JP2005250268A - Toner capturing filter and toner container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner collection filter which has the function of sufficiently collecting toner and can be incinerated, and to provide a toner container which uses the filter. <P>SOLUTION: A laminated body 4 is formed by sandwiching a porous film 1 between air-permeable support members 2 and 3. As the porous film 1 and support members 2 and 3, nonwoven fabric made of fiber obtained from a fluorine non-containing material is used. The porous film 1 is formed so that capturing efficiency of particles becomes 60% or more when the particles of 1μm to 5μm diameter are passed through at a flow rate of 5.3cm/sec. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a filter for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a toner collecting filter used for a toner container and a toner container using the same.

  An electrophotographic image forming apparatus used for a laser printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine thereof forms an image on a recording medium such as paper by the following method. First, the surface of the photosensitive drum is charged and exposed by irradiating it with a printing pattern. Next, toner is supplied to the photosensitive drum from a developing device arranged at the periphery of the photosensitive drum, and the supplied toner is attached to the photosensitive drum to form a developed image.

  Next, the developed image is transferred to a recording medium such as paper after passing through an intermediate transfer member or directly. When obtaining a multi-color image, a method of repeating the above operation for each color in one photosensitive drum or a method of installing a photosensitive drum for each color is adopted. Thereafter, the toner transferred to the recording medium is fixed to the recording medium by a fixing device.

  By the way, in order to replenish the toner decreased by development, conventionally, a developing device incorporating a toner box containing toner or a toner box connected to the developing device is made removable as a cartridge. Yes.

  In general, in a developing device, toner stored in a toner box is supplied to a developing roller as a toner carrier via a squeezing bar and a toner supply roll. In this case, the pressure in the toner box increases due to the rotation of the bar or roller. Further, if the toner box is left in such a state that the internal pressure is high, the toner leaks out together with air from a portion where the seal strength is weak in the toner box.

  In particular, in the aspect in which the toner box connected to the developing device is a cartridge, when the toner is supplied from the toner box containing the toner to the developing device and the amount of toner in the toner box decreases, the toner accordingly There is a possibility that the inside of the box becomes negative pressure and the toner cannot be stably supplied.

  Furthermore, in the above aspect, a suction pump may be used to supply toner from the toner box to the developing device. In this case, if there is no pressure adjusting mechanism, the toner is reduced by the suction of the suction pump, so that a larger negative pressure is generated than when the suction pump is not used.

  Therefore, in order to prevent leakage of toner and relaxation of negative pressure in the toner box, the toner box is provided with a vent hole for discharging the air in the toner box to the outside. Is fitted with a ventilation filter for collecting toner.

  With such a configuration, only air is discharged to the outside, and the toner is collected by the filter. Further, in the aspect in which the toner box is a cartridge, the toner can be stably supplied. Further, it is possible to prevent the toner from leaking outside during transportation.

  As a ventilation filter for collecting toner, for example, a filter constructed by laminating a polytetrafluoroethylene (hereinafter referred to as “PTFE”) porous film as a base material and a woven fabric or a non-woven fabric as a supporting member is proposed. (See Patent Document 1).

  In addition, the toner not involved in the development is collected by the toner collection container so as not to be scattered from the opening of the development device and contaminate the inside of the image forming apparatus. In this case, the toner was sent to the toner collection container together with air. It is necessary to prevent the toner from being discharged out of the container and to store the toner in the toner recovery container.

  For this reason, a vent hole is also formed in the toner recovery container, and a vent filter is also provided in this vent hole (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Also in the toner recovery container, a PTFE porous membrane is used as the ventilation filter.

As described above, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus uses a container (toner container) for storing toner, such as a developing device, a toner box, and a toner collection container. In many cases, a PTFE porous film is used as a ventilation filter in a toner container.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-311553 JP 2002-311711 A

  However, the PTFE porous film constituting the above-described toner collecting ventilation filter generates hydrofluoric acid which is harmful to the human body when incinerated. Therefore, incineration equipment without a specific device cannot perform incineration processing, and disposal is usually performed by landfill processing. For this reason, the above-described air filter for collecting toner has a problem that disposal is difficult.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a toner collecting filter that solves the above-described problems, has a sufficient collecting function for toner, and is easy to be incinerated, and a toner container using the same.

  In order to achieve the above object, a toner collection filter according to the present invention has a porous film formed of a fluorine-free material, and the porous film contains particles having a particle diameter of 1 μm to 5 μm by 5.3 cm. The collection efficiency is 60% or more when permeated at a flow rate of / sec.

  In order to achieve the above object, a toner container according to the present invention includes the toner collecting filter according to the present invention and a container main body that contains toner therein, and the container main body is provided with a vent hole. The opening of the vent hole is covered with the filter.

  Due to the above characteristics, according to the toner collecting filter of the present invention, the toner collecting filter of the present invention has a sufficient collecting function for toner, and therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of toner leakage. Can do. In addition, the porous film that mainly exhibits the toner collecting effect is made of a fluorine-free material and does not generate hydrofluoric acid even when incinerated. Compared with, disposal is easier.

  In the toner collection filter of the present invention, the fluorine-free material forming the porous film is polyolefin (polypropylene, polyethylene, etc.), polyester, nylon 6, polyphenylene sulfide, polyamide, acrylic, polysulfone, polyamideimide, It is preferably at least one selected from polyimide, polyvinylidene fluoride, glass, carbon, cellulose, and viscose. In this case, the porous film is preferably a nonwoven fabric formed of fibers obtained from the fluorine-free material. The nonwoven fabric is preferably subjected to electret treatment.

  In the toner collection filter of the present invention, when the porous film is non-woven, a support member is laminated on one or both surfaces of the porous film, and the support member has air permeability. It is preferable to provide an embodiment that is provided with a fluorine-free material. In this aspect, it is more preferable that the support member is laminated on both surfaces of the porous membrane.

  In this embodiment, the fluorine-free material forming the support member may be polyolefin (polypropylene, polyethylene, etc.), polyester, nylon 6, polyphenylene sulfide, polyamide, acrylic, polysulfone, polyamideimide, polyimide, polyvinylidene fluoride, Examples thereof include at least one selected from glass, carbon, cellulose, and viscose. Further, in this case, the support member is preferably a nonwoven fabric or a net formed of fibers obtained from the fluorine-free material.

  In the toner collecting filter of the present invention, it is also preferable that the porous film has an aspect in which the porous film and the support member have at least one of water repellency and oil repellency. . Further, the toner collecting filter in the present invention preferably has a pressure loss of 2000 Pa or less, particularly 100 Pa or less when the permeation flow rate is 5.3 cm / sec.

  In the case of laminating the support member, in the toner collecting filter according to the invention, all or a part of the outer peripheral edge of the laminate obtained by laminating the porous film and the support member is formed. It is preferable to make it nonporous.

  In this case, the non-porousing is performed by heating and pressing all or a part of the outer peripheral edge of the laminate to fuse a part of the porous film and a part of the support member. Can do. In addition, the non-porousing can be performed by impregnating the whole or part of the outer peripheral edge of the laminate with resin. Furthermore, the non-porousing can be performed by providing a protective member covering the whole or a part of the outer peripheral edge of the laminate.

  In the toner collecting filter according to the present invention, it is preferable that an adhesive layer for attaching the toner collecting filter to the outside is provided. Further, the toner collecting filter in the present invention is preferably an embodiment in which the filter is further attached to the sheet member with an adhesive. In this case, the attachment to the sheet member may be performed by the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer provided for attaching the toner collecting filter to the outside, or may be provided in advance on one main surface of the sheet member. You may carry out by the adhesive layer which had been.

  The toner collecting filter and toner container of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The toner collecting filter and toner container of the present invention are not limited to the following examples.

  First, an example of the toner collecting filter of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an example of a toner collecting filter of the present invention. FIG. 1A shows a cross section, and FIG. 1B shows an upper surface. As shown in FIG. 1, the toner collection filter includes a porous film 1 formed of a fluorine-free material.

  In the example of FIG. 1, support members 2 and 3 that support the porous membrane 1 are laminated on both surfaces, and these constitute a laminate 4. Further, the support members 2 and 3 have air permeability and are made of a fluorine-free material like the porous membrane 1.

  In the toner collection filter shown in FIG. 1, the collection efficiency of the porous film 1 is set to 60% or more in order to suppress toner leakage. Here, “collection efficiency” in the present invention will be described. In the present invention, the collection efficiency is calculated as follows. A method for setting the collection efficiency to an arbitrary value will be described later.

First, the porous membrane sample is set in a circular holder so that the effective area is 100 cm ² . Next, a pressure difference is applied between the air inlet side and the outlet side, and air containing atmospheric dust is supplied to the inlet side in a state where the air permeation flow rate is 5.3 cm / sec.

  Next, the particle concentration (particle number / liter) of atmospheric dust having a particle size of 1 μm to 5 μm on the inlet side and the particle concentration (particle number / liter) of atmospheric dust having a particle size of 1 μm to 5 μm that has passed through the sample on the outlet side. Liter) with a particle counter. Thereafter, the measured value is substituted into the following formula (1). In the following formula (1), “inlet side particle concentration” is the particle concentration measured on the air inlet side, and the outlet side particle concentration is the particle concentration measured on the air outlet side.

(Equation 1)
Collection efficiency (%) = (1- (particle concentration at the outlet side / particle concentration at the inlet side)) × 100 (1)

  Further, in the toner collecting filter of the present invention, in order to eliminate the negative pressure in the toner container (pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the container), the flow rate of the gas passing through the filter is 5.3 cm / sec. In some cases, the pressure loss is preferably 2000 Pa or less, particularly 100 Pa or less.

  In order to set the pressure loss in the toner collecting filter within the above numerical range, the pressure loss of the porous film 1 is preferably 20 Pa to 1990 Pa, particularly preferably 20 Pa to 95 Pa. Similarly, the pressure loss of the supporting members 2 and 3 is preferably 5 Pa to 500 Pa, particularly 5 Pa to 100 Pa. A method for setting the pressure loss to an arbitrary value will be described later.

  In the present invention, the fluorine-free material forming the porous membrane 1 does not generate hydrofluoric acid when incinerated. The material for forming the porous membrane 1 is preferably a material that does not use fluorine as a raw material. Specifically, as the fluorine-free material forming the porous membrane 1, for example, polyolefin (polypropylene, polyethylene, etc.), polyester, nylon 6, polyphenylene sulfide, polyamide, acrylic, polysulfone, polyamideimide, polyimide, polyfluoride Examples include vinylidene, glass, carbon, cellulose, and viscose.

  The porous film 1 is preferably a non-woven fabric formed of fibers obtained from the above-mentioned fluorine-free material from the viewpoint of easy toner collection. However, the porous film 1 may be a porous film other than a non-woven fabric, for example, a porous film obtained by stretching, solvent extraction, water vapor molding, or foam molding of a fluorine-free resin material.

  When a non-woven fabric is used as the porous membrane 1, the non-woven fabric forming the porous membrane 1 may be a combination of different types of fibers, or may have a core-sheath structure. good. Furthermore, if the porous membrane 1 and the support member 2 or 3 are joined by thermal lamination as will be described later, thermal lamination is facilitated on at least the welded portion of the nonwoven fabric forming the porous membrane 1. Therefore, it is preferable that a fiber made of a thermoplastic resin is included.

Moreover, when forming the porous membrane 1 with a nonwoven fabric, the collection efficiency mentioned above is set to 60% or more, and the pressure loss in the porous membrane 1 described above is set to 20 Pa to 95 Pa. ^{10g / cm 2 ~300g / cm 2} , and particularly preferably set to ^{10g / cm 2 ~100g / cm 2} . Similarly, the fiber diameter is preferably set to 0.5 μm to 20 μm, particularly 0.5 μm to 10 μm.

  Moreover, the manufacturing method of the fiber of the nonwoven fabric which forms the porous membrane 1 is not specifically limited. However, from the viewpoint of collection efficiency, it is preferable to produce using a melt blown method. When the melt blown method is used, since a fine fiber having a fiber diameter of about several μm can be manufactured, a nonwoven fabric with high collection efficiency can be obtained.

  In addition, examples of the fiber material in the case of using the melt blown method include thermoplastic resins such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, nylon 6, and polyphenylene sulfide. Furthermore, when a nonwoven fabric is formed using fibers produced by the melt blown method and it is desired to improve the collection efficiency while suppressing an increase in pressure loss, fine glass fibers are added to the produced fibers. You may mix hair. In addition, as a hair mixing method, a wet method, a spun bond method, etc. can be used.

  Moreover, when forming the porous membrane 1 with a nonwoven fabric, it is preferable to perform an electret process. When the fibers are electretized by the electret treatment, the effect of collecting toner can be improved by electrostatic force, and the collection efficiency can be improved.

  As a method of performing electret treatment on the nonwoven fabric, that is, a method of applying an electric charge, a method of polarizing the nonwoven fabric with a direct current high voltage or a method of generating ions in the atmosphere by applying a direct current high voltage to a needle electrode, A method of applying ions, a method of generating ions by pulse discharge, and applying the ions to the nonwoven fabric can be employed.

  As described above, in the present invention, sufficient collection efficiency is ensured by the porous membrane 1. Further, unlike the PTFE porous membrane shown in the prior art, the porous membrane 1 is incinerated and hydrofluoric acid. It is formed of a fluorine-free material that does not generate any. For this reason, the toner collection filter of the present invention is easier to dispose than the PTFE porous membrane filter shown in the prior art.

  In the present invention, the thickness of the porous membrane 1 is preferably 50 μm or more from the viewpoint that the strength is reduced if it is too thin. However, if it is too thick, it is particularly preferable to set the thickness to 10 μm to 500 μm because the pressure loss increases.

  By the way, when forming the porous membrane 1 with a nonwoven fabric, in order to obtain the above high collection efficiency, a fiber diameter becomes small. For this reason, in the porous membrane 1, there is a possibility that a problem such as a tendency of standing off or a problem that the fiber easily falls off. In addition, if fibers are mixed in the toner container, printing failure may be caused, and if the fibers are scattered outside the toner container and adhere to the photosensitive member, color loss or the like may occur.

  For this reason, in the toner collecting filter shown in FIG. 1, the support members 2 and 3 are bonded to both surfaces of the porous film 1 in order to prevent the fibers of the nonwoven fabric forming the porous film 1 from scattering. Yes. However, in the present invention, the embodiment is not limited to the example of FIG. 1, and the support member 2 or 3 may be bonded to only one surface of the porous membrane 1.

  As the material for forming the supporting members 2 and 3, as in the porous membrane 1, a fluorine-free material such as polyolefin (polypropylene, polyethylene, etc.), polyester, nylon 6, polyphenylene sulfide, polyamide, acrylic, polysulfone, polyamide Examples include imide, polyimide, polyvinylidene fluoride, glass, carbon, cellulose, and viscose.

  The form of the support members 2 and 3 is not particularly limited, and may be a non-woven fabric or a net formed from fibers obtained from the above-mentioned fluorine-free material. It may be a porous body formed of high molecular weight polyethylene. Further, it may be a porous body such as sponge or foam. However, if the porous membrane 1 is a nonwoven fabric, it is preferable that the support members 2 and 3 are a nonwoven fabric and a net | network from the point that joining with the porous membrane 1 is easy.

  In addition, also when using a nonwoven fabric as the supporting members 2 and 3, the nonwoven fabric which forms the supporting members 2 and 3 may be the thing which mixed and mixed the fiber of a different kind similarly to the case of the porous membrane 1. The fiber may have a core-sheath structure. Furthermore, if the porous membrane 1 and the support member 2 or 3 are laminated by thermal lamination as described later, in order to facilitate thermal lamination also at least on the welded portion of the nonwoven fabric forming the support member 2. It is preferable that fibers made of a thermoplastic resin are included.

  Further, the support member 2 and the support member 3 may be of different types, for example, one is a nonwoven fabric and the other is a net, or both are the same type as a nonwoven fabric or a net. Also good. Further, as in the latter case, the types may be the same, or the forming material and the fiber diameter may be different from each other.

  The thicknesses of the supporting members 2 and 3 are preferably 50 μm or more from the viewpoint that the strength is reduced if the thickness is too thin. However, if it is too thick, it is preferably set to 1000 μm or less from the viewpoint of increasing pressure loss or decreasing flexibility.

  In the present invention, the porous membrane 1 and the support members 2 and 3 can be joined by welding by heat lamination, adhesion by an adhesive, or the like. As a joining method by thermal lamination, a method in which a part of the support members 2 and 3 is melted and welded, a method in which hot melt powder is interposed at the interface between the porous film 1 and the support member 2 or 3, and the like are heated. Is mentioned. However, as will be described later, if the outer peripheral edge of the laminate 4 is made non-porous, it may be simply overlapped.

  Moreover, the nonwoven fabric different from the porous membrane 1 and the supporting members 2 and 3 can be interposed in these interfaces, this can be fuse | melted, and it can be used as an adhesive agent. In addition, the nonwoven fabric interposed in an interface should just not disturb the air permeability of the filter for collection of this invention, and collection efficiency is not ask | required.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, in order to improve the bonding strength between the porous membrane 1 and the support members 2 and 3 and to prevent them from separating from each other, as shown in the examples of FIGS. The outer peripheral edge of the body 4 can be made nonporous.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of the collection filter of the present invention in which the outer peripheral edge of the laminate is made nonporous, FIG. 2 (a) shows a cross section, and FIG. 2 (b) shows the upper surface. Show. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the collection filter of the present invention in which the outer peripheral edge of the laminated body is made non-porous, and FIGS. 3A and 3B show different modes. .

  In FIG. 2, the outer peripheral edge of the laminate 4 is made non-porous by heating and pressing the outer peripheral edge of the porous membrane 1 and the supporting members 2 and 3 and fusing them. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 5 denotes a portion fused by heating and pressing.

  Further, in FIG. 3, non-porousing is performed by providing a protective member on the outer peripheral edge of the laminate 4. Specifically, in FIG. 3A, the outer peripheral edge of the laminate 4 is sealed with the film 6 and the film 7, and in FIG. Non-porousing is performed by coating.

  Thus, if non-porous is performed, since the joint strength at the outer peripheral edge of the laminate 4 is improved, the separation of the porous membrane 1 and the support members 2 and 3 is suppressed as a result. 2 and 3, the entire outer peripheral edge of the laminate 4 is made nonporous. However, in the present invention, only a part of the outer peripheral edge may be made nonporous. good. In addition, a method of impregnating a resin with a part or all of the outer peripheral edge of the laminate 4 can also be employed.

  Further, in the toner collecting filter of the present invention, water repellency treatment or oil repellency treatment is performed according to the type and properties of the toner to be collected to impart water repellency and oil repellency to the porous film 1. be able to. For example, when the toner to be repaired is impregnated with oil, the oil permeates into the porous membrane 1 and the support members 2 and 3, thereby impairing the air permeability of the toner collection filter of the present invention. Because there is a possibility that.

  As a treatment agent for water repellent treatment and oil repellent treatment that can be used in the present invention, polymers having various surface-containing fluorine-containing chains (fluorinated polymers) can be used. Since the fluorine-containing polymer forms a low surface energy film on the surface of the nonwoven fabric fiber or the like, it can exhibit water and oil repellency effects. As the fluorine-containing polymer, a polymer containing a structural unit having a perfluoroalkyl group in the side chain is preferred.

  Specific treatment agents include commercially available water repellents such as Florard (Sumitomo 3M), Scotchguard (Sumitomo 3M), Texguard (Daikin Industries), Unidyne (Daikin Industries), Asahi Guard (Asahi Glass), etc. An oil repellent treatment agent is mentioned.

  The water-repellent treatment and the oil-repellent treatment are performed by immersing the toner collection filter of the present invention in the above-described water-repellent / oil-repellent agent solution or by directly applying the same agent by spraying or the like. be able to. In the latter case, the coating amount of the water / oil repellent treatment agent is adjusted so that sufficient water and oil repellency can be obtained and the air permeability of the toner collecting filter of the present invention is not hindered. To do.

  In the present invention, the outer shape of the toner collecting filter (the outer shape of the laminate 4) is not particularly limited. The outer shape of the toner collecting filter is molded according to the shape of the vent of the toner container to be attached by punching using a mold or the like. In the example of FIG. 1B, the toner collecting filter is formed so as to have a circular outer shape.

  In addition, the fixing of the toner collecting filter of the present invention to the toner container is preferably performed after being molded into a predetermined shape by punching using a mold. Examples of the fixing method to the toner container include a method using an adhesive, a method using welding such as thermal welding, ultrasonic welding, and vibration welding.

  When an adhesive is used as a fixing method to the toner container, as shown in FIG. 4, an adhesive layer 9 for attaching the toner collection filter of the present invention is provided on one side of the laminate 4 in advance. It is preferable to keep it. 4A and 4B are views showing a mode in which an adhesive layer is provided on the toner collecting filter shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4A shows a cross section, and FIG. 4B shows a lower surface. .

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4B, the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 9 is preferably formed along the outer periphery of the laminate 4. When formed in this way, the ventilation hole 10 is formed, so that air permeability in the toner collecting filter can be ensured.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, after the adhesive layer 9 is provided, the outer peripheral edge may be heated and pressed as shown in FIG. 2, or the resin may be coated as shown in FIG. 3 (b). Can do. In this case, since the adhesive layer 9 adheres to the laminated body 4 without a gap, the sealing property can be improved.

  The pressure-sensitive adhesive for attaching the toner collecting filter to the toner container is not particularly limited, but in the present invention, a silicone-based pressure-sensitive adhesive, an acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive, and a rubber-based pressure-sensitive adhesive are preferable.

  In the toner collecting filter of the present invention, a double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 13 shown in FIG. 5 can be used instead of a single-layer pressure-sensitive adhesive layer such as the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 9 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a mode in which a double-sided PSA sheet is attached to the toner collecting filter shown in FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 5, the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 13 is attached to the lower surface of the laminate 4. The double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 13 is formed by providing a pressure-sensitive adhesive pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 12 on both surfaces of a base material 11 formed of a non-woven fabric or a plastic film such as a PET film. The double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 13 is formed in an annular shape, and also in the example of FIG.

  In the case shown in FIG. 5, the strength of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 12 is improved by the base material 11. For this reason, the bonding operation to the toner collecting filter can be facilitated. Further, since the strength of the toner collecting filter itself can be improved by the base material 11, handling when the toner collecting filter is applied to the toner container is facilitated, and workability in the attaching operation to the toner container is also improved. Can do.

  Here, the state before the toner collecting filter of the present invention is attached to the toner container will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the toner collecting filter according to the present invention is attached to a sheet member, and FIGS. 6A and 6B show different modes. FIG. 7 shows a sticking mode of the toner collecting filter in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of toner collecting filters 21 are attached to the sheet member 22 in order to facilitate transportation and storage. The sheet member 22 is a general release sheet. Further, the toner collecting filter 21 is one shown in any of FIGS. 1 to 5, and is punched in accordance with the shape of a vent hole (not shown) of the toner container.

  As shown in FIG. 6, if the toner collecting filter 21 is attached to the sheet member 22 and stored or transported, the toner collecting filter 21 can be easily handled. The workability of the 21 sticking work can be improved.

  FIG. 6A shows an example in which a plurality of toner collecting filters 21 are attached to one sheet member 22 in a matrix. FIG. 6B shows an example in which a plurality of toner collecting filters 21 are attached to the belt-like sheet member 22 along the longitudinal direction. In the example of FIG. 6B, the sheet member 22 can be wound up in a roll shape with a plurality of toner collecting filters 21 attached thereto.

  In the present invention, either of the modes shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) may be adopted. However, when the mode shown in FIG. Depending on the machine, the pickup property when the toner collecting filter 21 is attached to a toner container (not shown) can be improved, and the attachment can be easily automated. In this case, the pasting operation time can be shortened, and the pasting cost can be reduced.

  Further, the toner collecting filter 21 can be attached to the sheet member 22 in the manner shown in FIG. 7A or 7B. For example, when the toner collection filter 21 is provided with an adhesive layer on one surface of the laminate 4 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, as shown in FIG. The collection filter 21 may be attached to the sheet member 22 by the adhesive layer 9.

  On the other hand, when a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is not provided on one surface of the laminate 4 as in the case where welding is employed as a method for fixing the toner collecting filter 21 to the toner container, the state shown in FIG. As described above, it is preferable that the adhesive layer 23 having a low adhesive force is provided on one surface of the sheet member 22, and the toner collecting filter 21 is attached to the sheet member 22 by the adhesive layer 23.

  Next, the toner container of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the toner container of the present invention. FIG. 8A shows the entire toner container, and FIG. 8B shows an enlarged view of the periphery of the air hole of the toner container. .

  The toner container shown in FIG. 8 is a cartridge type toner container connected to a developing device (not shown). As shown in FIG. 8, the inside of the container main body 32 is used as a space for accommodating the toner 33. Further, a toner injection hole 36 is provided on the upper surface of the container main body 32, and the toner 33 is injected into the inside through the toner injection hole 36.

  When the injection of the toner 33 is completed, the cap 35 is fitted into the toner injection hole 36. Further, the cap 35 is provided with a vent hole 34 for conducting the internal space of the container body 32 and the external space (in the atmosphere). A toner collecting filter 31 is attached to the cap 35 so as to cover the vent hole 34, thereby completing the toner container.

  The toner collecting filter 31 is the same as the toner collecting filter shown in FIG. The toner collecting filter 31 is fixed to the cap 35 by an annular pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 9 provided on the lower surface of the laminate 4 constituting the toner collecting filter 31 (see FIG. 8B). ). The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 9 is the same as that provided in the toner collecting filter shown in FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 8, the toner collecting filter 31 is attached by the adhesive layer 9, but without using the adhesive layer 9, by heat welding, ultrasonic welding, vibration welding, or the like. You can go.

  In the example of FIG. 8, the container main body 32 is provided with only one vent hole 34, but a plurality of vent holes 34 may be provided. In this case, it is necessary to provide a toner collecting filter 31 in each vent hole 34. In this case, the air holes 34 are arranged so that at least one air hole 34 is not buried in the toner, that is, can be ventilated to the outside, regardless of the posture of the container body 32. Is preferred.

  A toner supply port 37 for supplying toner to the developing device is provided on the bottom surface of the container main body 32, and a shutter 38 is attached to the toner supply port 37. The shutter 38 is opened when the toner container is connected to the developing device, and the toner 33 is supplied from the toner supply port 37 to the developing device.

  FIG. 9 is a view showing another example of the toner container of the present invention, FIG. 9A is a perspective view showing the whole toner container, and FIG. 9B is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the air hole of the toner container. It is sectional drawing shown. The toner container shown in FIG. 9 is also a cartridge type toner container connected to a developing device (not shown) as in the example of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, the container main body 42 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and has a toner scraping member (not shown) incorporated therein. Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, the side wall 45 of the container main body 42 is provided with a vent hole 43 for conducting the internal space and the external space of the container main body 42. Reference numeral 44 denotes a shutter attached to a toner injection hole (not shown).

  Also in the container main body 42, a toner collecting filter 41 is attached so as to cover the vent hole 43 in the same manner as in the example of FIG. The toner collecting filter 41 is the same as that shown in FIG.

  However, in the example of FIG. 9, unlike the example of FIG. 8, the toner collecting filter 41 is directly welded and attached to the side wall 45 of the container main body 42. Further, the welding is performed around the opening of the vent hole 43 and the outer peripheral portion of the toner collecting filter 41.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example in which the toner container of the present invention is built in the developing device. As shown in FIG. 10, the toner container is built in the developing device 52 and is not visible from the appearance of the developing device 52. However, the air hole of the toner container is provided so that the internal space and the external space can be conducted, and a toner collecting filter 51 is attached to the opening of the air hole, as in the examples of FIGS. ing.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example in which the toner container of the present invention is used as a toner recovery container. Also in the toner container shown in FIG. 11, the container main body 54 is provided with a vent hole as in the other examples, and a toner collecting filter 53 is attached so as to cover the vent hole. Since the toner container shown in FIG. 11 functions as a toner recovery container, the container main body 54 is provided with an injection port 55 for injecting toner recovered by a developing device (not shown). A tube 56 for supplying the collected toner is connected to the injection port 55.

  Next, examples of the present invention will be described. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the toner collecting filter in Example 1 of the present invention. In Example 1, a toner collecting filter shown in FIG. 12 was produced. In the example of FIG. 12, the laminate 4 is formed only of the porous membrane 1 and the support member 3, and the outer periphery of the laminate 4 is made nonporous by heating and pressing, as in the example of FIG. Has been done.

Specifically, first, a melt-blown nonwoven fabric made of polypropylene (thickness: 300 μm, collection efficiency: 81.0%, pressure loss: 50 Pa, basis weight 40: g / m ² ) is prepared as the porous membrane 1, and the support member 3. A polyethylene / polyester core-sheath nonwoven fabric (thickness 200 μm, pressure loss 20 Pa, basis weight 30 g / m 2) was prepared.

  Next, after superimposing them, they were thermally laminated at a temperature of 150 ° C. to join them. Thereby, the pressure loss of the obtained laminated body was 90 Pa. Further, the obtained laminate was punched into a circle having a diameter of 12 mm, and the punched laminate was hit with a horn (outer diameter: 12 mm, inner diameter: 5 mm) heated to a temperature of 260 ° C. to make the outer peripheral edge non-porous. The laminated body 4 shown in FIG. 12 was obtained.

  Next, a double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet (“No. 500” manufactured by Nitto Denko Corporation) having a base material formed of a nonwoven fabric is prepared, and this is punched into an annular shape having an outer diameter of 12 mm and an inner diameter of 5 mm. The pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 13 was obtained. The obtained pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 13 was affixed to the lower surface of the laminate 4 to obtain a toner collecting filter according to Example 1.

Toner collection in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a polypropylene melt-blown nonwoven fabric (thickness: 150 μm, collection efficiency: 61%, pressure loss: 22 Pa, basis weight: 15 g / m ² ) was used as the porous film 1. A filter was prepared. In Example 2, the pressure loss of the toner collecting filter was 60 Pa.

As the porous membrane 1, the same as in Example 1 except that an electret polypropylene meltblown nonwoven fabric (thickness: 160 μm, collection efficiency: 99.0%, pressure loss: 26 Pa, basis weight: 20 g / m ² ) was used. Thus, a toner collecting filter was produced. In Example 3, the pressure loss of the toner collecting filter was 65 Pa.

  Example 1 was used except that a nonwoven fabric (thickness: 200 μm, collection efficiency: 97.0%, pressure loss: 66 Pa) obtained by blending polypropylene fiber and glass fiber was used as the porous membrane 1. Thus, a filter for collecting toner was prepared. In Example 4, the pressure loss of the toner collecting filter was 95 Pa.

(Comparative Example 1)
Example 1 was used except that polyethylene / polyester core-sheath nonwoven fabric (thickness: 200 μm, collection efficiency: 20.0%, pressure loss: 20 Pa, basis weight: 30 g / m ² ) was used as the porous membrane 1. Then, a filter for collecting toner was prepared. In Comparative Example 1, the pressure loss of the toner collecting filter was 60 Pa.

[Evaluation test]
The toner collecting filters prepared in Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1 were attached to the cap 35 of the container body 32 shown in FIG. 8 to complete the toner container. The toner collecting filter was attached to the cap 35 by providing an adhesive layer as shown in FIG.

In addition, a commercially available toner having an average pore diameter of 5 μm has already been injected into the container body 32, and the container body 32 has an internal volume of 500 cm ³ and a toner capacity of 250 cm ³ .

  A drop test was performed on each of the toner containers to which the toner collecting filters prepared in Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1 were attached, and toner leakage was confirmed. The drop test was performed by dropping 10 times from a height of 30 cm.

  As a result, toner leakage could not be confirmed in the toner container to which the toner collecting filter prepared in Examples 1 to 4 was attached. On the other hand, toner leakage was confirmed in the toner container to which the toner collecting filter prepared in Comparative Example 1 was attached. For this reason, the toner collecting filter in Comparative Example 1 does not provide a sufficient toner collecting effect.

  As described above, the toner collection filter according to the present invention has a sufficient collection function for toner, and can suppress the occurrence of toner leakage. In addition, disposal is easier than in the past. This toner collecting filter is effective in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an example of a toner collecting filter of the present invention, FIG. 1A showing a cross section, and FIG. 1B showing an upper surface. It is a figure which shows an example of the collection filter of this invention by which the outer periphery of the laminated body was made non-porous, Fig.2 (a) has shown the cross section and FIG.2 (b) has shown the upper surface. It is sectional drawing which shows the other example of the collection filter of this invention by which the outer periphery of the laminated body was made non-porous, Fig.3 (a) and (b) have each shown the different aspect. FIGS. 4A and 4B are views showing a mode in which an adhesive layer is provided on the toner collecting filter shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4A shows a cross section, and FIG. 4B shows a lower surface. It is sectional drawing which shows the aspect which affixed the double-sided adhesive sheet on the toner collection filter shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the toner collecting filter according to the present invention is attached to a sheet member, and FIGS. 6A and 6B show different modes. FIG. 7 shows an affixing mode of the toner collecting filter in FIG. 6. FIG. FIGS. 8A and 8B are cross-sectional views illustrating an example of a toner container according to the present invention, FIG. 8A illustrates the entire toner container, and FIG. 8B illustrates an enlarged periphery of the air hole of the toner container. FIGS. 9A and 9B are views showing another example of the toner container of the present invention, FIG. 9A is a perspective view showing the entire toner container, and FIG. 9B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the air hole of the toner container. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example in which the toner container of the present invention is built in a developing device. It is a perspective view showing an example in which the toner container of the present invention is used as a toner recovery container. It is sectional drawing which shows the filter for toner collection in Example 1 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Porous membrane 2, 3 Support member 4 Laminated body 5 The fused part in a laminated body 6, 7 Film 8 Resin 9 Adhesive layer provided in the laminated body 10 Ventilation hole provided in the adhesive layer 11 Base material 12 Adhesive layer of double-sided adhesive sheet 13 Double-sided adhesive sheet 21, 31, 41, 51, 53 Toner collecting filter 22 Sheet member 23 Adhesive layer provided on sheet member 32, 42, 54 Container body 33 Toner 34, 43 Ventilation hole of container body 35 Cap 36 Injection hole 37 Toner supply port 38, 44 Shutter 45 Side wall of container body 52 Developing device 55 Inlet 56 Tube

Claims (17)

  It has a porous film formed of a fluorine-free material, and the porous film has a collection efficiency of 60% or more when particles having a particle size of 1 μm to 5 μm are transmitted at a flow rate of 5.3 cm / sec. A filter for collecting toner.   The fluorine-free material forming the porous film is selected from polyolefin, polyester, nylon 6, polyphenylene sulfide, polyamide, acrylic, polysulfone, polyamideimide, polyimide, polyvinylidene fluoride, glass, carbon, cellulose, and viscose. The toner collecting filter according to claim 1, wherein the toner collecting filter is at least one kind.   The filter for collecting toner according to claim 2, wherein the porous film is a non-woven fabric formed of fibers obtained from the fluorine-free material.   4. The toner collecting filter according to claim 3, wherein a support member is laminated on one or both surfaces of the porous film, and the support member has air permeability and is made of a fluorine-free material.   The fluorine-free material forming the support member is at least selected from polyolefin, polyester, nylon 6, polyphenylene sulfide, polyamide, acrylic, polysulfone, polyamideimide, polyimide, polyvinylidene fluoride, glass, carbon, cellulose, and viscose. The toner collecting filter according to claim 4, which is a kind.   The toner collecting filter according to claim 5, wherein the support member is a nonwoven fabric or a net formed of fibers obtained from the fluorine-free material.   The toner collecting filter according to claim 4, wherein the support member is laminated on both surfaces of the porous film.   The toner collecting filter according to claim 3, wherein the porous film is formed of an electret-treated non-woven fabric.   The toner collecting filter according to claim 4, wherein the porous film and the supporting member have at least one of water repellency and oil repellency.   The filter for collecting toner according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a pressure loss is 2000 Pa or less when the permeation flow rate is 5.3 cm / sec.   11. The toner collecting filter according to claim 4, wherein all or part of an outer peripheral edge of a laminate obtained by laminating the porous film and the support member is nonporous. .   The non-porousing is performed by heating and pressing all or a part of the outer peripheral edge of the laminate to fuse a part of the porous membrane and a part of the support member. Item 12. The toner collecting filter according to Item 11.   The toner collecting filter according to claim 11, wherein the non-porousing is performed by impregnating a resin to all or a part of an outer peripheral edge of the laminate.   The toner collecting filter according to claim 11, wherein the non-porousing is performed by providing a protective member covering the whole or a part of the outer peripheral edge of the laminate.   The toner collecting filter according to claim 1, further comprising an adhesive layer for attaching the toner collecting filter to the outside.   The toner collecting filter according to claim 1, wherein the toner collecting filter is attached to a sheet member with an adhesive.   16. A filter for collecting toner according to any one of claims 1 to 15, and a container main body for containing toner therein, wherein the container main body is provided with a vent hole, and the opening of the vent hole is provided. Is covered with the toner collecting filter.

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