment includes a price tag having an optical member that includes an optical characteristic that modifies an amount of optical energy that leaves the optical member relative to an amount of optical energy received by the optical member, and a price tag holder including an optical sensor having an emitter and a detector. The emitter is positioned to emit optical energy onto the optical member and the detector is positioned to receive optical energy leaving the optical member. A computing device in operable communication with the optical sensor is operative to determine whether the price tag is accurate based upon a comparison between the amount of optical energy received by the detector and the amount of optical energy emitted by the emitter.

Abstract: An imaging device having a controller, a print engine and a raster image processor including methods for reducing wear in one or more components of the imaging device, the raster image processor including instructions for receiving a print job, determining whether one or more function features in the imaging device is disabled prior processing the print job, adjusting a default printing performance of the imaging device upon a determination that the one or more function features in the imaging device is disabled, generating a rasterized image for each page of the print job following the adjusting, and sending each rasterized image to the print engine of the imaging device for printing, wherein the adjusting the printing performance of the imaging device reduces the component wear in the imaging device and extends an allowable life of the one or more imaging components.

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.

Abstract: A toner level detection assembly for an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a magnet connected to a rotatable shaft and rotatable with the shaft around an axis of rotation of the shaft. The magnet is pivotable independent of the shaft about a pivot axis that is spaced radially from the axis of rotation. A magnetic sensor is positioned to sense a magnetic field of the magnet at a point in a rotational path of the magnet and is configured to measure an orientation of the magnetic field of the magnet at the point in the rotational path of the magnet. Processing circuitry in communication with the magnetic sensor is configured to determine an estimate of an amount of toner in a toner reservoir correlating with the measured orientation of the magnetic field of the magnet at the point in the rotational path of the magnet.

Abstract: A toner level detection assembly for an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a magnet connected to a rotatable shaft and rotatable with the shaft around an axis of rotation of the shaft. The magnet is pivotable independent of the shaft about a pivot axis that is spaced radially from the axis of rotation. A magnetic sensor is positioned to sense a magnetic field of the magnet at a point in a rotational path of the magnet and is configured to measure an orientation of the magnetic field of the magnet at the point in the rotational path of the magnet. Processing circuitry in communication with the magnetic sensor is configured to determine an estimate of an amount of toner in a toner reservoir correlating with the measured orientation of the magnetic field of the magnet at the point in the rotational path of the magnet.