Method of molding a toner bottle using up to 8-sided recycled flake

• US 8,080,190 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2007
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Kazuo, Owashi, Mitsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Christina
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHIFFMAN, BENJAMIN A
• Application Number:
  US11/670,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20070200269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,783 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 264/36.1
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 17/0026 by agglomeration or compacting
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 17/04 Disintegrating plastics, e.g. by millingB29B9/02, B29B11/02, B29B13/10, B29B17/02 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/22 at neck portion
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/24 at flange portion
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/26 at body portion
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/28 at bottom portion
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/3024 characterised by the number of components or by the manufacturing technique
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/3032 having components being injected
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/00 Use of polyesters or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7158 Bottles
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/767 Printing equipment or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 11/06 without chemical reactions
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2367/02 Polyesters derived from dicarboxylic acids and dihydroxy compounds; C08J2367/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/087 Developer cartridges having a longitudinal rotational axis, around which at least one part is rotated when mounting or using the cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0872 the developer cartridges being generally horizontally mounted parallel to its longitudinal rotational axis
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0879 for dispensing developer from a developer cartridge not directly attached to the development unit
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0668 Toner discharging opening at one axial end
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/62 Plastics recycling; Rubber recycling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1352 Polymer or resin containing [i.e., natural or synthetic]

Abstract

A method of molding a toner bottle including separating polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles that have not accommodated oily or colored materials from retrieved PET bottles grinding the separated PET bottles to obtain a flake PET material of which not less than 80% has a form from a triangle to an octagon with a size not greater than 8 mm 8 mm, washing and drying the flake PET material to obtain a flake PET molding material and molding the flake PET molding material to make a toner bottles.

Claims

1. A method of molding a toner bottle comprising:

grinding sorted PET bottles to obtain a flake PET material comprising PET flakes having three sides, PET flakes having five sides, PET flakes having six sides, and PET flakes having eight sides;

filtering the flake PET material to remove PET flakes having nine or more sides and to form a screened flake PET material of which not less than 80% by weight of the PET flakes, based on the weight of the screened flake PET material, have a form of a polygon having three sides, a polygon having five sides, a polygon having six sides, and a polygon having eight sides, wherein the polygons have a size not greater than 8 mm×

8 mm;

washing and drying the screened flake PET material to obtain a flake PET molding material; and

injection molding the flake PET molding material to form a toner bottle perform; and

blow molding the toner bottle preform to form the toner bottle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least 85% of the screened flake PET material is in the form of octagons.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein not less than 90% by weight of the flake PET material have a form of a polygon having from three to eight sides with a size not greater than 8 mm×

8 mm.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein not less than 90% by weight of the flake PET material has a form of a polygon having from three to eight sides with a size not greater than 8 mm×

8 mm.

7. The method of molding a toner bottle according to claim 1, wherein not less than 80% by weight of the PET flakes are in the form of triangles, pentagons, hexagons and octagons.

9. The method of molding a toner bottle according to claim 1, wherein not less than 90% by weight of the PET flakes are in the form of triangles, pentagons, hexagons and octagons.

4. A method of molding a toner bottle comprising:

grinding sorted PET bottles to obtain a flake PET material comprising PET flakes having three sides and PET flakes having five sides;

filtering the flake PET material to remove PET flakes having nine or more sides and to form a screened flake PET material of which not less than 80% by weight of the PET flakes, based on the weight of the screened flake PET material, have a form of a polygon having three sides and a polygon having five sides, wherein the polygons have a size not greater than 8 mm×

8 mm;

washing and drying the screened flake PET material to obtain a flake PET molding material; and

injection molding the flake PET molding material to form a toner bottle perform; and

blow molding the toner bottle preform to form the toner bottle.

8. The method of molding a toner bottle according to claim 4, wherein not less than 80% by weight of the PET flakes are in the form of triangles and pentagons.

10. The method of molding a toner bottle according to claim 4, wherein not less than 90% by weight of the PET flakes are in the form of triangles and pentagons.

6. A method of molding a toner bottle, comprising:

grinding sorted PET bottles to obtain a flake PET material comprising PET flakes;

sieving the flake PET material to form a screened flake PET material of which not less than 80% by weight of the PET flakes, based on the weight of the screened flake PET material, are in triangular form and pentagonal form, with a size not greater than 8 mm×

8 mm;

washing and drying the screened flake PET material to obtain a flake PET molding material;

injection molding the flake PET molding material to form a toner bottle preform; and

blow molding the toner bottle preform to form the toner bottle.