JP2003202744A - Toner replenishing container and sealing member - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner replenishing container and a sealing member by which the attachment/detachment of the toner replenishing container to/from an image forming apparatus main body and also toner replenishing operation are surely performed by simple operation and constitution. <P>SOLUTION: The toner replenishing container 1 and the sealing member 2 has a holding part 2c to hold a main body driving part 20 so as to receive driving force from the driving part of the image forming apparatus main body, a locking part 3a to lock the toner replenishing container 1 to the image forming apparatus main body and a release part 21 to release the locking of the locking part 3a by an action from the side of the image forming apparatus main body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner replenishing container and a sealing member which can be attached to and detached from an apparatus body of an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium by using an electrophotographic image forming system. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes, for example, an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, laser beam printer, LED printer, etc.), a facsimile machine, a word processor, and the like.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a fine powder toner is used as a developer in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a printer. Then, when the toner of the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is consumed, the toner is supplied to the main body of the image forming apparatus using a toner supply container (toner supply container).

Since the toner is an extremely fine powder, a toner replenishing container is installed inside the main body of the image forming apparatus to prevent the toner from scattering during the toner replenishing work, and the toner is discharged little by little through a small opening. It has been known.

In any of these cases, the above-mentioned toner supply container is configured to discharge toner by receiving some drive from the main body of the image forming apparatus and driving the conveying member and the main body of the toner supply container. It has become. There are several methods for such drive transmission means. For example, as described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 05-75768, a gear portion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of a toner bottle as a toner supply container, and a drive source is provided in this gear. There is a configuration in which the toner bottle is rotationally driven by engaging a rotating drive gear connected to the.

Further, as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-63084, a protrusion for rotation driving is provided on the end surface of the toner bottle, and this protrusion is provided as a recessed portion provided in a driving portion from the main body of the image forming apparatus. There is a configuration in which they are engaged and the drive is transmitted.

Another example is Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-63.
There is also a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 076. This is because a plurality of engaging grooves are provided on the inner diameter of the rotational force transmitting portion of the image forming apparatus main body, while a protrusion that engages with the engaging groove is provided on the toner container side. It is configured to transmit the rotation drive.

As described above, various drive transmission methods have been proposed as a method for driving the toner supply container.

[0009]

However, the above-mentioned conventional example has some technical problems.

In the method described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-75768, when the toner bottle is inserted and set in the main body of the image forming apparatus, the gear portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the toner bottle and the drive gear portion in the main body of the image forming apparatus. It is necessary for the user to properly engage with each other, and this work needs to be carefully inserted by the user himself, which imposes a burden on the user on the replenishment operability. Further, since the toner bottle is rotated by meshing the gears with each other, the toner bottle receives a force to shift in the direction perpendicular to the axis due to the rotation moment, which causes the toner bottle to float up.
There is a risk of slipping sideways and preventing normal rotation. In order to prevent such a shift, it is necessary to surround and support the entire circumference of the toner bottle. However, if this is done, then it becomes impossible to easily attach and detach the toner bottle, and at the same time, the replenishment system itself. Configuration becomes complicated,
It leads to cost increase.

Further, in the case of the method described in JP-A-10-63084 and JP-A-10-63076, the protrusion (or recess) on the end face of the toner bottle is engaged with the recess (or protrusion) of the main body drive unit. When inserting the toner bottle so that it fits, it is necessary to align the rotation direction of the toner bottle, and if this is done by the user himself, the operability for replenishment will deteriorate, and due to a slight misalignment, the drive will be accurate. It may not be transmitted.

In order to prevent such poor engagement, a guide rib is provided on the outer surface of the toner bottle so that the position in the rotation direction is always determined when the toner bottle is inserted, and correspondingly, an engaging recess of the main body drive portion is provided. It is necessary to control the rotation operation so that the unit always stops at a predetermined rotation position, and both of these cause a complicated configuration of the replenishment system and an increase in cost.

Most of the coupling drive transmissions due to the engagement of the concavities and convexities are related to the fact that when the toner bottle and the main body drive section are inserted with a phase shift, the main body drive section is retracted by a spring and the phases are matched. It may be configured to return to the combined position. In such a configuration, even if the phase of the bottle is shifted when the toner bottle is inserted, the main body drive unit retracts, so when the bottle is rotated, the phase is matched,
Although it is possible to engage, the structure of the main body drive unit becomes complicated and an extra space is required to retract the main body drive unit to the back side, so that the device main body can be made compact. Is also not preferable.

The present invention is a further development of the conventional toner supply container described above.

An object of the present invention is to provide a toner replenishing container and a sealing member which can surely carry out the attachment and detachment of the toner replenishing container to the main body of the image forming apparatus and the toner replenishing operation with a simple operation and structure. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide a toner replenishing container and a sealing member which can be surely replenished by a simple operation without requiring alignment in the rotational direction of the toner replenishing container during a toner replenishing operation by the toner replenishing container. It is to be.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a toner replenishing container and a sealing member, which have simple and inexpensive mechanisms for the toner replenishing container and the main body of the image forming apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a toner supply container and a sealing member which can make the main body of the image forming apparatus compact.

[0019]

The above object can be achieved by the toner supply container and the sealing member according to the present invention. In summary, the first aspect of the present invention is a toner replenishing container main body which is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body and has an opening for replenishing the image forming apparatus main body with toner, and stores the toner. A holding member for holding the main body drive unit in order to receive a driving force from the drive unit of the image forming apparatus main body, in a toner supply container having a sealing member for sealing the opening. The image forming apparatus main body has a locking portion for locking the toner supply container, and a releasing portion for releasing the locking by the action of the image forming apparatus main body side. It is a toner supply container. According to the above configuration, the toner bottle is reliably engaged with the main body of the image forming apparatus simply by inserting the toner bottle, and when the toner bottle is taken out, the engagement is easily released by simply pressing the release portion. It is possible to provide a toner replenishing container with a high replenishment operability that allows the toner bottle to be replenished with the configuration.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the holding portion, the locking portion and the releasing portion are provided on the sealing member.
With this configuration, since the opening / closing operation of the sealing member and the driving force transmission operation can be performed by one sealing member, a compact and inexpensive toner supply container can be provided.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the holding portion, the locking portion and the releasing portion are provided in the toner replenishing container body. With this structure, the mechanism of the toner supply container and the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus can be made simple and inexpensive, and the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus can be further downsized.

A second aspect of the present invention is a toner replenishing container main body which is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body, has an opening for replenishing the image forming apparatus main body with toner, and stores the toner. A holding member for holding the main body drive unit in order to receive a driving force from the drive unit of the image forming apparatus main body, the toner replenishing container having a sealing member for sealing the opening. Sealing characterized by having a locking portion for locking the toner supply container to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and a releasing portion for releasing the locking by the action of the main body of the image forming apparatus. It is a member. According to this configuration, the toner bottle can be securely engaged with the image forming apparatus main body simply by inserting the toner bottle, and the engagement can be easily released by simply pressing the release portion when the toner bottle is taken out. It is possible to provide a toner replenishing container with a high replenishment operability that allows the toner bottle to be replenished with the configuration.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the holding portion, the locking portion and the release portion are provided in the sealing member, the opening / closing operation of the sealing member and the driving force transmitting operation are combined into one sealing member. Since it can be performed by a member, a compact and inexpensive toner supply container can be provided.

According to one embodiment of the first and second aspects of the present invention, a part or all of the material of the holding portion is an elastomer, or an adhesive rubber or a silicone rubber.
With this configuration, the drive transmission force between the image forming apparatus main body and the toner supply container is increased, and more reliable and stable drive transmission performance can be obtained.

According to another embodiment of the first and second aspects of the present invention, the locking portion is a linear polyamide resin, polypropylene resin, polyethylene resin, polyester resin, ABS resin, or , HIPS resin, and is elastically deformable. With this configuration, since the image forming apparatus main body drive unit and the holding unit that receives the driving force can be easily engaged and disengaged since they have appropriate elasticity, and sufficient durability can be obtained.

[0026]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The toner replenishing container and the sealing member according to the present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 First, the structure of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, which is an example of an image forming apparatus in which the toner supply container according to the present invention is mounted, will be described with reference to FIG.

[Electrophotographic Image Forming Apparatus] In the electrophotographic copying machine main body (hereinafter referred to as “apparatus main body”) 100 shown in FIG. 1, when a document 101 is placed on a platen glass 102, image information of the document 101 is displayed. The optical image according to the
An image is formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum (hereinafter, referred to as “photosensitive drum”) 104 as an image carrier by a plurality of mirrors M and lenses Ln. Cassettes 105, 106,
Recording media loaded on 107 and 108 (hereinafter referred to as "paper")
2) P, the optimum paper P is selected from the paper size information of the cassettes 105 to 108 based on the information input by the user (user) from the operation unit 100a shown in FIG. 2 or the paper size of the original 101. Here, the recording medium is not limited to paper, and an OHP sheet or the like can be appropriately selected.

Then, the sheet feeding / separating devices 105A and 106
A sheet of paper P conveyed by A, 107A, 108A
Is conveyed to the registration roller 110 via the conveyance unit 109, and further, the registration roller 110 conveys the paper P to the transfer unit in synchronization with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 104 and the scanning timing of the optical unit 103. In the transfer section,
The transfer discharger 111 transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 104 to the paper P. Then, the separation discharger 112 separates the paper P on which the toner image is transferred from the photoconductor drum 104.

Thereafter, the fixing unit 114 is fixed by the transport unit 113.
After the toner image on the paper P is fixed by heat and pressure in the fixing unit 114, the paper P conveyed to is passed through the paper discharge reversing unit 115 in the case of one-sided copying and the paper discharge roller 1
The sheet 16 is ejected to the sheet ejection tray 117. Further, in the case of double-sided copy, the flapper 118 of the paper discharge reversal unit 115 controls the sheet to be conveyed to the registration rollers 110 via the re-feeding conveyance paths 119 and 120, and then the same route as in the case of single-sided copy. And is discharged to the paper discharge tray 117.

In the case of multiple copy, the paper P passes through the paper discharge reversing unit 115 and is partially discharged by the paper discharge roller 116 to the outside of the apparatus. Then, after that, the trailing edge of the paper P passes through the flapper 118, the flapper 118 is controlled at the timing when the paper P is still nipped by the paper ejection roller 116, and the paper ejection roller 116 is rotated in the reverse direction. Be transported to. After that, after being conveyed to the registration roller 110 via the re-feeding conveyance units 119 and 120, it is ejected to the ejection tray 117 along the same route as in the case of single-sided copying.

By the way, in the apparatus main body 100 having the above-mentioned structure, the developing device 201 as the developing means, the cleaner device 202, and the primary charger 20 are provided around the photosensitive drum 104.
3 etc. are arranged.

The developing device 201 develops the electrostatic latent image of the information of the original 101 formed on the photosensitive drum 104 by the optical unit 103 by using toner. And
A toner replenishing container 1 for replenishing toner to the developing device 201 is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 100 by a user.

Further, the developing device 201 has a toner hopper 201a as a storing means and a developing device 201b. The toner hopper 201a has a stirring member 201c for stirring the toner supplied from the toner supply container 1. Then, the toner agitated by the agitating member 201c is sent to the developing device 201b by the magnet roller 201d. The developing device 201b has a developing roller 201f and a feeding member 201e. And
Toner hopper 201 by magnet roller 201d
The toner sent from a is sent to the developing roller 201f by the sending member 201e, and is supplied to the photosensitive drum 104 by the developing roller 201f.

The cleaner device 202 is for removing the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 104. The primary charger 203 is for charging the photosensitive drum 104.

When the user opens the toner supply container replacement front cover 15 (hereinafter referred to as "replacement front cover"), which is a part of the exterior cover shown in FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. Is pulled out to a predetermined position by a drive system (not shown). Then, the toner supply container 1 is placed on the container pedestal 50. Toner supply container 1
When removing the container from the apparatus main body 100, the container holder 50
And pull out the toner supply container 1 placed on the container receiving stand 50. Here, the replacement front cover 15 is a dedicated cover for attaching and detaching (replacing) the toner supply container 1, and is opened and closed only for attaching and detaching the toner supply container 1. The maintenance of the apparatus main body 100 is performed by opening and closing the front cover 100c.

The toner replenishing container 1 may be directly attached to the apparatus main body 100 or removed from the apparatus main body 100 without using the container pedestal 50.

[Toner Replenishing Operation] First, the toner replenishing operation of the toner replenishing container (hereinafter referred to as “toner bottle”) will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 (A) to 7 (C). Figure 7
7A to 7C show the toner bottle 1 with the apparatus main body 100.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state of a process of inserting the toner into the inside and performing toner supply for each stage.

As shown in the figure, a toner replenishing device 400 is provided in the apparatus main body 100, and the toner replenishing device 4 is further provided.
00, a drive unit (driving force transmission unit) 20 that is connected to the toner bottle 1 and rotationally drives the toner bottle 1. The drive unit 20 is rotatably supported by a bearing 23, and is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 100.

Further, the apparatus main body 100 is provided with a hopper 201.
A partition wall 25 that forms a toner supply path 24 communicating with a is provided, and inner and outer bearings 26a and 26b that rotatably support a part of the toner bottle 1 and seal the toner supply path 24 are provided in the partition wall 25. It is fixed. Further, a screw member 27 for conveying the replenishment toner to the hopper 201a is arranged in the toner replenishment path 24.

FIG. 7A shows a state in which the toner bottle 1 is inserted into the apparatus main body 100. For example, a cylindrical toner replenishment opening (hereinafter, simply referred to as “opening”) 1a is provided on one end surface of the tip of the toner bottle 1. It is in a sealed state.

In FIG. 7B, the toner bottle 1 is further inserted, and the claw portion 3 as a locking portion provided at the tip of the sealing member 2 is engaged with the drive portion 20 on the apparatus main body side. The status is shown. The engagement between the drive unit 20 and the sealing member 2 is performed by the insertion force when the user inserts the toner bottle 1. At this time, since the sealing member 2 is locked in the thrust direction (axial direction) with the drive unit 20 by the locking surface provided on the claw portion 3, unless the sealing member 2 releases this locking, The drive unit 20 is in a positionally fixed state.

FIG. 7C shows the sealing member 2 and the drive unit 20.
, The slide member 300 retracts in the direction of the arrow b in conjunction with the closing operation of the replacement front cover 15, so that the toner bottle 1 also retracts, and the sealing member 2 relatively moves from the toner bottle 1. The state is shown in which the opening 1a is opened apart and the toner can be supplied. At this time, the drive shaft 1b fixed to the main body 1A of the toner bottle 1 (hereinafter referred to as “bottle main body”) does not completely come off from the sealing member 2, and a part of the drive shaft 1b is inside the sealing member 2. Remains in.
The drive shaft 1b has a non-circular cross-sectional shape such as a quadrangle or a triangle that allows transmission of rotational drive.

When a motor (not shown) is driven in this state, the rotational driving force is transmitted from the main body drive unit 20 to the sealing member 2 and further from the sealing member 2 to the drive shaft 1b, whereby the toner bottle 1 is removed. It is designed to rotate. That is, the sealing member 2 has two functions of sealing the toner and transmitting the rotational driving force of the toner bottle 1 at the same time.

Further, since the toner bottle 1 is rotatably supported by the bottle receiving roller 23 provided on the container receiving stand 50, the toner bottle 1 can smoothly rotate even with a slight driving torque. The bottle receiving rollers 23 are provided at four positions in the saddle with respect to the bottle body 1A. The bottle receiving roller 23 is rotatably provided on the toner supply device 400 of the apparatus main body 100. As the toner bottle 1 rotates in this manner, the toner contained in the toner bottle 1 is sequentially discharged from the opening 1a,
The toner is supplied to the hopper 201a on the apparatus main body 100 side by the screw member 27 provided in the toner supply path 24, and the toner is supplied.

[Toner Replenishing Container Replacement Method] Next, a toner bottle replacement method will be described.

When the toner in the toner bottle 1 is almost completely consumed in the image forming process, the toner in the toner bottle 1 is exhausted by the toner replenishing container empty detecting means (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 100. It is detected and the user is informed of that fact by the display means 100b (see FIG. 2) such as liquid crystal.

In this embodiment, the toner bottle 1 is replaced by the user himself, and the procedure is as follows.

First, the replacement front cover 1 in the closed state.
5 is rotated about the hinge 18 to open it to the position shown by the broken line in FIG. In association with the operation of opening the replacement front cover 15, the toner replenishing section opening / closing means described later causes the above-mentioned operation of the above-mentioned FIG.
The bottle body 1A in the state of (C) moves in the direction of arrow a shown in FIG. 7A, which is the direction opposite to the direction of arrow b, and is separated from the bottle body 1A until then, the toner replenishing opening 1a.
7 is press-fitted into the toner replenishing opening 1a, and the toner replenishing opening 1a is closed, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 7B.

Next, the user installs the toner bottle 1 in the apparatus main body 100, which has been depleted of toner, in FIG.
It is pulled out in the direction opposite to the arrow a direction shown in FIG. 7A, that is, in the arrow b direction shown in FIG. A method of unlocking the claw portion 3 at the time of removal according to the present invention will be described later in detail. Thereafter, the user inserts the new toner bottle 1 into the apparatus main body 100 in the direction of arrow a shown in FIG. 7A, and then closes the replacement front cover 15. Then, as described above, this replacement front cover 1
Interlocking with the operation of closing 5, the sealing member 2 is separated from the container body 1A by the toner replenishing portion opening / closing means, and the toner replenishing opening 1a is opened (FIG. 7C). The above is the procedure for replacing the toner supply container.

[Toner Supply Container (Toner Bottle)] Next, the toner bottle of this embodiment will be further described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

The toner bottle 1 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape,
An opening 1a having a diameter smaller than that of the bottle body, that is, the cylindrical portion 1A, is provided in a substantially central portion of one end surface thereof. Opening 1
A sealing member 2 for closing the opening 1a is provided in a, and as will be understood from the description relating to FIGS. 7A to 7C, this sealing member 2 is in the axial direction of the toner bottle 1. (Arrow a
The opening 1a is opened and closed by sliding in the (-b direction).

The sealing member 2 has a cylindrical holding portion (hereinafter referred to as a "holding portion") which presses the sealing portion 2b for sealing the opening 1a and the main body driving portion 20 (FIG. 7) to transmit the driving force from the main body. "Holding part") 2c. The holding portion 2c is provided with a plurality of slit grooves 2d in the axial direction, and a slide core 3 that slides in the axial direction is provided inside the holding portion 2c. The holding portion 2c is pushed open in the radial direction (radial direction) as the slide core 3 moves in the axial direction, so that the holding portion 2c is pressed against the driving portion 20 of the image forming apparatus main body and transmits the rotational drive to the toner bottle 1. It is configured to perform functions. The structure of the sealing member 2 will be described in detail later.

First, the internal structure of the toner bottle 1 will be described.

As described above, the toner bottle 1 has a substantially cylindrical shape, is arranged substantially horizontally in the apparatus main body 100, and is rotated by being rotationally driven by the apparatus main body 100.
As shown in FIG. 8, a spiral projection 1c is provided on the inner surface of the toner bottle 1. Toner bottle 1
As the toner rotates, the toner is conveyed in the axial direction along the spiral protrusion 1c, and the toner is discharged from the opening 1a provided on the end surface of the toner bottle 1.

The internal structure of the toner bottle 1 according to the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the toner bottle 1 has a bottle shape in which toner is discharged as the toner bottle 1 rotates.

That is, the gist of the present invention is to provide the toner bottle 1 that discharges toner by being driven.
Since the structure of the drive transmission portion between the toner bottle 1 and the apparatus main body 100 is characterized, the internal structure of the toner bottle 1 is generally well known as in this embodiment. It may have a spiral projection 1c formed on the inner surface thereof, or may have another configuration.

For example, as a modified example of this embodiment, the inside of the bottle as shown in FIG. 10 may be used. In this modification,
A plate-shaped baffle member 40 is provided inside the bottle main body, and a plurality of inclined protrusions 40a inclined with respect to the axial direction of the toner bottle 1 are provided on the surface of the baffle member 40, and one end of the inclined protrusion 40a is provided in the opening 1a. Has reached The toner is finally discharged from the inclined protrusion 40a through the opening 1a. The principle of toner discharge is that the toner scraped up by the baffle member 40 by the rotation of the toner bottle 1 slides down on the surface of the baffle member 40, and the inclined protrusion 40a.
Is transported to the front of the toner bottle 1. By repeating this operation, the toner in the toner bottle is sequentially stirred and conveyed, and is discharged from the opening 1a.

Further, the driving method in the present invention is not limited to the rotary driving as shown in this embodiment,
The method of driving the toner bottle is not particularly limited as long as the toner bottle is supplied with toner by receiving some driving force such as vibration, swinging, or other method. That is, as long as it is a toner bottle that discharges toner by receiving some driving from the apparatus main body 100, the driving may be rotation, rocking, vibration, or any driving method.

In the modification, the plate-shaped baffle member 40 is formed as a member different from the toner bottle 1, and the baffle member 40 is provided via the sealing member 2.
Toner bottle 1 indirectly by transmitting the rotational driving force to
To rotate.

As described above, either structure may be used in which the rotational driving force is directly or indirectly transmitted to the toner bottle 1 via the sealing member 2.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, as described above, the bottle body 1A is provided with the opening 1a at one end surface thereof,
Further, in the opening 1a, an engagement hole 1b that engages with the drive shaft 2a protruding from the sealing member 2 is provided. The engaging hole portion 1b is provided with a through hole 1c so that the drive shaft 2a can slide in the axial direction. The through hole 1c has an opening 1a.
Is located substantially on the central axis line of and engages with the drive shaft 2a provided on the sealing member 2. Since the engaging portion 1b is for transmitting the rotational driving force from the device body 100 via the sealing member 2 to the bottle body 1A, the through hole 1 of the engaging hole portion 1b is formed.
The cross-sectional shape of c is a quadrangle shape, an H-cut shape, a D-cut shape, or the like capable of transmitting the rotational driving force. The engagement hole portion 1b is fixed to the bottle body 1A by appropriate means.

[Sealing Member] Next, the sealing member 2 will be further described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13.

FIG. 11 is an external perspective view of the sealing member 2 in the present invention, FIG. 12 is a partial sectional perspective view of FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 is a front sectional view of the sealing member 2.

In FIGS. 11 and 12, the sealing member 2 is a sealing portion 2b that seals the opening 1a of the toner bottle 1 so that it can be opened, and a cylindrical holding member that engages with the driving portion 20 of the apparatus body. It has a section 2c. The outer diameter of the sealing portion 2b is set to be larger than the inner diameter of the opening 1a by an appropriate amount. Then, the sealing portion 2b is press-fitted into the opening 1a to seal the toner supply port, which is the opening 1a, by the sealing member 2.

As described above, the sealing member 2 has the engagement hole portion 1
It has a drive shaft 2a for transmitting the driving force received from the apparatus main body 100 by engaging with b to the engaging hole portion 1b. The drive shaft 2a is formed across the sealing portion 2b and the holding portion 2c. The drive shaft 2a has a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the through hole 1c of the engaging hole portion 1b, and is formed slightly smaller than the through hole 1c. As a result, the drive shaft 2a is loosely fitted in the engagement hole 1b. Further, the drive shaft 2a has the same cross section as the through hole 1c of the engaging hole portion 1b and is polygonal. In this embodiment, a square is adopted.

As the drive shaft 2a is loosely fitted in the engagement hole 1b in this manner, the bottle body 1A and the sealing member 2 are locked to each other in the rotation direction of the bottle body 1A. On the other hand, they are configured to be movable in the axial direction. As a result, the toner bottle 1 is attached to the toner replenishing device 40.
When attached to 0, the sealing member 2 and the bottle body 1 will be described later.
It is possible to separate from A, and it is possible to open (open) the toner supply port, that is, the opening 1a.

By the way, the drive shaft 2a and the engaging hole portion 1b
The engagement length with is such that it does not come off when the sealing member 2 and the bottle body 1A are separated from each other. As a result, even if the sealing member 2 is separated from the bottle body 1, the engaging hole portion 1
The b can receive a driving force via the sealing member 2.

Next, the internal structure of the sealing member 2, which is the most characteristic feature of the present invention, will be described in detail.

A slide core 3 is provided inside the holding portion 2c of the sealing member 2. This slide core 3 is a holding part 2.
It is slidably supported in the axial direction (direction of arrow ab) in c, and is supported in a state of being guided by the guide groove 3c and the guide protrusion 2g provided inside the holding portion 2c.

Although the slide core 3 is normally urged in the direction of arrow a by the spring S,
When a force is applied in the b direction, it can slide in the b direction by a predetermined amount, and when the force is removed, it returns to its original state due to the elastic force of the spring. The slide core 3 is biased in the direction of the arrow a by the spring S, but the guide core 2g does not completely remove the slide core 3 from the inside of the holding portion 2c.

Further, an abutting portion 3b and a locking portion 3a are provided at the tip of the slide core 3, and the locking portion 3a forms a ring-shaped convex portion projecting over the entire circumference of the slide core 3. ing. In this locking portion 3a, the slide core 3 has an arrow b.
When it slides in the direction, it fits into the locking groove 2e provided on the inner surface of the holding portion 2c and locks.

Further, a plurality of slit grooves 2d are formed in the holding portion 2c, so that it can be easily elastically deformed in the direction of arrow cd (FIG. 13). Further, the holding unit 2
Since the inner surface of c has a taper (inclined surface) whose diameter decreases in the direction of arrow b, the slide core 3 fits into the locking groove 2e and locks, and at the same time the holding portion 2c expands slightly in the direction of arrow c. It is configured so that it is firmly fixed to the main body drive section 20 by a pressure contact force with the main body drive section 20 described later, and drive transmission is possible.

Further, the holding portion 2c is provided with a plurality of holes 2f, and the releasing member 4 is rotatably disposed in the holes 2f. The releasing member 4 is supported by the cylindrical portion 2c by the support shaft 4a, and can freely rotate about the support shaft 4a. The release member 4 is provided so as to project radially outward and inward of the holding portion 2c (in the direction of arrow cd), and has a function of releasing the slide core 3 by an operation of a release ring described later. Is playing. The releasing operation of the slide core 3 will be described in detail later.

As described above, the material of the sealing member 2 is preferably an elastically deformable material so that the holding portion 2c of the sealing member 2 can freely elastically deform by the slide of the slide core 3. .

The sealing member 2 is preferably manufactured by injection molding a resin such as plastic, but other materials and manufacturing methods may be used, and the sealing member 2 may be arbitrarily divided and joined.
Further, the sealing member 2 is required to have appropriate elasticity in order to press-fit and fit into the opening 1a to seal it. As the material, various synthetic resins can be used, and low density polyethylene is most preferable, followed by polypropylene, linear polyamide such as nylon, high density polyethylene, polyester, ABS, HIPS (high impact polystyrene). Resins such as) are preferably used.

As described above, by using the elastic member capable of elastically deforming the holding portion 2c, it is possible to easily engage and disengage the drive portion 20 and the holding portion 2c by utilizing the elastic deformation. Further, since the above-mentioned materials have appropriate elasticity, engagement and disengagement of the drive unit 20 and the holding unit 2c can be easily performed, and the material has sufficient durability.

Further, since the holding portion 2c is elastically deformed outward in the radial direction by the slide of the slide core 3 and is in contact with the main body drive portion 20 to obtain a drive transmission force, a more reliable and higher drive transmission is achieved. In order to obtain the performance, the material of the portion that comes into pressure contact with the main body drive portion can be appropriately set as in the embodiment shown in FIG.

That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 18, a part of the holding portion 2c is made of an elastomer 2h which is a material having high adhesion.
An example of the case of With such a structure, higher adhesion can be obtained, and reliable and higher driving force can be transmitted. As a material used for such a portion, a material such as adhesive rubber, silicone rubber, or elastomer is suitable. The sealing member having such a structure can be easily manufactured by two-color molding, insert molding, or the like as a manufacturing method.

Further, although FIG. 18 shows an example in which a part of the holding portion 2c is made of the above-mentioned material, it is of course possible to use not only a part of the holding portion 2c but also the whole.

[Main Body Side Drive Unit] Next, FIGS. 14 and 15
The configuration of the drive unit 20 on the image forming apparatus main body side that transmits the drive force to the sealing member 2 described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the main body side drive unit 20, and FIG. 15 is a front sectional view showing the relationship between the main body side drive unit 20 and the sealing member 2.

In the present embodiment, the shaft 20c is a drive shaft on the main body side, and transmits rotary drive from a drive motor (not shown),
It rotates integrally with the drive unit 20. An introduction portion 20b for receiving the sealing member 2 is formed on the tip end side of the driving portion 20. Since the introduction portion 20b has an inclined surface,
The sealing member 2 can be smoothly guided to the drive unit 20. Further, the drive transmission surface 2 for contacting the holding portion 2c of the sealing member 2 and transmitting the driving force is provided on the inner surface of the drive portion 20.
0a is provided. The drive transmission surface 20a and the holding portion 2c
The rotational drive is transmitted to the sealing member 2 by the pressure contact force with the.

In the present invention, the shape of the drive section 20 shown in FIG. 15 is not limited to this, and any other shape may be used as long as it can perform the same function.

[Description of Drive Transmission] Next, the mode of drive transmission between the drive unit 20 and the sealing member 2 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 16A shows a state in which the user inserts the toner bottle 1 in the direction of arrow a in order to set a new toner bottle 1 in the apparatus main body 100. This is a state before engaging with the portion 20.

As the insertion of the toner bottle 1 proceeds, FIG.
As shown in (B), the tip abutting portion 3b of the slide core 3 arranged in the sealing member 2 abuts on the drive portion 20, and eventually the locking portion 3a is locked in the locking groove 2e. Bottle 1 is inserted. At this time, the holding portion 2c of the sealing member 2 has the locking portion 3
Since it is subjected to the action of expanding in the radial direction by a, it firmly presses against the drive transmission surface 20a of the drive unit 20, and this tension firmly fixes the sealing member 2 and the drive unit 20,
The drive can be transmitted. The slide core 3
16 is in a state in which the axial position is held by the engagement between the engagement portion 3a and the engagement groove 2e, and thereafter, FIG.
As shown in (C), even when the toner bottle 1 is retracted in the direction of the arrow b, the sealing member 2 is firmly fixed to the drive unit 20 without being pulled back together with the toner bottle 1 and retracted. On the other hand, since only the toner bottle 1 retracts, the sealing member 2 and the toner bottle 1 are reliably separated from each other and the opening 1a
Opens. The toner bottle 1 may be retracted by sliding the toner bottle 1 in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the front cover 15 of the apparatus body 100.

Regarding the sliding operation, the sealing member 2 may be fixed and the toner bottle 1 may be slid as described above, or conversely, the toner bottle 1 may be fixed and the sealing member 2 may be moved. It may be slid, or both the sealing member 2 and the toner bottle 1 may be slid in the directions away from each other.

As described above, according to the present invention, the sealing member 2 is elastically deformed in association with the insertion operation of the toner bottle 1 to press the drive transmission surface 20a on the inner surface of the main body drive portion 20 to generate a driving force. Since the transmission is adopted, unlike the conventional drive transmission means, there is no need for any troublesome work such as matching the phases of the concave portion and the convex portion in the case of coupling driving by a combination of concaves and convexes.

In other words, in the present invention, the user can set the toner bottle 1 in the apparatus main body 100 without fail by simply inserting the toner bottle 1, and when the toner bottle 1 is inserted, the rotation direction of the bottle 1 is changed. The replacement work can be performed by a simple operation without requiring a troublesome work such as positioning.

Further, since the opening operation of the toner replenishing container is performed in synchronism with the replenishing operation in the main body of the image forming apparatus, the user does not have to perform the opening operation by himself, and the user can easily replenish the toner without getting his hands dirty. Can be done.

[Method of Canceling Drive Transmission] Next, a method of canceling drive transmission between the sealing member 2 and the main body drive portion 20 will be described with reference to FIG.

When the toner replenishment is completed and the toner bottle 1 becomes empty, the old toner bottle 1 must be removed and replaced with a new toner bottle. At that time, it is necessary to release the drive transmission between the sealing member 2 and the drive unit 20 which have been engaged until then.

FIG. 17A shows a state where the toner supply is completed and the opening 1a of the toner bottle 1 is opened. The same state as that of FIG. 16C described above is shown.

In FIG. 17A, first, the toner bottle 1 is moved in the direction of the arrow in conjunction with a main body cover (not shown) to seal the opening 1a of the toner bottle 1 that has been replenished, and the opening 1a is opened. Is sealed by the sealing member 2. The sealed state is shown in FIG.

Next, when the drive transmission between the drive unit 20 and the sealing member 2 is released, the release ring 21 is attached to the release unit 4 provided in the sealing member 2 in the direction of arrow b in FIG. 17B. By making it enter, as shown in FIG. 17 (C), the releasing part 4 rotates about the support shaft 4a. By this rotation, the release unit 4
The other end side, that is, the inner end pushes out the slide core 3 in the direction of the arrow c on the opposite side, so that the locked state of the slide core 3 which has been in the locked state until then is released. The released slide core 3 is again urged by the spring force, whereby the support portion 2c returns to the inner side in the radial direction due to elastic deformation, the pressure contact force with the instantaneous drive transmission surface 20a is released, and the drive transmission is released ( FIG. 17C).

With respect to the drive configuration of the release ring 21, the release ring 21 moves in the direction of the arrow b when the front cover 15 is opened in association with the opening / closing operation of the front cover 15 of the apparatus main body 100 (see FIG. )), The drive unit 20 and the sealing member 2 of the toner bottle 1 are separated (FIG. 17C),
The front cover 15 may be configured to move in the direction of the arrow b when closed, or may be configured to perform an independent separating operation by separately using a drive motor or the like.
Alternatively, any method may be used, such as a structure in which a manual lever is separately provided and the separating operation is performed in conjunction with the manual lever, instead of the interlocking operation with the front cover 15 of the apparatus main body 100.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the toner replenishing container 1 can be securely engaged with the image forming apparatus main body by inserting the toner replenishing container 1, and the releasing portion 4 can be easily pushed when taking it out. Since the engagement can be released, the replenishing operation of the toner replenishing container can be performed with a very simple operation and configuration. Therefore, it is possible to provide a toner supply container having high operability.

Further, the drive transmission of the toner supply container 1 can be released, and at the same time, the opening / closing operation of the opening 1a can be realized.

Further, in spite of such a very simple operation and a simple, inexpensive and compact structure, a reliable and reliable drive transmission can be realized.

Further, when transmitting the rotational drive to the toner replenishing container, a rotary bearing mechanism is not required, and the toner replenishing is simple in construction and does not cause any adverse effects such as toner leakage, torque increase, and coarse particle generation at the bearing portion. A container can be provided.

Embodiment 2 The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various other embodiments are possible.

For example, as shown in FIG. 19, when the toner bottle 1 has the opening 1a on the cylindrical surface 1d of the bottle body 1A, the holding portion 2c is not provided on the sealing member 2 but the toner bottle 1 It may be directly provided on the end surface of the main body 1A. In this case, the opening 1a is opened and closed by the shutter member 5.

Example 3 Further, as another embodiment, the sealing member 2 may have a form as shown in FIG. That is, the embodiment shown in FIG. 20 shows an example in which the engagement hole 2i is provided on the sealing member 2 side. In this case, a drive shaft (not shown) is projected from the toner bottle body side to perform drive transmission. The engaging hole 2i and the drive shaft on the bottle body side have a cross-sectional shape such as a square shape, an H-cut shape, a D-cut shape, or the like so that the drive can be transmitted.

Embodiment 4 FIGS. 21 to 24 show another embodiment of the sealing member 2 according to the present invention. The sealing member 2 according to the present embodiment is different from the sealing member according to the first embodiment in that the slide core 3 is provided with a holding portion 2c that functions as a driving force receiving portion that receives a drive from the main body driving portion 20. It is very different.

That is, in the present embodiment, the driving shaft 2a formed on the sealing member 2 is formed so as to project in the opposite direction.
In the first embodiment, the cylindrical portion 2A forming the holding portion 2c is
A slit groove 3d is formed with a predetermined length in the axial direction, whereby a plurality of claw-shaped locking portions 3a are provided at four circumferential surfaces at equal intervals in this embodiment. Locking part 3
When a is pressed, it can be easily elastically deformed inward in the radial direction. As will be described later in detail, the locking portion 3a is a main body side locking portion 20d as a fixed release ring when the sealing member 2 slides in the direction of the arrow a.
Then, it is pressed inward and deformed, and then elastically returns to its original position and is locked by the locking portion 20d.

A slide core 3 is provided inside the cylindrical body 2A. The slide core 3 is prevented from rotating relative to the cylindrical body 2A within the cylindrical body 2A, but is slidable in the axial direction (arrow ab direction). That is,
The slide core 3 has a guide groove 3c in the cylindrical body 2A,
It is supported in a state of being slidably guided in the axial direction by a guide protrusion 2g provided inside the cylindrical body.

The slide core 3 is always urged by the spring S in the direction of arrow a, but the arrow b
When a force is applied in the direction, it can slide in the direction of the arrow b by a predetermined amount, and when the force is removed, the elastic force of the spring S restores the original state. In this way, the slide core 3
Although it is biased by the spring S in the direction of arrow a,
The guide core 2g does not completely remove the slide core 3 from the inside of the holding portion 2c. Such a configuration is similar to that of the first embodiment.

According to this embodiment, unlike the case of the first embodiment, the slide core 3 has a central hole as a holding portion 2c in the central portion. Further, the slide core 3 is divided into a plurality of segments, that is, four segments in the present embodiment, by the wide slit groove 3d formed in the axial direction. Therefore, the slide core 3 is elastic in the radial direction. It can be transformed. The slit groove 3d has the locking portion 3a.
Therefore, when the locking portion 3a is pressed inward in the radial direction, the locking portion 3a can enter the slit groove 3d. The tip portion of the slide core 3, which will be described in detail later, is a drive shaft abutting portion 3b with which the drive shaft 20c of the main body drive portion 20 abuts.

Further, in the slide core 3, the outer diameter of the abutting portion 3b is made larger than the inner diameter of the cylindrical body 2A, and thereafter, the outer diameter is made smaller as going from the abutting portion 3 to the inside of the cylindrical body 2A. ing. Therefore, when the slide core 3 is pushed into the inside of the cylindrical body 2A, the inner diameter of the holding portion 2c is reduced.
Therefore, as will be described later, the main body drive unit 2 is attached to the holding unit 2c.
The drive shaft 20c of 0 is fitted, the holding part 2c is reduced in diameter by the pressing force of the drive shaft 20c in the direction of the arrow b, and it is firmly fixed to the main body drive part 20 by the pressure contact force at that time, and the drive transmission is performed. It will be possible.

As described above, the apparatus main body side is provided with the main body side locking portion 20d as a fixed release ring, and is movable in the axial direction as described in the first embodiment. A release ring 21 is arranged. The release ring 21 engages with the claw-shaped locking portion 3a and pushes down the locking portion 3a to release the locking of the locking portion 3a with the main body-side locking portion 20d, thereby sliding It functions to release the core 3 and the drive shaft 20c. The releasing operation of the slide core 3 will be described in detail later.

The sealing member 2, the slide core 3 and the like can be made of the materials described in the first embodiment.

According to this embodiment, the drive unit 20 on the image forming apparatus main body side for transmitting the drive force to the sealing member 2 described above.
The drive shaft 20c transmits the rotational drive from a drive motor (not shown) as in the first embodiment. The tip of the drive shaft 20c is tapered and can be fitted into the central hole of the slide core 3, that is, the holding portion 2c. Further, the annular shoulder portion 20e formed on the drive shaft 20c abuts the drive shaft abutting portion 3b of the slide core 3.

Next, with reference to FIG. 25 and FIG. 26, drive transmission and release modes between the drive unit 20 and the sealing member 2 in this embodiment will be described.

In FIG. 25A, the arrow a indicates that the user sets a new toner bottle 1 in the apparatus main body 100.
3 illustrates a state in which the toner bottle 1 is inserted in the direction, that is, a state before being engaged with the drive unit 20 in the apparatus main body.

As the insertion of the toner bottle 1 progresses, FIG.
As shown in (B), the inclined claw portion of the locking portion 3a of the sealing member 2 abuts the main body side locking portion 20d, and the locking portion 3a is radially inward as shown by the arrow. And is elastically deformed into the slit groove 3d of the slide core 3. Eventually,
The locking portion 3a passes through the hole of the ring-shaped main body side locking portion 20d and elastically returns to the original position, and as shown in FIG. 25 (C), the claw portion is the main body side locking portion. It is locked to 20d.

At this time, the tip abutting portion 3b of the slide core 3 arranged in the sealing member 2 is the annular shoulder portion 2 of the drive shaft 20c.
Contact 0e. Further, the drive shaft 20c is attached to the slide core 3
Is pushed inward in the axial direction against the force of the spring S, the diameter of the slide core 3 is reduced, and the sealing member 2 and the drive unit 2
0 and 0 are firmly fixed, and drive transmission is possible.

Incidentally, since the slide core 3 is in a state in which the axial position is held by the engagement between the engagement portion 3a and the main body side engagement portion 20d, as shown in FIG. Even when the toner bottle 1 is retracted in the direction of the arrow b, the sealing member 2 is not pulled and retracted together with the toner bottle 1 and is firmly fixed to the drive unit 20. On the other hand, since only the toner bottle 1 retracts, the sealing member 2 and the toner bottle 1 are reliably separated from each other, and the opening 1a is opened. Incidentally, the retracting operation of the toner bottle 1 is performed by the apparatus main body 100.
As in the first embodiment, the toner bottle 1 may be slid in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the front cover 15 or may have another configuration.

As described above, in this embodiment, the sealing member 2 is elastically deformed in association with the insertion operation of the toner bottle 1 so that the sealing member 2 is pressed against the drive shaft 20c of the main body drive portion 20, and thereby the drive force is applied. Since the transmission is adopted, unlike the conventional drive transmission means, there is no need for any troublesome work such as matching the phases of the concave portion and the convex portion in the case of coupling driving by a combination of concaves and convexes.

Also in this embodiment, the user can surely set the toner bottle 1 in the apparatus main body 100 simply by inserting the toner bottle 1.
It is possible to perform the replacement work with a simple operation without the need for troublesome work such as alignment of the bottle 1 in the rotational direction when inserting.

Further, since the opening operation of the toner replenishing container is performed in synchronism with the replenishing operation in the main body of the image forming apparatus, the user does not need to perform the opening operation by himself, and the user can easily replenish the toner without getting his hands dirty. Can be done.

When the toner supply is completed and the toner bottle 1 becomes empty, the old toner bottle 1 must be removed and replaced with a new toner bottle. At that time, it is necessary to release the drive transmission between the sealing member 2 and the drive unit 20 which have been engaged until then.

In FIG. 26 (A), toner supply is completed again,
The opening 1a of the toner bottle 1 is shown in an open state.

In FIG. 26A, first, the toner bottle 1 is moved in the direction of the arrow b by interlocking with a main body cover (not shown) to seal the opening 1a of the toner bottle 1 which has been replenished.
The opening 1 a is moved in the direction opposite to the direction and the opening 1 a is sealed by the sealing member 2. FIG. 26B shows the sealed state.

Next, the release ring 21 is advanced in the direction of the arrow b, so that the release ring 21 abuts on the locking portion 3a of the sealing member 2 as shown in FIG. Is deformed radially inward in the direction of the arrow. As a result, the engagement between the main body side locking portion 20d and the locking portion 3a is released, the toner bottle is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow a, and the driving portion 20 and the sealing member 2 of the toner bottle 1 are separated. To do. The releasing operation can be performed with the same configuration as that of the first embodiment.

As described above, also in this embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be achieved.

The "toner" referred to in the present specification may be a toner which is a one-component developer or a toner which is a two-component developer. May be mixed.

[0127]

As described above, the toner replenishing container and the sealing member of the present invention receive the driving force from the driving unit of the image forming apparatus main body, and the holding unit for holding the main body driving unit, Since it is configured to have a locking portion for locking the toner supply container to the image forming apparatus main body and a releasing portion for releasing the locking by the action from the image forming apparatus main body side, 1) The toner supply / detachment of the toner supply container to / from the main body of the image forming apparatus and the toner supply operation can be reliably performed with a simple operation and configuration, and operability can be improved. (2) The mechanism of the toner supply container and the main body of the image forming apparatus can be made simple and inexpensive. (3) The image forming apparatus main body can be made compact. The effect can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing how the toner supply container is attached to the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the image forming apparatus of FIG.

5 is a side view of the image forming apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the image forming apparatus showing a state in which a toner container replacement cover is opened.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounting operation of the toner supply container, that is, (A) when mounting is started, (B) during mounting, and (C) when mounting is completed.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment of a toner supply container.

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing an example of the drive transmission unit when the drive shaft is provided in the sealing member.

FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing another embodiment of the toner supply container.

FIG. 11 is an external perspective view showing an example of a sealing member.

12 is a cross-sectional perspective view of FIG. 11 showing a sealing member.

13 is a front cross-sectional view of FIG. 12 showing a sealing member.

FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing an example of a drive unit on the image forming apparatus main body side.

FIG. 15 is a front cross-sectional view showing a relationship between a main body side driving unit and a sealing member.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state when the toner bottle is engaged with the drive transmission portion, that is, (A) before insertion of the toner bottle, (B) completion of insertion, and (C) state where the bottle is slid and opened. .

FIG. 17 is a state of disengagement in the drive transmission portion of the toner bottle, that is, (A) a state before sealing, (B) a state after the bottle is slid and sealed, and (C) completion of release of drive transmission. It is sectional drawing which shows time.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of a sealing member showing an example where a part of the material of the holding portion of the sealing member is an adhesive member such as an elastomer.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the toner supply container of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the sealing member of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the sealing member of the present invention.

22 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the sealing member of FIG.

FIG. 23 is a front cross-sectional view showing an engagement state between a main body side drive unit and a sealing member.

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing an engagement state between a main body side drive unit and a sealing member, similar to FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounting operation of the toner supply container, that is, (A) when mounting is started, (B) during mounting, and (C) when mounting is completed.

FIG. 26 is a state of disengagement of the drive transmission portion of the toner bottle, that is, (A) a state when the toner supply container is completely attached, (B) the bottle slides and seals, and then the release ring transmits the drive. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the time when the release of the is started.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Toner bottle (toner supply container) 1A bottle body (toner supply container body) 2 Sealing member 2c holding part 3 slide core 3a Locking part 3b Impact part 4 Release section 20 Driving force transmission section 20c Drive shaft of drive transmission unit 20d Main body side locking part 21 Release ring 100 Image forming apparatus main body 400 toner supply device

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus, which is detachable from a main body,
A toner replenishing container having an opening for replenishing toner to the main body of the image forming apparatus and having a toner replenishing container main body for containing toner and a sealing member for sealing the opening. In order to receive a driving force from the drive unit of the apparatus main body, a holding unit for holding the main body drive unit, a locking unit for locking the toner supply container to the image forming apparatus main body, and the locking unit are provided. A toner replenishing container, comprising: a releasing portion that releases the lock by an action from the image forming apparatus main body side. 2. The toner supply container according to claim 1, wherein the holding portion, the locking portion, and the releasing portion are provided on the sealing member. 3. The toner replenishing container according to claim 1, wherein the holding portion, the locking portion and the releasing portion are provided in the toner replenishing container body. 4. A part or all of the material of the holding part is an elastomer.
Toner supply container. 5. The toner replenishing container according to claim 1, wherein a part or all of the material of the holding portion is adhesive rubber or silicone rubber. 6. The linear locking polyamide resin,
The toner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is formed of any one of polypropylene resin, polyethylene resin, polyester resin, ABS resin, or HIPS resin and is elastically deformable. Supply container. 7. The image forming apparatus main body is detachable from the main body,
A sealing member for sealing the opening in a toner supply container having an opening for supplying toner to the main body of the image forming apparatus and having a toner supply container main body for storing toner, A holding part for holding the main body drive part to receive a driving force from the drive part of the image forming apparatus main body, a locking part for locking the toner supply container to the image forming apparatus main body, A sealing member, comprising: a releasing portion for releasing the retaining portion by an action from the image forming apparatus main body side. 8. The sealing member according to claim 7, wherein a part or all of the material of the holding portion is an elastomer. 9. The sealing member according to claim 7, wherein a part or all of the material of the holding portion is adhesive rubber or silicon rubber. 10. The locking portion is formed of any of linear polyamide resin, polypropylene resin, polyethylene resin, polyester resin, ABS resin, or HIPS resin, and is elastically deformable. The sealing member according to any one of claims 7, 8 and 9, which is characterized.