Overmolded Shutter Seal Deflects to Reduce Friction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional shutter seals in toner cartridges and developer units for electrophotographic imaging devices face challenges with high rotational frictional forces and toner leakage due to space constraints and difficulties in aligning foam seals with conically shaped shutters, leading to inefficient toner delivery and storage issues.
Innovation Solution
An overmolded seal with a sleeve and endless ribs is used, which deflects to form a sealing interface with the housing, reducing frictional force and preventing toner leakage, while being easily insertable and removable, made from materials like thermoplastic elastomers or silicon rubber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional foam seals or O-rings are used to seal the gap between shutter and housing, then sealing performance is maintained, but rotational frictional force becomes high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible lip seal that extends from the shutter body into the gap between the shutter and housing. This flexible membrane structure provides effective sealing while allowing the shutter to rotate with lower frictional force compared to traditional foam seals or O-rings that require compression against the housing wall.
Solution Approach 2:
The lip seal acts as an intermediary element between the shutter body and housing, providing a sealing interface that reduces direct contact friction. The seal lip slides along the housing wall rather than compressing against it, mediating the interaction between moving and stationary components to reduce frictional resistance.
2Reliability
If wrapped foam seals are used on conically shaped shutters, then sealing is achieved, but alignment difficulties and excessive rotational friction occur
Solution Approach 1:
The lip seal is integrated as part of the shutter body assembly rather than being a separate wrapped component. The seal extends directly from the shutter body in a unified structure, eliminating the need for separate wrapping and alignment operations that cause manufacturing difficulties and excessive friction.
3Ease of operation
If large force is applied to overcome high frictional force, then shutter can open and close, but risk of incomplete opening or closing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible lip seal reduces frictional force during rotation, allowing the shutter to open and close completely with minimal actuating force. This eliminates the risk of incomplete opening or closing that occurs when large forces are required to overcome high friction from traditional seals.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides effective sealing without high rotational friction, ensuring proper toner delivery and storage by reducing the risk of leakage during use, shipping, and storage, and facilitating easy operation of the shutter.
Implementation Method 1
the endless rib deflects forming a sealing interface with the housing
Data Source
AI summary
An shutter having an overmolded seal for use in controlling the flow of toner through a port in a toner containing supply items for an imaging apparatus. In one form the shutter is overmolded with a seal comprised of a sleeve and one or more integrally molded angled endless ribs projecting outwardly from the sleeve. With the shutter installed in the supply item, the ribs deflect creating an sealing interface with the housing of the supply item to prevent toner leakage between the shutter and the housing of the supply item.