Developer inlets

• US 10,663,890 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2019
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Sabo, David, Nelson, Eric G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gray, David M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harrison, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US16/674,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20200064757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 203 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 13/10 using a liquid developer , e.g. liquid suspension
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/104 Preparing, mixing, transporting or dispensing developer

Abstract

An example developer unit includes a developer roller. The developer unit also includes a set of electrodes proximate to the developer roller. The set of electrodes form a cavity. The developer unit includes an inlet to the cavity. The inlet is to receive printing fluid. The developer unit includes an insert in the inlet. The insert is to distribute the printing fluid evenly in the cavity.

Claims

1. A developer unit, comprising:

a developer roller;

a set of electrodes proximate to the developer roller, the set of electrodes forming a cavity;

an inlet including an inlet body having a first opening connected to a conduit of a printing fluid and a second opening connected to the cavity to deliver the printing fluid into the cavity, wherein the first opening is smaller than the second opening, and wherein the inlet body increasingly widens from the first opening to the second opening; and

an insert located in the inlet body or in the cavity to obstruct a flow of the printing fluid and cause the printing fluid to be distributed evenly in the cavity.

2. The developer unit of claim 1, wherein the insert is molded into an endcap attached to the first opening of the inlet body.

3. The developer unit of claim 1, wherein the insert includes a ring with a hole in a center to allow the printing fluid to flow through, and a plurality of ribs attached between the ring and the inlet body.

4. The developer unit of claim 1, wherein the insert is situated nearer the first opening than the second opening of the inlet body to direct the printing fluid to flow along an inner surface of the inlet body.

5. The developer unit of claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the inlet body increasingly widens from the first opening to the second opening in a step pattern.

6. The developer unit of claim 5, wherein steps in the step pattern of the inner surface of the inlet body have unequal steepness.

7. The developer unit of claim 1, wherein a top side of the inlet body increasingly widens between the first opening and the second opening, and a bottom side of the inlet body remains flat between the first opening and the second opening.

8. An interface, comprising:

a body including a first opening to be connected to a conduit of a printing fluid and a second opening to be connected to a cavity of developer unit electrodes, wherein the first opening to be connected to the conduit is smaller than the second opening to be connected to the cavity, and wherein an inner surface of the body increasingly widens from the first opening to the second opening; and

an insert located in the body to obstruct a flow of the printing fluid to direct the printing fluid to flow along the inner surface of the body and cause the printing fluid to be distributed evenly in the cavity of the develop unit electrodes.

9. The interface of claim 8, wherein the insert is situated nearer the first opening of the body than the second opening of the body.

10. The interface of claim 8, wherein the insert includes a hole to direct printing fluid towards a center of the cavity of the developer unit electrodes.

11. The interface of claim 8, wherein the insert includes a plurality of ribs to couple the insert to the body, and wherein the plurality of ribs are positioned to direct the printing fluid towards corners of the cavity of the developer unit electrodes.

12. The interface of claim 8, wherein the inner surface of the body increasingly widens from the first opening to the second opening in a step pattern.

13. The interface of claim 12, wherein steps in the step pattern have unequal steepness.

14. The interface of claim 8, wherein a top side of the body increasingly widens between the first opening and the second opening, and a bottom side of the body remains flat between the first opening and the second opening.

15. The interface of claim 8, further comprising:

an end cap attached to the first opening of the body, wherein the insert is molded into the endcap.