Abstract: A toner cartridge according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for holding toner and an outlet in fluid communication with the reservoir for exiting toner from the toner cartridge. A rotatable media feed roll is positioned on an exterior portion of the housing to engage a corresponding media feed roll in the image forming device when the toner cartridge is installed in the image forming device for forming a media feed nip with the corresponding media feed roll in the image forming device when the toner cartridge is installed in the image forming device.

Abstract: A chemically prepared multilayered toner composition, according to one example embodiment, includes a core having a first polymer binder, a second polymer binder, a colorant, and a release agent. A first layer is formed around the core wherein the first layer includes the same second polymer binder that is in the toner core. A second layer is formed on the surface of the first layer, wherein the second layer includes a third polymer binder. A borax coupling agent is between the first and second layers. In an embodiment the ratio of the second polymer in the core to second polymer in the first layer is about 50:50. The second layer can also be referred to as a shell that is formed over the toner particle having a center core, first layer and borax coupling agent. In another embodiment, the core does not contain a second polymer binder.

Abstract: A replaceable imaging unit according to one example embodiment includes a photoconductor unit positioned at the front of a housing of the imaging unit. First and second alignment guides extend outward at the same height from first and second sides of the housing, respectively, on the photoconductor unit and run parallel to each other along a front-to-rear dimension of the housing. Each of the first and second alignment guides includes a front contact member at a front end thereof and a rear contact member at a rear end thereof. The front contact members are positioned further outward sideways than the rear contact members. Bottom surfaces of the front and rear contact members are unobstructed to permit the bottom surfaces of the front and rear contact members to sit on top of corresponding guide rails in the image forming device to control a vertical position of the imaging unit.

Abstract: A method for detecting electrostatic discharge (ESD) events in an imaging device includes scanning a target placed in a scanner to create a scanned image of the target. The scanned image has a plurality of scan lines with each scan line having a number of pixels or samples. For each of the plurality of scan lines, a determination is whether or not the number of pixels or samples of the scan line matches a respective predetermined number of pixels or samples, the predetermined number of pixels or samples being based upon a resolution setting of the scanner. Upon determining that the number of pixels or samples of the scan line does not match the predetermined number of pixels or samples, a count value is incremented. The count value is used as a healthcheck data to indicate at least one ESD event has occurred in the imaging device.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a Z-directed component for insertion into a mounting hole in a printed circuit board according to one example embodiment includes simultaneously extruding a plurality of materials according to the structure of the Z-directed component to form an extruded object and forming the Z-directed component from the extruded object. In one embodiment, the extruded object is divided into individual Z-directed components. In one embodiment, the timing of extrusion between predetermined sections of one of the materials is varied in order to stagger the sections in the extruded object.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly for use in an image forming device according to one example embodiment includes an electrical connector mounted on and translatable relative to a frame along a first dimension. The electrical connector is pivotable relative to the frame along a pivot path about a pivot axis that is perpendicular to the first dimension. The electrical connector includes a first guide post and a second guide post. The first and second guide posts are received by and movable within at least one elongated guide slot on the frame defining a path of movement of the electrical connector along the first dimension. The first guide post is fixed relative to the electrical connector and defines the pivot axis of the electrical connector. The second guide post is received by and movable within an elongated guide slot on the electrical connector defining the pivot path of the electrical connector.

Abstract: A method for producing core shell toner for electrophotography according to one embodiment, includes surface treating the outer surface of a core shell toner particle with a alkoxysilane hydrocarbon or combination of different alkoxysilane hydrocarbons using a hydrolytic deposition process after the core shell toner particle is fully formed. This method results in the bonding of the alkoxysilane hydrocarbon or combination of different alkoxysilane hydrocarbons to the outer surface of the core shell toner particle. In an alternative method, the outer surface of the toner is surface treated with the alkoxysilane hydrocarbon solution and then fused to form toner particles. The alkoxysilane hydrocarbon surface treated core shell toner also can be mixed with magnetic carrier beads to form a developer mix to be used in a dual component development electrophotographic printer.

Abstract: Systems and methods identify consumer products in images. Known consumer products are captured as grayscale or color images. They are converted to binary at varying thresholds. Connected components in the binary images identify image features according to pixels of a predetermined size, shape, solidity, aspect ratio, and the like. The image features are stored and searched for amongst image features similarly extracted from unknown images of consumer products. Identifying correspondence between the features of the images lends itself to identifying or not known consumer products.

Abstract: A chemically prepared toner composition according to one example embodiment includes a core including a first polymer binder, a colorant and a release agent; a shell that is formed around the core that includes a second polymer binder; and a borax coupling agent between the core and the shell and an alkoxysilane hydrocarbon or combination of different alkoxysilane hydrocarbons that are bonded to the outer surface of the shell using a hydrolytic deposition process. This successful alkoxysilane hydrocarbon surface treatment on the outer surface of the toner particle results in attaining a desirable charge stability in hot and humid environments and ultimately improving the quality of the toner, especially by reducing toner dusting, toner fuming and ultra-fine particles generation.

Abstract: An imaging device has a photoconductor with a surface that is selectively discharged by a light from a laser diode to create a latent electrostatic image for attracting toner for transfer to a media. A circuit drives the laser diode. The circuit has a switch for turning on and off the light, a resistor complementary to the laser diode selectively connectable to the switch, and a passive circuit component coupled to the laser diode. The passive circuit component is a delay line, inductor, choke, coiled wire, or ferrite bead is contemplated. It may also typify a length of copper tracing on a printed circuit board that supports the laser diode. The circuit causes an initial overshoot voltage spike in an on voltage pulse that is about 20% or more than the settled on voltage. The voltage spike dampens out in about one-fourth of a total voltage on time of the pulse.

Abstract: An imaging system for an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a movable latch positioned to selectively couple a replaceable toner cartridge and a replaceable imaging unit together such that the toner cartridge and the imaging unit are removable from the image forming device as a single unit and to selectively decouple the toner cartridge and the imaging unit such that the toner cartridge and the imaging unit are separately removable from the image forming device. A controller is configured to actuate the latch to couple the toner cartridge and the imaging unit together in response to the controller detecting an error condition requiring removal of both the toner cartridge and the imaging unit from the image forming device in order to permit removal of the toner cartridge and the imaging unit from the image forming device as a single unit.

Abstract: A system for an electrophotographic image forming device includes a first replaceable unit and a second replaceable unit. A drive coupler in the image forming device is movable between a retracted position and an operative position. In the retracted position, the drive coupler is disengaged from a drive interface of the first replaceable unit when the first replaceable unit is installed in the image forming device. In the operative position, the drive coupler is engaged with the drive interface when the first replaceable unit is installed in the image forming device for providing rotational force to the drive interface. A movable drive linkage in the image forming device is operatively connected to the drive coupler to move the drive coupler from the retracted position to the operative position upon the movable drive linkage receiving an actuation force from the insertion of the second replaceable unit into the image forming device.

Abstract: An imaging device has a drive gear assembly which operatively engages with a backup roll gear of a fuser assembly when the fuser assembly is inserted into the imaging device. Such engagement causes the drive gear assembly to rotate, and in turn rotates a drive motor coupled to the drive gear assembly. The drive motor includes Hall Effect sensors associated with a sensor arrangement that senses rotation of the motor. During rotation of the drive motor, sensor signals are transmitted to a controller of the imaging device, the controller counting rising and falling signal edges of the received sensor signals. Based on the number of rising and falling signal edges, a message is sent to a user of the imaging device whether or not the installation of the fuser assembly was successful.

Abstract: An imaging device has a photoconductive drum with a surface that is selectively discharged to create a latent electrostatic image for attracting toner for transfer to a media moving in a process direction. The image is divided into multiple segments along the process direction and discharged pixels per segment are counted. An accumulator keeps track of the numbers of pixels per revolutions of a roller that applies the toner to the drum. Upon meeting a predetermined deficiency in the counts of pixels in any given segment, an artificial image gets generated on the surface of the photoconductive drum that supplies the missing pixels, per segment. The image gets developed with toner, but does not transfer to the media. Lubrication occurs on the surface of the drum and each segment retains a relatively common number of imaging pixels that get developed over time.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a chemically prepared toner composition including a toner particle having a core including a first polymer binder, an styrene acrylate encapsulated crystalline polyester latex, a pigment, and a shell formed around the core including a second polymer binder and method to make the same. The disclosed method of preparing the toner results in a change in the distribution of the components of the toner particle wherein the lower molecular weight resins, the pigment and the wax are located away from the surface of the toner particle and the pigment is clinging to the edge of the wax domain.

Abstract: A replaceable unit for an image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for storing toner. The replaceable unit includes a rotatable drive coupler and a rotatable shaft that has a cross pin on an axial end of the shaft, generally orthogonal to the shaft. At least a portion of the drive coupler is exposed on an exterior of the housing and unobstructed to receive rotational force when the replaceable unit is installed in the image forming device. A pocket is formed in a first axial side of the drive coupler. The axial end of the shaft and the cross pin are removably positioned in the pocket such that upon rotating the drive coupler in an operative direction rotational force is transferred from surfaces of the drive coupler forming the pocket to the cross pin causing the shaft to rotate with the drive coupler.

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: Magnetic keys having a plurality of magnetic layers having holes are disclosed. The location and orientation of the holes are controlled to generate magnetic fields that are of sufficient strength to be reliably read and sufficient complexity to be difficult to counterfeit. The magnetic keys are located on imaging-device supply items along with non-volatile memory devices containing measurements of the magnetic fields that are digitally signed. These supply items are difficult to counterfeit. Other devices are disclosed.

Abstract: A developer roll includes end seal regions subject to accumulating residual toner. An adjacent photoconductive member has a longitudinal extent with a central area defining an imaging region and longitudinal ends outside the central area defining non-imaging regions. The photoconductive member has a length extending beyond a length of the developer roll so that the end seal regions of the developer roll contact the non-imaging regions of the photoconductive member. During cleaning, the non-imaging regions become charged and discharged to electrostatically attract and transfer away the toner from the end seal regions. A blade scrapes clean the toner from the photoconductive member.

Abstract: A toner cartridge according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a front, rear, first side, second side, top and bottom forming a toner reservoir. An outlet port is positioned on the front of the housing proximate the first side for transferring toner out of the reservoir. A drive gear is positioned on the front of the housing and has a center proximate the second side for receiving rotational power. A cavity is formed in the bottom of the housing. A latch catch is positioned in the cavity on an inner side of the front of the housing for receiving a latch for securing the toner cartridge in an image forming device. The latch catch is positioned closer to the bottom of the housing than the outlet port and the drive gear and between the center of the drive gear and the outlet port in the side-to-side direction.