Toner cartridge having a positioning boss

1. A toner cartridge, comprising:

a housing having a top, a bottom, a first side and a second side positioned between a first longitudinal end and a second longitudinal end of the housing, the housing has a reservoir for holding toner;

a photoconductive drum rotatably positioned on the housing, a portion of an outer surface of the photoconductive drum is positioned along the bottom of the housing, the photoconductive drum includes a rotational axis that runs in a direction from the first longitudinal end to the second longitudinal end; and

a boss protruding outward from the first longitudinal end of the housing at the rotational axis of the photoconductive drum, an outermost axial segment of the boss along the rotational axis of the photoconductive drum includes a partial cylinder having a cross-sectional shape of a circular segment of less than 360 degrees circumference, an outer circumferential surface of the partial cylinder is convex to the bottom of the housing and forms a bottom contact surface of the boss that is unobstructed to contact and sit in a corresponding V-block in an image forming device when the toner cartridge is installed in the image forming device, the outer circumferential surface of the partial cylinder has a radius, the outermost axial segment of the boss includes clearance above a topmost portion of the partial cylinder and within the radius of the outer circumferential surface of the partial cylinder permitting the clearance to accommodate one or more features in the image forming device during installation of the toner cartridge into the image forming device.

2. The toner cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the partial cylinder has a cross-sectional shape of a circular segment of greater than 180 degrees circumference.

3. The toner cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the outer circumferential surface of the partial cylinder has a constant radius.

4. The toner cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the radius of the outer circumferential surface of the partial cylinder is centered about the rotational axis of the photoconductive drum.

5. The toner cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the outermost axial segment of the boss includes a flat segment that is positioned on top of the partial cylinder and that extends from a first circumferential end of the partial cylinder to a second circumferential end of the partial cylinder, wherein the clearance is positioned immediately above the flat segment.

6. The toner cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising a drive coupler on the second longitudinal end of the housing for mating with a corresponding drive coupler in the image forming device for receiving rotational motion from the corresponding drive coupler in the image forming device when the toner cartridge is installed in the image forming device, the drive coupler of the toner cartridge is operatively connected to the photoconductive drum to transfer rotational motion to the photoconductive drum.

7. A toner cartridge, comprising:

a housing having a top, a bottom, a first side and a second side positioned between a first longitudinal end and a second longitudinal end of the housing, the housing has a reservoir for holding toner;

a photoconductive drum rotatably positioned on the housing, a portion of an outer surface of the photoconductive drum is positioned along the bottom of the housing, the photoconductive drum includes a rotational axis that runs in a direction from the first longitudinal end to the second longitudinal end; and

a D-shaped boss protruding outward from the first longitudinal end of the housing at the rotational axis of the photoconductive drum, the D-shaped boss includes a rounded bottom contact surface that is unobstructed to contact and sit in a corresponding V-block in an image forming device when the toner cartridge is installed in the image forming device, the D-shaped boss includes a planar top surface.

8. The toner cartridge of claim 7 , wherein the rounded bottom contact surface of the D-shaped boss has a constant radius.

9. The toner cartridge of claim 7 , wherein a radius of the rounded bottom contact surface of the D-shaped boss is centered about the rotational axis of the photoconductive drum.

10. The toner cartridge of claim 7 , further comprising a drive coupler on the second longitudinal end of the housing for mating with a corresponding drive coupler in the image forming device for receiving rotational motion from the corresponding drive coupler in the image forming device when the toner cartridge is installed in the image forming device, the drive coupler of the toner cartridge is operatively connected to the photoconductive drum to transfer rotational motion to the photoconductive drum.

11. A toner cartridge, comprising:

a housing having a top, a bottom, a first side and a second side positioned between a first longitudinal end and a second longitudinal end of the housing, the housing has a reservoir for holding toner;

a photoconductive drum rotatably positioned on the housing, a portion of an outer surface of the photoconductive drum is positioned along the bottom of the housing, the photoconductive drum includes a rotational axis that runs in a direction from the first longitudinal end to the second longitudinal end; and

a boss protruding outward from the first longitudinal end of the housing at the rotational axis of the photoconductive drum, the boss includes a rounded contact surface that is convex to the bottom of the housing and that is unobstructed to contact and sit in a corresponding V-block in an image forming device when the toner cartridge is installed in the image forming device, the rounded contact surface has a radius, wherein a volume of space above a topmost portion of the boss and within the radius of the rounded contact surface of the boss is free of material for accommodating one or more features in the image forming device during installation of the toner cartridge into the image forming device.

12. The toner cartridge of claim 11 , wherein the rounded contact surface of the boss has a constant radius.

13. The toner cartridge of claim 11 , wherein the radius of the rounded contact surface of the boss is centered about the rotational axis of the photoconductive drum.

14. The toner cartridge of claim 11 , wherein the boss includes a flat segment that is positioned above the rounded contact surface and that extends from a first circumferential end of the rounded contact surface to a second circumferential end of the rounded contact surface, wherein the volume of space above the topmost portion of the boss and within the radius of the rounded contact surface of the boss that is free of material is positioned immediately above the flat segment.

15. The toner cartridge of claim 11 , further comprising a drive coupler on the second longitudinal end of the housing for mating with a corresponding drive coupler in the image forming device for receiving rotational motion from the corresponding drive coupler in the image forming device when the toner cartridge is installed in the image forming device, the drive coupler of the toner cartridge is operatively connected to the photoconductive drum to transfer rotational motion to the photoconductive drum.