JP2006023755A - Powder storage container, powder discharger and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flexible powder storage container less liable to fall even when used in a standing posture, and to provide a powder discharger and an image forming apparatus using the container. <P>SOLUTION: The toner storage container 20 has a deformable bag 22 for storing toner powder and a means to keep the posture of the bag 22 in a set state, and even though the bag 22 of the toner storage container 20 is deformable, it is prevented from falling in setting. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a powder container, a powder discharge device, and an image forming apparatus, in particular, a container for storing powder toner as a colorant used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a device for discharging toner, and the apparatus The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus using.

  Conventionally, a toner storage container storing powder toner is made of a hard bottle such as a cartridge or a bottle, and therefore, a great problem arises in disposal of a used container accompanying replacement of the toner storage container. In other words, the used toner storage container is collected from the user by the manufacturer, and is recycled, reused, and incinerated. However, the container has a large capacity and requires a high distribution cost until it is recovered. In the past, there has been a proposal that can reduce the volume of the toner container.

  However, when a toner storage container whose volume can be reduced is supplied from the container using a toner supply device, the supply performance cannot be stably maintained. It has also been proposed to use a container whose volume can be reduced only during transportation, but in this case as well, problems such as contamination caused by toner scattering are solved when transferring toner to a hard bottle or toner hopper. The current situation is that it has not been put into practical use.

  By the way, the applicant of the present application can stably maintain the replenishment performance even when using a toner storage container that is made of a flexible sheet of resin, paper or the like and is capable of reducing the volume. A toner replenishing device capable of replenishing toner has already been proposed.

  By the way, in the toner replenishing device described above, the toner storage container is used in a state where the toner discharge port is faced downward. At this time, since the bag body of the toner container is flexible, it falls down due to its own weight, etc., closes the toner discharge port, or if the toner is discharged more than a certain amount, the toner falls and wrinkles are pinched. As a result, there has been a concern that the remaining amount of toner will increase.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the circumstances described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a powder storage container that is flexible and does not easily fall even when used upright, and a powder discharge device and an image forming apparatus using the container.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by having a deformable bag for storing powder and means for maintaining the posture of the bag.
The present invention has an effect when the bag body is provided with a powder discharge port for discharging the stored powder, and is formed in a shape that tapers toward the powder discharge port. Is.

Furthermore, the present invention is effective when the posture holding means holds the posture of the bag body in a state where the powder discharge port is raised downward.
Furthermore, the present invention is effective when the posture holding means has a posture holding member that holds the posture of the bag body by rigidity.

Furthermore, the present invention is effective when the posture holding member is a support member erected on the outer surface of the bag body.
Furthermore, the present invention is effective when the posture holding member is an outer box member formed in a box shape that surrounds substantially the entire circumference of the bag body.

Furthermore, the present invention is effective when the posture holding member is a standing member that is erected inside the bag body.
Furthermore, the present invention is effective when the posture holding means is an adhesive member attached to the bag.

Furthermore, the present invention is effective when the posture holding means is a thick portion formed on the bag body itself.
Furthermore, the present invention is effective when the posture holding means is a hanging member that suspends the bag body.

Furthermore, the present invention is effective when the posture holding means is a fluid bag provided in the bag body and capable of being filled with fluid.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a powder discharge device for discharging a colorant of powder stored in a powder storage container from a discharge port, wherein the powder storage container stores powder. A deformable bag body, means for holding the posture of the bag body, and a set portion on which the bag body is set, and fluidizing the colorant stored by flowing gas into the bag body In addition, the posture of the bag body is held by the cooperation of the inflowing gas and the posture holding means.

Furthermore, this invention is effective when the said attitude | position holding means is provided in the said bag body.
Furthermore, the present invention is effective when provided on the set portion side on which the bag body is set.

Furthermore, the present invention is effective when the amount of gas flowing into the bag is larger than the amount flowing out when the colorant is discharged.
Furthermore, the present invention is effective when a means for adjusting the internal pressure of the bag body is provided.

  Furthermore, the present invention is effective when the gas flowing into the bag body is set to an amount in which the bag body is expanded in accordance with the adjustment amount of the means for adjusting the internal pressure.

Furthermore, the present invention is effective when the means for adjusting the internal pressure is a filter member through which the stored colorant does not pass and the gas that has flowed in is exhausted.
Further, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention stores an image of a powder colorant stored in the powder storage container and the powder storage container set and stored in the apparatus main body. It is characterized by forming.

  Furthermore, the present invention is effective when the powder colorant discharged from the powder container is transferred to the developing unit by a powder discharge device.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, even if the bag body of the toner storage container is deformable, it is prevented from falling down during setting, and a large amount of toner remains due to the falling, or the bag body is damaged due to the falling down. It can be surely prevented. Further, if the posture holding means based on the rigidity of the member and the posture holding means for supplying gas into the container are used in combination, the container can be prevented from falling down more reliably.

  Further, since the inside of the toner storage container can be adjusted, the restriction on the air supplied to the toner storage container is relaxed and a large amount of air can be supplied, so that the toner can be sufficiently stirred.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a toner replenishing device of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a developing device, and 20 denotes a powder storage container configured as a toner storage container for storing powder toner as a colorant.
The toner container 20 is configured as a separate unit from the developing device 1 and is mounted at the set position of the main body of the image forming apparatus. The toner storage container 20 may be set at a position inside the apparatus that appears when the door or cover of the image forming apparatus main body is opened, or may be a position that appears outside the apparatus.

2 and 3 are perspective views as seen from above and below the toner container 20.
The toner container 20 is formed by a blow molding method or the like, and has a base 21 made of a resin or the like provided with a toner discharge portion. A bag body 22 made of a single sheet or multiple layers is fixed. The toner storage container 20 has a hermetically sealed structure, and a base 21 at the bottom is provided with a seal valve 23 made of a self-closing elastic body, preferably a foamed sponge, as a toner discharge portion. In addition, it is effective for static electricity measures and moisture proof measures to give aluminum vapor deposition processing to the surface or back surface of the sheet | seat of the bag body 22. FIG.

  The bag body 22 of the toner storage container 20 of this example is substantially a rectangular body when inflated, and one surface thereof is formed in a tapered shape toward the base portion 21. In addition, a filter member 24 is provided on the upper surface opposite to the base portion 21 as an internal pressure adjusting means that allows air to pass but does not allow toner to pass.

  The toner container 20 configured in this manner has a flexible bag body 22, and thus has better handleability during transportation and storage than a hard case and does not take up storage space. Further, the used toner storage container 20 is collected from the user by the manufacturer and is recycled, reused, or incinerated. The toner storage container 20 is a flexible bag and can be folded and transported. In addition, the advantage that it is easy to handle during storage and storage space during transportation and storage is further increased, and it is possible to greatly reduce the cost of recovered logistics from the user to the manufacturer. Note that it is advantageous to use the same material or the same material for the base part 21, the bag body 22, and the seal valve 23 of the toner storage container 20, since it eliminates the trouble of separating the two during recycling.

  The toner container 20 is set on the image forming apparatus main body from above, and a nozzle 30 to be inserted into the seal valve 23 is provided upright at the set position of the image forming apparatus main body. The nozzle 30 is provided with a pointed member 31 formed in a conical shape in the upper part by integral molding or fixing, and an air supply path 32 and a toner discharge path 33 are provided following the pointed member 31. The inside of the nozzle 30 has a double-pipe structure, and the toner discharge path 33 is bent to the left in the figure at the lower end of the nozzle 30, and a toner connection port 35 is provided at the tip. The air supply path 32 is bent to the right in the figure above the toner discharge path 33 and reaches the air connection port 34.

  In the case of this embodiment, the air connection port 34 is connected to an air pump 40 as an air supply means via an air transfer pipe 41. When the air pump 40 is activated, air is ejected from the pump into the toner storage container 20 through the air transfer pipe 41 and the air supply path 32. Then, the air blown into the toner storage container 20 flows through the toner layer while diffusing the toner.

  The developing device 1 is provided with a uniaxial eccentric screw pump that is a suction type powder pump 3 in the vicinity or integrally therewith. The structure of the powder pump 3 includes a rotor 4 formed in a screw shape eccentrically made of a rigid material such as a metal, and a stator 5 formed in an elastic body such as rubber and formed in a double thread shape. And a holder 6 made of a resin material or the like that wraps them and forms a powder conveyance path. A toner discharge portion 7 is provided at the tip of the holder 6, that is, the left end in FIG. 1, and the toner discharge portion 7 is connected to the toner supply portion 2 of the developing device 1 by a pipe 8.

  A buffer 10 serving as a toner storing means for storing an appropriate amount of toner is connected to the suction side of the powder pump 3 so as to be connected. A screw 11 as toner feeding means is provided in the buffer 10, and one end of the screw 11 protrudes from the buffer 10, and is connected to a driving device (not shown) at that portion so that the screw 11 is rotationally driven. . The other end of the screw 11 is connected to the rotor 4 of the powder pump 3, so that the powder pump 3 and the screw 11 are operated simultaneously.

  The buffer 10 is provided with a toner receiving portion 12, and the toner receiving portion 12 and a toner connection port 35 provided in the nozzle 30 are connected by a toner transfer tube 15 as a transfer hollow pipe. As this toner transfer tube 15, for example, a flexible tube having a diameter of 4 to 10 mm and made of a rubber material having excellent toner resistance (for example, polyurethane, nitrile, EPDM, silicon, etc.) is extremely used. An effective and flexible tube can be easily piped up and down, left and right. In the toner replenishing device configured as described above, the single-shaft eccentric screw pump that is the powder pump 3 is capable of continuous quantitative transfer at a high solid-gas ratio, and is an accurate toner proportional to the rotational speed of the rotor 4. It is known that the transfer amount can be obtained. Therefore, when a toner replenishment command is issued by image density detection or the like, the powder pump 3 is operated to replenish the requested amount of toner to the developing device 1.

  By the way, in the image forming apparatus configured as described above, an angle is formed such that the surface of the bag body 22 of the toner storage container 20 toward the bottom is an inclined surface, and the toner storage container 20 is used upright. The bag body 22 falls or tilts due to gravity. When the bag body 22 falls down, the toner hardly falls to the seal valve 23 due to creases and the like, and becomes residual toner. Further, if there is a pointed portion such as an edge in the vicinity of the set position of the toner container 20, the bag body 22 may be damaged.

  Accordingly, in the present invention, posture holding means for holding the set body 22 of the toner storage container 20 in an almost upright state is provided, and preferred embodiments will be sequentially described below.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the toner container of the present invention.
In FIG. 4, the toner storage container 20 is stored in an outer box 50 as a posture holding means, and the container is configured as a back-in-box type. As shown in FIG. 5, the outer box 50 has an internal space in which the expanded toner storage container 20 can be accommodated with almost no gap, and the material can be made of resin or paper having a certain degree of rigidity.

  Since the toner container 20 configured as described above is guarded by the outer box 50, the inner bag body 22 is unlikely to fall down and the set upright state is maintained. Therefore, the residual toner can be reduced, and there is no possibility of being damaged by hitting the tip. Further, when the outer box 50 is provided, the toner storage container 20 is easy to handle, the container can be easily attached and detached, and the shape can be stored in an orderly manner. Further, if the guide piece 25 provided on the base portion 21 of the toner storage container 20 is configured to be detachably inserted into the insertion portion 51 into the outer box 50, the container and the outer case 50 can be easily separated at the time of collection. Therefore, collecting only the container does not impair the advantage of the flexible container that the collection cost is low.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the toner storage container of the present invention.
In FIG. 6, the toner container 20 of the present example is provided with a support member 60 as a posture holding means. The support member 60 in this example is formed in a rod shape, but may be in a plate shape. The support member 60 supports the set toner storage container 20, and can be provided at the set position, but can also be erected on the base 21 of the toner storage container 20. At this time, if the support member 60 is provided with a grip portion on the pointed end side, the handling property of the toner container 20 is improved. Note that the direction in which the bag body 22 falls is determined by the shape of the base portion 21. That is, the shape of the portion of the base portion 21 to which the bag body 22 is fixed is formed in a boat shape, as shown in FIGS. Therefore, the supporting members 60 may be provided in the direction of tilting (one is not shown), and need not be provided in the bow-shaped bow and stern directions.

  FIG. 10 is a modification of FIG. 6, and a support member 61 as a posture holding means is provided inside the bag body 22. Also in this case, similarly to the support member 60, the cap member 21 is provided in the width direction of the boat shape.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the toner storage container of the present invention.
In FIG. 11, in this example, a reinforcing member 62 having one end fixed to the base portion 21 is attached to the bag body 22 as posture holding means. The reinforcing member 62 is attached to a relatively lower side of the side surface of the bag body 22 that is likely to fall down, like the supporting members 60 and 61. Further, the reinforcing member 62 is preliminarily modeled in accordance with the shape of the sticking position on the bag body 22, and the material is preferably a resin film such as Mylar (trade name).

  FIG. 12 is a modification of FIG. 11, and in this example, the bag body 22 itself is formed so that the substantially same part as the part where the reinforcing member 62 is adhered is thicker than the other part. . Such a thick portion 63 not only maintains the set posture of the toner container 20 as in the case of the reinforcing member, but also does not require a sticking operation and does not cause a risk of peeling or a sticking error. is there.

FIG. 13 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing still another embodiment of the toner storage container of the present invention.
In FIG. 13, the toner storage container 20 has a bag body 22 generally formed in a double bag. That is, a reinforcing bag 64 is formed which is sealed from the side surface of the bag main body portion in which the toner of the bag body 22 is stored to the tapered slope. The reinforcing bag 64 is provided with a filling portion 65, and is filled with gas, liquid, or the like, thereby serving as posture holding means for holding the posture of the toner storage container 20 in the set state.

FIG. 14 is a partial perspective view showing still another embodiment of the toner storage container of the present invention.
In FIG. 14, the base portion 21 of the toner container 20 is provided with a posture holding means configured as a fitting type support member 66. The support member 66 is provided with a support portion 66a in a direction in which the toner storage container 20 is tilted, and the support portion 66a prevents the bag body 22 from falling. Since the support member 66 can be detachably attached to the toner storage container 20, it can be attached when the toner storage container 20 is set, and only the container can be recovered at the time of recovery.

FIG. 15 is a partial perspective view showing still another embodiment of the toner container of the present invention.
In FIG. 15, a rising piece 67 is fixed to or integrally with the bag body 22 at the upper part of the toner container 20, and a hole 68 is formed in the rising piece 67. A hook 69 provided on the image forming apparatus side is fitted into the hole 68, and the toner container 20 is held in a suspended state. Thus, the configuration in which the set toner storage container 20 is suspended constitutes a posture holding means for holding the posture of the toner storage container 20 in the set state. In the case of this embodiment, the toner container 20 does not always need to be supported by the hook 69, and it is only necessary to prevent the container 69 from falling when the container is about to fall. Therefore, the toner storage container 20 at the time of setting is supported on the setting portion side of the image forming apparatus.

  As described above, since the toner storage container 20 of the present invention is provided with the posture holding means, even if the bag body is flexible and has a tapered shape, the set container is difficult to fall, and a large amount of toner due to the fall remains. It is prevented.

  By the way, in order to maintain the posture of the bag body 22 of the set toner storage container 20, it can be maintained to some extent by supplying air into the container by the air pump 40. Therefore, the air supplied into the container is also one of posture holding means. At this time, the amount of air that can be supplied into the toner container 20 is naturally limited due to its volume. However, since the toner container 20 shown in FIG. 2 is provided with the filter member 24, air can be supplied without being limited to the volume. Therefore, the toner in the container can be constantly fluidized and a sufficient amount of air can be supplied to maintain the upright state.

  Further, if the posture holding means described above is provided, the posture of the bag body 22 of the toner storage container 20 can be reliably maintained in cooperation with the supplied air. In addition, since the filter member 24 is provided in the toner storage container 20, a part of the air supplied to the toner storage container 20 escapes from the filter member 24 and the internal pressure of the toner storage container 20 can be adjusted. Richly, air can be supplied into the container almost without restriction. Therefore, since the toner in the toner container 20 is sufficiently agitated by a large amount of supplied air, the toner is more smoothly sucked by the powder pump 3, and the amount of toner remaining in the container can be greatly reduced. it can. Furthermore, it is possible to always supply the toner storage container 20 with an amount of air that does not cause the bag 22 to fall down.

3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a toner supply mechanism of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the toner container as viewed from above. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the toner storage container as viewed from below. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing an embodiment of a toner storage container of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the outer case of the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the toner storage container of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a base portion of the toner storage container of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a modified example of the toner storage container of FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the toner storage container of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a modified example of the toner storage container of FIG. 11. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the toner storage container of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the toner storage container of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the toner storage container of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Developing device 20 Toner storage container 22 Bag body 24 Filter member 40 Air pump 50 Outer box 60, 61 Support member 62 Reinforcement member 63 Thick part 64 Reinforcement bag 66 Support member 69 Hook

Claims (21)

  A powder container comprising: a deformable bag for storing powder; and means for maintaining the posture of the bag.   2. The bag according to claim 1, wherein the bag is provided with a powder discharge port for discharging the stored powder, and is formed in a shape that tapers toward the powder discharge port. The powder container as described.   The powder container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the posture holding means holds the posture of the bag body in a state where the powder discharge port is directed downward.   The powder container according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the posture holding means has a posture holding member that holds the posture of the bag body by rigidity.   The powder container according to claim 4, wherein the posture holding member is a support member erected on the outer side surface of the bag body.   5. The powder container according to claim 4, wherein the posture holding member is an outer box member formed in a box shape surrounding substantially the entire circumference of the bag body.   The powder container according to claim 4, wherein the posture holding member is a standing member standing inside the bag body.   The powder container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the posture holding means is an adhesive member attached to the bag.   The powder container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the posture holding means is a thick portion formed on the bag body itself.   The powder container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the posture holding means is a hanging member for hanging the bag.   The powder container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the posture holding means is a fluid bag provided in the bag body and capable of being filled with fluid.   The powder container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the posture holding means is a gas supplied into the bag body. In the powder discharge device for discharging the colorant of the powder stored in the powder storage container from the discharge port,
The powder container has a deformable bag for storing powder, means for maintaining the posture of the bag, and a set portion for setting the bag, and gas flows into the bag A powder discharging apparatus characterized in that the stored colorant is fluidized, and the posture of the bag body is held by the cooperation of the inflowing gas and the posture holding means.   The powder discharging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the posture holding means is provided on the bag body.   The powder storing and discharging device according to claim 12, wherein the posture holding means is provided on a set portion side on which the bag body is set.   13. The powder discharging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the amount of gas flowing into the bag is larger than the amount flowing out when the colorant is discharged.   16. The powder discharging apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising means for adjusting an internal pressure of the bag body.   The powder discharging apparatus according to any one of claims 12, 15 and 16, wherein the gas flowing into the bag body is approximately in an amount that the bag body swells according to an adjustment amount of the means for adjusting the internal pressure. A powder discharge device characterized by being set.   18. The powder discharging apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the means for adjusting the internal pressure is a filter member through which the stored colorant does not pass and the gas that has flowed in is exhausted. Discharging device.   A powder colorant is stored in the powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 15, and image formation is performed using the powder colorant that is set and stored in the apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the powder colorant discharged from the powder container is transferred to the developing unit by the powder discharge device according to any one of claims 16 to 18. apparatus.

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