Toner cartridge having an alignment member for aligning with a developer unit in an electrophotographic image forming device

摘要

A toner cartridge for use with a developer unit of an image forming device includes a housing having a front, a rear, a top, a bottom, a first side and a second side. The housing has a reservoir for holding toner. An outlet port is positioned on the housing for transferring toner from the reservoir to the developer unit. An alignment slot on the front of the housing is open at a bottom end of the alignment slot to receive an alignment pin of the developer unit. The alignment slot has a width that narrows from the bottom end of the alignment slot to a middle section of the slot and that widens from the middle section of the alignment slot to a top end of the alignment slot.

主权项

1. A toner cartridge for use with a developer unit of an image forming device, comprising:
a housing having a front, a rear, a top, a bottom, a first side and a second side, the housing having a reservoir for holding toner; an outlet port on the front of the housing proximate the first side for transferring toner from the reservoir to the developer unit; a drive gear on the front of the housing having a center closer to the second side than the outlet port, the drive gear positioned to receive rotational power when the toner cartridge is installed in the image forming device; an alignment slot on the front of the housing, the alignment slot is positioned between the outlet port and the drive gear in a horizontal direction between the first side and the second side and is positioned above the outlet port in a vertical direction between the top and the bottom, the alignment slot being open at a bottom end of the alignment slot to receive an alignment pin of the developer unit, the alignment slot having a width that narrows from the bottom end of the alignment slot to a middle section of the slot and that widens from the middle section of the alignment slot to a top end of the alignment slot; and a first guide proximate the first side and a second guide proximate the second side, the first and second guides each running along a portion of the front of the housing along the vertical direction between the top and the bottom, the first and second guides being aligned with each other in the vertical direction between the top and the bottom and spaced from each other in the horizontal direction between the first side and the second side forming the alignment slot therebetween, wherein the first guide bows toward the second side and then back toward the first side as the first guide travels up the front of the housing and the second guide bows toward the first side and then back toward the second side as the second guide travels up the front of the housing.