ES2369115T3 - CONTAINER FOR SUPPLY OF TONER AND SYSTEM FOR SUPPLY OF TONER. - Google Patents

Abstract

Container (1) for toner supply that can be mounted with decoupling capacity in an apparatus (100) for imaging, said container (1) comprising for toner supply: a container body (1A) with rotation capacity that It has an interior space to accommodate toner; an opening (1a) for discharging toner, adapted to allow the unloading of the toner to a part for receiving toner of the imaging apparatus (100); a feeding part (1C, 40) adapted to feed toner in said container body (1A) towards said opening (1a) for toner discharge with a rotation of said container body (1A); and a coupling element (2) with rotation capacity comprising: a coupling projection (3) adapted to engage with a part to be fixed to the image forming apparatus, the coupling projection (3) being arranged on an elastically deformable support part (2f) characterized in that said elastically deformable support part (2f) is adapted to support said coupling projection (3) so as to allow the displacement substantially radially towards the interior of said coupling projection (3) with respect to an axis of rotation of said coupling element, wherein said support part (2f) can be recovered substantially radially outward with respect to the axis of rotation to establish a coupling between said coupling boss with the part to be fixed of the apparatus for imaging, because said coupling element comprises a release projection (4), dispu this on said support part (2f), adapted to receive a releasing force to move said support part radially inwardly in order to decouple said coupling projection (3) from the part to be fixed of the apparatus for forming of images, said coupling projection (3) is adapted to receive a rotational force of the apparatus for imaging to rotate said container body (1A) when coupled with the part of the apparatus for imaging, said part of support (2f) is provided with a thin part (2y) opposite to a free end of said support part (2f) in order to allow easy deformation of said support part (2f), said thin part (2y) being more thin than the parts of said support part (2f) that support the coupling boss (3) and the release boss (4).

Description

Container for toner supply and system for toner supply

The present invention relates to a toner supply container having the characteristics of the preamble of claim 1 and a toner supply system having the characteristics of the preamble of claim 2.

In a conventional apparatus for the formation of electrophotographic images, such as a copy machine or an electrophotographic printer, a fine particle toner is used as a developer. When the toner of the main assembly of the apparatus for electrophotographic imaging is used up, toner is supplied to the main assembly of the apparatus for imaging using a container for housing toner (container for supplying toner).

In said apparatus, the apparatus for the formation of electrophotographic images is an apparatus that forms images on a recording material through a process of the type of electrophotographic imagery. Devices for electrophotographic imaging include electrophotographic copying machines, electrophotographic printers (laser printer, LED printer, for example), facsimile machines, word processors or the like.

Since the toner is a very fine powder, in the operation of toner supply, it is known that a container for toner supply is placed inside the main assembly of the imaging apparatus and the toner is gradually supplied through of a small opening to avoid the dispersion of the toner.

Any of the toner supply containers described above receives a driving force from the main assembly of an image forming apparatus to drive the feed element of the toner supply container or of the same main body to discharge the toner. As for said drive transmission means there are some methods. For example, JP 05-75768 U discloses that a part of a gear is disposed on an outer surface of the toner bottle (toner supply container) and that the gear engages with a driving gear, by means of the which one turns the toner bottle.

JP 10-63084 discloses that the surface of the end of the toner bottle is provided with a projection that engages with recesses formed in an actuating part of the main assembly of the imaging apparatus, transmitting from it way the driving force.

The Japanese patent application open for public inspection JP 10-63076 discloses another type. A part for the transmission of a rotational force of the main assembly of the imaging apparatus has an inside diameter that is provided with a series of coupling slots and the toner container is provided with projections that can be engaged in the grooves of coupling The rotational drive force is transmitted through the coupling between them.

As described, various methods for transmission of the drive to drive the container for toner supply are proposed.

However, conventional structures carry some problems.

In the case of JP 05-75768 U, when the toner bottle is inserted into the main assembly of the imaging apparatus, it is necessary to make the gear part of the outer surface of the toner bottle properly coupled with the part of the driving gear of the main assembly of the imaging apparatus. This requires the user to be careful for proper coupling. In addition, since the toner bottle is rotated through the coupling between the gears, the toner bottle receives forces that tend to deflect the bottle in a direction perpendicular to the axis. Therefore, there is a possibility that the toner bottle will rise or deviate laterally resulting in an incorrect rotation. In order to avoid such deviation it is required that the entire outer circumference of the toner bottle be closed. This imposes difficulties in the assembly of the toner bottle and in the assembly operation. Additionally, the supply system is complex and expensive.

In the methods disclosed in JP 10-63084 and JP 10-68076, when the toner bottle is introduced so that the projection (or recess) disposed on the surface of the end of the toner bottle is suitably coupled with the base (or projection) of the drive part of the main assembly side (drive part of the main assembly), a positioning operation in the direction of rotation is required. This degrades the operability of the developer supply and even a slight deviation can result in a lack of operability.

In order to avoid such incorrect coupling, it is required that the toner bottle be provided on its outer surface with a guide rib in order to determine the position of the toner bottle in the direction of rotation at the introduction thereof, or that the rotation operation of the coupling recess of the drive part of the main assembly is controlled to stop at a predetermined rotation position whenever it is stopped. This also results in an increase in complexity and cost.

In most coupling drive transmissions that use a projection / recess coupling, when phase deviation occurs between the toner bottle and the drive portion of the main assembly, the drive portion of the main assembly is required recede in opposition to the force of a spring and the coupling position is established when the phase is aligned. With said structure, even if there is a phase difference when the toner bottle is introduced, the actuating part of the main assembly moves back and when the bottle rotates in this situation, the phase differences are eliminated sooner or later and, therefore, coupling is established. However, the structure of the drive part of the main assembly is complex. In addition, the drive part of the main assembly must be able to move towards the rear, which requires additional space and, therefore, makes it difficult to reduce the size of the main assembly of the apparatus.

In the conventional example it is not known how to decouple the projection of the recess. Assuming that the operator forces the removal of the container for toner supply or that the operator pushes the small protrusion with the finger, the usability is not good or the actuation part of the apparatus for imaging

or the toner supply container may be damaged.

EP 1 006 415 A1 discloses a toner supply container having the characteristics of the preamble of claim 1 and a toner supply system having the characteristics of the preamble of claim 2, respectively. The toner supply container is provided with a coupling mechanism in the form of a recess for receiving a stem from a printer. When the toner container is mounted on the printer, the rod fits into the coupling recess, so that the toner can be supplied from the toner container to the printer. To release the coupling, the rod retracts from the recess by applying a recoil force on the toner container.

EP 0 853 260 A2 shows a cartridge that has a protruding end that is inserted into a recess of a printer. The connection between the cartridge and the printer is made by a pressure coupling of the protrusion of the cartridge and the corresponding recess of the printer. The pressure coupling is released by applying a release force on the cartridge in the reverse direction.

The objective of the present invention is to disclose an improved container for toner supply, which can be easily and reliably coupled and decoupled to a drive part of an image forming apparatus and to disclose a delivery system. of toner consisting of the container for improved toner supply and an apparatus for receiving toner.

The object of the present invention is solved with the toner supply container according to claim 1 and the toner supply system according to claim 2.

The features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent when considering the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a sectional view of an apparatus for imaging, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the imaging apparatus shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the assembly of a container for the supply of toner in an image forming apparatus.

Figure 4 is a front view of the imaging apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a side view of the imaging apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the image forming apparatus showing a change cover of the toner container in the open position.

Figure 7 are sectional views showing an assembly operation of the container for toner supply where (A) shows an initial stage of the assembly operation, (B) shows the state in the process of the assembly operation and (C ) shows the status after finishing the assembly operation.

Figure 8 is a perspective view, partially sectioned, of a container for toner supply.

Figure 9 is a partially enlarged section of the view of a part of the drive transmission in which a drive shaft is arranged on the side of the main body of the toner supply container.

Figure 10 is a perspective view, partially sectioned, of a container for toner supply.

Figure 11 is a partially enlarged section of the view of a part for transmission of the drive in which a drive shaft is disposed on one side of the closing element.

Figure 12 is a side view of a closure element in which (A) is a front view, (B) is a side view seen in the -X-direction of (A) and (C) is a side view seen in the direction -Y-of (A).

Figure 13 is a sectional view of a closure element, along a line -X-X-of (B) of Figure 12.

Figure 14 is a perspective view of a part for the transmission of the driving force and a part for the reception of the driving force.

Figure 15 is a view, partially in section, showing the coupling action of a part for the transmission of the drive of a toner bottle, in which (A) shows the state before the introduction of the toner bottle, (B) shows the status in the introduction process, (C) shows the status after completing the entry operation.

Figure 16 is a perspective view of a part for receiving the driving force, according to an example not covered by the present invention.

Figure 17 is a sectional view of the closure element of Figure 16.

Figure 18 is an illustration of the phase alignment when the toner bottle is inserted into the main assembly of the apparatus in which (A) shows the state in which a coupling rib and a coupling projection are aligned with each other, ( B) shows the state in which they are not aligned after the turn to a certain extent and

(C) shows the state in which the coupling rib rests against the coupling boss to allow transmission of the drive.

Figure 19 shows a closure element in which (A) is a view of the left side, (B) is a front view and (C) is a view of the right side.

Figure 20 is a perspective view of a part for the transmission of the driving force and a part for the reception of the driving force, in which the phase control operation is not necessary.

Figure 21 shows the part for the transmission of the drive of Figure 20 during an operation of introducing the toner bottle, in which (A) shows the state before the introduction of the toner bottle, (B) shows the status in the process of the entry operation and (C) shows the status after completing the entry operation.

Figure 22 shows the decoupling action in the part for transmission of the toner bottle drive, in which (A) is before decoupling, (B) is during the decoupling process, (C) is after the end of decoupling action.

Figure 23 is a sectional view of the closure element, in which (A) is a side view, (B) is a front view and (C) is a sectional view.

Figure 24 is a sectional view showing the coupling of the closure element of Figure 23 with the drive part.

Figure 25 is an illustration of the decoupling action in the transmission part of the toner bottle drive, in which it is shown: (A) before decoupling, (B) during the decoupling process and (C) After finishing the decoupling action.

Figure 26 shows a closure element, according to an example not corresponding to the invention, in which (A) is a side view and (B) is a sectional view taken along a line -X-X-.

Figure 27 shows an actuating part that can be coupled with the closure element of Figure 26, according to an example not corresponding to the invention, in which (A) is a front view, (B) is a side view, ( C) is a sectional view along a line -CC-of (B), (D) is a sectional view taken along a line -DD-of (A).

Figure 28, which shows an example not corresponding to the invention, shows the coupling action between the closing element of Figure 26 and the actuating part of Figure 27, in which (A) shows the state in which the toner bottle is inserted, (B) shows the status during the introduction process and (C) shows the status after finishing the introduction.

Figure 29, which shows an example not corresponding to the invention, shows the decoupling action after coupling shown in Figure 28, in which (A) is before decoupling, (B) is during the decoupling process and ( C) is after completing the decoupling action.

Figure 30 is a sectional view of a closure element in which (A) is before decoupling and (B) is during the decoupling process.

Figure 31 is a perspective view of a container for toner supply.

Figure 32 shows a closure element, according to one embodiment.

Figure 33 is a perspective view showing a drive transmission for a photosensitive drum.

A closure element, a container for housing toner and an image forming apparatus will be described, according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention in combination with the accompanying drawings.

(Example 1)

Referring to Figure 1, a first description will be made with respect to an apparatus for the formation of electrophotographic images that is an example of the apparatus for imaging with a toner supply container (container for housing toner).

(Apparatus for the formation of electrophotographic images)

Figure 1 shows an electrophotographic copy machine. An original -101-is placed in a main set -100- (main set of the apparatus) on a glass -102-plate for original support. A luminous image corresponding to the information of the image of the original -101-is reproduced in an electrophotographic photosensitive drum -104- (image carrying element) through a series of mirrors -My a lens -Ln-of an optical part -103-. Based on the selection made by the user on an operating part -100 shown in Figure 2, or based on the automatic selection according to the paper size of the original -101-, an optimum P-sheet of the cassettes is selected -105-, -106-, -107-, -108-. The recording material is not limited to the sheet of paper but can be, for example, a projector sheet (OHP).

A single sheet -P-supplied from one of the separation devices -105A-, -106A-, -107A-, -108A-to the alignment rollers -110-is fed through a feeding part -109-, and the sheet -P-is fed to the transfer part by means of the alignment rollers -110-in synchronization with the rotation of the photosensitive drum -104- and the scanning time of the optical part -103-. In the transfer part, a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum -104-on the sheet -P- is transferred by the transfer arrester -111-. The sheet -P-which now has the transferred toner image is separated from the photosensitive drum -104-by means of a -112- separation arrester.

The sheet -P-is fed to a fixing part -114-by means of a feeding part -113-. In the fixing part -114-the toner image is fixed on the sheet -P-by heat and pressure. Subsequently, the sheet -P-passes through a part -115-to invert the unloaded sheet and is unloaded in a tray -117-for sheet unloading, by means of the sheet unloading rollers -116-in the case of a Single-sided copy mode. In the case of a two-sided copy mode, the sheet -P-is fed back to the alignment rollers -110-through the sheet feedback paths -119-, -120-under the control of an inverter device ("flapper") -118-arranged in part -115-for the inversion of the unloaded sheets. Subsequently, the sheet is fed in a manner similar to the case of single-sided copy mode and is finally unloaded into the sheet-download tray -117.

In the case of the superimposed copy mode, the sheet -P-is temporarily and partially unloaded by means of the rollers -116-of sheet unloading through the inverting part -115-of the unloaded sheets. Subsequently, at the moment when the rear edge of the sheet passes through the inverter device -118-while still pinched by the rollers -116-of sheet discharge, the inverter device -118- and the roller -116- are controlled. Leaf discharge rotates in the reverse direction, so that it is fed back to the main assembly -100-. Subsequently, the sheet is fed to the rollers -110-of alignment through the parts -119-, -120-of sheet feedback and then the sheet is processed similarly to the case of single-sided copy mode. Finally, it is unloaded into the tray -117-sheet unloading.

In the main assembly -100-of the apparatus, a developing device -201- (developing means), a cleaning device -202-, the main charger -203- and so on, around the photosensitive drum -104- are arranged .

An electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing the photosensitive drum -104-evenly to duplicate the light image corresponding to the original image information -101-. The electrostatic latent image is revealed with the toner by a developing device -201-. In order to supply the toner (developer) to the developing device -201-, the user assembles, with the possibility of being disassembled, a container -1 for supplying toner in the main assembly -100- of the apparatus. The present invention is applicable to the case in which only the toner is supplied to the apparatus for imaging from the toner supply container and to the case in which the toner and the carrier are supplied therefrom. This last case is treated in this embodiment.

The developing device -201- comprises a toner hopper -201a- (housing means) and a developing device -201b-. The toner hopper -201a-is provided with a stirring means -201c-to agitate the designated toner supply from the container -1-for toner supply. The toner agitated by the stirring element -201c-is supplied to the developing device -201b-by a magnetic roller -201d-. The developing device -201b- comprises a developing roller -201f- and a feeding element -201e-. The toner fed from the toner hopper -201a-by the magnetic roller -201d-is fed to the developing roller -201f-by the feeding element -201e-and is supplied to the photosensitive drum -104-by the developing roller - 201f-.

The cleaning device -202-works to remove the remaining toner in the photosensitive drum -104-. The main charger -203-works to electrically charge the photosensitive drum -104-.

When the user opens a front cover -15-for changing the toner supply container (front cover) which is a part of an outer envelope shown in Figure 2, a tray -50-receiving is removed from the container, which It is part of the mounting means, up to a predetermined position by means of a drive system not shown. The user places the container -1-for toner supply on the tray -50-receiving container. When the user removes the container -1-for toner supply from the main assembly -100-of the apparatus, the tray -15-for receiving the container is removed and the container -1-for toner supply is removed from the tray -50 -.

The front cover -15-is arranged exclusively for the assembly and disassembly (change) of the container -1-for toner supply and, therefore, opens and closes only for this purpose. When the maintenance operation for the main assembly -100-of the device has to be carried out, the front cover -100c- is opened.

The container -1-for toner supply can be mounted directly on the main assembly -100-of the apparatus and can be removed from it.

(Toner Supply Operation)

Referring to Figure 7, (A), and Figure 7, (C), the operation of toner supply from the toner supply container (toner bottle) will be described. Figure 7, (A) - (C) shows the process of toner supply in which the -1-toner bottle is inserted into the main assembly -100-of the apparatus.

As shown in the figure, the main assembly -100-of the apparatus is provided with a device -400-for toner supply, and the device -400-for toner supply is provided with a drive part -20 (part for the transmission of the driving force) to collect and rotate the toner bottle -1-. The drive part -20- is supported with rotation capacity by the bearings -23- and is rotated by a drive motor not shown arranged in the main assembly -100-of the apparatus.

The main assembly -100-of the apparatus is also provided with a separator -25- that constitutes a path -24 of toner supply that connects with a hopper -201a-and is fixed to the separator -25-, inner and outer bearings -26a -, -26b-to support with the possibility of turning a part of the toner bottle -1-and to close the path -24-of toner supply. In addition, on the path -24-a helical spindle element -27-for toner supply to feed the toner to the hopper -201a- is arranged.

Figure 7, (A) shows the introduction of the toner bottle -1-in the main assembly -100-of the apparatus. One end of the toner bottle -1-is provided with an opening -1a-for toner supply, which will simply be called "opening", formed by a cylindrical element in this embodiment, said opening -1 being closed by a closing element -2-at the free end of the cylinder.

Figure 7, (B) shows the state in which the toner bottle -1-, and a projection -3- for coupling (fixing projection) arranged in the free end portion of the closure element - has been introduced more 2-is coupled with a fixing hole (retention) with the drive part -20-arranged in the main assembly. The coupling between the drive part -20- and the closing element -2-is carried out as follows.

The user introduces the toner bottle -1-in the main assembly and, in this way, the drive part -20- is brought into contact with an upper surface (receiving part of the fixing force) of the projection for engagement . By further introducing the toner bottle -1-, the drive part -20-pushes down the coupling boss to move it. Subsequently, when the pushing action of the drive part -20- is released, the part that supports the fixing projection is recovered by its own elastic force, so that the coupling is achieved.

Thus, in this example, the coupling is of the type called "pressure adjustment".

Since the fixing surface -3b-(fixing part) arranged in the projection -3-for coupling is fixed with a fixing hole (part to be fixed) against a movement in the thrust direction (axial direction) and, by therefore, as long as the fixation is maintained, the closing element -2-is retained in the position fixed by the actuating part -20-, although a slight play is permissible.

As will be understood from Figure 7, (C), once the closing element -2-and the actuating part -20- have been coupled, a sliding element -300-goes back in the direction indicated by an arrow -b-in interrelation with the closing operation of the front cover -15-to change the bottle. In this way, the toner bottle -1-also recedes but the closure element is fixed on the side of the main assembly of the imaging apparatus and, therefore, the closure element -2-is far from the bottle of toner -1-thus opening the opening -1a-to allow the supply of toner.

At this time, the drive shaft -1b-fixed to the main body -1A-of the toner bottle -1-is not completely decoupled from the closure element -2-even in the state in which the opening -1a-is closed by means of the closing element and even in the state in which the opening is open, and the coupling part (hole part) of the closing element is held coupled with the drive shaft -1b- (part to be coupled). The drive shaft -1b-has a configuration with a non-circular cross-section, such as a rectangular or triangular shape to allow transmission of the driving force. Consequently, the hole (coupling part) has a complementary configuration for a sliding adjustment.

When a motor, not shown, is driven in this state, the rotary driving force is transmitted to a receiving surface of the driving force (receiving part of the driving force) of the coupling boss of the closing element -2 -from the drive part -20- of the main assembly (the drive part arranged in the main assembly), and the driving force is transmitted from the closing element -2-to the drive shaft -1b-which rotates the -1 toner bottle to feed and unload the toner.

In this way, the closing element -2-has the function of closing the opening -1a-, the function of receiving the rotary driving force from the side of the main assembly of the image forming apparatus, as a transmission function of the rotary drive force next to the toner bottle -1-.

The toner bottle -1-is supported with the possibility of rotation by means of the roller -23-for receiving bottles arranged on a table -50-for receiving containers and, therefore, can rotate smoothly by means of a reduced driving torque. The roller -23-for receiving bottles is arranged in each of the four positions that form a support with respect to the main body -1A-of the lower part. The rollers -23-for receiving bottles are supported with the possibility of turning on the device -400-for toner supply of the main set -100-of the apparatus. By rotating the toner bottle -1-, the toner housed in the -1-toner bottle is gradually discharged through the opening -1a-and the helical spindle element -27-arranged in the path -24- of supply of toner that feeds toner to the hopper -201a-arranged in the main assembly -100-of the apparatus, thus obtaining the supply of toner.

(Container change method for toner supply)

The description will be made with respect to a method of changing the toner bottle.

With the imaging operation, the toner from the toner bottle -1- is consumed. When substantially all of the toner thereof is used up, the "absence of toner" is detected by means of detection (not shown) arranged in the main assembly -100-of the apparatus and the event is notified to the user by means of display means -100b- (figure 2) such as a liquid crystal display.

In this example, the user easily changes the -1-toner bottle through the following steps.

First, the front cover -15- is turned, which is in a closed state around a hinge -18-, to an open position indicated by dashed lines in Figure 6. In interrelation with the opening action of the front cover -15-, the main body -1A-of the bottle, which adopts the position indicated in (C) of figure 7, moves in a direction indicated by an arrow -a-in (A) of figure 7 , which is opposite the direction of the arrow -b-, by means of opening and closing means for the toner supply part which will be described later in this document. In this way, the closing element -2-which is in an open position (away from the main body -1A-of the bottle to open the opening -1a-of toner supply) is adjusted by pressure in the opening -1a - of toner supply so that the opening -1a - of toner supply is closed (Figure 7, (B)). At this time, the closure element still maintains the coupling with the main assembly of the imaging apparatus. Subsequently, a release ring applies a release force to a release boss, whereby the release boss descends together with the engagement boss, so that the coupling is released. By retracting the main body -1A-of the bottle in the longitudinal direction of the bottle, the release operation between the closure element and the main assembly of the imaging apparatus is completed.

Next, the user removes from the main assembly -100-of the empty-toner bottle -1 that has been released from the main assembly -100- of the apparatus, in the direction of the arrow -b- (Figure 7 (C) ) which is opposite the direction of the arrow -a- (figure 7 (A) arrow -a-).

Then the user introduces a new toner bottle -1-in the main assembly -100-of the apparatus in the direction of the arrow -a-and then closes the front cover -15-. In interrelation with the closing action of the front cover -15-, the closing element -2-fixed with the main assembly of the imaging apparatus moves away from the main body of the container by means of the opening and closing means of the toner supply part, so that the closure of the opening -1a-of toner supply is released (Figure 7, (C)). The above is the process of changing the container for toner supply.

(Toner bottle)

The toner bottle will be described with reference to Figure 8 and Figure 9.

The -1-toner bottle is generally cylindrical, and one of the ends thereof is provided, substantially in the center, with an opening -1a-by a protruding part. The diameter of the opening -1a-is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical part -1A-which is the main body of the bottle. The opening -1a-is closed with a closing element -2-to close the opening -1a-and as will be understood from the description in combination with Figure 7, (A) - (C), the closing the opening -1a-and closing it again automatically, by sliding movement of the closing element -2-with respect to the toner bottle -1-in the longitudinal direction (arrow -b-) of the toner bottle -one-.

In the part of the free end of the closing element -2-, there is a cylindrical part having a coupling projection -3- and a part -4-receiving a releasing force to disengage the actuating part -20-arranged in the main assembly of the apparatus and said part of the cylindrical part as a support of the coupling boss and the release boss is elastically deformable (in order to increase or aid the elastic deformation grooves are formed on the lateral sides of the area for the purpose to extend the free end of the cylindrical part, as will be described later in this document).

The coupling projection -3- is coupled with the drive part -20- and works to transmit the rotation to the toner bottle -1-. The structures of the coupling boss -3- and the release force will be described in detail later in this document.

The internal structure of the toner bottle -1- will be described.

As described above, the toner bottle -1 is generally cylindrical in shape and is generally arranged horizontally in the main assembly -100-of the apparatus. Turn through the main set -100-of the device. An inner part of the toner bottle -1-has a projection -1c-shaped like a rib that extends helically. When the toner bottle -1- rotates, the toner is fed in the axial direction along the helical projection -1c- and the toner is discharged through the opening -1a-formed at one end of the toner bottle - one-.

The internal structure of the toner bottle -1-, according to the present invention, is not limiting and the configuration or structure can be any as long as the toner can be discharged by rotating the toner bottle -1-. The main body of the toner bottle is not limited to what was described above. For example, it can have a rotary spindle or the like to feed the toner and the rotary spindle is driven by a rotary driving force received by the closing element of the imaging apparatus, while the main body is fixed (without the ability to rotation) to the main assembly of the imaging apparatus.

The characteristic of this example is found in the structure of the transmission part of the drive for connection with the main assembly -100-of the apparatus and, therefore, the internal structure of the toner bottle -1-can be any and the Bottle can have a helical projection -1c-on the inner surface of the bottle.

For example, the internal structure of the bottle can be modified as shown in Figure 10. In this modified example, a deflector element -40-generally in the form of a plate is arranged on the main body of the bottle. The surface of the deflector element -40-has, on the surface, a series of inclined projections -40a-which are inclined with respect to the axis direction of the toner bottle -1-. One end of one of the inclined projections -40a-extends to the surroundings of the opening -1a-. The toner is finally discharged from the inclined projection -40a-through the opening -1a-. By rotating the toner bottle -1-, the toner is picked up by the baffle element -40- and subsequently falls sliding on the surface of the baffle element -40-. Due to the inclination of the inclined projection -40a-, the toner advances towards the front side of the toner bottle -1-. Repeating this operation, the toner, inside the toner bottle is gradually fed into the opening -1a-while it is agitated and is discharged through it.

The type of drive of this invention is not limited to the type of rotation drive such as the type of this embodiment or modification. The toner bottle can be vibrated, tilted or otherwise moved to supply the toner. In other words, the drive can be a turn, tilt, vibration or other as long as the toner is discharged from the bottle when the toner bottle is moved by the main assembly -100-of the apparatus.

In the modified example described above, the deflector element -40-in the form of a plate is an independent element of the toner bottle -1-and the rotary actuating force is transmitted to the deflector element -40 through the closure element -2- to spin the toner bottle -1-indirectly.

Thus, the present invention is applicable when the toner bottle -1-is directly or indirectly actuated through a closure element -2-.

In Figures 8 and 9, the main body -1A-of the bottle is provided with the opening -1a-on the surface of the longitudinal end thereof and a drive shaft -1b- (part to be coupled) protrudes out of the opening -1a-, the drive shaft -1b-being integrated in the main body -1A-of the bottle and being arranged in the opening -1a-. The drive shaft -1b-is arranged substantially coaxially with the opening -1a-and is coupled with the possibility of sliding with a coupling hole -2a- (coupling part) formed in the closure element -2-. The coupling hole, as shown in Figure 9, is closed at one end away from the drive shaft, so that toner leakage through the coupling hole is prevented.

The drive shaft -1b-works to transmit the rotational drive force from the main assembly -100-of the apparatus to the main body -1A-of the bottle through the closing element -2-, the cross-sectional configuration of the Drive shaft -1b-is not circular, for example, a rectangular, H-shaped, D-shaped or similar configuration to transmit the rotary drive force. The drive shaft -1 is fixed to the main body -1A-of the bottle by suitable means.

The drive shaft -1b-may not be fixed to the main body -1A-of the bottle but be integrated in the closure element -2-as shown in Figure 11. In this case, the coupling hole -2a -to transmit the driving force from the drive shaft -1b-is arranged on the side of the toner bottle -1-and said opening is formed in such a way that they remain coupled to each other once the closure of the the toner bottle In the modified example, the element defining the coupling hole -2a-is supported by an element -1c-arranged inside the opening -1a-but allows the toner to discharge.

In this example, the drive shaft -1b-is fixed to the main body -1A-of the bottle.

(Closing element)

Referring to figures 12 and 13, the description will be made with reference to the closing element -2 (element for receiving the drive).

In figures 12 and 13, the closing element -2- comprises a closing part -2b-for closing, with the ability to remove the closure, the opening -1a-of the toner bottle -1- and a part -2c - coupling (cylindrical part) in the form of a cylinder that can be coupled with the drive part -20- of the main assembly of the apparatus. The outer diameter of the large diameter part of the closure part -2b-is larger than the inner diameter of the opening -1a-to a suitable degree. The closing part -2b-is pressurized in the opening -1a-whereby the opening -1a- (opening for toner supply) is closed by the closing element -2-.

As described above, the closing element -2-has a coupling hole -2a-to transmit the driving force received from the main assembly -100-of the apparatus to the driving shaft -1b by coupling with the axis of drive -1b-. The coupling hole -2a-extends continuously in the closing part -2b-and in the coupling part -2c-. The coupling hole -2a-has a cross-sectional configuration that is complementary to the drive shaft -1b-and that is slightly larger than the cross section of the drive shaft -1b-. Because of this, the drive shaft -1b-fits loosely in the coupling hole -2a-. The coupling hole -2a-and the drive shaft -1b-have complementary polygonal configurations. In this embodiment they are square.

Due to the loose fit of the drive shaft -1b-in the coupling hole -2a-having said cross sections, the main body -1A-of the bottle and the closing element -2-can slide relative to each other in axial direction while avoiding relative rotating movement between them. With this structure, when the toner bottle -1- (fixed) is mounted on the device -400-for toner supply, the closing element -2-can be moved with respect to the main body -1A-of the bottle, that is, removal of the closure of the opening -1a- (opening for toner supply) is allowed.

The coupling length between the coupling hole -2a-and the drive shaft -1b-is determined so that they are not coupled to each other during the relative movement between the closing element -2-and the main body -1A-of the bottle for closure removal. By doing this, the drive shaft -1b-can receive the driving force through the closing element -2-, even if the closing element -2-moves away in relation to the main body -1-.

The description will be made with respect to the coupling projection -3- (fixing projection) which is one of the characteristics of the present invention.

The coupling part -2c-of the closing element -2-has a coupling projection -3- for receiving the driving force from the main assembly -100-of the apparatus. The coupling projection -3-projects radially outwards from the peripheral surface of the cylindrical part of the coupling part -2c-. The coupling projection comprises a surface -3a-of receiving the drive (part of receiving the driving force) for receiving the rotary driving force from the main assembly of the apparatus; and a fixing surface -3b- (fixing part) for a pressure adjustment type fixing of the closing element -2-in a fixing hole (part to be fixed) disposed in the main assembly of the apparatus when the closing element -2-and toner bottle -1-move away from each other (from the closed state to the open state). In this way, by means of the surface -3a-of receiving the drive, the coupling hole -2a- and the fixing surface -3b-, the coupling projection -3-performs three different functions, that is, a function of coupling for the reception of the rotary drive force from the main assembly of the apparatus, a transmission function to transmit the rotation to the toner bottle -1-and a fixing function (retention function) to allow a sliding movement relative between the closing element -2-and the main body of the toner bottle -1-in order to open and close the opening automatically.

When the driving force is transmitted with the fixing surface -3b-fixed with the driving part -20-of the main assembly, the surface -3b-is effective in maintaining a constant distance between the closing element -2- and the -1- toner bottle. This ensures the formation of the trajectory of the toner between the toner bottle -1-and the closure element -2-, so that the amount of toner discharged remains constant. In this way, a toner bottle is obtained that has excellent discharge properties of constant amounts. In addition, the closing element -2-is securely fixed to the driving part -20-of the main assembly of the apparatus and, therefore, it is not likely that the closing element -2-is disengaged from the driving shaft during the toner discharge operation, also ensuring toner discharge.

According to this structure, the automatic opening and closing operations of the closing element -2-and the operation of transmission of the driving force by a single closing element can be achieved, so that a container for supply can be achieved Economic and compact toner.

The coupling projection -3- is preferably generally integral with the closure element -2from the point of view of reducing the number of constituent parts, but an independent element for the coupling projection -3-can also be mounted the closing element -2-. Said example will be described in combination with a fourth embodiment.

The coupling projection -3- has the function of receiving the driving force as well as the fixing function and, therefore, has a certain degree of rigidity. In view of this, grooves -2e-or similar are formed in the lateral ends of the coupling boss -3-, so that only the coupling part -2c-is arranged in the coupling boss -3-, which can be deformed elastically with relative freedom inwards. This is due to the fact that the coupling projection -3- is displaced by the main assembly -100- of the apparatus to effect the coupling and decoupling with respect to the main assembly of the apparatus, as will be described later in this document.

In this example, the coupling boss -3- is integrated in the closure element -2-in this embodiment.

The free end portion of the coupling boss -3- is provided with a conical part (receiving part of the fixing force) in order to allow a smooth introduction when the closing element -2-is introduced into the actuating part - 20-of the main set -100-of the apparatus. The conical surface -3c-receives a fixing force from the inner surface of the drive part -20-, so that the coupling projection -3- (fixing part) is moved inwards to fix the fixing hole when the conical surface -3c-approaches in relation to the fixing hole -20h-of the drive part -20-. When the fixing surface is closer to the fixing hole to the point where the conical part -3c-makes contact with the inner surface of the actuating part -20-, that is, the fixing force, the part is released which supports the coupling projection (fixing part) is recovered from its displaced position, thus completing the fixing between the closing element (fixing part) and the main assembly (part to be fixed) of the imaging apparatus .

After finishing the fixing action, the relative movement between the closing element and the main body of the bottle in the direction of moving away from each other is automatically imparted, whereby the opening of the opening is opened to allow toner discharge. In this embodiment, the closure element is coupled with the main assembly of the apparatus so as to prevent movement in the sliding direction and, in this state, the main body of the bottle recoils or advances to automatically open or close the opening.

Referring to Figures 12 and 13, the description will be made with respect to the structure of a part for receiving the release force that is another characteristic of the present invention.

The coupling projection -3-described above is arranged in each of the two positions that are diametrically opposed to each other and the two coupling projections -3-are connected by a connection part that functions as a receiving part -4- of the force of liberation. When the part 4-receiving the release force (release part) receives a force from the main assembly of the apparatus in the direction indicated by an arrow -b-, the coupling projections -3-are elastically deformed such as It is indicated by the dashed lines in Figure 13. If the application of force is stopped, the original position is recovered. The release part -4-has a relatively small thickness to allow elastic deformation and the material is selected in consideration of said elastic deformation.

It is preferable that the closure element -2-be manufactured by injection molding of a plastic resin material or the like, but it is possible to use another material or another manufacturing method. They can be arranged by connecting independent elements. The closure element -2-preferably has a suitable elasticity since it is adjusted under pressure in the opening -1a-to close it. The best material is a low density polyethylene material and the preferred materials are polypropylene, normal chain polyamide, Nylon (trade name), high density polyethylene, polyester, ABS, HIPS (shock resistant polystyrene) or the like.

Using an elastically deformable elastic element for the parts that support the coupling boss -3- and for the release part -4-, the fixing and release between the actuating part -20- and the coupling boss -3-se they can get with a simple structure, using elastic deformation and recovery. The materials described above have suitable elasticities and, therefore, the coupling and decoupling of the drive part -20- and the coupling projection -3- are easily realized with sufficient duration.

The release part -4-is in the form of a bridge that connects the coupling projections -3-, so that said series of coupling projections -3- can be displaced uniformly by pushing a release part.

It is not inevitable to fully connect the coupling projections, but release portions can be arranged for the respective coupling projections, as shown in Figures 16 and 17.

(Receiving part of the driving force)

Referring to Figure 14, the description will be made with respect to the structure of the coupling part -2c-arranged in the closure element -2-, which is another feature of the present invention.

In this example, the closure element -2-is arranged in the coupling part -2c-in the form of a cylinder. As described above, it also functions as a receiving element of the drive for receiving the driving force from the transmission part -20-of the driving force arranged in the device -400-for toner supply.

In the cylindrical coupling part -2c-of the closure element -2-, the two parts arranged with the respective coupling projections -3-are elastically deformable, so that said parts are easily and elastically deformed by the conical part -3c -of the coupling projection -3-which is pushed by the -20-drive part. The -4-release part is arranged for the purpose of connecting the coupling projections -3- and the coupling projection -3- and the release part -4-form an integral assembly.

On the other hand, the fixing hole -20h-of the actuating part -20-arranged on the side of the main assembly -100-of the apparatus is constructed in order to be fixed in the coupling boss -3- (fixing surface ) of the closing element -2-. When the closing element -2-is introduced into the drive part -20-, the smooth introduction is achieved by providing the drive part -20-with a conical surface -20b-defining an inner diameter gradually decreasing at the free end of the drive part -20-. The closing element -2-is inserted smoothly into the drive part -20- due to the conical surface arrangement -20b-.

The drive part -20-is provided with a coupling rib -20a-to rotate the toner bottle -1-, and the coupling rib -20a-abuts the receiving surface -3a-of the drive to transmit The rotational actuation force to the closing element once the coupling projection is coupled with the fixing hole -20h-.

Referring to Figure 15, the coupling between the drive part -20- and the closure element -2- will be described.

In figure 15, (A) shows a state in which the user is arranging a new toner bottle -1-in the direction indicated by an arrow -in order to install it in the main assembly -100- of the apparatus, in the that the toner bottle -1 has not yet been coupled with the drive part -20-in the main assembly of the apparatus.

When the toner bottle -1- is further introduced, the conical part -3c-of the coupling boss -3-of the closure element -2-is brought into contact with the conical surface -20b-of the drive part -20 -, as shown in (B) in Figure 15 and the coupling projection -3- is guided by the conical surface -20b-while elastically deforming inwards.

By introducing the toner bottle -1- further, the coupling projection -3-passes through the straight part -20g-contained in the conical surface -20b-, the coupling projection -3-is recovered due to the arrangement of the part -20h- (fixing hole) that does not have the coupling rib -20a-, by which the coupling boss -3- is fixed to the actuating part -20-, as shown in (C) in Fig. 15. In this state, the coupling boss -3- is firmly fixed with respect to the drive part -20- and the position of the closing element -2-in the thrust direction (axial direction) is substantially fixed with respect to the main set of the apparatus.

Therefore, even if the toner bottle -1 is removed in the direction indicated by an arrow -b-, as shown in (C) in Figure 7, the closure element -2-does not move in the same direction, but it is firmly fixed to the drive part -20-. On the other hand, since the -1-toner bottle is removed, the closing element -2-is separated from the -1-toner bottle safely, so that the closure of the opening -1a-o is removed It remains open. The sliding recoil operation of the toner bottle -1-may be interrelated with the opening and closing operation of the front cover -15-arranged in the main assembly -100-of the apparatus.

As for the sliding operation, the toner bottle -1-can be slid with the closing element -2fixed, or the closure element -2-can be slid with the toner bottle -1-fixed or both can be slide away from each other.

When the toner in the toner bottle runs out, the empty toner bottle is removed to replace it with a new toner bottle. The disassembly operation is carried out by the steps described above in reverse order.

In detail, when the operator opens the front cover, the following occurs. First, the main body of the toner bottle advances towards the closing element while the closing element is fixed to the main assembly of the apparatus, whereby the opening closing element closes automatically. By means of a pushing element -21- which will be described later in this document, a release boss is actuated to release the coupling boss from the fixing hole. Subsequently, the main body of the toner bottle recedes together with the closing element that has been re-adjusted in the opening, so that the closing element is disengaged from the main body of the apparatus. In this way, the toner bottle is prepared to be removed from the main assembly of the apparatus.

(Structure that eliminates the need for phase alignment)

The description will be made with reference to the structure that eliminates the need for phase alignment when the toner bottle -1-couples with the drive -20-part of the main assembly.

In conventional means for transmission of the drive using a combination of a drive coupling of the type of projections and recesses, it is necessary to couple a recess and a projection with phase alignment. This is not necessary according to this example. This will be described with reference to Figure 18.

Figure 18 shows a positional relationship in the direction of rotation between the coupling projection -3- and the coupling rib -20a-when the closing element -2-is inserted into the actuating part -20-. The coupling rib -20a-is arranged in one position and the coupling boss -3- is arranged in two positions (-3A-, -3B-).

Assuming that the coupling rib -20a- and the coupling boss -3-are not aligned with each other when the user introduces the toner bottle -1-, when introducing the toner bottle -1-in the predetermined position, it is fixed the closing element -2-with the actuating part -20-and when the toner bottle -1-moves back, the closing element -2-moves away from the toner bottle -1-to establish the state in which You can download the toner.

However, depending on the position in the direction of rotation of the toner bottle -1-when the toner bottle is inserted, the coupling projection -3A-is aligned with the coupling rib -20a-, as shown in (A) in Figure 18. In this case, even if the toner bottle -1-is introduced in the predetermined position, the coupling boss -3A-interferes with the coupling rib -20a-so that it is not free out. So, the fixation is incomplete. If the toner bottle -1-goes back in this state, the toner bottle -1-goes back together with the closing element -2-since the fixation with the drive part -20-of the main assembly is incomplete. The opening -1a-cannot close or remove the closure.

In order to avoid this, the number of coupling projections -3- is greater than that of coupling ribs -20a-, at least in one, whereby not all coupling ribs and the coupling projection or projections are aligned .

In the case (A) of Figure 18, one of the coupling projections -3A-interferes with the coupling rib -20a-and, therefore, is not fixed to the actuating part -20-of the main assembly. However, the other coupling boss -3B-does not interfere with the coupling rib -20a-and, therefore, is correctly attached to the drive part -20-. Thus, even if one of the coupling projections -3A-is not fixed correctly, the other coupling projection -3B-is correctly fixed and, therefore, the toner bottle -1-moves away from the closing element - 2-without any problem, so that the closure of the opening -1a- is removed. Once the closure of the opening -1a- has been removed, the coupling rib -20a-which is not fully coupled stops interference sooner or later by rotating the actuating part -20- of the main assembly in the direction indicated by an arrow -cy, therefore, the correct fixing of the coupling boss -3A- is established. With an additional rotation, as shown in (C) of Figure 18, the coupling rib -20a-engages with the coupling boss -3B- so that the rotation is transmitted to rotate the toner bottle -1 -.

By providing the number of coupling projections -3- which is at least one more than the number of coupling ribs -20a-, at least one of the coupling projections engages with the fixing hole without interference with the coupling rib without Take into account the position of the toner bottle -1-in the direction of rotation. In this way, the -1-toner bottle can be securely attached to the device.

The number of coupling projections -3- can be four instead of two. In this case, the number of coupling ribs is not greater than three.

In this case, even if the number of the coupling ribs and the number of the coupling projections are the same, the distance (phase) between the coupling rib may be different from the distance (phase) between the coupling projections, whereby at least one of the coupling projections is not aligned with the coupling rib when the bottle is inserted, so that the correct fixation can be achieved.

When a series of coupling ribs are arranged in different positions of the circumference, it is preferable that the coupling ribs are arranged at regular intervals in consideration of the transmission property of the drive.

Figure 20 shows another example that also eliminates the need for phase alignment. In this modified example, a fixing slot -20e-shallow extends over the entire inner circumference of the coupling part -20d-of the drive part -20-of the main assembly, and a coupling hole -20d is formed -to engage with the coupling boss -3- in the fixing slot -20e-. The fixing groove -20e-is not deep enough to fully engage with the coupling boss -3-, but it is shallow enough to allow half coupling to allow automatic closing removal action.

Referring to Figure 21, in this modified example the coupling operation will be described.

In Figure 21, (A) shows a state in which the toner bottle -1-in the drive part -20-of the main drive assembly and the coupling hole -20d-of the part has not yet been introduced. -20-of the main assembly and the closing element -2-of the coupling boss -3-are not aligned in the positions in the direction of rotation, as indicated in the cross-section -XX-. With the introduction of the toner bottle -1-, the state shown in (B) of Figure 21 is reached, in which the coupling boss -3- is half coupled with the fixing slot -20e-. In this state, when the toner bottle -1- moves back, only the toner bottle -1- moves back in the direction indicated by the arrow -b-since the closing element -2-is fixed to the fixing slot - 20e-, so that the closure element -2-and the toner bottle -1-are safely separated to remove the closure from the opening -1a-. When the drive part -20- of the main assembly rotates in the direction indicated by an arrow -c-, the coupling hole -20d- and the coupling boss -3- are aligned, as shown in (C) of Figure 21, and the coupling boss -3- is now fully coupled with the coupling hole -20d- to allow the transmission of the rotary drive force.

In this way, the toner bottle -1-can be properly fixed in the main assembly -100-of the apparatus simply by introducing the toner bottle -1-in the main assembly -100-, without the need to adjust the position of the bottle -1-in the direction of rotation. Therefore, the exchange operation is simple and easy.

Additionally, since the opening and closing operation for the opening of the toner supply container is automatically executed in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus and, therefore, it is not necessary for the user to open or close the opening. . This eliminates the possibility of contaminating the user's hands.

(Release Method)

Referring to Figure 22, the description will be made as to the release between the coupling boss -3- and the drive part -20- of the main assembly.

When the toner supply is finished and the -1-empty toner bottle becomes empty, the -1-toner bottle is removed and the new toner bottle is fixed.

At this time, it is necessary to release the closing element -2-from the drive part -20-.

As shown in Figure 22, the interior of the main assembly of the apparatus, more particularly, the interior of the actuating part -20- is provided with a pushing element -21-. The pushing element -21-can be moved in the same direction as the direction of the drive shaft -1b-of the toner bottle -1-.

In Figure 22, (A) shows a state in which the toner supply is completed and the opening -1a-of the toner bottle -1-is in an open state.

When the fixing between the drive part -20- and the closing element -2- is released, the thrust element -21-is shown in a direction indicated by an arrow -a-towards the release part -4-in the free end of the closure element -2-, by means of which the release part -4-in the same direction is elastically deformed and, consequently, the coupling projection -3-integrated with the release part -4- It deforms inwards. In this way, the coupling projection -3-is disengaged from the drive part -20-of the main assembly.

The pushing element -21-advances further in the direction of the arrow -a-, whereby the closing element -2-adjusts to pressure in the opening -1a-, closing the opening -1a-of the -1- toner bottle. The pushing element -21-advances even further in the direction of the arrow -a-, whereby the toner bottle itself -1-moves back to slide the toner bottle -1-to a position to facilitate the maneuver to the user You are going to remove it.

As for the drive structure for the pushing element -21-, it can be interrelated with the opening and closing operation of the front cover -15-of the main assembly -100-of the apparatus, so that when the lid is opened front -15-, the pushing element -21-moves in the direction of the arrow -a-to disengage between the closing element -2-of the toner bottle -1- and the driving part -20 -, and when closing the front cover -15-moves in the direction of the arrow -b-. Alternatively, a drive motor or the like is used to perform the decoupling operation independently. In another alternative, it is not interrelated with the front cover -15-of the main assembly -100-of the apparatus, but there is a manual lever that the user manipulates and that is interrelated with the pushing element.

As described above, the toner supply container can be fixed to the main assembly of the apparatus for the formation of electrophotographic images by means of a snap fit type coupling securely when the toner supply container is introduced. When it is to be removed, the pressure adjustment type fixation is easily released by pushing the release part. In this way, the supply operation is achieved from the toner supply container with a very simple operation. Consequently, a container for supplying high operable toner can be provided.

In addition, the decoupling of the drive transmission for the toner supply container is simultaneously performed and the opening and closing operation for the opening is also performed simultaneously.

These advantageous effects can be arranged by a very simple action of reduced cost with a compact structure and reliable drive transmission.

In the state of toner discharge, it is not necessary to have means to support the drive shaft -1b with rotational capacity on the side of the main body of the toner bottle. This simplifies the structure and avoids the problem of toner leaks, increasing torque, generating coarse particles and so on.

(Embodiment 2)

Referring to Figures 23-25, 32, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same reference numerals as in the first example are assigned to the elements that have corresponding functions and the detailed description of the common structure for simplicity will be omitted.

As shown in Figure 23, in this embodiment, the release projection -4- (release part) is disposed on an outer surface, not inside the coupling part -2c-cylindrical of the closure element - 2-as in the first example. In this embodiment, the coupling boss -3- and the release part -4 are arranged in each of the four circumferentially equidistant positions in order to form pairs. The structures of the drive part -20- for fixing coupling with the coupling projection of the closing element are the same as in example 1.

Consequently, the thrust element -21- has the shape of a cylinder that covers the outer periphery of the drive part -20-, as shown in Figure 24 and can slide to engage with the release part -4 -, instead of having a sliding bar as in the first embodiment. The inner surface of the free end portion of the thrust element -21- (cylindrical element) is conical, such that the inner diameter increases, that is, the thickness of the cylinder is reduced, towards the free end, whereby the conical part -21a-couples with the vertex of the release part -4-during the coupling. On the lateral sides of the support part -2f-grooves -2e-are formed for the coupling boss -3- and the release part -4- to facilitate the elastic deformation towards the inside of the coupling boss -3-y of the release part -4-and its recovery.

According to this embodiment, the entire closure element can be molded completely and, therefore, the production characteristics of the closure elements can be drastically improved and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

In Figure 25, (A) shows a state in which the toner supply ends and the opening -1a-of the toner bottle -1-is still open.

When the coupling between the drive part -20- of the main assembly and the closing element -2- is to be released, the thrust element -21-advances towards the release part -4-, as shown in ( B) in Figure 25, so that the release part -4-is pushed inwards by the inner surface of the pushing element -21-. This moves the release part -4-inwards (arrow -d-) by elastic deformation of the support part -2f-and, simultaneously, the coupling projection -3-is moved inwards together with the part of release -4-. In this way, the coupling projection -3-of the drive part -20-of the main assembly is decoupled. The release stages are carried out by the operator in interrelation with the opening operation of the change cover.

Therefore, the pushing element -21-moves in the direction of the arrow -a-, so that the closing element -2-returns to the closing position of the toner bottle -1-, as shown in (C) in Figure 25. Consequently, the pushing element -21-moves further to slide the toner bottle itself -1-to a position that makes it easier for the user to remove the toner bottle -1-.

As described above, in accordance with this embodiment, by arranging the release part -4-on the outer surface of the cylindrical part -2c-, the same advantageous effects as in the first embodiment, described, can be achieved. then. According to this embodiment, when the closure element -2-is manufactured by injection molding in a resin-like material, the mold can be easily removed and, in this way, the manufacturing characteristics are improved.

The width of the coupling boss is greater than the width of the release boss, so that when the main body of the bottle recoils to remove the closure of the opening automatically, the coupling between the coupling boss (surface of fixing) and the drive part -20-. The release projection has no such function and, therefore, the width is reduced to minimize the costs of the resin material in its manufacture.

In accordance with this embodiment, a thin part -2y-, as shown in Figure 32, is arranged to make the base parts of the support part -2f- (which support the coupling boss and the release boss ) easily deform. With this structure, the decoupling action is ensured while the closure element maintains sufficient rigidity including the coupling boss that receives the rotary driving force.

(Example 3)

Referring to Figures 26 to 29, a third example of the present invention will be described.

In the second embodiment, as shown in Figure 24, the coupling projection -3- and the release part -4- (release projection) for the closure element -2-are arranged on the outer surface of the coupling part -2b-. In this example, as shown in Figure 26, the coupling projection -3- and the release projection -4-are arranged in each of the four circumferentially equidistant positions on an inner surface of the coupling part -2b -.

Corresponding to said structure of the closure element -2-, the drive part -20- of the main assembly has a configuration shown in Figure 27. The drive part -20- of the main assembly comprises cylindrical parts that include a part - 20b-with a free end, a part -20c-of small diameter, a part -20d-of large diameter and a rear end -20e-having different outside diameters. It also comprises a through hole -20f-through which the thrust element -21- penetrates. The inside diameter of the through hole -20f-is constant. The small diameter part -20c-has a minimum outer diameter and is provided with a coupling rib -20a- which extends in the longitudinal direction of the actuation part -20- in each of the diametrically opposite positions.

Referring to Figure 28, in this example the description will be made as to the coupling between the drive part -20- and the closing element -2-.

In Figure 28, (A) shows a state in which the toner bottle -1-is inserted in a direction indicated by an arrow -b-for a user to install a new toner bottle -1-in the main assembly of the apparatus, in which the toner bottle -1-has not yet been fixed to the drive part -20-arranged in the main assembly of the apparatus.

As shown in (B) in Figure 28, when the toner bottle -1 is introduced more, the coupling projection -3-arranged in the closure element -2-is brought into contact with the drive part -20-of the main assembly and is guided by the conical surface -3c-formed in the free end portion of the coupling boss -3- and gradually and elastically deforms.

Introducing further, once the coupling projection -3-has passed through the straight part -20g-, as shown in (C) in Figure 28, the forced deformation is released by the separating part -20h-which it does not have the coupling rib -20a- and the coupling boss -3- is firmly fixed in the drive part -20- of the main assembly.

In the state shown in (C) in Figure 28, the coupling boss -3- is firmly coupled with the drive part -20- of the main assembly so that the position of the closure element -2-in the direction of thrust (axial direction) is fixed relative to the main body of the toner bottle -1-. Therefore, when the toner bottle -1- subsequently recedes, the closing element -2-does not recede together with the toner bottle -1- but is firmly fixed to the actuating part -20- of the main assembly. On the other hand, only the toner bottle -1- is destructible, the closing element -2-moves away from the toner bottle -1- to close or open the opening -1a-. The recoil operation of the toner bottle -1 can be such that the toner bottle -1 slides in interrelation with the opening and closing operation of the front cover -15- (Figure 2).

Referring to Figure 29, in this example the release or decoupling action will be described.

When the closure element -2-of the drive part -20-of the main assembly is to be disengaged, the thrust element -21-arranged in the central part of the drive part -20-of the main assembly slides in the Direction of the arrow -a and only by means of it is decoupled from the drive part -20- of the main assembly.

By advancing the pushing element -21-in the direction of the arrow -a-in relation to the release part -4-arranged inside the closing element -2-, the part that supports the release part - 21-, as shown in (B) in figure 29, it is deformed outwardly so that the release part moves outward and, therefore, the coupling boss -3-moves outwardly . In this way, the coupling projection -3-is disengaged from the drive part -20-of the main assembly.

With a further advance of the thrust element -21- in the direction of the arrow -a-, the closure element -2 remains pressed under the opening -1a-, as shown in (C) in Figure 29. In this position, the closure element -2-removes the closure of the opening -1a-of the toner bottle -1-. Further advancing the thrust element -21-in the direction of the arrow -a-, the toner bottle itself -1-slides back to a position where the user can easily remove the toner bottle -1-.

As for the structure for the actuation of the pushing element -21-, it can be interrelated with the opening and closing operation of the front cover -15-of the main assembly -100-of the apparatus, such that when the front cover -15-, the pushing element -21-moves in the direction of the arrow -a-to disengage between the closing element -2-of the toner bottle -1- and the driving part - 20y when the front cover -15- is closed, it advances in the direction of the arrow -b-. Alternatively, a drive motor or the like is used to perform the decoupling operation independently. In another alternative, it is not interrelated with the front cover -15-of the main assembly -100-of the apparatus, but a manual lever is provided, which is manipulated by the user and is interrelated with the pushing element.

In this example, the unreleased part is not exposed to the outside and, therefore, in the case where the container for supplying the toner is unintentionally dropped, the release part is not damaged and, therefore, the resistance property at blows it is high during transport.

In addition, by very simple sliding of the pushing element in the forward and backward directions, the transmission of the toner bottle drive can be easily decoupled and, simultaneously, the opening and closing of the opening of the bottle can be achieved of toner

These advantageous effects can be achieved by a very simple low cost action with a compact structure and reliable drive transmission.

(Example 4)

Referring to Figure 30, a fourth example will be described.

In this example, as shown in Figure 30, a closure element -2-, a coupling boss -3- and a release part -4-mounted in the opening -1a- are independently manufactured from each other. of the -1-toner bottle and then assembled.

As shown in this figure, the two movable arms -3e-are mounted by means of hinge parts -3h-on the end surface of the closure element -2-so that they are opposite each other. Each of the movable arms -3e-is provided at its free end portion with a coupling boss -3-to effect the coupling that is similar to those of the first embodiment.

The coupling projections -3- are connected to each other by a connection -3g-through the hinge parts -31-. The connection -3g- comprises two elements connected by hinge that function as a release part -4-.

From inside the movable arm -3e-the fixed projections -3f-project opposite each other in a central part. A spring -3j-is compressed between the fixed projections -3f-. By means of the impulse force provided by the spring -3j-, the movable arm -3e-is forced outwards, so that the coupling projection -3-can be coupled with the drive part -20-of the main assembly, as shown in (A) in figure 30. The drive part -20- of the suitable main assembly in this embodiment is, for example, that shown in figure 14.

With said structure, when the toner bottle -1-must be coupled with the drive part -20-of the main assembly by means of the coupling boss -3-, it is sufficient to introduce the toner bottle -1-into the main assembly of the apparatus, similar to embodiment 1. More particularly, when the toner bottle -1- is introduced, the coupling projections -3-are brought into contact with the actuating part -20-of the main assembly, whereby the movable arms -3e-lean inwards, beating the force of the spring -3j together with the coupling projections -3-. Introducing further, the coupling projection -3-is coupled with the drive part -20-of the main assembly in a predetermined position by the force of the spring -3j-and, simultaneously, the movable arms -3e-recover the original position shown in (A) in figure 30.

On the other hand, when they are to be disengaged from each other, as shown in (B) in Figure 30, the pushing element -21-is pushed against the release part -4-in a direction indicated by an arrow - a-, the coupling projections -3-are easily inclined, so that they are decoupled.

Similar to the following examples, the structure of this example also provides the same advantageous effects.

In this example, the elastic deformation is not used, the coupling projection -3- can be manufactured in any material that does not present elastic deformation by itself and, therefore, the choice of the material is very important. For example, various materials such as aluminum, steel, magnesium, wood, a hard resin material or the like can be used. Higher coupling force can be maintained and durability is improved.

The parts are connected with a connection mechanism, which provides a greater range of mobility than the elastic deformation and, therefore, a larger coupling area can be used. Therefore, the coupling is very firm with high reliability.

In this embodiment, the elastic deformation of the closure element is not used unlike in Examples / Embodiments 1-3, but a type of connection is used. Therefore, the durability is better, but the structure is more complicated with the possible result of an increase in cost.

(Example 5)

The present invention is not limited to the previous examples and embodiments. In Example 5, the structures are the same as in said example (Figure 20) except for the parts to be described.

For example, as shown in Figure 31, the opening -1a-of the toner bottle -1-can be arranged on the cylindrical surface -1d-adjacent to the longitudinal end surface. In such a case, the coupling part for the coupling -2c-is not arranged in the closing element -2-and can be mounted with rotation capacity on an end surface of the main body -1A-of the toner bottle. In this case, the opening -1a-is hermetically sealed by means of a sealing element -S-.

The coupling part -2c-as a function to fix the main body -1A-of the toner bottle to the main assembly (the drive part -20-shown in Figure 20) of the image forming apparatus by means of a part of fixing (the fixing surface of the coupling projection -3-), a function of receiving a rotary driving force from the side of the main assembly of the imaging apparatus by means of a part for receiving the driving force (a receiving surface of the coupling projection drive -3-), a function for decoupling the main body -1A- from the toner bottle of the main assembly (drive part -20-) of the image forming apparatus by means of a part -4 release and a function to transmit the driving force received by the receiving part of the driving force by the receiving part of the driving force ionization to the coupling part -2c-and the toner feed element fixed in the toner bottle. With this structure, if a force separates the toner bottle from the drive part -20-of the main set of the apparatus for some reason or another, while receiving the rotation of the main set of the apparatus, they remain coupled to each other and, therefore, It prevents unintentionally decoupling the transmission of the rotary drive force to the toner bottle.

(Example 6)

Referring to Figure 33, a sixth example will be described.

In the previous example, the fixing mechanism, the release mechanism and the transmission mechanism of the drive between an image forming apparatus and a toner supply container (closing element) are used. In this example, an image forming apparatus and an electrophotographic photosensitive element that can be mounted with separation capacity in relation to the main assembly of the image forming apparatus are used, in which the photosensitive drum is changed to a new one. After its useful life. In other aspects, the structures are the same as in example 1.

In Fig. 33, the coupling part -2c-disposed at one end of a photosensitive drum -104-is coupled with an actuation part -20-of the main assembly of the imaging apparatus similar to Example 1, so that the rotary drive force is transmitted from the drive portion -20-to the photosensitive element. The structures for decoupling between them are similar to those in example 1.

As will be understood, the drive transmission mechanism of this invention is not limited to the toner supply container or the imaging apparatus, but is applicable to a structure for the transmission of a rotational movement, tilt or recoil around an axis of rotation.

The automatic closing operation for opening can be achieved as follows.

In interrelation with the operation of opening the exchange cover by the operator, the main body of the toner bottle advances towards the closing element maintaining the coupling between the closing element and the actuating part -20-, by means of the which the closing element in the opening is adjusted under pressure, thus achieving automatic closing.

Therefore, the pushing element -21-slides to come into contact with the release part and the coupling projection is disengaged from the drive part -20-. In addition, the pushing element -21-pushes the main body of the toner bottle together with the closing element towards the change cover to a position where the operator can easily remove the toner bottle.

In this way, the sliding movement (recoil, advance) of the main body of the bottle, used to remove the closure of the opening, can be used to re-close the opening with a simple structure. Furthermore, the distance of the sliding movement of the pushing element can be shortened with respect to the above embodiments and examples and, therefore, a complexity of the apparatus on the side of the main body can be avoided.

The structure for coupling and decoupling between the main body of the imaging apparatus and the toner bottle or the photosensitive element can be used in examples and embodiments 2, 3 and 4.

In the examples and embodiments 1-6, only by the movement of the release projection of the main assembly of the apparatus in a direction (axial direction, for example) of relative displacement of the closing element in relation to the main body, the projection or projections of coupling move in a direction or directions substantially perpendicular to the direction (radial direction, for example) and, therefore, the structure for decoupling is simple. Even when a series of coupling projections are arranged, all coupling projections are brought into contact with the decoupling positions by a force applied substantially in one position and, therefore, the decoupling structure is simple. In examples 1, 4, 5 and 6, the receiving part of the release force of the closing element is substantially arranged at the free end part of the closing element, so that the receiving part of the releasing force It can be coupled to the main assembly at a relatively advanced stage after the start of the introduction of the toner bottle.

In the examples and embodiments 1-4, the drive part -20- of the main assembly of the imaging apparatus is arranged with a fixing hole and a coupling rib, and the closing element -2-is arranged with a coupling projection part -3- which can be coupled with the fixing hole and the coupling rib of the actuation part -20-, but the projection and recess ratio can be reversed. In other words, the drive part -20-of the main assembly of the apparatus is arranged with the coupling boss and the release part (release boss) and the closure element -2-is arranged with the fixing hole and the coupling rib. With said structure, the same advantageous effects are achieved.

As described above, according to said examples and embodiments, the container for housing the toner and the main assembly of the imaging apparatus is fixed in a coupling of the type of pressure adjustment and the closure element can be coupled automatically in the opening of the container to accommodate the toner or undock thereof, in which the fixing coupling can be released with a simple structure without putting a burden on the user.

Therefore, the user can carry out the operation to supply toner in an easier way.

Said closure element, a container for housing toner and an image forming apparatus can be provided at low cost.

Although the invention has been described with reference to the structures disclosed herein, they are not limited to the details set forth and this application attempts to cover such modifications or changes that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (2)

1. Container (1) for toner supply that can be mounted with decoupling capability in an apparatus (100) for imaging, said container (1) comprising toner supply: a container body (1A) with turning capacity that has an interior space to accommodate toner; an opening (1a) for discharging toner, adapted to allow the unloading of the toner to a part for receiving toner of the imaging apparatus (100); a feeding part (1C, 40) adapted to feed toner in said container body (1A) towards said opening (1a) for toner discharge with a rotation of said container body (1A); Y a coupling element (2) with turning capacity comprising: a coupling projection (3) adapted to engage with a part to be fixed to the apparatus for imaging, the coupling projection (3) being arranged on an elastically deformable support part (2f) characterized in that said elastically deformable support part (2f) is adapted to support said coupling projection (3) so as to allow the displacement substantially inward direction of said coupling projection (3) with respect to an axis of rotation of said coupling element, wherein said support part (2f) can be recovered substantially radially outwardly with respect to the axis of rotation to establish a coupling between said coupling boss with the part to be fixed of the image forming apparatus, because said coupling element comprises a release projection (4), arranged on said support part (2f), adapted to receive a release force to move said support part radially inwardly in order to decouple said projection from coupling (3) of the part to be fixed of the apparatus for imaging, said coupling projection (3) is adapted to receive a rotational force of the imaging apparatus to rotate said container body (1A) when coupled with the part of the imaging apparatus, said support part (2f) is provided with a thin part (2y) opposite to a free end of said support part (2f) in order to allow easy deformation of said support part (2f), said thin part ( 2y) thinner than the parts of said support part (2f) that support the coupling boss (3) and the release boss (4). 2. System for toner supply comprising an apparatus (400) for toner supply and a container (1) for toner supply that can be mounted with decoupling capability on said apparatus (400) for toner supply,  characterized because said apparatus (400) for toner supply comprises: a hollow cylindrical element (20), provided with a hole (20h) formed in a peripheral part thereof, adapted to apply a turning force; Y a hollow element (21) adapted to apply a sliding force, said hollow element being able to slide outside said cylindrical element (20), and because said container (1) for toner supply comprises: a container body (1A) with turning capacity that has an interior space to accommodate toner; an opening (1a) for toner discharge adapted to allow toner discharge to a toner receiving part of the apparatus (100) for imaging; a feeding part (1C, 40) adapted to feed the toner in said container body (1A) towards said opening (1a) for toner discharge with a rotation of said container body (1A); Y a coupling element (2) with rotation capacity comprising: a coupling projection (3) adapted to engage with said hole (2h) of said cylindrical element (20); Y an elastically deformable support part (2f) supporting said coupling projection (3) 5 disposed in said support part (2f) elastically deformable so as to allow the displacement substantially in the radial direction towards the inside of said coupling boss (3) with respect to an axis of rotation of said coupling element, where said part of support (2f) can be recovered substantially radially outward with respect to the axis of rotation to establish a coupling between said coupling boss (3) with said cylindrical element (20), 10 wherein said coupling element comprises a release projection (4), arranged on said support part (2f), adapted to receive the displacement force to move radially inwardly said said support part of said element (21) gap for decoupling said coupling projection (3) from said cylindrical element (20), 15 said coupling boss (3) is adapted to receive the rotational force of said cylindrical element to rotate said container body (1A), when coupled with said cylindrical element (20), 20 said support part (2f) is provided with a thin part (2y) opposite to a free end of said support part (2f) in order to allow easy deformation of said support part (2f), said thin part being (2y) thinner than the parts of said support part (2f) that support the coupling boss (3) and the release boss (4).