US 11,656,561 B2
Toner container having a common input gear for a toner agitator assembly and an encoded member
Randal Scott Williamson, Georgetown, KY (US); and Virgil Johnson, Jr., Versailles, KY (US)
Assigned to Lexmark International, Inc., Lexington, KY (US)
Filed by LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL, INC., Lexington, KY (US)
Filed on Dec. 6, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/543,045.
Application 17/543,045 is a continuation of application No. 17/087,944, filed on Nov. 3, 2020, granted, now 11,221,568.
Application 17/087,944 is a continuation of application No. 16/690,203, filed on Nov. 21, 2019, granted, now 10,859,944, issued on Dec. 8, 2020.
Application 16/690,203 is a continuation of application No. 16/157,495, filed on Oct. 11, 2018, granted, now 10,527,967, issued on Jan. 7, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0091538 A1, Mar. 24, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G03G 15/08 (2006.01); G03G 21/18 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 15/0867 (2013.01) [G03G 15/0889 (2013.01); G03G 15/0891 (2013.01); G03G 21/1896 (2013.01); G03G 2215/0675 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A toner container for use in an electrophotographic image forming device, comprising:
a housing having a reservoir for storing toner;
an input gear positioned on the housing for mating with a corresponding output gear in the image forming device when the toner container is installed in the image forming device;
a toner agitator movably positioned in the reservoir, the toner agitator is operatively connected to the input gear such that rotation of the input gear in a first rotational direction causes movement of the toner agitator for agitating toner in the reservoir; and
an encoded member encoded with identifying information of the toner container and positioned on an axial face of one of (a) the input gear and (b) a second gear rotatably coupled to the input gear such that rotation of the input gear causes rotation of the encoded member for communicating the identifying information of the toner container to a sensor of the image forming device when the toner container is installed in the image forming device.