HK1069215B

HK1069215B - Toner supplying container

Info

Publication number: HK1069215B
Application number: HK05101343.7A
Authority: HK
Inventors: 长城圭一
Original assignee: 京瓷美达株式会社
Priority date: 2002-12-24
Filing date: 2005-02-17
Publication date: 2009-07-03

Description

Toner supply container

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a toner supply container for supplying toner to a developing device provided for an electrostatic image forming machine such as a printer, a copying machine, or a facsimile machine.

Background

The toner is contained in a toner supply container (toner supply cartridge) for supplying the toner to a developing device provided for the image forming machine. When a toner supply container containing toner is mounted on a developing device or an image forming machine main body as a mounting member, a toner carrying screw accommodated in the toner supply container rotates. Therefore, the toner held therein is discharged from the toner discharge opening and supplied into the developing device.

It is undesirable that the toner contained in the toner supply container leaks to the outside before the toner supply container of the type described is mounted on the mounting member, or after the toner supply container is detached from the mounting member, or during attachment or detachment of the toner supply container. In order to prevent leakage of toner, there has been proposed a toner supply container provided with a locking device for locking a rotation driving portion of a toner carrying screw before the toner supply container is mounted on or dismounted from an image forming apparatus main body as a mounting member (see japanese unexamined patent application (Kokai) No. 5-249820).

The locking device includes an engaging portion formed on a rotating portion of a helical driving gear that rotates a toner carrying helix, a lock lever portion rotatably formed on a projection that engages with the engaging portion, and a pressing spring portion that presses the lock lever portion to cause the projection of the lock lever portion to engage with the engaging portion. The projection of the lock lever portion is engaged with the engaging portion by urging the spring portion to lock the toner carrying screw before or after the toner supply container is mounted on or dismounted from the image forming apparatus main body. In addition, in a case where the toner container is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, the urging spring portion is pressed against by the push-up of the lock lever push-up portion provided on the side portion of the main body so as to disengage the projection of the lock lever portion from the engaging portion.

However, the toner supply container needs to press a spring portion or particularly a metal tension coil spring as a separate member in order to press the lock lever portion, resulting in an increase in the number of parts and an increase in cost. Further, since the tension coil spring is made of metal, a sorting operation is required when the toner supply container is handled.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel toner supply container which reliably prevents leakage of toner contained therein before mounting on or dismounting from a mounting member or during attachment or dismounting, which is constituted of a reduced number of parts to reduce costs, and which is constituted as a whole only by using a synthetic resin member without using metal parts at all, and which can be handled without requiring a sorting operation.

According to the present invention, there is provided a toner supply container including a container body having a toner discharge opening, a shutter member disposed in the container body so as to rotate between a closed position closing the toner discharge opening and an open position opening the toner discharge opening, the shutter member is rotatably supported by the container body and is drivingly connected to the lever member so as to be rotatable between a closed position where the shutter member reaches the closed position and an open position where the shutter member reaches the open position, and a lock member rotatably supported by the container body so as to be rotatable between a lock position where the shutter member is locked so as to be prevented from being rotated from the closed position to the open position and an unlock position where the shutter member is allowed to be rotated from the closed position to the open position and in the opposite direction, the lock member being integrally provided with an elastic portion.

It is desirable that the lever member urges the lock member toward the lock position by elastic deformation of the elastic portion of the lock member in a case where the lever member reaches the closed position, and when the container body is mounted on the mounting member, the lock member is displaced from the lock position to the unlock position against an elastic force of the elastic portion so as to allow the lever member to rotate from the closed position to the open position, and when the container body is detached from the mounting member in a case where the lever member has rotated from the open position to the closed position, the lock member is rotated back to the lock position again due to the elastic force of the elastic portion.

It is desirable that the lever member exerts a reduced or no urging force on the elastic portion of the lock member when the lever member is rotated from the closed position to the open position with the container body already mounted on the mounting member.

It is desirable that:

the container body has a bottom wall in which the toner discharge opening is formed and two end walls, and the shutter member includes a substantially cylindrical shutter body rotatably disposed within the container body so as to extend from one end wall along a partial region of the bottom wall, and a shutter drive member connected to the shutter body so as to rotate together with the shutter body and supported by one end wall so as to rotate;

the shutter main body has a toner passage opening that matches the toner discharge opening when the shutter member reaches the open position;

the shutter drive member has an arcuately extending driven gear and an axially extending to-be-engaged projection formed as a single body;

the lever member has a plate-shaped lever main body with an arc-shaped peripheral surface, an operating lever extending radially outward from the lever main body, and a cylindrical bottom portion formed on a central portion of the lever main body and supported for rotation by one end wall, a driving gear formed on the arc-shaped peripheral surface of the lever main body, and a pushing projection formed on the cylindrical bottom portion so as to extend radially outward;

the locking member has a locking main body extending radially outward from a bottom end supported by one end wall so as to rotate and such that an axial position of the shutter drive member at which the projection to be engaged is located extends substantially in a direction in which the shutter drive member rotates, and a band-like elastic portion extending radially outward from the bottom end on a radially outer side while being inserted into a partial region of the locking main body with respect to an axis of the shutter drive member, an engagement step formed in a radially inner surface of the locking main body so as to extend in a radial direction of the shutter drive member; and

in a case where the lever member reaches the closed position, the drive gear of the lever member meshes with the driven gear of the shutter drive member, and the urging projection of the lever member urges the elastic portion of the lock member so as to be elastically deformed, whereby the lock body of the lock member is pressed so as to rotate about the axis of the bottom end and in a direction approaching the axis of the shutter drive member from the radially outer side in a region including at least the engagement step in the radially inner surface, and the engagement step engages with the end surface of the shutter drive member to be engaged with the projection in the circumferential direction, that is, with the end surface of the shutter drive member in the rotational direction in which the shutter member rotates from the closed position to the open position.

It is desirable that the front end surface of the lock body of the lock member is directed in a downward direction of the container body, and when the container body is mounted on the mounting member from an upper side and is brought into contact with the push-up projection arranged on the mounting member, thereby causing the front end surface to be pushed up, the lock body of the lock member is caused to rotate about the axis of the bottom end and in a direction in which the radially inner surface is radially outwardly away from the shutter drive member against the elastic force of the elastic portion, and the engagement step is displaced from a lock position circumferentially engaged with the end surface of the shutter drive member to which the engaged projection is to be engaged to a release lock position disengaged from the end surface.

It is desirable that the container body, the shutter member, the lever member and the lock member are made of synthetic resin into an integral structure.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing the construction of an image forming machine of tandem type equipped with a developing device to which a toner supply container constructed according to the present invention is mounted;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a toner supply container constructed in accordance with the present invention;

fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a closing member is detached from the toner supply container shown in fig. 2;

fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a container main body in the toner supply container shown in fig. 2;

fig. 5 is a side view of the toner supply container shown in fig. 2 in a state where a cover member is detached from one end wall as viewed from the one end wall side;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrows A-A of FIG. 5, with portions omitted;

FIG. 7 is a partial view of the flapper driving member, locking member and support shaft of FIG. 5, except for the end wall, as viewed from the side of the container body;

fig. 8 is a side view showing another operation state of the toner supply container shown in fig. 5;

FIG. 9 is a partial view of the flapper driving member, locking member and support shaft of FIG. 8, except for the end wall, as viewed from the side of the container body;

fig. 10 is a side view showing still another operation state of the toner supply container shown in fig. 8;

fig. 11 is a perspective view showing a portion of an installation portion in the main body of the image forming apparatus to which the toner supply container shown in fig. 2 is installed; and

fig. 12 is a perspective view of a portion of the mounting portion shown in fig. 11 viewed from another angle.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of a toner supply container constructed according to the present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing the configuration of an image forming machine of tandem type equipped with a developing device to which a toner supply container constructed according to the present invention is mounted. The illustrated tandem type color image forming machine is provided with an image forming machine main body 200 that is almost a rectangular parallelepiped. In the image forming machine main body 200, a process unit 202 for black, a process unit 204 for cyan, a process unit 206 for magenta, and a process unit 208 for yellow are sequentially arranged from left to right as shown in fig. 1. The process units 202, 204, 206, and 208 are equipped with image forming elements such as a photosensitive material drum 210, a charging unit 212, an LED head 214 as a part of an exposure device, a developing device 216, a converting device 218, and a cleaning device 220. For the sake of simplicity in fig. 1, reference numerals for the elastic forming elements are attached only to the elements of the processing unit 202 for black.

The developing devices of the process units 202, 204, 206, and 208 are respectively equipped with toner supply containers 100 for supplying toners of respective colors. A conventional conveyance belt unit 222 is disposed on the lower side of the process units 202, 204, 206, and 208 so as to hold and convey the recording paper in the direction of the arrow. A fixing device 226, a carrying roller 227, and a lead-out roller 228 are arranged on the downstream side of the conveyor belt unit 222 in the direction in which the recording paper is conveyed. The sheet discharge tray 229 is disposed at the upper end of the image forming machine main body 200 on the outer side of the lead-out roller 228. The conveyance belt unit 222 conveys the recording paper from a paper feed cassette disposed on the lower side thereof through the photosensitive material drum 210 and the switching device 218 in the process units 208, 206, 204, 202. In the process units 208, 206, 204, 202, the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive material drum 210 uniformly charged by the charging unit 212 is exposed to light from the LED head 214. The electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing device 216 to form a toner image. By the switching device 218, from the toner image formed by the process unit 208 on the upstream side, the toner image is switched in a superimposed manner onto the recording sheet continuously conveyed on the conveyor belt unit 22. The color toner image transferred onto the recording sheet is fixed on the recording sheet as it passes through the fixing device 226, and the recording sheet on which the color toner image has been fixed is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 229 by the conveying roller 227 and the lead-out roller 228. The toner remaining on the photosensitive material drum 210 without being converted is wiped off by the cleaning device 220. The tandem type color image forming machine is constructed by a known method without forming the features of the present invention, and thus will not be described further.

Next, the toner supply container 100 constructed according to the present invention will be described in detail. Referring to fig. 2 to 4, the toner supply container 100 is provided with a container main body 12 including a vertically elongated bottom wall 2 having a predetermined width, end walls 4 and 6 extending upward from both end portions in the length direction of the bottom wall 2, and side walls 8 and 10 extending upward from both side edges of the bottom wall 2. The opening at the upper end of the container body 12, which is integrally formed by using an appropriate synthetic resin (polystyrene resin in this embodiment), is closed by a closing member 14. The closing member 14 is also integrally formed by using a suitable synthetic resin (polystyrene resin in this embodiment). The closure member 14 is thermally fusion bonded to the container body 12 by a suitable method such as ultrasonic melt bonding to close the opening at the upper end. The area of the bottom wall 2 adjacent to one side wall 8 forms a cross section of a predetermined arc shape from one end to the other end in the length direction. A rectangular toner discharge opening 16 is formed in an arc-shaped area at a position closer to one end wall 4.

Referring to fig. 3-7, a baffle member 20 is disposed within the container body 12. The shutter member 20 is disposed in the container body 12 so as to rotate from a closed position closing the toner discharge opening 16 to an open position opening the toner discharge opening 16. If explained more specifically, the shutter member 20 has a substantially cylindrical shutter body 21 disposed inside the container body 12 so as to rotate and extending from a portion of the arc-shaped area of the bottom wall 2 in the length direction of one end wall 4, and a shutter drive member 22 attached to the shutter body 21 so as to rotate together with the shutter body 21 and supported by one end wall 4 so as to rotate.

The container body 12 has an almost plate-shaped support flange 13 extending from one side wall 8 so as to cross the arc-shaped portion of the bottom wall 2. The support flange 13 has a support hole 13a formed in such a manner that a part of its area is cut out in the circumferential direction. The baffle body 21 has annular large-diameter flange portions 21a and 21b at both axial ends. Annular large-diameter flange portions 21a and 21b are placed on the arc-shaped area of the bottom wall 2 for rotation, and one end portion thereof in the axial direction is fitted in the support hole 13a of the support flange 13, so that the baffle main body 21 is arranged in the container main body 12 for rotation. The rectangular toner passage opening 23 is formed in a cylindrical portion where the toner receiving opening 21c is not formed by cutting almost half of the portion in the circumferential direction to form the toner receiving opening 21c in a half area of the shutter main body 21 in the axial direction. The toner passage opening 23 is formed in almost the same shape and size as the toner discharge opening 16. A plurality of engaging projections (not shown) are formed on the cylindrical inner peripheral surface at appropriate circumferential intervals at the other end of the shutter main body 21 in the axial direction. The thus-constituted baffle main body 21 is integrally molded by using an appropriate synthetic resin (polystyrene resin in this embodiment).

The rotary helical blade member 15 is supported in the container body 12 so as to rotate to agitate and convey the toner contained therein toward the toner discharge opening 16. The rotary helical blade member 15 has a central shaft 15a and helical blades 15b formed on the outer peripheral surface of the central shaft 15 a. An annular flange portion 15c having a diameter larger than that of the helical blade 15b is formed at one end portion of the central shaft 15a in the axial direction. The region of the rotating helical blade member 15 on one end portion side is inserted into the baffle main body 21, the annular flange portion 15c is supported in the baffle 21 so as to rotate, and the other end of the center shaft 15a is supported by the other end wall 15 so as to rotate. Thus, the rotary helical blade member 15 is disposed within the container body 12 so as to rotate. The thus configured rotary helical blade member 15 is integrally molded by using a suitable synthetic resin (polystyrene resin in this embodiment).

A support cylindrical portion 4a is formed on one end wall 4 of the container body 12 so as to protrude outward beyond the end wall 4. The support cylindrical portion 4a is arranged on an axis substantially the same as the axis of the shutter main body 21 and the rotary helical blade member 15. A support hole formed by the support cylindrical portion 4a passes through one end wall 4. The shutter drive member 22 integrally molded using a suitable synthetic resin (ABS in this embodiment) has a bottom portion 24 having a through hole formed therein, a relatively long small-diameter cylindrical portion 25, and a relatively short large-diameter portion 26. The cylindrical portions 25 and 26 extend axially outward from one end of the axially upper bottom portion 24. The through hole in the bottom portion 24, the small diameter cylindrical portion 25 and the large diameter cylindrical portion 26 are arranged on a common axis. A plurality of concave portions to be engaged are formed at appropriate circumferential intervals on the outer peripheral surface at the end of the small-diameter cylindrical portion (see fig. 7 and 9). The entire semicircular area at the end of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 26 is cut off from the end to the bottom 24 by a predetermined axial length. A driven gear 27 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the other semicircular region at the end of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 26, the driven gear 27 extending in an arc shape along the outer peripheral surface. An engaged protrusion 28 is formed on an end surface of another semicircular region located at an end of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 26 in the axial direction, and the engaged protrusion 28 extends axially from the end surface (toward one end wall 4 in the axial direction). The to-be-engaged protrusion 28 has the same thickness as the radial thickness of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 26, and is formed to extend circumferentially only by a predetermined width from one end to the other end of the driven gear 27 in the circumferential direction. Both end surfaces of the to-be-engaged protrusion 28 in the circumferential direction are formed to extend radially as viewed in the axial direction.

The shutter drive member 22 formed as described has a small-diameter cylindrical portion 25 fitted in a through hole formed in the support cylindrical portion 4a of the one end wall 4 so as to rotate, and has a large-diameter cylindrical portion 26 fitted along its inner peripheral surface on the outer peripheral surface of the support cylindrical portion 4a so as to rotate. A portion-to-be-engaged concave formed on the outer peripheral surface at an end portion of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 25 of the shutter driving member 22 is engaged with an engaging protruding portion formed on the inner peripheral surface at the other end portion of the shutter main body 21 in the axial direction. Therefore, the shutter drive member 22 is detachably attached to the shutter main body 21 and thus will not rotate relative to the shutter main body 21. Thus constituting the shutter member 20.

The container body 12 has a lever member 30 rotatably supported by the container body 12 and drivably connected to the shutter member 20 so as to rotate between a closed position where the shutter member 20 reaches the closed position and an open position where the shutter member 20 reaches the open position. In one end wall 4, a cylindrical support shaft 4b is formed to extend outward, if more specifically explained. The axis of the support shaft 4b is arranged on and at a distance from the inclined upper side (the inclined upper side on the left side of fig. 5) with respect to the axis of the support cylindrical portion 4a in the lateral direction. The lever member 30 has a plate-shaped lever main body 31 with an arc-shaped peripheral surface and a cylindrical bottom 33 formed in a central portion of the lever main body 31 and supported for rotation by one end wall 4. The arc-shaped peripheral surface of the lever main body 31 forms a part of an almost semicircular peripheral surface having an axis coaxial with the axis of the cylindrical bottom portion 33. A radially outwardly extending push projection 35 is formed on the cylindrical bottom 33. The pushing projection 35 has a predetermined width in the circumferential direction and a length in the axial direction, and has an outer end portion in the radial direction, i.e., a semicircular shape as viewed in the axial direction. Since the cylindrical bottom 33 is supported for rotation by the outer peripheral surface of the support shaft 4b, the lever member 30 is supported for rotation by one end wall 4 of the container body 12. The thus configured lever member 30 is integrally molded by using an appropriate synthetic resin (ABS in this embodiment).

The container body 12 is equipped with a lock member supported by the container body 12 so as to be rotatable between a lock position that locks the shutter member 20 (i.e., the shutter body 21 and the shutter drive member 22) from rotating from the closed position to the open position and an unlock position that rotates the shutter member 20 from the closed position to the open position and further rotates in the opposite direction. If more specifically stated, one end wall 4 has a support shaft 4c formed to extend outward. The axis of the support shaft 4c is arranged on and at a distance from the inclined lower side (the inclined lower side on the left side of fig. 5) with respect to the axis of the support cylindrical portion 4a in the lateral direction. The support shaft 4c is arranged at an intermediate position between the support cylindrical portion 4a and the support shaft 4c in the lateral direction (left and right directions in fig. 5). The support cylindrical portion 4a, the support shaft 4b, and the support shaft 4c have axes parallel to each other.

The locking member 40 has a cylindrical bottom end 41, an almost hook-shaped plate-shaped locking body 42, and a band-shaped elastic portion 43. The lock member 40 is supported for rotation by one end wall 4 through a bottom end 41 rotatably supported by the support shaft 4 c. When the lock member 40 is supported by one of the end walls 4 for rotation, the lock body 42 extends radially outward from the bottom end 41, and causes the axial position of the shutter drive member 22 at which the projection 28 is to be engaged (i.e., the position of the driven gear 27 formed on the large-diameter cylindrical portion 26 near the axially outer side (the side of one of the end walls 4)) to extend substantially in the direction in which the shutter drive member 22 rotates. The elastic portion 43 is configured such that a position on the radially outer side (in which a part of the region of the lock main body 42 is inserted with respect to the axis of the shutter drive member 22) extends outward from the position surface of the base end 41 in the radial direction of the base end 41, and has an almost arcuate shape when the base end 41 is viewed from the axial direction. The elastic portion 43 is formed in a band shape having a relatively narrow constant width and a relatively small thickness. The width direction of the elastic portion 43 is positioned in accordance with a direction parallel to the cylindrical base end 41 and the axis of the support shaft 4c (i.e., a direction perpendicular to the sheet of fig. 7). The locking body 42 has a certain width and thickness (thickness in the axial direction of the bottom end 41). The width direction of the lock body 42 is positioned to substantially coincide with the radial direction of the shutter drive member 22. An engagement step 44 is formed in a radially inner surface of the lock body 42 and extends substantially in the radial direction of the shutter drive member 22. That is, the radially inner surface of the lock main body 42 is configured so as to extend almost circumferentially from the bottom end 41 almost around the axis of the flapper driving member 22, and extend radially outward at the engagement step 44, and again extend almost circumferentially. The thus configured lock member 40 is integrally molded by using a suitable synthetic resin (ABS in this embodiment).

The shutter drive member 22, the lever member 30 and the locking member 40 are attached to one end wall 4 so that the locking member 40 is first fitted on the support shaft 4c to be supported thereby, then the shutter drive member 22 is fitted on the support cylindrical portion 4a to be supported thereby, and finally, the lever member 30 is fitted on the support shaft 4b to be supported thereby. The region of the locking member 40 other than the bottom end of the elastic portion 43 and a partial region of the outer edge of the locking body 42 in the radial direction are positioned between the lever body 31 and one end wall 4 of the lever member 30. Referring to fig. 6, a shaft 51 having one end formed with a driven gear 50 is fitted in the through hole of the shutter driving member 22 so as to rotate. One end of the shaft 51 is detachably attached to one end of the center shaft 15a of the rotary helical blade member 15 disposed inside the container body 12 so as to prevent relative rotation therein. The driven gear 50 is positioned on an axial end of the bottom portion 24 of the shutter drive member 22. The driven gear 50 and the shaft 51 are integrally molded by using a suitable synthetic material (polystyrene resin in this embodiment). After the members are mounted on the container body 12, the lid member 4A is detachably mounted on the outer side of one end wall 4 of the container body 12, as shown in fig. 2. A slit S is formed between the outer upper edge of one end wall 4 and the upper edge of the cover member 4A facing therein. The slit S extends in the width direction of the container body 12 (i.e., the left-right direction in fig. 5), and the operating lever 32 of the lever member 30 protrudes upward through the slit S. This configuration facilitates the operation of opening and closing the shutter member 20 by using the lever member 30. When the cover member 4A is mounted on the outer side of one end wall 4, the member is covered by the cover member 4A, but a partial region in the circumferential direction of the driven gear 50 and the end of the lock body 42 of the lock member 40 are exposed on the lower side.

Referring to fig. 5 and 7, the lever member 30 in its closed position causes the elastic portion 43 of the lock member 40 to be elastically deformed and urges the lock member 40 toward the lock position. If explained more specifically, with the lever member 30 positioned at the closed position, the drive gear 34 of the lever member 30 meshes with the driven gear 27 of the shutter drive member 22, and the end of the urging projection 35 of the lever member 30 is positioned to urge one surface (a surface positioned radially outward with respect to the axis of the shutter drive member 22) of the elastic portion 43 of the lock member 40 so as to be elastically deformed. Then, the lock main body 42 of the lock member 40 is pressed so that at least the region including the engaging step 44 of the radially inner surface is rotated about the axis of the bottom end 41 in a direction to approach the axis of the shutter drive member 22 from the radially outer side (the lock main body 42 is subjected to such rotational torque). The engagement step 44 of the lock main body 42 engages with the circumferential end surface of the to-be-engaged protrusion 28 of the shutter drive member 22, i.e., with the end surface of the shutter drive member 22 in the rotational direction (counterclockwise in fig. 5 or clockwise in fig. 7) in which the shutter member 20 rotates from the closed position to the open position.

When the locking member 40 thus reaches the locking position, the shutter member 20 is prevented from rotating from the open position to the closed position, i.e., the to-be-engaged projection 28 of the shutter drive member 22 is reliably locked (locked) by the engaging step 44 in the locking main body 42. Therefore, the lever member 30 whose driving gear 34 is also prevented from being engaged with the driven gear 27 of the shutter drive member 22 is rotated to the open position, and the shutter member 20 is held at the lock position. Therefore, leakage of the contained toner is reliably prevented before or after the toner supply container 100 is mounted on or dismounted from the developing device or the image forming machine main body as a mounting member, and during attachment and detachment of the toner supply container 100. With the lever member 30 in the closed position, the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the shutter main body 21 is positioned to face the toner discharge opening 16 and the toner passage opening 23 is positioned to be completely offset from the toner discharge opening 16 in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the contained toner does not leak from the toner passage opening 23. It is needless to say that leakage of toner can be prevented with high reliability if an appropriate sealing member is disposed at the periphery of the toner discharge opening 16.

With the lever member 30 in the closed position, the shutter member 20 is located in the closed position and the lock member 40 is located in the lock position, and as described above, the front end surface 42a of the lock body 42 of the lock member is directed downward of the container body 12. In this embodiment, in a case where the toner supply container 100 is directed almost vertically downward and the closing member 14 is directed almost vertically upward, the front end surface 42a of the locking body 42 is directed almost vertically downward. In the embodiment, the end portion of the lock main body 42 is formed almost in an L shape so as to extend at right angles from one surface thereof (from one surface on the side opposite to the side facing the one end wall 4) in a direction separating from the end wall 4.

When the container body 12 (i.e., the toner supply container 100) is mounted on the developing device or the image forming machine body as a mounting member, the lock member 40 is displaced from the lock position to the unlock position against the elastic force of the elastic portion 43, and causes the lever member 30 to be brought from the closed position to the open position. When the container body 12 (i.e., the toner supply container 100) is detached from the mounting member with the lever member 30 having been rotated from the open position to the closed position, the lock member 40 returns to the lock position due to the elastic force of the elastic portion 43.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 8-12. As shown in fig. 11 and 12, the image forming machine main body 200 is provided with a mounting portion 230 for mounting the toner supply container 100, and a push-up protrusion 234 is formed upright on an upper surface 232 constituting a part of the mounting portion 230. In fig. 11 and 12, reference numeral 236 denotes a drive gear disposed in the image forming machine main body 200. The drive gear 236 is drivably connected to an electric motor (neither shown) through a transmission mechanism. When it is detected that the proportion of toner in the developer in the developing device is decreased, the electric motor is driven for a certain period of time so that a required amount of toner is supplied from the toner supply container 100 to the developing device 216. When the toner supply container 100 is mounted on the mounting portion 230 by moving from the upper side to the lower side, the driven gear 50 in the toner supply container 100 is engaged with the driving gear 236 so that the rotary helical blade member 15 in the container main body 12 is rotatably driven. Meanwhile, after the front end surface 42a of the locking body 42 of the locking member 40 comes into contact with the push-up protrusion 234, the toner supply container 100 is further lowered by a predetermined distance. Therefore, the front end surface 42a is pushed up by a predetermined distance. The locking body 42 of the locking member 40 rotates about the axis of the bottom end 41 (counterclockwise rotation in fig. 8 or clockwise rotation in fig. 9) in a direction in which at least a region including the engaging step 44 in the radially inner surface is radially outwardly separated from the axis of the shutter drive member 22 against the elastic force of the elastic portion 43. Therefore, the engagement step 44 is displaced radially outward from a locking position (position shown in fig. 5 and 7) where the engagement step 44 is engaged with the circumferential upper end surface of the shutter drive member 22 to which the engaged projection 28 is to be engaged, to a release locking position (position shown in fig. 8 and 9) where the engagement with the end surface is released.

The shutter drive member 22 released from the locked state is now free to rotate, and the lever member 30 can rotate from the closed position (the position shown in fig. 5) to the open position (the position shown in fig. 10). Referring to fig. 10 as well as fig. 8 and 9, if the lever member 30 is rotated from the closed position to the open position, the driving gear 34 of the lever member 30 is rotated clockwise in fig. 8 from the position shown in fig. 8, and the driven gear 27 of the barrier driving member 22 engaged with the driving gear 34 is rotated counterclockwise in fig. 8. The shutter drive member 22 rotates in a direction in which the shutter member 20 moves from the closed position to the open position, and thus the shutter member 20 rotates from the closed position to the open position. With the lever member 30 in the open position, the toner passage opening 23 of the shutter main body 21 is positioned to match the toner discharge opening 16, and the contained toner is supplied from the toner discharge opening 16 to the outside, i.e., into the developing device (not shown) through the toner passage opening 23 in this embodiment. A stop pin 4d is formed on one end wall 4 in an outwardly projecting manner, and when the lever member 30 is rotated from the closed position to the open position, a side surface of the lever member 30 is brought into contact with the stop pin 4d in its rotational direction so as to prevent further rotation.

When the lever member 30 is rotated from the closed position to the open position with the toner supply container 100 mounted on the mounting portion 230 of the image forming apparatus main body 200 as described above, the urging force of the lever member 30 acting on the elastic portion 43 of the lock member 40 is reduced. As can be understood from a comparison of fig. 10 and 8, when the lever member 30 rotates from the closed position to the open position, the pushing projection 35 of the lever member 30 rotates to a position no longer in contact with one surface of the elastic portion 43 of the locking member 40. Due to this elastic force, therefore, the elastic portion 43 is displaced in a direction to return to its as-molded shape. Thus, finally, the elastic portion 43 is held with one surface thereof in pressing contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical bottom portion 33 of the lever member 30. The elastic deformation amount of the elastic portion 43 in this case is smaller than that when the pushing projection 35 of the lever member 30 pushes one surface of the elastic portion 43 of the lock member 40 (i.e., the pushing force of the lever member 30 on the elastic portion 43 of the lock member 40 is greatly reduced). Therefore, even if this state continues until the toner in the container main body 12 is used up, the elastic portion 43 made of synthetic resin can substantially avoid permanent deformation. It is also convenient to conceive of other embodiments in which, when the lever member 30 is rotated from the closed position to the open position with the toner supply container 100 mounted on the mounting portion 230 of the image forming machine main body 200, the urging force of the lever member 30 on the elastic portion 43 of the lock member 40 is hardly or completely eliminated.

Therefore, even after the toner discharge opening 16 is closed by the lever member 30 rotating from the open position to the closed position with the toner supply container 100 mounted on the mounting portion 230 of the image forming machine main body 200, when the toner supply container 100 is detached from the mounting portion 230 of the image forming machine main body 200, the elastic force of the elastic portion 43 is sufficient to return the lock body 42 of the lock member 40 from the release lock position to the lock position. After the toner supply container 100 is detached from the attachment portion 230 of the image forming apparatus main body 200, therefore, even if unexpected external force happens to act on the lever member 30, the opening of the toner discharge opening 16 can be reliably prevented.

The toner supply container 100 of the present invention does not use a metal spring member used in a conventional toner supply container, so that the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. Further, the entire container is constructed by using synthetic resin without using metal parts at all, and no sorting operation is required at the time of processing. In addition, according to the toner supply container 100 of the present invention, the locking member 40 is not disengaged from the locked state unless the toner supply container 100 is properly mounted in place on the mounting portion 230. Therefore, only according to the operation of the lever member 30, an effect of confirming whether the toner supply container 100 is mounted on the normal position of the mounting portion 230 is obtained.

Also in the toner supply container 100 of the present invention, the front end surface 42a of the lock body 42 of the lock member 40 is directed in the downward direction of the container body 12, and the container body 12 is mounted on the image forming machine body 200 as a mounting member from the upper side. At this time, the leading end surface 42a pushes up when it comes into contact with the push-up portion 234 disposed inside the image forming machine main body 200, whereby the lock main body 42 of the lock member 40 rotates about the axis of the bottom end 41 in a direction in which the radially inner surface thereof is radially outward away from the shutter leading end member 22 against the elastic force of the elastic portion 43, and the engagement step 44 is displaced from the lock position of engaging with the axial end surface of the shutter drive member 22 to which the engaged protruding portion 28 is to be engaged to the unlock position of releasing the engagement with the end surface. As will be readily understood from the above description, the front end surface 42a of the lock body 42 of the lock member 40 is located in a position close to the lower surface of the container body 12, and therefore the presence thereof cannot be relatively easily noticed. Therefore, the front end surface 42a is not easily touched unintentionally by the user. Therefore, leakage of toner can be prevented, which may occur in the case where the front end surface 42a of the locking body 40 is unintentionally pushed up by hand to release the locking.

In the toner supply container disclosed in the japanese unexamined patent application (Kokai) No.5-249820, the rotation driving portion of the toner conveying screw is locked by the locking device before the toner supply container is mounted on or dismounted from the image forming apparatus main body as the mounting member. However, even after the toner conveying screw is locked, unless the shutter member is locked, the shutter member may be opened for some reason, and toner leakage cannot be prevented. In contrast, in the toner supply container 100 of the present invention, the lever member 30 elastically deforms the elastic portion 43 of the locking member 40 so as to press the locking member 40 against the locking position in the state where the lever member 30 is located at the closed position. Therefore, the shutter member 20 is reliably locked, and thus the possibility of toner leakage occurring in the conventional toner supply container is reliably avoided.

Claims

1. A toner supply container includes a container body having a toner discharge opening; a shutter member disposed in the container body so as to rotate between a closed position closing the toner discharge opening and an open position opening the toner discharge opening; a lever member rotatably supported by the container body and drivably connected to the shutter member so as to rotate between a closed position where the shutter member reaches the closed position and an open position where the shutter member reaches the open position; and a locking member rotatably supported by the container body so as to rotate between a locking position, at which the shutter member is locked without rotating from the closed position to the open position, and a release locking position, at which the shutter member is allowed to rotate from the closed position to the open position and in the opposite direction, the locking member being integrally provided with a band-like elastic portion;

wherein the mounting member for mounting the container body is provided with a push-up projection projecting from the mounting portion;

the locking member forms a locking body extending radially outward from a bottom end supported by one end wall so as to rotate and cause an axial position of the shutter drive member at which the projection to be engaged extends substantially in a direction in which the shutter drive member rotates; and

an engagement step is formed in the inner surface in a radial direction of the lock body so as to extend in a radial direction of the shutter drive member; and

when the container body is detached from the mounting member with the lever member having been rotated from the open position to the closed position, the lock member is returned to the lock position while the engaged projection is engaged with the engaging step due to the elastic force on the band-like elastic portion.

2. A toner supply container includes a container body having a toner discharge opening; a shutter member disposed in the container body so as to rotate between a closed position closing the toner discharge opening and an open position opening the toner discharge opening; a lever member rotatably supported by the container body and drivably connected to the shutter member so as to rotate between a closed position where the shutter member reaches the closed position and an open position where the shutter member reaches the open position; and a locking member rotatably supported by the container body so as to rotate between a locking position, at which the shutter member is locked without rotating from the closed position to the open position, and a release locking position, at which the shutter member is allowed to rotate from the closed position to the open position and in the opposite direction, the locking member being integrally provided with a band-like elastic portion;

wherein the container body has a bottom wall in which the toner discharge opening is formed and two end walls, and the shutter member includes a substantially cylindrical shutter body rotatably disposed within the container body so as to extend from one of the end walls along a partial region of the bottom wall, and a shutter drive member connected to the shutter body so as to rotate together with the shutter body and supported by the one of the end walls so as to rotate;

the locking member has a locking body extending radially outward from a bottom end supported by one end wall so as to rotate, and an engagement step formed in a radially inner surface of the locking body so as to extend in a radial direction of the shutter drive member; and

in a case where the lever member reaches the closed position, the drive gear of the lever member meshes with the driven gear of the shutter drive member, and the urging projection of the lever member urges the band-shaped elastic portion of the lock member so as to be elastically deformed, whereby the lock main body of the lock member is pressed so as to rotate about the axis of the base end and in a direction approaching the axis of the shutter drive member from the radially outer side in a region including at least the engaging step in the radially inner surface, and the engaging step engages with the end surface of the shutter drive member to be engaged with the projection in the circumferential direction.

3. The toner supply container according to claim 2, wherein a front end surface of the locking body of the locking member is directed downward of the container body, and when the container body is mounted on the mounting member from an upper side and is brought into contact with a push-up protrusion disposed on the mounting member, thereby causing the front end surface to be pushed up, the locking body of the locking member is caused to rotate about an axis of the bottom end and in a direction in which the radially inner surface is radially outward away from the shutter driving member against an elastic force of the band-like elastic portion, and the engagement step is displaced from a locking position circumferentially engaged with an end surface of the shutter driving member to which the engaged protrusion is to be engaged, to a release locking position disengaged from the end surface.

4. The toner supply container according to claim 2, wherein the container main body, the shutter member, the lever member, and the locking member are made of synthetic resin into an integral structure.

5. The toner supply container according to claim 3, wherein the container main body, the shutter member, the lever member and the locking member are made of synthetic resin into an integral structure.