JP2001201930A - Developer replenishing means, and image forming device equipped with it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developer replenishing means capable of accomplishing a mass storage replenishing container while attaining the cost reduction and the miniaturization of the device, and also, capable of surely discharging the developer frm the replenishing container under any using environment, suppressing toner-scattering and improving a userfriendriness, and to provide an image forming device equipped with the developer replenishing means. SOLUTION: The means is provided with an endless belt film 2 which is freely rotatably arranged in a powdery toner replenishing container main body 1A, a driving means for driving the film 2 to rotate, and a flexible stirring member 2e extending in directions linking between two counter positions on the inner peripheral surface of the film 2 and both ends of which are freely rotatably fixed and for stirring toner lying in an area surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film 2, and the film 2 is provided with a stirring projection 2a for stirring the toner lying near the inner peripheral surface, a discharge hole 2c for moving the toner on the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side, and a carrying projection 2b for carrying the toner lying near the outer peripheral surface to the discharge port.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developer replenishing means for replenishing developer to a developer container provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer employing an electrophotographic system, and a replenishing means for the developer. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus provided.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer adopting an electrophotographic system, a fine powder toner is used as a developer, and a developer provided in an image forming apparatus main body. When the toner stored in the container is consumed, the toner is supplied to the developer container by using a developer supply unit.

[0003] Since the toner is an extremely fine powder, a toner supply container, which is a developer container, is placed inside the main body of the image forming apparatus so that the toner is not scattered. A method has been proposed in which toner is discharged little by little from an outlet. In such a method, it is difficult to discharge the toner naturally by the action of gravity or the like, and therefore, some kind of toner discharging means is required.

Conventionally, as a developer replenishing means having a toner discharging means, there is a developer replenishing means disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-99176. In this example, the toner in the toner replenishing container is sent to an outlet formed on the lower surface of the container end by a conveying member serving as a screw-shaped agitating and conveying unit, and is configured to drop from the outlet. . A stirring member is rotatably housed in the toner supply container main body, and a plurality of claws projecting from corresponding ends of the stirring member engage with sprockets attached to the end of the conveying member. Then, the stirring member rotates following the rotation of the transport member. As a result, the toner in the toner supply container main body is prevented from clumping or offset, and the toner is reliably discharged without remaining.

Further, as a configuration for providing a belt mechanism for transporting toner inside the toner supply container and discharging the toner, there is a developer supply means disclosed in Japanese Patent Registration No. 2662653. In this case, the entire shape of the toner supply container is a thin and flat shape, and a transport belt as an endless film-like agitation transport member is disposed at both ends along pulleys along the inner wall of the toner supply container. At one end of the container, a discharge port for discharging toner is formed to be wide across the entire width of the container, and a plurality of supply holes serving as openings and a belt surface are provided on the transport belt inside the toner supply container. Are provided with a stirring projection and a projection serving as a transport projection. When the conveyor belt rotates, the toner is discharged to the outside of the container through the supply hole.

Further, another conventional technique is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-44.
000 is disclosed. In this case, the overall shape of the toner supply container has a cylindrical bottle shape, a threaded protrusion is provided on the inner surface thereof, and a small discharge port is provided near the center on one end side. In addition, unlike the above-described two conventional examples, the toner supply container does not include a transport member, and is used by being installed in the image forming apparatus main body.
The toner supply unit is configured to transport toner by rotating the toner supply container itself in response to driving from the main body. Note that the toner conveyed to the end on the discharge port side is guided by the protruding shape near the opening, lifted to the discharge roller near the center of the toner supply container, and discharged outside the toner supply container. .

[0007]

However, these prior arts described above are at a practically acceptable level,
In order to further improve the performance, some technical problems remain.

For example, with respect to the developer replenishing means disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-99176, the starting torque immediately after replacement with a new toner replenishing container may be extremely high. After the toner supply container is manufactured and subjected to long-term storage, logistics conditions (transportation, vibration), and environmental conditions (particularly high temperature and high humidity) before being used by the user, the air contained in the toner escapes. In the end, it may be in a state of being densely packed. When the toner supply container in such a state is directly mounted on the image forming apparatus and started, in the case of this conventional example, a screw-shaped conveying member and a rotating stirring member embedded in the high-density toner are used. May exhibit a very high start-up torque in order to operate simultaneously. This is particularly remarkable when the toner supply container has a large capacity, and is more remarkable for a one-component toner having a relatively large weight than a two-component toner having a relatively small specific gravity.

Such an extremely high starting torque may damage the relay gear for transmitting the driving force to the toner supply container and the motor of the driving source. In other words, in preparation for such a high starting torque, Since the size of the motor is increased and the relay gear is strengthened, the cost of the image forming apparatus main body increases.

Further, in the case of the developer replenishing means disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2662653, the toner replenishing container has a thin and flat shape and the toner outlet is wide, so that the toner easily scatters around the toner replenishing means. There is a problem that the toner adheres to a wide area and easily becomes dirty near the discharge port. For toner contamination at the time of replenishment in the toner container where the user directly replenishes the toner with the hand, it is desirable that the toner discharge opening be as small as possible, but because of the flat shape, the opening must be widened. Absent.

On the other hand, when the toner inside the toner supply container is blocked (clogged), it may not be possible to discharge the toner completely to the end. This is because if the toner hardens due to vibration during transportation or if it is left for a long time under high temperature and high humidity, the toner around the inner wall of the toner supply container can break the toner to some extent due to the rotation of the belt. If the toner is blocked at the central portion of the toner supply container where the operation does not reach, there is a possibility that the toner is not discharged and remains in the toner supply container.

Further, in the case of the developer replenishing means disclosed in JP-A-7-44000, since the shape of the toner replenishing container is limited to a substantially cylindrical shape, the space efficiency of the toner replenishing container in the main body of the image forming apparatus is reduced. Is bad. For example, in the case of a color copying machine, a color laser beam printer, or the like, toner supply containers for magenta, yellow, cyan, and black are required. When disposing these toner supply containers, a toner supply container having a box shape may be used. If the toner supply container has a cylindrical shape, there is a lot of useless space (dead space) between the toner supply containers adjacent to each other. As a result, there has been a problem that the apparatus becomes large and the cost is increased.

Further, since there is no agitation mechanism inside the toner supply container, the user is forced to shake the toner supply container before use, and such troublesome operation is required from the viewpoint of operability and user friendliness. It is not good to force users.

Therefore, the present invention increases the design flexibility of the shape of the replenishing container, reduces the starting torque at the time of discharging the developer, and realizes a large-capacity replenishing container while reducing the cost and size of the apparatus. The developer in the replenishing container can be reliably discharged without blocking in any use environment, and the outlet of the replenishing container can be reduced in diameter to reduce developer scattering and improve user friendliness. And an image forming apparatus provided with the developer supply means.

[0015]

According to the present invention, an object of the present invention is to form a discharge port which contains a developer for supplying a developer to a developer container for storing the developer and which is opened to discharge the developer. And a stirring / conveying means for stirring and transporting the developer in the supply container toward the discharge port. The developer is discharged from the discharge port to supply the developer into the developer container. In the developer supply means, the stirring and conveying means includes a rotatable endless belt-shaped film-shaped stirring and conveying member provided in the supply container, a driving means for rotating and driving the film-shaped stirring and conveying member, The developer in a region extending in a direction connecting two opposing positions on the inner peripheral surface of the stirring and conveying member and having both ends rotatably fixed at the position and surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film-shaped stirring and conveying member is used. A flexible stirring member for stirring For example, the film-like agitation transport member,
A stirring projection protruding on the inner peripheral surface to stir the developer in the vicinity, an opening formed to be able to move the developer on the inner peripheral surface to the outer peripheral surface, and a developer in the vicinity on the outer peripheral surface. This is achieved according to the first aspect of the present invention, which has a transport projection that projects to transport toward the discharge port.

Further, according to the present application, the above object is achieved in the first aspect, wherein the driving means has a gear for transmitting a rotational driving force, and the film-shaped stirring and conveying member is engaged with the gear. The present invention is also achieved by the second invention in which the film-shaped stirring / conveying member has a driving hole formed at an end so as to be driven to rotate.

Further, according to the present application, the above object is achieved by the third invention in the first invention or the second invention, wherein the stirring member has a stretchable elastic body.

Further, according to the present application, the above object is achieved according to any one of the first to third inventions, wherein the film-shaped stirring and conveying member has an outer peripheral surface disposed along the inner wall of the supply container. This is also achieved by the fourth invention.

Further, according to the present application, the object is to provide an image forming apparatus for recording an image formed by a series of image forming processes on a recording medium, comprising the developer supply means of the first invention. This is also achieved by the fifth invention.

According to the present invention, the above object is achieved in the fifth aspect, wherein the driving means has a gear for transmitting a rotational driving force, and the film-like stirring and conveying member is engaged with the gear. The present invention is also achieved by the sixth invention in which the film-shaped stirring / conveying member has a driving hole formed at an end so as to be driven to rotate.

Further, according to the present application, the above object is also achieved by the seventh invention in which, in the fifth invention or the sixth invention, the stirring member has a stretchable elastic body.

Further, according to the present application, the above object is achieved according to any one of the fifth to seventh inventions, wherein the film-like stirring and conveying member has an outer peripheral surface disposed along the inner wall of the supply container. This is also achieved by the eighth invention.

That is, in the first invention according to the present application, the driving means rotationally drives the film-like stirring and conveying member,
The stirring member stirs the developer in an area surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, and the stirring protrusion stirs the developer near the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, thereby forming a film-like stirring and conveying member. The developer on the inner peripheral surface moves toward the outer peripheral surface of the film-shaped stirring and conveying member through the opening, and the conveying protrusion conveys the developer near the outer peripheral surface of the film-shaped stirring and conveying member toward the discharge port.

In the second invention according to the present application, the gear of the driving means engages with the drive hole of the film-like stirring and conveying member to rotate the film-like stirring and conveying member, thereby rotating the film-like stirring and conveying member. The stirring member stirs the developer in the region surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the member, and the stirring protrusion stirs the developer near the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring / transporting member. Is moved to the outer peripheral surface side of the film-like stirring and conveying member through the opening, and the conveying protrusion conveys the developer near the outer peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member toward the discharge port.

Further, in the third invention according to the present application, the driving means rotationally drives the film-like stirring and conveying member,
While the elastic body of the stirring member stirs the developer in the region surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, the stirring protrusion stirs the developer near the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member,
The developer on the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member moves to the outer peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member through the opening, and the conveying protrusion conveys the developer near the outer peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member toward the discharge port. .

Further, in the fourth invention according to the present application, the driving means rotationally drives the film-like stirring / conveying member,
The stirring member stirs the developer in an area surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, and the stirring protrusion stirs the developer near the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, thereby forming a film-like stirring and conveying member. The developer on the inner peripheral surface moves toward the outer peripheral surface of the film-shaped stirring and conveying member through the opening, and the conveying protrusion conveys the developer near the outer peripheral surface of the film-shaped stirring and conveying member toward the discharge port.

Further, in the fifth invention according to the present application, the driving means rotationally drives the film-like stirring and conveying member,
The stirring member stirs the developer in an area surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, and the stirring protrusion stirs the developer near the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, thereby forming a film-like stirring and conveying member. The developer on the inner peripheral surface moves toward the outer peripheral surface of the film-shaped stirring and conveying member through the opening, and the conveying protrusion conveys the developer near the outer peripheral surface of the film-shaped stirring and conveying member toward the discharge port.

In the sixth invention according to the present application, the gear of the driving means engages with the drive hole of the film-like stirring and conveying member to rotate and drive the film-like stirring and conveying member. The stirring member stirs the developer in the region surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the member, and the stirring protrusion stirs the developer near the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring / transporting member. Is moved to the outer peripheral surface side of the film-like stirring and conveying member through the opening, and the conveying protrusion conveys the developer near the outer peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member toward the discharge port.

Further, in the seventh invention according to the present application, the driving means rotationally drives the film-like stirring and conveying member,
While the elastic body of the stirring member stirs the developer in the region surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, the stirring protrusion stirs the developer near the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member,
The developer on the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member moves to the outer peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member through the opening, and the conveying protrusion conveys the developer near the outer peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member toward the discharge port. .

In the eighth invention according to the present application, the driving means rotationally drives the film-like stirring and conveying member,
The stirring member stirs the developer in an area surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, and the stirring protrusion stirs the developer near the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, thereby forming a film-like stirring and conveying member. The developer on the inner peripheral surface moves toward the outer peripheral surface of the film-shaped stirring and conveying member through the opening, and the conveying protrusion conveys the developer near the outer peripheral surface of the film-shaped stirring and conveying member toward the discharge port.

[0031]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the configuration of an electrophotographic copying apparatus as an example of an image forming apparatus having a developer replenishing means according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes an electrophotographic copying apparatus main body according to the present embodiment (hereinafter, referred to as an apparatus main body).
It is.

In the apparatus main body 100, a developing unit 201, a cleaner unit 202, a primary charger 203 and the like are arranged around the drum 104. Here, the developing device 201
A toner as a developer is adsorbed onto the drum 104 in order to make the information of the document 101 formed as an electrostatic latent image on the drum 104 by the optical unit 103 visible,
A toner supply container 1 serving as a developer supply unit for supplying toner to the developing device 201 is detachably provided in the apparatus main body 100.

Incidentally, the toner supply container in the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus as described above. For example, a color copying machine or a color laser beam printer which requires a plurality of toner supply containers, etc. There is no problem in the configuration of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

In the apparatus main body 100, image information of the original 101 placed on the original platen glass 102 is transferred to the drum 1 by a plurality of mirrors M and lenses Ln of the optical unit 103.
04.

On the other hand, of the sheets P as recording media loaded in the cassettes 105 to 108, appropriate sheets are selected from the cassettes 105 to 108 based on information input by a user from an operation unit (not shown) or the paper size of the original 101. Paper size information.

Then, the sheet feeding / separating devices 105A-108
A transports one sheet of paper P transported by A to the registration roller 110 via the transport section 109,
Are conveyed in synchronization with the rotation of the optical unit 103 and the scan timing of the optical unit 103. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 111 and 112 denote a transfer charger and a separation charger, respectively.

Thereafter, the sheet P conveyed by the conveying unit 113 is fixed by applying heat and pressure in the fixing unit 114 to fix the toner on the sheet. The sheet discharge roller 1
The paper is discharged to a paper discharge tray 117 by the reference numeral 16. In the case of double-sided copying, the sheet is conveyed to the registration roller 110 via the re-feeding conveying sections 119 and 120 under the control of the flapper 118 of the sheet discharge reversing section 115, and then the same path as in the case of single-sided copying. And is discharged to the discharge tray 117.

In the case of multiplex copying, the paper P passes through the paper discharge reversing unit 115, and is partially discharged out of the apparatus by the paper discharge rollers 116 once. Thereafter, the end of the sheet P passes through the flapper 118, and the flapper 118 is controlled at the timing when the sheet P is still held by the discharge roller 116, and the discharge roller 116 is rotated in the reverse direction. Conveyed. Thereafter, the re-feeding conveyance unit 11
After being conveyed to the registration rollers 110 via the transfer rollers 9 and 120, the sheet is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 117 by following the same route as in the case of single-sided copying.

Next, the toner supply container 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the toner supply container 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of the toner supply container 1.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the toner supply container 1 is a powder toner supply container body (hereinafter, referred to as a supply container).
A container lid 1B is connected to the container body 1A by ultrasonic welding, vibration welding, or another connecting method. Further, the toner supply container 1 has a film 2 for stirring and transporting the toner stored in the container body 1A. The film 2 has a stirring protrusion 2a for stirring the toner, and transports the toner. 2b, a discharge hole 2c as an opening for dropping toner to the bottom surface 1a of the container body 1A, and a drive hole 2d for driving the film.

Further, the toner supply container 1 is provided with a flexible stirring member 2e whose both ends are rotatably fixed at a position connecting both sides facing the side surface of the film 2. The details of the stirring member 2e will be described later.

The film 2 is supported by a plurality of support pins 3a provided in the container body 1A and a drive shaft 3 for driving the film, and is arranged along the inner wall of the container body 1A. The film 2 is provided with a plurality of drive holes 2d at both ends of the film at equal intervals, and a projection as a gear of the drive shaft 3 is engaged with the drive holes 2d to transmit power. The film 2 is configured to be rotatable along the inner wall of the container body 1A with the rotation of the drive shaft 3 driven by a drive source (not shown) of the image forming apparatus body.

A toner supply port 1C, which is a discharge port for supplying toner to a developing hopper (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus main body, is provided at an end of the bottom surface 1a of the container main body 1A. The toner supply port 1C is opened and closed by the sliding operation of the shutter 4 provided.

Next, the toner discharging operation of the toner supply container 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the shutter 4 slides in conjunction with the insertion of the toner supply container 1 set in the image forming apparatus main body into the image forming apparatus main body, and the toner supply port 1C is opened. Next, a drive source (not shown) from the image forming apparatus main body
When the drive shaft 3 is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow A, the film 2 starts to rotate in the direction of arrow B. Due to the rotation of the film 2, the toner existing in the vicinity of the film 2 has its toner surface layer collapsed by the stirring protrusion 2 a provided on the film 2.
c and falls to the container bottom surface 1a. The toner that has fallen on the container bottom surface 1 a
b, the toner is conveyed to the toner supply port 1C and discharged sequentially.

Next, the operation of the stirring member 2e provided on the side surface of the film 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a toner supply container 1 according to the present invention.
FIG.

In FIG. 4, (a) shows the toner supply container 1
Shows the state of the toner inside the container body 1A immediately after filling the toner into the container body 1A. Immediately after filling, the container main body 1A is normally filled with the toner as described above. However, various vibrations occur during the process of shipping the toner supply container 1 from the factory and transporting it to sales bases and warehouses in various places. When the toner is received, the toner inside the container body 1A sinks as shown in FIG. 4B, and the bulk density increases. Thereafter, when the toner is stored in a warehouse, a store, or the like and placed in various temperature and humidity environments, the toner contains moisture and has high cohesiveness, and may be in a further solidified state, that is, a so-called blocking state.

When such a toner supply container is set and used in the main body of the image forming apparatus, as shown in FIG. Although the toner is slightly disintegrated by the movement of the film 2, the blocked toner in the central portion of the container main body 1A or in a range where the agitating action of the film 2 cannot be reached cannot be disintegrated. May be in a state.

This tendency is more remarkable especially in the case of a book-shaped container having a narrow width W and a vertically long shape.

Therefore, conventionally, in such a container configuration in which a conveyor belt is provided inside the toner supply container and the toner is discharged, the book-type container shape cannot cope with toner blocking, so that it is comparatively difficult. A thin flat shape that is difficult to block toner has to be made.

Therefore, in the present invention, the agitating member 2 which can be extended and contracted is connected to a position connecting both sides of the film 2 facing the side surface.
By providing e, the toner blocking phenomenon is eliminated, and the toner in the container body 1A is satisfactorily discharged to the end. The operation will be described below.

FIG. 5 shows the structure of the stirring member 2e. The stirring member 2e is provided at a position connecting both sides facing the side surface of the film 2, and is configured to be expandable and contractible. The elastic stirring member 2e moves as shown in FIG.

The joining points A and B of the stirring member 2e with the film 2 with the rotation of the film are in the state shown at first, but the distance AB becomes longer due to the rotation of the film 2 and the diagonal line is reached. And its length becomes the longest. In this manner, the material or the structure is such that the distance between AB can be freely expanded and contracted with the rotation of the stirring member 2e.
Eventually, the rotation of the film 2 proceeds, and the agitating member 2e rotates while changing its position from the state to the state.

As described above, the stirring member 2e rotates along the front portion 1e of the container body 1A while repeating expansion and contraction, thereby applying a shearing force to the blocked toner and separating the toner from the container wall surface. Therefore, even if toner blocking occurs in the container front part 1e, the blocked toner can be separated from the container front part 1e, so that the blocking phenomenon can be easily eliminated.

The material used for the stirring member 2e is basically preferably the same as the material of the film 2 because it can be integrally formed. However, a material different from the film 2 does not cause any problem. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, various methods may be used for connecting the film and the stirring member 2e. FIG. 8A shows a stirring member 2e in which rubber, which is an elastic body, is fastened and fixed to a fixing portion provided on the side surface of the film. In (B), the agitating member 2e is made of an inelastic body, and is configured to be rotatable and extendable.

Next, the operation of the stirring projection 2a, the discharge hole 2c, and the conveyance projection 2b provided on the film 2 in the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The toner discharge principle of the toner supply container according to the present invention is as follows. By rotating the film 2 disposed along the inner wall of the container body 1A, the toner is separated from the adhesion and adhesion between the film 2 and the inner wall of the container body 1A. The fluidity of the toner is increased and the toner is smoothly discharged. At this time, the film 2 is provided with a stirring projection 2a to further enhance the toner stirring effect.

The stirring protrusion 2a causes the toner near the film 2 to come into contact with the film 2 with the rotation of the film 2 so that the surface of the toner is broken by the stirring protrusion 2a. Therefore, by adjusting the height of the stirring projection 2a, the stirring area from the toner surface layer can be made wider or smaller. However, if it is too high, the stirring resistance increases, which may hinder smooth film rotation driving. It is not preferable to make it higher than necessary. From the experiments of the inventor, it is preferable that the distance is about 3 to 10 mm. Since the stirring projections 2a are provided over the entire circumference of the film 2, the surface layer of the toner in the container body 1A is constantly stirred by the rotation of the film 2. The toner that has been agitated and collapsed is dropped into a discharge hole 2c in front of the agitating protrusion 2a,
The film 2 is dropped and conveyed to the back side of the film 2, that is, to the bottom surface 1a of the container body 1A. By changing the size of the discharge hole 2c, the amount of toner dropped to the bottom surface 1a is restricted, and at the same time, there is an action of promoting a constant discharge property of the toner. Thus, the bottom surface 1a
The toner that has fallen on the transfer protrusion 2 provided on the back of the film 2
b transported in the film 2 traveling direction, and the container body 1A
The toner is discharged from the toner supply port 1C provided at the end of the bottom surface 1a. The transport projection 2b does not need to be in constant contact with all the inner walls of the container main body 1A, and at least at the container bottom 1a where the toner supply port 1C is provided.
Since it can be discharged, it is only necessary that the contact be made on the minimum necessary surface.

As described above, in the case of the toner supply container according to the present invention, unlike the conventional toner supply container, it is not necessary to agitate the entire toner at once, and the agitation projection 2a provided with only the toner surface layer portion on the film 2. , The toner in the container body 1A drops to the lower part of the container and is discharged by the transport protrusion 2b, so that the starting torque can be extremely small. Therefore, it is possible to contribute to the miniaturization and power saving of the drive motor used for this. In addition, the stirrer 2e makes it possible to separate the adhesion and adhesion between the toner and the inner wall of the container at the front portion 1e of the inner wall of the container. However, even if the toner is blocked, the toner can be surely broken and the toner can be transported and discharged. Therefore, conventionally,
Even though the toner container shape was limited to a thin flat shape, the toner supply port can be made smaller because the toner can be discharged reliably even in a narrow vertical shape, resulting in very little toner contamination and blocking. Since the user does not need to perform a troublesome operation such as shaking the toner container before use to break the used toner, a toner supply container excellent in user friendliness can be realized.

The container body 1A is preferably made of resin such as plastic by injection molding, blow molding, injection blow molding or the like, but other materials and manufacturing methods may be used. Further, the container body 1A may be manufactured by a method of dividing it into two parts or more parts for convenience, and integrating them by means such as welding and bonding.

The material used for the film 2 is most preferably PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PP (polypropylene), nylon, PE (polyethylene), polyimide, etc., since appropriate elasticity and creep resistance are required. Although preferred, other plastic sheets can also be used, and a metallic thin film may be used.

Further, the thickness of the film 2 varies slightly depending on the material, but is preferably about 0.1 to 1.0 mm.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the shape of the container main body 1A may be any shape as long as space can be used effectively, and the size and capacity of the toner container can be arbitrarily set.

As shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C, various container shapes may be adopted. In particular, as a feature of the present invention, the toner that has blocked on the upper portion of the toner container is surely broken and falls to the side of the transport protrusion 2b.
Since it can be transported, if there is only a narrow space, take a container shape that is long in the vertical direction as in (A), or take a container shape that is long in the horizontal direction as in (B), or By freely forming the container shape as shown in C), the empty space of the apparatus main body 100 can be effectively used, and the toner capacity can be increased even in a small space.

In the case of a color copying machine, a color printer, or the like, particularly, when the toner supply containers of four colors of magenta, yellow, cyan, and black are arranged in parallel in the apparatus body 100, Since the arrangement can be made narrow, the size of the device can be reduced.

[0070]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the driving means rotates the film-like stirring and conveying member to rotate the film-like stirring and conveying member. The agitating member agitates the developer inside, and the agitating protrusion agitates the developer near the inner peripheral surface of the film-like agitating / conveying member, and the developer on the inner peripheral surface side of the film-like agitating / conveying member agitates the film through the opening. Move to the outer peripheral side of the conveying member,
The transport projections transport the developer near the outer peripheral surface of the film-like agitation transport member toward the discharge port, so that the design flexibility of the supply container shape is increased, and the starting torque at the time of discharging the developer is reduced. It is possible to increase the capacity of the replenishing container while miniaturizing and miniaturizing it. Also, it is possible to reliably discharge the developer in the replenishing container without blocking in any use environment, and to reduce the diameter of the outlet of the replenishing container. , Developer scattering can be reduced and user friendliness can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention,
The gear of the driving means engages with the drive hole of the film-like stirring and conveying member to rotate and drive the film-like stirring and conveying member, and the developer in the area surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member is stirred by the stirring member. While stirring, the stirring protrusion stirs the developer near the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, and the developer on the inner peripheral surface side of the film-like stirring and conveying member moves to the outer peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member through the opening. Since the transport projections transport the developer in the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the film-like agitation transport member toward the discharge port, the degree of freedom in designing the supply container shape is increased, and the starting torque at the time of discharging the developer is reduced. It is possible to increase the capacity of the replenishing container while achieving low cost and miniaturization, and it is possible to reliably discharge the developer in the replenishing container without blocking under any use environment,
It is possible to reduce the diameter of the discharge port of the supply container, reduce the scattering of the developer, and improve the user friendliness.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the driving means rotationally drives the film-like stirring and conveying member,
While the elastic body of the stirring member stirs the developer in the region surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, the stirring protrusion stirs the developer near the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member,
The developer on the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member moves to the outer peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member through the opening, and the conveying protrusion conveys the developer near the outer peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member toward the discharge port. Therefore, while increasing the degree of freedom in designing the shape of the supply container, the starting torque when discharging the developer is reduced,
It is possible to increase the capacity of the replenishing container while reducing the cost and size of the apparatus, and it is possible to reliably discharge the developer in the replenishing container without blocking even in any use environment. Can be reduced in diameter, developer scattering can be reduced, and user friendliness can be improved.

According to the fourth invention of the present application,
The driving unit rotates the film-like stirring and conveying member, and the stirring member stirs the developer in an area surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member. The developer on the inner peripheral surface side of the film-like stirring and conveying member moves to the outer peripheral surface side of the film-like stirring and conveying member through the opening, and the developer on the conveying protrusion near the outer peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member is stirred. Is transported toward the discharge port, so that the design flexibility of the supply container shape is increased, the starting torque at the time of discharging the developer is reduced, and the capacity of the supply container is increased while reducing the cost and size of the device. In addition, the developer in the replenishment container can be reliably discharged without blocking even in any use environment. It can be improved-natured.

Further, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the driving means rotationally drives the film-like stirring and conveying member,
The stirring member stirs the developer in an area surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, and the stirring protrusion stirs the developer near the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, thereby forming a film-like stirring and conveying member. The developer on the inner peripheral surface moves to the outer peripheral surface of the film-shaped stirring and conveying member through the opening, and the conveying protrusion conveys the developer near the outer peripheral surface of the film-shaped stirring and conveying member toward the discharge port. In addition to increasing the degree of design freedom, the starting torque at the time of discharging the developer is reduced, the capacity of the replenishment container can be increased while reducing the cost and size of the device, and blocking can be achieved in any use environment. The developer in the replenishing container can be reliably discharged without occurrence, and the discharge port of the replenishing container can be reduced in size, the scattering of the developer can be reduced, and user friendliness can be improved.

According to the sixth invention of the present application,
The gear of the driving means engages with the drive hole of the film-like stirring and conveying member to rotate and drive the film-like stirring and conveying member, and the developer in the area surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member is stirred by the stirring member. While stirring, the stirring protrusion stirs the developer near the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, and the developer on the inner peripheral surface side of the film-like stirring and conveying member moves to the outer peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member through the opening. Since the transport projections transport the developer in the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the film-like agitation transport member toward the discharge port, the degree of freedom in designing the supply container shape is increased, and the starting torque at the time of discharging the developer is reduced. It is possible to increase the capacity of the replenishing container while achieving low cost and miniaturization, and it is possible to reliably discharge the developer in the replenishing container without blocking under any use environment,
It is possible to reduce the diameter of the discharge port of the supply container, reduce the scattering of the developer, and improve the user friendliness.

Further, according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the driving means rotationally drives the film-like stirring / conveying member,
While the elastic body of the stirring member stirs the developer in the region surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member, the stirring protrusion stirs the developer near the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member,
The developer on the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member moves to the outer peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member through the opening, and the conveying protrusion conveys the developer near the outer peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member toward the discharge port. Therefore, while increasing the degree of freedom in designing the shape of the supply container, the starting torque when discharging the developer is reduced,
It is possible to increase the capacity of the replenishing container while reducing the cost and size of the apparatus, and it is possible to reliably discharge the developer in the replenishing container without blocking even in any use environment. Can be reduced in diameter, developer scattering can be reduced, and user friendliness can be improved.

According to the eighth invention of the present application,
The driving unit rotates the film-like stirring and conveying member, and the stirring member stirs the developer in an area surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member. The developer on the inner peripheral surface side of the film-like stirring and conveying member moves to the outer peripheral surface side of the film-like stirring and conveying member through the opening, and the developer on the conveying protrusion near the outer peripheral surface of the film-like stirring and conveying member is stirred. Is transported toward the discharge port, so that the design flexibility of the supply container shape is increased, the starting torque at the time of discharging the developer is reduced, and the capacity of the supply container is increased while reducing the cost and size of the device. In addition, the developer in the replenishment container can be reliably discharged without blocking even in any use environment. It can be improved-natured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration sectional view illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a developer supply unit provided in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of a developer replenishing unit shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a blocking state in a supply container provided in the developer supply means.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the operation of the developer supply means of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the operation of a film-like stirring and conveying member provided in the developer supply means of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a shape of a supply container provided in a developer supply unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a configuration of a stirring member provided in the developer supply means of FIG. 2;

[Reading the sign]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Toner supply container (developer supply means) 1A Powder toner supply container main body (supply container) 1C Toner supply port (discharge port) 2 Film (film-like stirring / conveying member) 2a Stirring projection 2b Conveying projection 2c Discharge hole (opening) 2d drive hole 2e stirring member 100 main body of electrophotographic copying apparatus (image forming apparatus) 201 developing device (developer container) P paper (recording medium)

Claims (8)

[Claims] A supply container for storing a developer to be supplied to a developer container for storing the developer and having a discharge port formed to open the dischargeable developer, and a developer in the supply container. A stirring / conveying means for stirring and conveying toward the discharge port, wherein the developer conveying means discharges the developer from the discharge port and replenishes the developer in the developer container; A rotatable endless belt-shaped film-like stirring / conveying member disposed inside, driving means for rotating and driving the film-like stirring / conveying member, and two opposing positions on the inner peripheral surface of the film-like stirring / conveying member And a flexible stirring member for stirring the developer in a region surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the film-shaped stirring and conveying member, the both ends of which are rotatably fixed at the position. The transport member is A stirring protrusion protruding so as to stir the developer in the vicinity, an opening formed so that the developer on the inner peripheral surface can be moved to the outer peripheral surface, and the developer in the vicinity on the outer peripheral surface facing the discharge port Developer supply means having a transfer projection protruding for transfer. 2. The driving means has a gear for transmitting a rotational driving force, and the film-like stirring and conveying member is formed at an end portion so as to engage with the gear and rotate the film-like stirring and conveying member. 2. The developer replenishing means according to claim 1, wherein said developer replenishing means has a drive hole. 3. The developer replenishing means according to claim 1, wherein the stirring member has a stretchable elastic body. 4. The developer replenishing means according to claim 1, wherein the film-like stirring and conveying member has an outer peripheral surface arranged along an inner wall of the replenishing container. 5. An image forming apparatus for recording an image formed by a series of image forming processes on a recording medium,
An image forming apparatus comprising the developer supply unit according to claim 1. 6. The driving means has a gear for transmitting a rotational driving force, and the film-like stirring and conveying member is formed at an end portion so as to engage with the gear and rotate the film-like stirring and conveying member. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image forming apparatus has a drive hole. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the stirring member has a stretchable elastic body. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the film-like stirring and conveying member has an outer peripheral surface disposed along an inner wall of the supply container.