Systems and Methods for a Charging Roller

• US 20120003011A1
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Static Control Components Incorporated (Ninestar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Static Control Components Incorporated (Ninestar Corporation)
• Inventors: Lewis, Lawrence Dale
• Granted Patent: US 8,478,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/176
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0233 Structure, details of the charging member, e.g. chemical composition, surface properties

Abstract

A charging roller for an imaging device may include a shaft having a shaft length; a cylindrical foam layer partially covering the shaft and having a foam thickness, a first foam end and a second foam end, the cylindrical foam layer having a foam length less than the shaft length; a skin layer covering the cylindrical foam layer; and first and second retention members, the first retention member disposed adjacent to the first foam end and the second retention member disposed adjacent to the second foam end.

Claims

1. A charging roller for an imaging device comprising:

a shaft having a shaft length;

a cylindrical foam layer partially covering the shaft and having a foam thickness, a first foam end and a second foam end, the cylindrical foam layer having a foam length less than the shaft length;

a skin layer covering the cylindrical foam layer; and

first and second retention members, the first retention member disposed adjacent to the first foam end and the second retention member disposed adjacent to the second foam end.

2. The charging roller of claim 1 wherein the first and second retention members have thicknesses less than the foam thickness.

3. The charging roller of claim 1 wherein the first and second retention members have thicknesses equal to the foam thickness.

4. The charging roller of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second retention members is secured to the shaft by compression.

5. The charging member as in claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second retention members is secured by an adhesive.

6. The charging roller of claim 1 wherein the retention member is an O-ring.

7. The charging roller of claim 1 wherein the retention member is a drop of adhesive.

8. The charging roller of claim 1 wherein the skin layer lies over the retention member.

9. The charging roller of claim 1 wherein the cylindrical foam layer is a uniform thickness along the foam length and wherein the shaft is a uniform thickness along the shaft length.

10. The charging roller of claim 1 wherein the cylindrical foam layer is a varying thickness along the foam length.

11. The charging roller of claim 1 wherein the skin layer extends over the foam layer, the first retention member, and second retention member.

12. The charging roller as in claim 1 wherein the length of the skin layer is the same as the length of the foam.