The “crucial” feature of the PR-2 gear is the coupling member, which has no inclination whether engaged or disengaged with the printer drive shaft.
The remanufacturer described the patent as a “rescue to the aftermarket industry” in light of Canon’s on-going dongle gear investigation, which may lead to a General Exclusion Order (GEO).
Print-Rite launched the gear last year, and according to the company it is already used in models including the HP CE505, CF280 and CE255.
Print-Rite says the gear can be used in both new-build and remanufactured cartridges. Each projection has a uniform radial length, meaning “each projection is at an equal distance at two positions for PR-2 gear to engage with [the] printer driving shaft”.
The gear came from a “breakthrough” attained “after many months of research and development”, with Print-Rite adding that it has “strong confidence” the gear will “alleviate the industry’s concerns” around the gear patents, and “leave a door open for the remanufacturers to invigorate the [industry] regardless of the aftermath of the ITC investigation“.