REPLACEMENT UNIT FOR ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGING DEVICE HAVING POSITIONING ELEMENTS FOR ELECTRICAL CONTACTS Russian patent published in 2019 - IPC G03G21/18 

FIELD: image forming devices.

SUBSTANCE: claimed group of inventions relates to imaging devices and, more specifically, to a plug-in unit for an electrophotographic imaging device having positioning elements for electrical contacts. Claimed group of inventions includes interchangeable units for an electrophotographic image forming device and a toner cartridge. Plug-in unit comprises a housing having an upper side, a lower side, a front side and a rear side, located between the first side and the second side of the housing, the housing has a reservoir for storing toner, an electrical contact on the first side of the housing for contacting with a corresponding electrical contact in the image forming device when the plug-in unit is installed in this image forming device and a guide on the first side of the housing, located closer to the front side of the housing than the electrical contact, wherein the guide leads back to this electrical contact, the guide comprising an inner surface that faces inward sideways to the second side of the housing, the inner surface has no obstacles, which allows the inner surface to contact with the electrical connector in the imaging device during insertion of the replaceable unit into the imaging device, at least part of the inner surface is inclined inward sideways in the direction from the front side to the rear side, allowing contact between the inner surface and the electrical connector in the imaging device, to move the electrical connector in the imaging device inward sideways with respect to the interchangeable unit during insertion of the interchangeable unit into the imaging device, with the front side of the housing forestalls.

EFFECT: technical result is to provide positioning elements that provide accurate alignment of the electrical contacts of the plug-in unit and the cartridge with the corresponding electrical contacts of the imaging device.

16 cl, 16 dwg