Abstract: A toner container includes a housing having a toner reservoir. An input gear is positioned on the housing for mating with a corresponding output gear in an image forming device when the toner container is installed in the image forming device. A toner agitator is movably positioned in the reservoir. The toner agitator is operatively connected to the input gear such that rotation of the input gear in a first rotational direction causes movement of the toner agitator for agitating toner in the reservoir. An encoded member is encoded with authentication information of the toner container and is operatively connected to the input gear such that rotation of the input gear in a second rotational direction causes movement of the encoded member for communicating the authentication information of the toner container to a controller of the image forming device when the toner container is installed in the image forming device.

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: A developer unit for an electrophotographic image forming device includes a developer roll rotatably mounted on a housing. The developer roll includes a shaft defining a rotational axis and a roll body cylindrically disposed around the shaft to form an outer circumferential surface of the developer roll. An end seal includes a curved rotary seal portion sandwiched between a pocket portion of the housing and the outer circumferential surface of the developer roll, such that an outer circumferential surface of the curved rotary seal portion contacts the pocket portion of the housing and an inner circumferential surface of the curved rotary seal portion contacts the outer circumferential surface of the developer roll. The pocket portion of the housing includes protrusions that contact the outer circumferential surface of the curved rotary seal portion to restrict movement of the end seal along an operative rotational direction of the developer roll.

Abstract: A method for eliminating one or more outlined sections of a document before printing is described herein. The method comprising receiving an input image of the document including the one or more outlined sections and a user input indicating color information of one or more outlines, identifying the one or more outlines and the one or more outlined sections of the image, obtaining the one or more outlined sections associated with the one or more outlines of the image, and outputting an output image to be printed, wherein the one or more outlined sections are eliminated from the output image of the document.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a photoconductive drum charged by a charge roll and opposed by developer roll. The developer roll adds toner to the drum to develop a latent image on the drum for transfer to media or an intermediate transfer member at a transfer roll. One or more high voltage power supplies communicate with a controller to set voltages on the rolls. During times of non-imaging, but rotation of the drum, the charge roll charges the drum to less than a Paschen breakdown voltage of the drum. A voltage of the transfer roll is determined that corresponds to a temperature and relative humidity of an operating environment of the imaging device and the developer roll is charged based thereon. The charge of the transfer roll is set close to the charge of the drum, but higher in magnitude. A laser may also discharge the drum.

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 example includes first and second alignment guides that extend outward from a first side and a second side of the toner cartridge, respectively, for positioning the toner cartridge. The first and second alignment guides define a pivot axis about which the toner cartridge is pivotable relative to an imaging unit when the toner cartridge is installed on the imaging unit. An engagement member is positioned on a rear of the toner cartridge for receiving a bias force for biasing the toner cartridge about the pivot axis when the toner cartridge is installed on the imaging unit. The engagement member is positioned next to the bottom of the housing. The engagement member includes an angled contact surface that faces upward and rearward for contacting a corresponding hold-down on the imaging unit when the toner cartridge is installed on the imaging unit.

Abstract: A method for producing a chemically prepared magenta toner composition according to one example embodiment includes combining and agglomerating a first polymer emulsion with a magenta colorant dispersion containing a single azo magenta pigment and a release agent dispersion to form toner cores. A borax coupling agent is added to the toner cores. A second polymer emulsion is combined and agglomerated with the toner cores having the borax coupling agent to form toner shells around the toner cores. The aggregated toner cores and toner shells are fused to form magenta toner particles. The single azo magenta pigment in the magenta pigment dispersion does not aggregate into clusters on the outer surface of the surface core.

Abstract: A toner cartridge according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for holding toner. A first latch-receiving shelf is positioned on a first longitudinal end of the housing and a second latch-receiving shelf is positioned on a second longitudinal end of the housing. Contact surfaces on top portions of the first and second latch-receiving shelves are positioned to contact corresponding first and second latches in an image forming device. The contact surface of the first latch-receiving shelf is positioned lower than a first rotational axis of a first drive coupler of the toner cartridge and higher than a second drive coupler of the toner cartridge. The contact surface of the second latch-receiving shelf is positioned lower than at least a portion of a first electrical contact of the toner cartridge and higher than at least a portion of a second electrical contact of the toner cartridge.

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: An imaging device includes a photoconductive drum charged by a charge roll and opposed by developer roll. The developer roll adds toner to the drum to develop a latent image on the drum for transfer to media. One or more high voltage power supplies communicate with a controller to set voltages on the rolls. The controller determines whether imaging of the media is to occur at a time when the drum is rotating. If not, a laser beam discharges the drum and the voltage on the charge roll is decreased to reduce the charge on the drum, but the controller maintains the voltage differential between the drum and the developer roll.

Abstract: A replaceable unit for an electrophotographic image forming device includes a housing having a reservoir for holding toner. An electrical connector is positioned on a first side of the housing. The electrical connector includes an electrical contact for contacting a corresponding electrical contact in the image forming device and a magnetic sensor electrically connected to the electrical contact. The electrical connector is movable between a first position and a second position. When the electrical connector moves from the first position to the second position, the electrical contact of the replaceable unit moves from a retracted position to an operative position. When the electrical connector moves from the first position to the second position, the magnetic sensor moves from a misaligned position to an aligned position with a point in a path of movement of a magnet for sensing a magnetic field of the magnet.

Abstract: A charge transport molecule contains four radical polymerizable functional groups of the general structure exemplified below: where R1 and R2 contain a spacer group and a radical polymerizable functional group, R3 and R4 are hydrogen atoms, and R5 and R6 contain a spacer group and a radical polymerizable functional group wherein the spacer group of R1, R2, R5 and R6 is an ethyl group and the radical polymerizable functional group of R1, R2, R5 and R6 is an acrylate group.

Abstract: A replaceable unit for an electrophotographic image forming device includes a housing having a reservoir for holding toner. An electrical connector is positioned on a first side of the housing. The electrical connector includes an electrical contact for contacting a corresponding electrical contact in the image forming device. The electrical contact of the replaceable unit is electrically connected to processing circuitry mounted on the housing. The electrical connector is movable between a first position and a second position. The electrical contact of the replaceable unit moves outward from the first side of the housing along a side-to-side dimension of the housing when the electrical connector moves from the first position to the second position. The electrical contact of the replaceable unit faces downward when the electrical connector is in the second position permitting the corresponding electrical contact to contact the electrical contact of the replaceable unit from below.