JP2001056603A - Developer bottle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent slashing of a developer in the periphery even though it is leaked on the inside of an outer cap. SOLUTION: A cylindrical bottle port part 2 is provided at one end center of a bottle body 1. A hermetically sealing seal 11 constituting an inner cap is provided at the aperture of the bottle port part 2. Also, the outer cap 12 is provided on the outside of the bottle port part 2. Since the outer cap 12 is constituted of a transparent material, and even if the hermetically 11 is peeled and the developer is leaked, it is confirmed from the outside of the outer cap 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developer bottle filled with a powdery developer (including toner) used for developing an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive member is developed by a powdery developer. It is widely known that a developer bottle is filled with the powdered developer, the bottle is charged together with the bottle into a developing unit, opened, and the developer is supplied to the developing unit.

FIG. 10 is a structural view of a main part of a conventional developer bottle. A bottle mouth 2 having a smaller diameter than the bottle body 1 is provided at an upper portion of the bottomed cylindrical bottle body 1, and a cap 3 is screwed into a spiral groove on the outer periphery of the bottle mouth 2 from above. . With this cap 3, the bottle mouth 2
Block the opening. However, with this structure, the tightening of the cap 3 is loosened, or the cap 3 is completely
Otherwise, the developer may leak to the outside and scatter around as it is, and may stain the surroundings or the hands of the user.

Therefore, a cap having a double structure has conventionally been employed. That is, the inner cap and the outer cap are formed in a double structure by a hermetic seal or a lid member, and the developer is completely sealed.

[0005]

Here, in the case of a developer bottle in which the inner cap has a lid member, after the bottle is set in the machine, the lid member is opened to supply the developer, but the lid member is re-supplied. Since it can be used, the lid member may be repeatedly opened and closed as a result. Here, in order to easily open and close the lid member, the degree of crimping between the lid member and the (mouth) of the bottle mouth may be set loosely. In this case, the lid member may come off during the transportation and transport of the bottle. There is. Also, when the inner cap is of a seal type, the adhesive portion between the hermetic seal and the mouth of the bottle may come off.

Therefore, in any of the above cases, there is a disadvantage that the developer in the bottle leaks outward, and when the outer cap is removed to set the bottle in the machine, the packing box, hands, clothes, and the room are stained. Was.

The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and a developer bottle capable of preventing the developer from being scattered around even if the developer leaks inside the outer cap. It is intended to provide.

[0008]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a developer bottle filled with a powdery developer for developing an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier. An inner cap provided at the center of the one end of the bottle body and sealing the open end of the cylindrical bottle mouth with a smaller diameter than the bottle body, and a transparent outer cap fitted outside the bottle mouth. It is characterized by the following.

[0009] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a second aspect.
According to the invention described in the first aspect, a ring-shaped sealing member for sealing a mounting portion between the bottle mouth and the outer cap is provided.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, a third aspect is provided.
The invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that the outer cap and the inner cap are provided integrally.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the above object is achieved.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the inner cap is a lid member and is held by a holding portion inside the outer cap.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device comprising:
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the inner cap is a hermetic seal, and an extension thereof extends outward from a cutout of the outer cap and is attached to an outer periphery of the outer cap. It is.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer system comprising:
In the invention described in claim 1, a knob for chuck is provided on the inner cap or the outer cap.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram near a cap portion of a developer bottle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The bottle mouth 2 formed at one end (upper part in the figure) of the bottle body 1 has a large diameter part 2a at the base and a small diameter part 2b at the upper part. A sealing seal 11 constituting an inner cap is attached to the upper end opening of the small diameter portion 2b.
Aluminum foil or the like is used as a material of the sealing seal 11.

An outer cap 12 is attached to the large diameter portion 2a of the bottle mouth 2. A space exists outside the small diameter portion 2b and inside the outer cap 12. Here, the outer cap 12 of the present invention is made of a synthetic resin, for example, polyethylene, polycarbonate, PET or the like, and is transparent.

As described above, in the present invention, since the outer cap 12 is made of a transparent material, even if the sealing seal 11 is peeled off and the developer inside the bottle leaks, this state can be visually confirmed. Care can be taken to prevent the developer from being scattered when it is removed. In addition, the hermetic seal 11
Is changed according to the number of times of recycling, the user can grasp the number of times of recycling the bottle from the color of the sealing seal 11.

FIG. 2 shows an inner plug (lid member) as an inner cap.
FIG. As the inner cap, an inner plug 13 that enters the inside of the open end of the small diameter portion 2b of the bottle mouth portion 2 and whose upper edge flange is exposed to the outer periphery of the open end can also be provided. Inner plug 1
3 is detached inside the machine at the time of setting the bottle, and is attached to the bottle body 1 when taken out.

FIG. 3 is a structural view of a cap of a developer bottle according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The inner plug holding cylinder portion 14 is provided inside the transparent outer cap 12, and the inner plug 13 shown in FIG. 2 is attached to the lower end by fitting or bonding. By doing so, the outer cap 12 and the inner plug 13 can be simultaneously attached to and detached from the bottle mouth 2 (see FIG. 1) of the bottle body 1 (the opening can be simultaneously opened and closed). Therefore, the periphery can be prevented from being stained with the developer when the outer cap 12 is removed.

FIG. 4 is a structural view showing the vicinity of a cap portion of a developer bottle according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, when a part of the sealing seal 11 is fixed to the outer cap 12, the bottle is set in the machine, and when the outer cap 12 is removed by the cap opening / closing device in the machine, the sealing seal 11 is also opened at the same time. That's what I did. Therefore, when the outer cap 12 is removed, the surroundings can be prevented from being stained with the developer.

Specifically, a part of the seal 11 is extended (extended portion 11a), and the extended portion 11a is pulled out from a cutout portion 12a provided on the outer peripheral portion of the outer cap 12 and is taped. It is fixed to the outer cap 12.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a modification of the hermetic seal shown in FIG. The extension 11a is provided so as to cross the upper surface of the sealing seal 11, and by pulling one end of the extension 11a, the sealing seal 11 can be removed before the in-machine set, with the outer cap 12 attached to the bottle body 1.

FIG. 6 is a structural view showing the vicinity of a cap portion of a developer bottle according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is located inside the outer cap 12 and is
The seal ring 16 is provided above the large diameter portion 2a. The outer cap 12 is attached to the large diameter portion 2a of the bottle mouth portion 2.
6 to seal the seal 11 with the bottle mouth 2
The developer in the bottle body 1 is removed from the outer cap 1
2 does not leak to the outside of the outer cap 12. As the seal ring 16, a material that does not leak powder, such as rubber or sponge, is selected.

FIG. 7 is an external view of a cap portion of a developer bottle according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the same. In this embodiment, the chuck 17 is integrally formed by projecting the center of the inner plug 13 outward. When the chuck 17 is chucked in the machine, the attachment and detachment of the inner plug 13 becomes easy. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, in a structure in which the inner plug 13 and a part of the outer cap 12 are in contact with each other, the outer cap 12 can be easily removed (the outer cap 12 is generally removed outside the machine. It is convenient to take off on the plane).

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a cap portion of a developer bottle according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. When the sealing seal 11 is used as the inner cap, if the knob 18 for chuck is formed integrally with the outer cap 12, it is convenient when the outer cap 12 is attached and detached in the machine.

[0025]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the outer cap is made transparent, the user can visually confirm the developer leaked to the outside of the inner cap. As a result, the user can be alerted, and the user can carefully remove the outer cap, thereby preventing the developer from scattering.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the developer from leaking before removing the outer cap.

According to the third to fifth aspects of the present invention, the inner cap and the outer cap can be simultaneously attached to and detached from the bottle main body, and by attaching and detaching in the machine, the surrounding dirt by the developer is completely prevented. be able to.

According to the invention of claim 6, attachment and detachment of the inner cap and the outer cap become easy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram near a cap portion of a developer bottle according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an inner plug as an inner cap.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a cap of a developer bottle according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram near a cap portion of a developer bottle according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a modification of the hermetic seal shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram in the vicinity of a cap portion of a developer bottle according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an external view of a cap portion of a developer bottle according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the same.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a cap portion of a developer bottle according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a main part of a conventional developer bottle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bottle main body 2 Bottle mouth 11 Sealing seal 12 Outer cap 13 Inner plug 16 Seal ring 17, 18 Knob for chuck

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A developer bottle filled with a powder developer for developing an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier, wherein the bottle has a smaller diameter than a bottle body provided at the center of one end of the bottle body. A developer bottle comprising: an inner cap that seals an opening end of the portion; and a transparent outer cap that is fitted to the outside of the bottle mouth. 2. The developer bottle according to claim 1, further comprising a ring-shaped sealing member for sealing a mounting portion between the bottle mouth and the outer cap. 3. The developer bottle according to claim 1, wherein the outer cap and the inner cap are provided integrally. 4. The developer bottle according to claim 3, wherein the inner cap is a lid member, and is held by a holding portion inside the outer cap. 5. The developing device according to claim 3, wherein the inner cap is a hermetic seal, and an extension of the inner cap extends outward from a cutout of the outer cap and is attached to an outer periphery of the outer cap. Agent bottle. 6. The developer bottle according to claim 1, wherein a knob for chuck is provided on the inner cap or the outer cap.