Waste toner pulverizing apparatus and toner cartridge with the same

• US 7,266,338 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2005
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: S-Printing Solution Co., Ltd. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Baek, Chung-guk
• Primary Examiner(s): Gray; David M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ready; Bryan
• Application Number:
  US11/269,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20060165451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 399/350, 399/358
• US Class Current: 399/350
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/105 Arrangements for conveying toner waste

Abstract

A waste toner pulverizing apparatus and a toner cartridge with the same prevents waste toner removed from a surface of a photosensitive drum by a cleaning blade from accumulating at a front end of the cleaning blade. The waste toner pulverizing apparatus in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a waste pulverizing member that is spaced apart from a front end of a cleaning blade that contacts the surface of the photosensitive drum in a longitudinal direction, the waste pulverizing member not contacting the surface of the photosensitive drum, and a pulverizing member driving unit that makes the waste toner pulverizing member reciprocate in an axial direction of the photosensitive drum.

Claims

1. A waste toner pulverizing apparatus, comprising:

a waste pulverizing member that is spaced apart from a front end of a cleaning blade that contacts a surface of a photosensitive drum in a longitudinal direction, the waste pulverizing member not contacting the surface of the photosensitive drum; and

a pulverizing member driving unit that makes the waste toner pulverizing member reciprocate in an axial direction of the photosensitive drum.

2. The waste toner pulverizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the waste toner pulverizing member comprises a brush.

3. The waste toner pulverizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the waste toner pulverizing member comprises an elastic material.

4. The waste toner pulverizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pulverizing member driving unit includes:

a cam follower formed at one side of the waste toner pulverizing member;

an elastic member for elastically supporting the other side of the waste toner pulverizing member; and

a driving cam rotatably installed and having an inclined surface that contacts the cam follower, the waste toner pulverizing member being reciprocated when the driving cam rotates.

5. A waste toner pulverizing apparatus, comprising:

a toner transporting plate that is placed on a cleaning blade that contacts a surface of a photosensitive drum in a longitudinal direction;

a waste toner pulverizing member that is spaced apart from a front end of the cleaning blade at a front end portion of the toner transporting plate and that does not contact the surface of the photosensitive drum; and

a transporting plate driving unit that makes the toner transporting plate reciprocate linearly on the cleaning blade.

6. The waste toner pulverizing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the waste toner pulverizing member is integrally formed with the toner transporting plate.

7. The waste toner pulverizing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the waste toner pulverizing member is a brush.

8. The waste toner pulverizing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the waste toner pulverizing member is formed of an elastic material.

9. The waste toner pulverizing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transporting plate driving unit includes:

a vibrating shaft on which the toner transporting plate is installed;

a cam follower formed at one end of the vibrating shaft;

an elastic member elastically supporting the other end of the vibrating shaft; and

a driving cam rotatably installed and having an inclined surface that contacts the cam follower, the toner transporting plate being reciprocated when the driving cam rotates.

10. A toner cartridge, comprising:

a photosensitive drum on which an electrostatic latent image is formed;

a developing unit that supplies toner to the photosensitive drum to develop the electrostatic latent image into a visible image;

a waste toner removing unit including a cleaning blade for removing waste toner remaining on a surface of the photosensitive drum after the visible imager is transferred and a waste toner housing for receiving the removed waste toner; and

a waste toner pulverizing apparatus including a toner transporting plate placed on the cleaning blade and the waste toner housing, a waste toner pulverizing member spaced apart from a front end of a cleaning blade at a front end portion of the toner transporting plate and being separated from a surface of the photosensitive drum, and a transporting plate driving unit that makes the toner transporting plate reciprocate linearly on the cleaning blade.

11. The toner cartridge according to claim 10, wherein

the waste toner pulverizing member is integrally formed with the toner transporting plate.

12. The toner cartridge according to claim 10, wherein

the waste toner pulverizing member is a brush.

13. The toner cartridge according to claim 10, wherein

the waste toner pulverizing member is formed of an elastic material.

14. A method of forming an image in an electrostatic image forming apparatus, comprising the steps of:

generating an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive drum;

developing the electrostatic latent image into a visible toner image;

transferring the visible toner image onto a printing media;

separating any waste toner remaining on the photosensitive drum after the visible toner image has been transferred; and

pulverizing the separated waste toner with a reciprocatingly movable pulverizing member spaced from a surface of the photosensitive drum, the pulverizing member reciprocating in an axial direction of the photosensitive drum.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein

the step of pulverizing the separated waste toner includes the step of vibrating the pulverizing member.

16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

collecting the pulverized waste toner on a waste toner transporting plate.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of:

vibrating the waster toner transporting plate.

18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

collecting any waste toner that falls from the waste toner transporting plate in a waste toner housing.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein

the step of separating waste toner includes the step of scraping waste toner from the photosensitive drum with a cleaning blade.

20. A method according to claim 15, wherein

the step of separating waste toner includes the step of scraping waste toner from the photosensitive drum with a cleaning blade.