JPS60108870A - Developer vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate handling to prevent flowing-away of a toner due to erroneous operations and to supply the toner uniformly to the overall area of a photosensitive drum, by closing respective aperture parts, which can coincide with each other, of an inside cylinder and an outside cylinder, which have prescribed lengths and can be rotated and slided relatively, by each other. CONSTITUTION:A handle 5 is stuck to the other end of an inside cylinder 1 of a developer vessel whose one end a toner supply hole 2 with a cover 3 is stuck to. A guide ring 6 is truck to the other end of the inside cylinder 1. The inside cylinder 1 is incorporated rotatably in an outside cylinder 4. Mutual position relations between discharge apertures 1a and 4a of a developer, namely, a toner T which are provided on circumferential faces of the inside cylinder 1 and the outside cylinder 4 respectively and have lengths in the directions of the rotation axis are held by a click device or the like so that they are kept at an interval of 180. When a prescribed amount of the toner T is charged from the toner supply hole 2 into the developer vessel constituted in this manner and the vessel is closed by the developer sealing cover 3, the toner T is not flowed out neither floated at all during handling because discharge apertures 1a and 4a are placed apart from each other, and the vessel is very clean.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an improvement in a developer container used by being inserted into a developing device such as an electrophotographic copying machine for replenishing developer. .

[Prior art]

Generally, in an electrostatic recording device such as an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrostatic latent image on a moving charge carrier is developed in a developing device, and powder toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image area to form a toner image. This is then transferred and fixed onto recording paper. Since toner is consumed along with development, it is necessary to replenish toner to the developing device according to consumption, and a developer hopper is provided as a storage section for replenishing toner. The developer hopper contains a large amount of toner, and before the toner is completely consumed, the developer hopper is replenished with toner from the toner container.

By the way, when filling the developer in such a cylindrical developer container, conventionally, the side with the handle (handle 5 in Fig. 1) of the container is used as the lid of the container, and the lid is removed. In this state, pour in the developer from the opening on this side.
After that, it was configured to be covered.

In this configuration, the side with the handle serves as the lid, so
When handling the container, especially when attaching the container to a copying machine KWc, force is applied to the handle, making it easy to remove the lid, resulting in an accident in which the lid comes off while the container is being handled, causing the developer to scatter. was there.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved developer container that prevents such accidents.

[Structure of the invention]

The present invention comprises an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder having a predetermined length and capable of rotating and sliding relative to each other to seal the contained toner by mutually shielding the mating openings of the respective cylinders. This is the inner side of a developer container in which a developer discharge opening is formed in each of the relatively rotatable inner cylinder and outer cylinder, when the container is inserted into a machine body having a developing device. This is achieved by using a developer container with a diameter of 41 mm, which is provided with a developer sealing lid at the bottom of the cylinder.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of one embodiment of a developer container according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a developing device equipped with the container.

In FIG. 1, a handle 5 is fixed to the other end of the inner cylinder 1 of the developer container, which has a lid 3 fixed to one end and a toner injection port 2. As shown in FIG. Further, a guide ring 6 is fixed to the other end of the inner cylinder l. The inner cylinder 1 is rotatably built into the outer cylinder 4.

Further, the mutual positional relationship between the inner cylinder 1 and the outer cylinder 4 is maintained by equal pressure using a drilling device (not shown) so as to maintain the angle between the circumferential surfaces of each of the inner cylinder 1 and the outer cylinder 4.

The developer container configured in this manner has the toner inlet 2
If a predetermined amount of toner T is injected and sealed with the developer sealing lid 3, the discharge openings 1a and 4& are located apart from each other, so that the toner T does not flow out or float during handling. It's clean.

Incidentally, when the developer sealing lid 3 is fixed to the inner cylinder 1 with adhesive, it becomes a so-called disposable developer container. In such a case, it is suitable that the inner tube 1, the outer tube 4, and other members are made of cardboard or plastic material.

When attaching such a developer container to the developing device of the copying machine main body, hold the handle 5 on the front side and insert the developer container with the developer sealing lid 3 side on the back side. During the insertion process, the guide ring 6 Since the protrusion 6a provided on the outer periphery is fitted into a guide groove (not shown) in the developing device, the handle 5
Therefore, the danger of erroneously aligning the discharge openings 1a and 4a during loading and causing the toner T to flow out is prevented.

On the other hand, when complete insertion is achieved again, the restriction of the protrusion 6a by the guide groove is released, and the inner cylinder 1 becomes rotatable by operating the handle 5, while the outer cylinder 4 has its protrusion 4b facing the copying machine main body. Since its rotation is regulated by a regulating groove provided in the inner cylinder 1, the inner cylinder 1 easily rotates and slides by rotating the handle 5, and the discharge openings 1a and 4m are aligned to release the toner T into the developing device. It can fall and be replenished.

In the illustrated embodiment, the rotation of the outer cylinder is regulated and the inner cylinder is configured to be rotatable when the container is attached to the copying machine, but the invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to make it rotatable.

The features of this developer container are as follows.

In FIG. 1, the end cap with handle 5 is fixed to the cylinder before putting the developer into the container, so it cannot be crimped or
It can be firmly fixed using adhesive or the like so that it does not easily come off, and is fixed integrally.

On the other hand, since the lid 3 on the side of the developer inlet 2 is fixed after the developer is introduced, it is relatively difficult to secure it firmly in the assembly process.
The lid 3 is fixed by a relatively simple method such as press-fitting or screwing. Note that the lid 3 may be fixed with adhesive.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a developing device using a developer container according to the present invention, in which the toner T that has fallen from the discharge openings 4a and 4a is appropriately dispersed by an agitator 71C, and then the toner is further removed from the sleeve by a thickness regulating plate 8. The amount of adhesion on the sleeve 9 is regulated, and the action of the magnet 10 moves the sleeve 9 as shown by arrow A.
It functions to develop the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor drum 11 into a toner image, that is, a visible image.

In this case, since the electrostatic latent image is formed over the entire width of the photoreceptor drum IJ, that is, the entire depth in FIG. There is a need.

Since the developer container according to the present invention is composed of a cylindrical inner cylinder 1 and an outer cylinder 4, it is relatively easy to increase its overall length, and the discharge openings 1a and 4a are sufficiently long in the longitudinal direction. It also has the feature of creating a uniform and even toner image.

The developer container described above can be used both as a toner container for a one-component developer using magnetic toner and as a toner container for two-component development using toner and carrier. It is not limited to any of the above.

FIG. 3 does not show the structure of the developer sealing lid attachment part of another embodiment of the present invention. 21 is an inner cylinder, 24 is an outer cylinder, and δ is a fixed ring attached to the inner cylinder 21 with glue and has a protrusion 25a.

The capital is the lid and has a protrusion 23a. After putting the developer into the container, push in M23 to make the protrusions 423 m and 25 m.
11 is engaged, and the lid 23 is fixed to the ring δ.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, it has become possible to provide an excellent developer container that is easy to handle, prevents toner from being washed away due to erroneous operation, and can supply toner at a uniform pressure over the entire area of the photoreceptor drum.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a developer container according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of a developing device showing an example of how the container is used, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of a lid attachment portion of another embodiment. 1... Inner cylinder 1a, 4a... Discharge opening 2... Toner inlet 3... Developer sealing lid 3a... Square hole 4... Outer cylinder 5...
...Handle 6...Guide ring 7...
Stirrer 8... Thickness regulating plate 9... Sleeve 10... Magnet 1]... Photoconductor F ram T... Toner agent Kan Kuwahara
Mizu 1ω ri Fig. 2 Fig. 3 23α

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a developer container having a relatively rotatable inner cylinder and an outer cylinder, each having a developer discharge opening,
A developer container characterized in that a developer-sealing lid is provided at the bottom of the cylinder, which is on the back side when the container is inserted into a machine body having a developing device. (2) The developer container according to claim 1, characterized in that a handle is provided at the end of the cylindrical body on the near side when inserted into the machine main body.