JP2006047354A - Developer container, developer supply device, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus which smoothly supply toner and a developer container which can be used for such an image forming apparatus while improving operability of attachment/detachment of the developer container into and from an apparatus main body and making the apparatus small-sized. <P>SOLUTION: A toner bottle 32Y has a bottle gear 37Y integrally formed of the same material with the toner bottle 32Y, and the bottle gear 37Y is coaxial with the toner bottle 32Y and set smaller than the external diameter of the toner bottle 32Y. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention provides a developer container such as a developer container and a developer supply target such as a visible image forming unit that forms a visible image on an image carrier such as a photoreceptor. The present invention relates to a developer supply device to be supplied, and an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile using the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a developer container used in a developer supply device for supplying a developer such as toner to a developing unit of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile is known that uses a cylindrical agent bottle. ing. The agent bottle has a spiral projection on the inner wall surface and a gear for rotating the agent bottle. By rotating the agent bottle, the developer such as toner is discharged, The discharged developer is transported to replenish the developer to the developing unit.

  However, even if the toner guide is provided in the developer container provided with a gear on the side of the developer container near the toner replenishing port, the toner is not smoothly discharged by the rotation of the developer container in the circumferential direction. I found out that there was a case. When I investigated the reason, I found out the following.

A bottle gear provided in a toner bottle as a developer container has a ring shape having an opening inside. When the diameter of the opening, i.e., the diameter of the opening, is smaller than the diameter of the inner wall of the toner bottle at the position where the gear is provided, i.e., the inner diameter of the toner bottle is tilted sideways in the apparatus. The inner wall swells upward at the position. If there is a raised portion on the inner wall before the toner inside the bottle reaches the toner replenishing port, toner that cannot reach the toner replenishing port without being able to get over the raised portion is generated. As a result, the toner may not be discharged smoothly.
Here, in order to prevent the opening diameter of the gear from becoming smaller than the inner wall of the toner bottle, it is conceivable to make the opening diameter of the gear the same diameter as the inner wall of the toner bottle. However, if the diameter of the gear opening is the same as the inner wall of the bottle, there is a certain distance from the gear opening to the tooth base, and the gear teeth protrude in the normal direction with respect to the bottle outer peripheral surface. Then, in addition to the space necessary for the bottle housing portion, a space for rotatably accommodating the gear is required inside the device, and the device is enlarged accordingly. Therefore, in order to reduce the size of the apparatus, even if the diameter of the gear opening is smaller than the inner diameter of the toner bottle, the toner in the interior is transported to the toner replenishing port so that the toner can be replenished smoothly. Is desired.

In order to attach / detach the agent bottle to / from the toner replenishing device for replenishing toner, a device has been proposed in which a toner bottle as an agent bottle is inserted or pulled out from the longitudinal direction of the device (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).
In either case, the toner bottle itself is attached / detached on the front surface of the apparatus main body, or the cartridge containing the toner bottle is attached / detached on the front face of the apparatus main body. Further, each of the following mechanisms is provided for rotationally driving the mounted toner bottle. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151561 describes a toner bottle that is driven to rotate by engaging a bottom portion of a toner bottle with a drive unit provided on a rear plate of the apparatus main body. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228667 describes a toner bottle that is driven to rotate by engaging an engaging portion provided near the shoulder of the toner bottle with a driving portion provided in the apparatus main body. In Patent Document 3, a bottle gear that meshes with a drive gear is provided in the vicinity of the end opposite to the side having the toner discharge port in the toner bottle longitudinal direction, and the drive gear is engaged with the bottle gear to rotate the toner bottle. What you have done is listed.

  In a configuration in which a developer container such as a toner bottle is attached to and detached from the front surface of the apparatus as in the apparatuses described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the developer container or the cartridge containing the developer container is viewed from the longitudinal direction. It must be inserted and pulled out, and an operation space for attaching and detaching is required in front of the device, which requires a larger installation area. Further, in the configuration in which the developer container is attached / detached from the front of the apparatus, it is necessary for the operator to bend the bottle to the front of the apparatus, or the used developer container with the toner discharge port opened is disposed in the apparatus main body. Therefore, it may be necessary to take care not to contaminate the front surface of the apparatus due to leakage of residual toner from the opening. From the above, there is room for study on the method for attaching / detaching the developer container from the front of the apparatus. In recent years, with the widespread use of color image forming apparatuses, it has been required that the user can easily replace the developer container, and it is required to facilitate the operation of storing and removing the agent.

When the developer container can be attached and detached from the upper side of the apparatus main body while the developer container as described above is attached and detached from the front of the apparatus, the upper cover of the apparatus main body is opened when the developer container is attached and detached. It is only necessary to remove the developer container of the color that needs to be replaced from above and set a new developer container. Therefore, it is not necessary to take an operation space for the installation area of the apparatus when attaching / detaching from the front, and the installation area can be reduced. In addition, the developer container can be replaced while the operator is standing, and the attachment and detachment operation can be performed while looking at the developer container, thus preventing toner from leaking from the developer container opening. The gear pan is easy to attach and detach.
For the above reasons, it is preferable to attach and detach the developer container from above the apparatus main body because the installation area of the apparatus can be reduced and the operability can be facilitated.

In recent years, downsizing of the apparatus is being demanded. However, in order to downsize the apparatus, it is required to consider the arrangement of the driving device that drives the developer container. However, in the device described in Patent Document 1, the engaging portion of the toner bottle with the device main body side driving device is provided at the end of the toner bottle in the longitudinal direction, and the position where the driving device is provided is the length of the toner bottle. In the direction, it is further back than this bottle. For this reason, a length obtained by adding the depth of the driving device to the length in the longitudinal direction of the toner bottle is necessary for the depth of the device, and the size of the device increases accordingly. If a driving force input portion is provided adjacent to the circumferential side surface of the toner bottle as in Patent Documents 2 and 3, it is not necessary to arrange the driving device and the bottle side by side in the bottle longitudinal direction. Can be prevented from increasing in size and the apparatus can be reduced in size, which is preferable.
From the above, if the developer container can be attached / detached from the upper side of the apparatus and a driving force input part is provided on the side surface other than the longitudinal end of the developer container, space saving and operability can be achieved. It is highly useful because many advantages can be obtained, such as improvement of the device and further downsizing of the apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a device using a developer container such as a toner container configured to be detachable from a container mounting portion of a developer supply device is known. In such an image forming apparatus, the developer container that has been emptied with the consumption of the developer is removed from the developer container mounting portion, and then a new developer container is set, so that a visible image forming unit is provided. The developer can be replenished with respect to the developer supply target. As such a developer supply device, for example, there is a device that moves a developer in a developer container to a discharge port using a transport driving member such as an agitator provided in a container body (for example, Patent Document 4). ). Further, for example, a spiral protrusion is formed on the inner wall of a long container main body that contains developer therein, and the container main body is rotated so that the central axis extending in the longitudinal direction becomes the rotation central axis. In some cases, the internal developer is moved to the discharge port (for example, Patent Document 5). In the developer supply device described in Patent Document 5, the spiral protrusion formed on the inner wall of the container body is displaced along with the rotation of the container body, thereby moving the internal developer toward the discharge port. Let

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-63084 JP-A-7-20705 JP-A-9-251240 JP 2002-357945 A (page 8, left column) JP 2000-338758 A (5th page, left column)

In the Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-276466, etc., the applicant of the present invention develops the internal developer to move to the discharge port by rotating the container body in the same manner as the developer supply device described in Patent Document 5 above. An image forming apparatus including an agent supply device is proposed.
In this image forming apparatus, a toner bottle as shown in FIG. 32A is used as a developer container. The toner bottle 632 is provided with a cap portion 634 serving as a rotating portion at the tip of a bottle body 633 serving as a container body. Further, a toner discharge port (not shown) is opened in a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cap portion 634. In the state shown in the drawing, the toner discharge port is blocked by a shutter 636. The shutter 636 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the cap portion 634 so as to be slidable along the outer peripheral surface of the cap portion 634. The cap 634 is integrally formed with a handle 635 operated by a user or the like to rotate the cap 634.
When the toner bottle 632 is set on a bottle container 631 partially shown by a broken line in the drawing, the toner bottle 632 is placed on the bottle container 631 to be in the state shown in the drawing. From this state, when the handle 635 is rotated in the direction of the arrow N in the figure, the cap portion 634 integrated with the handle 635 rotates, but the shutter 636 contacts the shutter locking portion 631a of the bottle container 631. Contact is prevented from rotating. As a result, the shutter 636 slides relative to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating cap portion 634, and the toner discharge port moves so as to face the lower side in the vertical direction (the lower side in the figure) facing the bottle container 631. To do.
Therefore, the toner discharge port that has been closed by the shutter 636 opens downward in the vertical direction. On the other hand, when removing the toner bottle 632 from the bottle container 631, the handle 635 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow N in the drawing. As a result, the toner discharge port also moves in the direction opposite to the arrow N in the drawing as the cap portion 634 rotates, and the shutter 636 is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the cap portion 34Y by the urging force of the urging means (not shown). Move relative to the slide. The toner discharge port is blocked by the shutter 636. Therefore, the toner does not leak from the toner discharge port when the toner bottle 632 is handled.

  FIG. 32B is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the cap portion 634 when the toner bottle 632 is cut so as to pass through the toner discharge port along the central axis O of the toner bottle 632. As illustrated, the cap portion 634 is attached to the bottle main body 633 so as to be fitted into the opening C of the bottle main body 633. When the toner bottle 632 is set in the bottle container 631, the cap unit is locked to the bottle container. Therefore, when the bottle gear 637 that rotates integrally with the bottle main body 633 meshes with the drive gear of a drive motor (not shown) and the rotational driving force is transmitted to the bottle main body 633, the bottle main body 633 slides against the cap portion 634 while sliding. It rotates in the direction of the middle arrow Q.

  However, the lock of the cap part 634 with respect to the bottle container 631 may be a relatively weak force in consideration of the operability of the user or the like who operates the handle 635 of the cap part 634. Therefore, when the frictional force between the rotating bottle main body 633 and the cap portion 634 exceeds the force for locking the cap portion 634, the cap portion 634 is also rotated with the rotation of the bottle main body 633. As a result, the toner discharge port opened downward in the vertical direction also moves in the direction of the arrow Q in the figure, and is closed by the shutter 636. In this case, even when the bottle main body 633 is rotated and the toner replenishing operation is performed, there is a problem that the toner is not replenished.

  If the direction of rotation of the bottle body 633 (the direction of arrow Q in FIG. 32A) is reversed, the toner discharge port will not be blocked by friction between the bottle body 633 and the cap portion 634. The above problem does not occur. However, in this case, it is necessary to reverse the direction of rotational driving of the bottle main body 633, and the design change related to the configuration of the toner supply device and the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus is unavoidable. It may be difficult to do. Further, in this case, since the spiral direction of the spiral toner guide 633a formed on the inner wall of the bottle body 633 is changed to the opposite direction, the toner bottle before the design change cannot be used. .

  On the other hand, even when the direction in which the shutter 636 moves relative to the cap portion 634 (the direction of the arrow N in FIG. 32A) is reversed when the toner discharge port is closed, the above problem does not occur. . However, in this case, since it is necessary to change the configuration of the toner supply device related to the shutter, it may be difficult to adopt such a configuration. Further, in this case, since the configuration of the cap unit 634 is also changed, there is a disadvantage that the toner bottle before the design change cannot be used.

  Further, when the toner bottle 632 is attached to the bottle container 631, the cap part (rotating part) 634 can rotate in the direction (first direction) opposite to the direction in which the shutter 636 opens (second direction). With the configuration, the user erroneously rotates the cap portion 634 in the first direction, and there is a risk of erroneous setting. Further, even when the user properly rotates the cap unit 634 in the second direction when the toner bottle 632 is attached to the bottle container 631, the cap unit 634 further remains after the shutter 636 is opened. If it is configured to be able to rotate, there is a possibility that problems such as the cap 634 rotating more than necessary and the shutter 636 dropping off may occur.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and a first object of the present invention is to improve the operability of attaching and detaching the developer container to the apparatus main body and to reduce the size of the apparatus while smoothing the toner supply. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that is used in the above-described process and a developer container that can be used in such an image forming apparatus.

  Further, the second object is to provide a developer capable of preventing the shutter from closing the discharge port with the rotation of the rotationally driven container body without causing the above-described design change or inconvenience. An object of the present invention is to provide a container and a developer supply device and an image forming apparatus that can smoothly supply the developer by using the container.

  A third object is to prevent erroneous setting of the developer container and to prevent problems caused by the rotation of the rotating part such as the cap part more than necessary when the shutter is opened when the developer is discharged. Another object is to provide a developer container.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a developer container that can store a developer supplied to an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier. A container body comprising a rotating body capable of moving and discharging the developer contained by being mounted on the developer supply unit and being driven to rotate is provided, and the rotation is transmitted to the container body. A gear is provided, and the outer diameter of the gear is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the container body, and the gear is configured to prevent interference with a member disposed in the vicinity of the mounting position at the time of mounting. It is said.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the developer container according to the first aspect, the container main body has a cylindrical shape, and the rotational driving force transmission gear is provided coaxially with the rotation center of the container main body. It is characterized by being.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the developer container according to the first or second aspect, the gear is integrally formed using the same material as the container main body.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the developer container according to any one of the first to third aspects, the inner surface of the container main body is provided with a transport unit that moves the developer in the axial direction by rotation. It is characterized by being.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the developer container according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the container main body has a fixing portion capable of covering the outer periphery of the installation portion of the gear. It is characterized by being provided.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the developer container according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the misalignment preventing portion engageable with the mounting position of the container main body. It is characterized by being provided.

  According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in the developer container according to one of the first to sixth aspects, the container is provided with a configuration for positioning a developer discharge portion at a specified discharge position. It is characterized by having.

  The invention described in claim 8 is characterized in that the developer container according to one of claims 1 to 7 is used in a developer supply device.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the developer supply device according to the eighth aspect is used in an image forming apparatus.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the developer container is provided corresponding to a plurality of colors.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the outer diameter of the gear provided in the container main body is smaller than the outer diameter of the container main body, the drive transmission portion is prevented from being unintentionally enlarged. In addition, it is possible to improve the detachability by preventing interference with members arranged around the installation portion of the container main body during wearing.

  According to the second and third aspects of the invention, since the container body and the gear are coaxial and configured using the same material, the molding process is facilitated and an inexpensive developer container can be obtained. It becomes.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the developer is moved in the axial direction by rotation on the inner surface of the container body, a special conveying member is not required, and an increase in cost can be prevented. It becomes.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the fixing portion capable of covering the outer periphery of the gear mounted on the container body is provided, it is possible to prevent the hand from directly touching the gear when mounted. Therefore, safety and antifouling properties can be improved.

  According to the sixth and seventh aspects of the present invention, there are provided a structure for preventing the displacement and a structure for positioning the developer discharge position by engaging the container body with the mounting position of the container body. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly discharge the developer.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a developer supply device capable of smoothly reducing the cost, mounting safety, and smoothly discharging the developer.

  According to the ninth and tenth aspects of the present invention, an image forming apparatus capable of improving the workability and safety of replacing the developer container in the developer supply section and the antifouling property at the time of work is obtained. Is possible. In particular, in the invention described in claim 10, there is a case where a developer of a color that is frequently used is used. In this case, the developer can be easily discharged and the developer can be smoothly discharged by positioning at the time of mounting. It is possible to speed up the resumption of image formation.

Embodiment 1
Hereinafter, an electrophotographic printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) will be described as an example of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied (hereinafter, this embodiment is referred to as “embodiment 1”). The image forming unit will be described as a process cartridge.
First, the basic configuration of the printer will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the printer. In the figure, the printer 100 includes four process cartridges 6Y, M, C, and K for generating toner images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black (hereinafter referred to as Y, M, C, and K). Yes. These use Y, M, C, and K toners of different colors as the image forming material, but the other configurations are the same and are replaced when the lifetime is reached. Taking a process cartridge 6Y for generating a Y toner image as an example, as shown in the figure, a drum-shaped photoreceptor 1Y, a drum cleaning device 2Y, a charge eliminating device (not shown), a charging device 4Y, a developing device 5Y and the like are provided. ing. The process cartridge 6Y can be attached to and detached from the main body of the printer 100 so that consumable parts can be replaced at a time.

  The charging device 4Y uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor 1Y that is rotated clockwise in the drawing by a driving unit (not shown). The uniformly charged surface of the photoreceptor 1 </ b> Y is exposed and scanned by the laser beam L to carry an electrostatic latent image for Y. The Y electrostatic latent image is developed into a Y toner image by the developing device 5Y using Y toner. Then, intermediate transfer is performed on the intermediate transfer belt 8. The drum cleaning device 2Y removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 1Y after the intermediate transfer process. The static eliminator neutralizes residual charges on the photoreceptor 1Y after cleaning. By this charge removal, the surface of the photoreceptor 1Y is initialized and prepared for the next image formation. In the other process cartridges 6M, C, and K, M, C, and K toner images are similarly formed on the photoreceptors 1M, C, and K, and are intermediately transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8.

In FIG. 1 shown above, an exposure device 7 is arranged below the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K in the drawing.
The exposure device 7 serving as a latent image forming unit irradiates each of the photoconductors in the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K with a laser beam L emitted based on the image information. By this exposure, electrostatic latent images for Y, M, C, and K are formed on the photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K. The exposure device 7 irradiates the photoconductor with a laser beam (L) emitted from a light source through a plurality of optical lenses and mirrors while scanning with a polygon mirror rotated by a motor.

On the lower side of the exposure apparatus 7 in the figure, paper supply means including a paper storage cassette 26, a paper supply roller 27 incorporated therein, a registration roller pair 28, and the like are disposed. The paper storage cassette 26 stores a plurality of transfer papers P as recording bodies, and a paper feed roller 27 is in contact with each uppermost transfer paper P. When the paper feeding roller 27 is rotated counterclockwise in the drawing by a driving means (not shown), the uppermost transfer paper P is fed toward the rollers of the registration roller pair 28.
The registration roller pair 28 rotationally drives both rollers to sandwich the transfer paper P, but temporarily stops rotating immediately after sandwiching. Then, the transfer paper P is sent out toward a later-described secondary transfer nip at an appropriate timing.
In the sheet feeding unit having such a configuration, a conveying unit is configured by a combination of the sheet feeding roller 27 and the registration roller pair 28 corresponding to the timing roller. This transport means transports the transfer paper P from a paper storage cassette 26 serving as a storage means to a secondary transfer nip described later.

Above the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K, an intermediate transfer unit 15 that moves the intermediate transfer belt 8 serving as an intermediate transfer member endlessly while stretching is disposed. In addition to the intermediate transfer belt 8, the intermediate transfer unit 15 includes four primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, M, C, and K, a cleaning device 10, and the like. A secondary transfer backup roller 12, a cleaning backup roller 13, a tension roller 14 and the like are also provided.
The intermediate transfer belt 8 is endlessly moved in the counterclockwise direction in the figure by the rotational drive of at least one of the rollers while being stretched around these three rollers. The primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K hold the intermediate transfer belt 8 that is moved endlessly in this manner between the photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K to form primary transfer nips. Yes. In these methods, a transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of toner (for example, plus) is applied to the back surface (loop inner peripheral surface) of the intermediate transfer belt 8. All of the rollers except the primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, M, C, and K are electrically grounded. The intermediate transfer belt 8 sequentially passes through the primary transfer nips for Y, M, C, and K along with the endless movement thereof, and Y, M, and C on the photoreceptors 1Y, M, C, and K , K toner images are superimposed and primarily transferred. As a result, a four-color superimposed toner image (hereinafter referred to as a four-color toner image) is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

  The secondary transfer backup roller 12 sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 8 between the secondary transfer roller 19 and forms a secondary transfer nip. The four-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is transferred to the transfer paper P at the secondary transfer nip. Untransferred toner that has not been transferred onto the transfer paper P adheres to the intermediate transfer belt 8 after passing through the secondary transfer nip. This is cleaned by the cleaning device 10.

  In the secondary transfer nip, the transfer paper P is sandwiched between the intermediate transfer belt 8 and the secondary transfer roller 19 whose surfaces move in the forward direction, and is conveyed in the opposite direction to the registration roller pair 28 side. . When the transfer paper P sent out from the secondary transfer nip passes between the rollers of the fixing device 20, the four-color toner image transferred to the surface is fixed by heat and pressure. Thereafter, the transfer paper P is discharged out of the apparatus through a pair of paper discharge rollers 29. A stack unit 30 is formed on the upper surface of the printer body, and the transfer paper P discharged outside the apparatus by the discharge roller pair 29 is sequentially stacked on the stack unit 30.

The configuration of the developing device 5Y in the process cartridge 6Y will be described. The developing device 5Y includes a developing unit 51Y as a developer carrying member having a magnetic field generating means therein and carrying a two-component developer containing magnetic particles and toner on the surface, and carried on the developing sleeve 51Y. And a doctor 52Y as a developer regulating member that regulates the layer thickness of the conveyed developer.
On the upstream side of the developer conveyance direction of the doctor 52Y, a uniaxial developer accommodating portion 53Y that accommodates the developer regulated by the doctor 52Y without being conveyed to the developing area facing the photoreceptor 1Y is formed. Further, a biaxial developer accommodating portion 54Y for supplying toner is formed adjacent to the uniaxial developer accommodating portion 53Y. Two developer conveying screws 55Y for agitating and conveying the developer are provided in the one-axis developer accommodating portion 53Y and the two-axis developer accommodating portion 54Y, respectively.

  Next, the operation of this developing device will be described. In the developing device 5Y, a developer layer is formed on the developing sleeve 51Y. Further, the toner is replenished on the two-axis side of the developer conveying screw 55Y, and is agitated and conveyed to be taken into the developer. The toner is taken in so that the developer is within a predetermined toner density range. The toner taken into the developer is charged by frictional charging with the carrier. The developer containing charged toner is supplied to the surface of the developing sleeve 51Y having a magnetic pole inside and is carried by magnetic force. The developer layer carried on the developing sleeve 51Y is conveyed in the direction of the arrow as the developing sleeve 51Y rotates. On the way, after the thickness of the developer layer is regulated by the doctor 52Y, it is transported to the developing area facing the photoreceptor 1Y. In the development area, development based on the latent image formed on the photoreceptor 1Y is performed. The developer layer remaining on the developing sleeve 51Y is conveyed to the upstream portion in the developer conveying direction of the uniaxial developer accommodating portion 53Y as the developing sleeve 51Y rotates.

  In FIG. 1 described above, a bottle container 31 is disposed between the intermediate transfer unit 15 and the stack portion 30 located above the intermediate transfer unit 15. The bottle container 31 stores toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K as developer containers for storing Y, M, C, and K toners. The toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K are installed on the bottle container 31 so as to be placed from above for each toner color. The Y, M, C, and K toners in the toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K are appropriately replenished to the developing devices of the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K, respectively, by a toner replenishing device that will be described later. These toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K are detachable from the main body of the printer 100 independently of the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, C, and K.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the toner bottle 32Y. 4 is a perspective view of a state in which the toner bottle 32K is placed in the bottle container 31. FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the toner bottle 32Y is provided with a cap portion 34Y as a rotating portion that is rotatable relative to the toner bottle main body at the tip of the bottle main body 33Y. A handle 35Y is integrally formed with the cap portion 34Y. Further, a bottle gear 37 </ b> Y which is an input gear used as an input unit integrally formed of the same material as the bottle main body 33 is provided in the vicinity of the bottle main body 33 where the cap part 34 </ b> Y is attached.
When attaching the toner bottle 32Y to the main body of the printer 100, first, the stack unit 30 shown in FIG. 1 is opened upward to expose the bottle container 31. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, after the toner bottle 32Y is placed on the bottle container 31, the handle 35Y is rotated. As a result, the cap portion 34Y integrally formed with the handle 35Y rotates, and the shutter 36Y as a cover member moves in the circumferential direction of the cap portion 34Y to open, and a toner discharge port (not shown) as a discharge port is opened. Simultaneously with the opening, the cap portion 34Y and the bottle container 31 are connected and fixed. Since this mechanism is also a feature of the present embodiment, details will be described later.

On the other hand, in order to remove the toner bottle 32Y from the main body of the printer 100, the handle 35Y is rotated in the reverse direction to release the connection between the cap portion 34Y and the bottle container 31, and simultaneously the shutter 36Y is closed and the toner discharge port is opened. Closed. Then, the toner bottle 32Y can be taken out from the main body of the printer 100 while holding the handle 35Y. As described above, since the toner bottle 32Y can be placed and removed from the upper side of the printer 100 main body, the replacement operation of the toner bottle 32Y is easy to understand and can be easily performed.
Moreover, since the handle 35Y is formed in the cap part 34Y, the cap part 34Y can be rotated and fixed to the bottle container 31 easily. In the state where the toner bottle 32Y is removed from the main body of the printer 100, the shutter 36Y is not opened even if the handle 35Y of the cap portion 34Y is rotated. As a result, it is possible to prevent the toner 36 from being accidentally opened when the toner bottle 32Y is replaced and the toner inside is spilled.

  Next, the toner replenishing device will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a part of the toner replenishing device, and shows toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32K, and toner replenishing devices 40Y, 40M, 40C, 40K. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the process cartridge of each color and a part of the toner replenishing device of each color, and is a perspective view seen from an angle different from FIG. The toner replenishing devices 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40K are provided on the printer 100 main body on the side of the intermediate transfer unit 15. For this reason, the process cartridges 6Y, M, C, K or the toner bottles 32Y, M, C, K need not be provided with toner conveying means. , M, C, K can be reduced in size. In addition, since the conventional process cartridge and the toner bottle are arranged close to each other, there is a limitation in design. With this method, the process cartridge and the toner bottle can be arranged apart from each other. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design is improved and the printer can be downsized. Further, the toner discharge ports of the toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K, the toner replenishing devices 40Y, 40M, 40C, and the biaxial developer containing portions 54Y, 54M of the developing devices 5Y, M, C, and K, The C and K toner supply ports are arranged in the vicinity of one end of the intermediate transfer unit 15 in the roller axial direction. As a result, the toner transport paths of the toner replenishing devices 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40K can be shortened, which is effective for downsizing the printer and preventing clogging during toner transport.

Since the toner replenishing devices 40Y, M, C, and K have the same configuration, the toner replenishing device 40Y for carrying Y toner will be described. In FIG. 5, the toner replenishing device 40Y mainly includes a drive motor 41Y, a drive gear 42Y, and a toner transport pipe 43Y. A coil (not shown) is provided inside the toner transport pipe 43Y.
The drive gear 42Y meshes with the bottle gear 37Y of the toner bottle 32Y, and is an output gear for rotating the bottle body 33Y that rotates integrally with the bottle gear 37 of the toner bottle 32Y by rotating the drive motor 41Y. When a density detection sensor (not shown) of the developing device 5Y detects that the toner density is insufficient in the biaxial developer container 54Y, the drive motor 41Y is rotated by a replenishment signal from the controller 57Y.

A helical toner guide 33a is formed on the inner wall of the bottle main body 33Y as a configuration for conveying the toner in the axial direction by rotation, and the internal toner is moved from the back side of the bottle main body 33Y to the cap portion 34Y at the tip by rotation. Conveyed to the side. Then, the toner in the bottle main body 33Y falls from a toner discharge port (not shown) of the cap part 34Y to a toner receiving part (not shown) of the toner supply device 40Y.
The toner receiving portion is connected to the toner transport pipe 43Y. When the drive motor 41Y is rotated, the bottle main body 33Y rotates and at the same time, a coil (not shown) in the toner transport pipe 43Y rotates simultaneously. The toner that has fallen to the toner receiving portion by the rotation of the coil is transported in the toner transport pipe 43Y and is replenished to a toner replenishing port (not shown) of the biaxial developer accommodating portion 54Y of the developing device 5Y. In this way, the toner density in the developing device 5Y is adjusted.
In place of the density detection sensor, the number of pixels of the image formed on the photoreceptor 1Y is counted or a reference image is formed, and the image density is measured using an optical sensor or a CCD camera, and the measurement is performed. Toner supply may be performed based on the result.
The above is an example of a printer to which the present invention can be applied.

As described above, it has been found that even when the toner guide 33a is provided on the inner wall of the bottle body 33Y, the toner is not smoothly discharged from the toner discharge port due to the rotation of the toner bottle 32Y in the circumferential direction. .
The present inventors have examined the reason for this, and since the opening diameter of the bottle gear 37Y provided in the vicinity of the toner supply port is smaller than the inner diameter, which is the diameter of the inner wall of the toner bottle 32Y, the inner wall of the bottle is raised, and the raised portion The toner was found to be difficult to get over.
The bottle gear 37Y is preferably formed so that its gear teeth do not protrude too much from the outer peripheral surface of the toner bottle 32Y, in order to reduce the size of the apparatus, and to be provided in the vicinity of the toner discharge port for stable toner supply. desirable. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 32, it is desirable that the toner can smoothly get over the portion where the inner wall is raised even when the opening diameter of the bottle gear 37Y is smaller than the inner diameter of the toner bottle 32Y. It is. The bottle gear 37Y in this configuration is formed of the same material as that of the toner bottle and is set to have the same axis as that of the toner bottle, thereby improving the operability when setting the toner bottle.
Further, as shown in FIG. 33, a fixing portion that does not rotate on the developer discharge side of the developer container is provided in the vicinity of the bottle gear 37Y, and this fixing portion connects the main body side gear and the bottle gear. A protective portion is provided so that the hand does not touch the gear when the toner bottle rotates by covering other than the portion.
Hereinafter, a toner bottle 32Y that can smoothly get over the toner and a toner replenishing device using the toner bottle 32Y will be described.

7A and 7B are explanatory views of the toner bottle 32Y according to the present invention, in which FIG. 7A is a schematic perspective view of the toner bottle 32Y with the resin case removed, and FIG. 7B is an opening side with the resin case removed. FIG. 6 is a front view of the toner bottle 32Y as viewed from FIG. When the resin case provided with the toner discharge port is removed, the bottle gear 37Y remains in the toner bottle 32Y in the vicinity of the opening. This is because the bottle gear 37Y is molded integrally with the toner bottle 32Y. As shown in FIG. 7B, when the toner bottle 32Y is viewed from the bottle opening side, the small diameter portion, which is the smallest inner diameter of the opening, is an opening portion (hereinafter referred to as a gear opening portion) 37Yi of the bottle gear 37Y. . In the bottle of the first embodiment, two protruding portions 90Y for lifting the toner are further formed in the vicinity of the opening as shown by hatching. The protruding portion 90Y serves as a developer guide means that characterizes the present invention.
The protruding portion is formed such that the gear opening portion 37Yi and a part of the inner surface of the shoulder portion that is the inner wall portion of the toner bottle 32Y in the vicinity of the gear opening portion 37Yi from the shoulder opening inner surface portion having a diameter larger than the diameter of the gear opening portion 37Yi. Are formed to protrude to the edge of the opening to form a spiral protrusion, which is used as the protruding portion 90Y.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B are views of the toner bottle 32Y as viewed from the side, and FIGS. 8A and 8B show the different directions in the circumferential direction. In the toner bottle 32Y, a toner guide 33a for toner delivery is originally formed in a double spiral, and when the two guides reach the gear opening 37Yi, the container rotates more than the edge of the gear opening 37Yi. It has a shape that protrudes toward the center line. That is, the two protruding portions 90Y are provided in the toner guide 33a. As shown in FIG. 7B, the protruding portion 90Y appears to protrude into the opening when viewed from the front of the opening with the resin case removed. Further, in a portion adjacent to the position where the bottle gear 37Y of the toner bottle 32Y is provided, that is, the so-called shoulder S of the bottle, two raised portions S1 in the case of the toner bottle 32Y shown in FIGS. , S2. The raised portions S1 and S2 are toner conveyance paths formed by the two toner guides 33a. When the toner bottle 32Y is viewed from the outside, these two raised portions S1 and S2 are formed.

The two protruding portions 90Y are formed one by one along the raised portions S1 and S2. By forming such a protruding portion 90Y in addition to the toner guide 33a, the toner guided to the vicinity of the bottle gear 37Y by the toner guide 33a is lifted up to a portion protruding inward by the gear opening 37Yi. It is possible to get over this position and then move to the toner discharge port.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 32, even when a bottle gear 37Y having a diameter smaller than the bottle opening diameter is provided in the vicinity of the toner discharge port, the toner in the interior exceeds the gear opening 37Yi due to the rotation in the circumferential direction of the bottle. It becomes possible to move to the toner discharge port.

  FIG. 9 shows a modified example of the toner bottle 32Y to which the present invention can be applied. The toner bottle 32Y is viewed from the side. In this modification, the shoulder tips of the two raised portions S1 and S2 on the shoulder portion S of the toner bottle 32Y shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B are chamfered to form a shoulder shape. Except for chamfering the shoulder portion S, the configuration is the same as that shown in FIGS. The toner bottle does not need to have a raised portion like S1 and S2 as in the above-described embodiment, and may have a shoulder shape as shown in FIG. In order for the toner to pass over the gear portion and be discharged, it is only necessary to have a toner guide portion that protrudes inward from the gear opening as shown in FIG. 7B. It is also possible to gradually lift the toner from the side to get over the gear part.

Next, the structure for positioning the toner bottle 32Y with respect to the bottle container 31 to prevent displacement and the structure for opening and closing the toner discharge port will be described in detail.
10 to 12 are views showing the cross section and the side surface of the bottle container 31Y together with the front surface of the toner bottle 32Y (the front end surface of the cap portion 34Y).
An engaging wall 38Y as a positioning portion that is curved in a complicated shape is provided upright on the front end surface of the cap portion 34Y of the toner bottle 32Y. The toner bottle 32Y is placed on the bottle container 31Y for Y with the handle 35Y facing upward in the vertical direction (FIG. 10). This posture is also a posture in which the opening of the engaging wall 38Y curved in a complicated shape is directed downward in the vertical direction.
An engaging plate 39Y as an engaging portion of the bottle container 31Y enters the loop through the opening of the engaging wall 38Y of the toner bottle 32Y placed in such a posture (FIG. 11). At this time, the toner bottle 32Y is not yet set normally, and the toner discharge port (not shown) of the cap portion 34Y remains closed by the shutter 36Y.

  The operator holds the handle 35Y of the toner bottle 32Y placed on the bottle container 31Y and rotates it about 45 ° counterclockwise in the drawing. Then, the cap part 34Y rotates counterclockwise in the figure, but the shutter 36Y of the cap part 34Y is hooked on the bottom of the bottle container 31Y. For this reason, only the shutter 36Y is prevented from rotating (FIG. 12). Then, a toner discharge port (not shown) that has been closed by the shutter 36Y until then is exposed and faces downward in the vertical direction. Further, the engaging wall 38Y of the cap portion 34Y engages with the engaging plate 39Y of the bottle container 31Y, and the toner bottle 32Y is fixed on the bottle container 31Y.

In FIG. 4, when the toner bottle 32Y is rotated in the circumferential direction, there is a case where the rotation is not smoothly performed due to friction between the inner wall of the bottle container 31Y and the outer wall of the toner bottle. Therefore, in the first embodiment, a roller 60 as a rotation assisting device is provided on the bottom surface of the bottle container 31Y. Thereby, the rotation of the toner bottle 32Y can be made smooth. In the first exemplary embodiment, the roller 60Y is used to smoothly rotate the toner bottle 32Y. However, there are other methods for smoothing the toner bottle rotation. For example, a method of attaching a tape having good slidability (such as Teflon (registered trademark) containing fluorine or ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene) may be employed.
By the way, when the toner bottle 32Y is attached and detached from the upper side of the apparatus body as in the printer, the driving force is input from a position other than the upper side to the driving force input portion provided on the side surface of the toner bottle 32Y. At this time, if the driving gear of the apparatus main body is in an inappropriate position with respect to the input gear as the input unit, the rotation gradually becomes unstable with the rotation of the toner bottle 32Y, and the toner bottle 32Y is removed from the input unit. There is a risk of floating. In order to prevent such a problem from occurring, the first embodiment has been devised as follows.

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory view when the position of the drive gear 42Y shown in FIG. 5 is variously changed with respect to the bottle gear 37Y of the toner bottle 32Y. In this figure, the pressure angle of the gear is 20 °. When the gear pressure angle is 20 °, the drive gear 42Y (a) is arranged beside the bottle gear 37Y so that the rotation shaft of the bottle gear 37Y and the rotation shaft of the drive gear 42Y are in a horizontal position. When it is rotated counterclockwise in the figure, a force is applied to the bottle gear 37Y in the direction indicated by the arrow a that is shifted 20 ° from the bottom to the left in the figure. This is because the gear pressure angle is 20 °.

Further, when the drive gear 42Y (b) is arranged at a position where its axis is lower than the axis of the bottle gear 37Y, a force directed to the left side from the arrow a as shown by the arrow b is applied to the bottle gear 37Y.
Further, when the drive gear 42Y (c) is disposed below, the bottle gear 37Y is applied with a force toward the left in the horizontal direction as indicated by the arrow c.
If the drive gear 42Y is disposed further below the position of 42Y (c), the direction of the force applied to the bottle gear 37Y is directed upward, and the toner bottle 32Y may be lifted.

  Therefore, in the first embodiment, the position of the drive gear 42Y with respect to the bottle gear 37Y is set at a position where the pressure angle direction applied from the drive gear 42Y to the bottle gear 37Y faces below horizontal. In the case of the first embodiment, the range in which the drive gear 42Y is disposed is the range from the drive gear 42Y (a) to the drive gear 42Y (c) in FIG. 13, that is, downward from the horizontal position with respect to the rotation axis of the bottle gear 37Y. It was arranged within a range of 70 °. Then, a force is applied to the bottle gear 37Y in the directions of thick arrows a to c at each position, and at least an upward force is not applied, so that the toner bottle 32Y does not float and can rotate stably.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the developer guide means for allowing the toner to move beyond the gear opening 37Yi to the toner discharge port is in the direction of the center line of the toner bottle rotation rather than the edge of the gear opening 37Yi. A protruding portion 90Y that protrudes toward the outside is provided. As a result, the toner can be lifted above the gear opening 37Yi protruding into the bottle, and this position can be overcome.

In the first embodiment, the cap portion 34Y that can rotate relative to the main body of the toner bottle 32Y is provided, and the engaging wall 38Y as a positioning portion that engages with the engaging plate 39Y is provided on the cap portion 34Y. Accordingly, the toner bottle 32Y is placed on the bottle container 31Y from the upper surface of the printer main body, and the cap portion 34Y is rotated, whereby the toner bottle 32Y can be easily positioned with respect to the apparatus main body. good.
In the first embodiment, the cap portion 34Y is provided with a shutter 36Y that opens and closes the toner discharge port. The shutter opens and is removed in synchronization with the toner bottle 32Y being fixed on the bottle container 31Y. Closes synchronously. This eliminates the need for a special operation for opening and closing the shutter, improving usability and preventing unexpected toner leakage. Further, the toner bottle 32Y in the first embodiment is integrally formed with a bottle gear 37Y. Therefore, compared with the case where the bottle gear 37Y is separated from the toner bottle 32Y, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to save time and labor when assembling the toner bottle 32Y and the bottle gear 37Y, and it becomes unnecessary to worry about the assembling accuracy between the toner bottle 32Y and the gear. Further, since it is not necessary to separate the toner bottle 32Y and the gear, the recyclability is also improved.

In the first embodiment, the roller 60 is provided on the bottom surface of the bottle container 31Y. Thereby, the toner bottle 32Y can be rotated stably.
In the first embodiment, the drive gear is arranged at a position such that the pressure angle direction applied from the drive gear 42Y to the bottle gear 37Y faces below horizontal. As a result, the toner bottle 32Y does not float and can rotate stably.
Note that the above-described features and effects are not limited to the respective devices and members for forming a Y toner image. The devices and members that form M, C, and K toner images other than the Y toner image have the same configuration, and the same effect can be obtained.

[Embodiment 2]
Next, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a printer as in the first embodiment (hereinafter, this embodiment is referred to as “second embodiment”) will be described. Since the basic configuration of the printer according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

[Configuration example 1]
Next, a configuration example related to the toner replenishing device that is a characteristic part of the present invention (hereinafter, this configuration example will be referred to as “configuration example 1”) will be described.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the toner bottle 132. Each of the toner bottles 132Y, 132M, 132C, and 132K has the same configuration except that the color of the toner accommodated therein is different. Therefore, the toner bottle 132Y for Y toner will be described below as an example.
The toner bottle 132Y includes a bottle main body 133Y that is a long container main body containing a developer therein. The bottle body 133Y has an opening (not shown) on one end surface in the longitudinal direction, and a cap part 134Y as a rotating part is attached so as to cover the opening. The cap part 134Y has a toner discharge port (not shown), which is a discharge port communicating with the opening of the bottle body 133Y, disposed on the peripheral surface of the toner bottle 132Y in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (hereinafter referred to as a periphery in this direction). The surface is referred to as “circumferential surface” and the end surface in the longitudinal direction is referred to as “end surface”). In the illustrated state, the toner discharge port is not shown because it is closed by a shutter 136Y for opening and closing the toner discharge port.

  The bottle main body 133Y is a hollow columnar member that opens at the opening. The bottle main body 133Y is embossed so that a spiral toner guide 133a that protrudes from the outer side toward the inner side along the circumferential surface thereof. The bottle body 133Y is integrally provided with a bottle gear bottle gear 137Y that meshes with a drive gear of a Y toner replenishing device described later. The bottle gear 137Y has a plurality of teeth throughout the entire circumferential direction of the bottle main body 133Y. When the driving force from the driving gear of the toner replenishing device is transmitted to the bottle gear 137Y, it is rotated in the direction of arrow B in the figure so that the central axis A extending in the longitudinal direction of the bottle body 133Y becomes the rotation central axis. Thereby, the Y toner in the bottle main body 133Y moves along the toner guide 133a toward the cap part 134Y. Then, the bottle enters the cap part 134Y from the bottle main body 133Y through the opening.

  FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the cap portion 134Y when the toner bottle 132Y is cut along the central axis A so as to pass through the toner discharge port. An engagement protrusion 133b is formed on the peripheral surface of the bottle body 133Y that forms the opening C. On the other hand, the cap part 134Y is provided with an engaging protrusion 134a that fits into a recess between the engaging protrusion 133b and the bottle gear 137Y. And the opening part C of the bottle main body 133Y is covered by the cap part 134Y by attaching the cap part 134Y to the bottle main body 133Y so that the engaging protrusion 134a of the cap part 134Y fits in the concave part.

The cap part 134Y is a columnar member having a slightly smaller diameter than the bottle main body 133Y, and a handle 135Y as a displacement member is integrally provided on the peripheral surface thereof. A guide rail 134b is formed on the peripheral surface of the cap part 134Y to guide the shutter 136Y to move relative to the cap part 134Y in the rotation direction of the bottle body 133Y (regardless of forward or reverse).
The shutter 136Y can slide in the rotation direction of the bottle main body 133Y along the peripheral surface of the cap portion 134Y while being guided by the guide rail 134b. In the state shown in the figure, the shutter 136Y is positioned at a closing position that closes the toner discharge port D provided on the peripheral surface of the cap portion 134Y. Further, since the toner discharge port D communicates with the opening C, Y toner will be spilled if the shutter 136Y is opened when a user or the like handles the toner bottle 132Y. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the shutter 136 is urged in the direction toward the closed position by the spring 144 as the urging means shown in FIG. 14, and the Y toner is not easily spilled by the user or the like. .

Next, the configuration of the bottle container of the toner replenishing device in which the toner bottles 132Y, 132C, 132M, and 132K are set will be described.
FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the bottle container 31 of the toner replenishing device. The bottle container 31 has four bottle containers 31Y, 31M, 31C, and 31K as container mounting portions for separately mounting the four toner bottles 132Y, 132M, 132C, and 132K. In the drawing, among the four toner bottles 132Y, 132M, 132C, and 132K, a state where the Y toner bottle 132Y is being attached is shown.

  When an operator such as a user sets the toner bottle 132Y in the Y bottle container 31Y, first, in a state where the handle 135Y of the cap portion is oriented in a direction inclined as shown in the figure with respect to the vertical direction. , Put on the bottle container 31Y for Y. Thereafter, the handle 135Y is rotated in the clockwise direction in the drawing so that the handle 135Y faces upward in the vertical direction in the same manner as the other toner bottles 132M, 132C, and 132K shown in the drawing. With such rotation of the handle 135Y, the cap part 134Y also rotates integrally. At this time, if the cap part 134Y, the bottle main body 133Y, and the attachment are strong, the bottle main body 133Y also rotates together. However, at this time, the bottle main body 133Y may or may not rotate together.

  On the other hand, since the shutter 136Y attached to the cap portion 134Y is locked by a shutter locking portion (not shown) provided on the inner surface of the bottle container 31Y, it rotates with the rotation of the cap portion 134Y. There is no. With such a configuration, when the operator performs the above-described operation while holding the handle 135Y, the toner discharge port D of the cap portion 134Y faces the inner bottom surface side (vertically in the vertical direction) of the bottle container 31Y and is in an open state. Become. The other color toner bottles 132M, 132C, and 132K are also set on the bottle containers 31M, 31C, and 31K by the same operation.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation for setting the toner bottle 132Y in the bottle container 31Y will be described in detail.
17 to 19 are a front view when the toner bottle 132Y is viewed from the cap part 134Y side, and a partial cross-sectional view showing the bottle container 31Y with the wall surface of the bottle container 31Y on the cap part 134Y side removed. It is explanatory drawing which illustrated.
As illustrated, an engagement wall 138Y that is curved in a complicated shape is provided on the end surface of the cap portion 134Y. The toner bottle 132Y is placed on the Y bottle container 31Y from the direction of the arrow E in the figure in a posture in which the handle 135Y is oriented in a direction inclined as shown in the figure with respect to the vertical direction. This posture is also a posture in which the cut of the engagement wall 138Y curved in a complicated shape is directed downward in the vertical direction. In the engagement wall 138Y of the toner bottle 132Y placed in such a posture, the engagement plate 139Y of the bottle container 31Y passes through the cut and enters the space surrounded by the engagement wall 138Y (FIG. 18). . At this time, the toner bottle 132Y is not yet set normally, and the toner discharge port D (not shown) of the cap portion 134Y remains closed by the shutter 136Y.

  In the state shown in FIG. 18, the operator holds the handle 135Y of the toner bottle 132Y placed on the bottle container 31Y, and the direction of the arrow F in the figure (clockwise) so that the handle 135Y faces upward in the vertical direction. Around). Then, the cap part 134Y, or the cap part 134Y and the bottle main body 133Y rotate in the direction of the arrow F in the figure. Along with this rotation, the shutter 136Y provided on the cap part 134Y also tries to rotate in the direction of arrow F in the figure, but the shutter 136Y comes into contact with the shutter locking part 31a of the bottle container 31Y. As a result, the shutter 136Y is prevented from rotating and resists the biasing force of the spring 144, and moves relative to the cap portion 134Y counterclockwise in the figure. Then, the toner discharge port D, which has been closed by the shutter 136Y until then, faces downward in the vertical direction and is exposed. Further, as shown in FIG. 19, the engagement wall 138Y of the cap part 134Y engages with the engagement plate 139Y of the bottle container 31Y by the rotation of the cap part 134Y in the direction of arrow F in the drawing. Thereby, the setting of the toner bottle 132Y to the bottle container 31Y is completed.

  20 is a cross-sectional view when the toner bottle 132Y is cut in a direction perpendicular to the central axis A so as to pass through the toner discharge port D. FIG. 20A shows the toner bottle 132Y in the posture shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, and FIG. 20B shows the toner bottle 132Y in the posture shown in FIG. 20A and 20B, when the handle 135Y is rotated in the direction of the arrow F in the figure, the toner discharge port D that has been closed by the shutter 136Y until then is exposed, and the vertical direction is lowered. You can see it is on the side. Thus, below the toner discharge port D facing downward in the vertical direction, a toner transport pipe (not shown) is arranged with its toner receiving port facing upward in the vertical direction. Therefore, the Y toner discharged from the toner discharge port D falls into the toner transport pipe due to its own weight.

  Next, the configuration and operation of the toner supply device will be described. FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a part of Y, M, C, and K toner replenishing devices 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40K in the printer 100. These toner replenishing devices 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40K have substantially the same configuration except that the colors of the handled toners are different from each other. Taking the Y toner supply device 40Y that handles Y toner as an example, the configuration is as follows.

  That is, the toner replenishing device 40Y includes a drive motor 41Y, a drive gear 42Y, a toner transport pipe 43Y, and the like, as in the first embodiment. Further, although not shown, the above-described bottle container 31Y for Y is also provided. When the toner bottle 132Y is correctly set in the Y bottle container 31Y as described above, the drive gear 42Y meshes with the bottle gear 137Y of the bottle body 133Y. When the drive gear 42Y is rotated by the drive motor 41Y, the rotational driving force is transmitted to the bottle main body 133Y via the bottle gear 137Y, and the bottle main body 133 rotates in the direction of arrow G in the figure. By this rotation, the Y toner accommodated in the bottle main body 133Y moves to the opening A side (front side in the figure) inside and enters the internal space of the cap part 134Y. Then, the toner is discharged from the toner discharge port D of the cap part 134Y and falls onto the toner transport pipe 43Y. In the toner transport pipe 43Y, similarly to the first embodiment, a resin coil (not shown) is provided, and this is also rotationally driven by the drive motor 41Y. The resin coil conveys the Y toner received from the toner discharge port D along the toner conveyance pipe 43Y and supplies it to a Y developing device (not shown).

Next, characteristic parts of the present invention will be described.
In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the cap part 134 has an engagement protrusion 134 a provided on the cap part 134 fitted in a recess between the engagement protrusion 133 b of the bottle main body 133 and the bottle gear 137. It is attached to the bottle body 133. When the rotational driving force from the drive motor 41Y is transmitted to the bottle main body 133Y, the bottle main body 133 is frictionally slid between the bottle 134 and the arrow G shown in FIG. 20B or FIG. Rotate in the direction of. Here, when the toner bottle 132Y is set in the bottle container 31Y, the cap part 134Y is locked with a relatively weak force by the engagement between the engagement wall 138Y provided on the bottle bottle Y and the engagement plate 139Y of the bottle container 31Y. Is done. In Configuration Example 1, as shown in FIG. 20B, the shutter 136Y moves relative to the cap part 134Y in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the bottle body 133Y (the direction of arrow G in the figure). Then, the toner discharge port D is in a closed state. Therefore, when the frictional force between the bottle main body 133Y and the cap portion 134Y exceeds the force for locking the cap portion 134Y, the cap portion 134Y rotates as the bottle main body 133Y rotates. As a result, the toner discharge port D in the open state is blocked by the shutter 136Y. In this case, even if the toner supply device is driven to rotate the bottle main body 133Y, toner supply is not performed.

  22 is a front view of the toner bottle 132Y when viewed from the cap part 134Y side, a partial cross-sectional view showing the bottle container 31Y with the wall surface of the bottle container 31Y on the cap part 134Y side removed, and the present printer. It is explanatory drawing which illustrated sectional drawing of the opening-and-closing cover 50 which is 100 cover members.

  The stack portion 50 a described above is the upper surface of the opening / closing cover 50 provided on the upper portion of the printer casing 51. The operator opens the opening / closing cover 50 to expose the toner bottles 132Y, 132M, 132C, 132K and the bottle container 31 and perform the toner bottle replacement operation. On the inner side surface of the opening / closing cover 50, there is formed a recess I in which the handle 135Y of the Y toner bottle 132Y can be accommodated when the opening / closing cover 50 is closed. In the drawing, only the upper part of the Y toner bottle 132Y is shown in the entire area of the opening / closing cover 50, but the inner surface of the opening / closing cover 50 has toner bottles 132M, 132C, 132K of other colors. Recesses I are also provided for each.

  When the toner bottle 132Y is set on the bottle container 31Y and the opening / closing cover 50 is moved in the direction of the arrow H in the figure to close the insertion / removal opening J, the handle 135Y opens and closes as shown in FIG. It enters into the recess I of the cover 50, and these are fitted. When the bottle main body 133Y is rotationally driven by the rotational driving force from the drive motor 41Y, as described above, when the frictional force between the bottle main body 133 and the cap portion 134 exceeds the force for locking the cap portion 134Y, Along with the rotation of the bottle body 133Y, the cap part 134Y also tries to rotate. However, the handle 135 </ b> Y that rotates integrally with the cap part 134 </ b> Y is regulated by fitting with the recess I of the opening / closing cover 50. In other words, even if the handle 135Y tries to displace counterclockwise in the drawing as the cap portion 134Y rotates, the handle 135Y comes into contact with the left inner wall surface (regulatory wall) in the drawing of the recess I of the opening / closing cover 50, and beyond. It cannot be displaced. As a result, the cap portion 134 that rotates integrally with the handle 135Y cannot also rotate. Therefore, the shutter 136Y positioned in a state of being pressed against the shutter locking portion 31a of the bottle container 31Y by the spring 144 does not move relative to the cap portion 134Y. Therefore, the toner discharge port D provided in the cap portion 134Y is not closed. The same applies not only to the Y toner bottle 132 but also to the other color toner bottles 132M, 132C, and 132K.

  As described above, in the first configuration example, the configuration in which the handle 135Y of the cap portion 134Y and the recess I of the opening / closing cover 50 are fitted is the opening position corresponding to the relative position of the shutter 136Y where the toner discharge port D is in the open state. The grip 135 </ b> Y is configured as a displacement regulating unit that regulates the displacement of the shutter 136 </ b> Y so as to move relative to the direction in which the toner discharge port D is closed. This configuration functions as a regulating unit that regulates relative movement of the shutter 136Y in the direction of closing the toner discharge port D with respect to the cap portion 134Y due to friction with the bottle body 133Y.

  By the way, if the operator forgets to rotate the handle 135Y, as shown in FIG. 23, even if the operator tries to close the opening / closing cover 50, the handle 135 hits the inner surface of the opening / closing cover 50 and the opening / closing cover 50 closes. Is blocked. Therefore, the operator can notice that the toner bottle 132Y is not properly set by looking at the situation where the opening / closing cover 50 cannot be closed. The same applies not only to the Y toner bottle 132 but also to the other color toner bottles 132M, 132C, and 132K.

[Configuration example 2]
Next, another configuration example regarding the toner replenishing device (hereinafter referred to as “configuration example 2”) will be described. The configuration example 2 is the same as the configuration example 1 except that the shape of the inner surface of the opening / closing cover 50 is different. Therefore, the description of the same parts as the configuration example 1 is omitted.

  FIG. 24 is a front view of the toner bottle 132Y viewed from the cap part 134Y side, a partial cross-sectional view showing the bottle container 31Y with the wall surface of the bottle container 31Y on the cap part 134Y side removed, and the present printer. It is explanatory drawing which illustrated sectional drawing of the opening-and-closing cover 150 of 100. FIG. On the inner side surface of the opening / closing cover 150, a regulating wall K is formed that restricts the handle 135Y of the Y toner bottle 132Y from rotating counterclockwise in the drawing when the opening / closing cover 150 is closed. As described above, if the frictional force between the bottle main body 133Y and the cap portion 134Y exceeds the force for locking the cap portion 134Y while the bottle main body 133Y is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow G in the figure, the cap The part 134Y also tries to rotate in the direction of the arrow G in the figure. However, even if the handle 135Y, which rotates integrally with the cap portion 134Y by this rotation, is displaced counterclockwise in the drawing, the handle 135Y may abut against the regulating wall K of the opening / closing cover 50 and be displaced further. Can not. Therefore, the cap part 134 that rotates integrally with the handle 135Y cannot also rotate. Therefore, similarly to the above-described configuration example 1, the toner discharge port D provided in the cap portion 134Y is not closed. The same applies not only to the Y toner bottle 132 but also to the other color toner bottles 132M, 132C, and 132K.

  In the present configuration example 2, even if the handle 135Y is displaced so that the cap part 134Y rotates in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow G in the figure, there is no restriction wall that comes into contact with the displacement direction of the handle 135Y. However, in that direction, the cap part 134Y does not receive a rotational force due to friction with the rotating bottle body 133Y. In addition, since the guide rail 134b for guiding the shutter 136Y is provided with the stopper 134c, the shutter 136Y does not move relative to the cap portion 134Y beyond the stopper 134c. Therefore, there is no problem even if the clockwise displacement of the handle 135Y is not restricted. On the contrary, there is a possibility that the handle 135Y at the appropriate opening position may be caught by the corner of the recess I by removing the portion that restricts the clockwise displacement of the handle 135Y in the configuration example 1 as in the present configuration example 2. Less. Therefore, the handle 135Y at an appropriate opening position is unlikely to hinder the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing cover 150. In the above description, only the toner bottle 132Y for Y has been described, but the same applies to the toner bottles 132M, 132C, and 132K for other colors.

[Configuration example 3]
Next, still another configuration example relating to the toner replenishing device (hereinafter referred to as “configuration example 3”) will be described. The configuration example 3 is the same as the configuration example 1 except that the shape of the recess formed on the inner side surface of the opening / closing cover 50 is different. Therefore, the description of the same parts as the configuration example 1 is omitted. . FIG. 25 is a front view of the toner bottle 132Y viewed from the cap part 134Y side, a partial cross-sectional view showing the bottle container 31Y with the wall surface of the bottle container 31Y on the cap part 134Y side removed, and the printer It is explanatory drawing which illustrated sectional drawing of the opening-and-closing cover 250 of 100. FIG. A concave portion I is formed on the inner side surface of the opening / closing cover 250 in the same manner as in the first structural example. However, in the third structural example, a guide surface M as a guiding means is formed at the inlet portion of the concave portion I. During the operation of closing the opening / closing cover 250, the guide surface M of the toner bottle 132Y incompletely set in which the toner discharge port D is not completely opened as shown in FIG. It contacts the handle 135Y. Then, by further closing the opening / closing cover 250, the handle 135Y slides along the guide surface M and engages with the recess I. As a result, as shown in FIG. 25B, the handle 135Y turns upward in the vertical direction, the toner bottle 13Y is set appropriately, and the toner discharge port D is completely open.

  As described above, in the third configuration example, even when the toner discharge port D is not completely opened and the toner bottle 132Y is not completely set, the toner is automatically opened by the closing operation of the opening / closing cover 250. It is set appropriately so that the outlet D is completely open. The same applies not only to the toner bottle 132Y for Y but also to the other color toner bottles 132M, 132C, 132K.

[Configuration Example 4]
Next, still another configuration example relating to the toner replenishing device (hereinafter referred to as “configuration example 4”) will be described.
FIG. 26 illustrates a front view when the toner bottle 332Y is viewed from the cap part 334Y side, and a partial cross-sectional view showing the bottle container 31Y with the wall surface of the bottle container 31Y on the cap part 334Y side removed. It is explanatory drawing. In the fourth configuration example, the toner bottle 332Y is placed on the Y bottle container 31Y as shown in FIG. 26A with the handle 335Y facing upward in the vertical direction. Then, the operator holds the handle 335Y of the toner bottle 332Y placed on the bottle container 31Y, and the direction of the arrow F in the figure so that the handle 335Y is inclined about 45 degrees with respect to the vertical direction. Rotate (clockwise). Then, as in the first to third configuration examples, the cap portion 334Y rotates in the direction of the arrow F in the figure, and the shutter 336Y is locked by the shutter locking portion 31a on the inner surface of the bottle container 31Y. As a result, as shown in FIG. 26B, the toner discharge port D of the cap portion 334Y faces the inner bottom surface side (vertically in the vertical direction) of the bottle container 31Y and is in an open state.

  27 is a front view of the toner bottle 332Y viewed from the cap section 334Y side, a partial cross-sectional view showing the bottle container 31Y with the wall surface of the bottle container 31Y on the cap section 334Y side removed, and the present printer. It is explanatory drawing which illustrated sectional drawing of the opening-and-closing cover 350 of 100. FIG. A guide convex portion 352Y that protrudes toward the handle 335Y of the Y toner bottle 332Y is provided on the lower surface of the open / close cover 350 in the fourth configuration example. Although only the Y toner bottle 332Y is shown in the entire area of the opening / closing cover 350 in the drawing, the opening / closing cover 350 also includes guide protrusions individually corresponding to the other color toner bottles. Yes.

  The guide convex portion 352Y has a cam-like round shape. In Configuration Example 4, when the toner bottle 332Y is placed on the bottle container 31Y, the handle 335Y of the cap portion 334Y faces upward in the vertical direction. If the operator holds the handle 335Y and does not rotate it in the clockwise direction in the drawing as described above, the toner discharge port D remains closed by the shutter 336Y, but the open / close cover 350 is accidentally closed. Suppose. Then, as shown in FIG. 28A, the guide convex portion 352Y of the opening / closing cover 350 contacts the handle 335Y facing upward in the vertical direction. As the opening / closing cover 350 is further closed, the handle 335Y slides along the guide convex portion 352Y and rotates about 45 [°] clockwise. As a result, as shown in FIG. 28B, the handle 335Y is oriented in a direction inclined about 45 degrees with respect to the vertical direction, the toner bottle 332Y is appropriately set, and the toner discharge port D is opened. It becomes a state. As described above, in the fourth configuration example, the guide convex portion 352Y functions as a guide unit, so that, similarly to the third configuration example, the toner discharge port D is not opened, and the toner bottle is set. Even if the opening / closing cover 350 is incomplete, the toner discharge port D is automatically set appropriately so as to be completely opened by the closing operation.

Further, when the opening / closing cover 350 is completely closed, as shown in FIG. 28 (B), even if the handle 335Y tries to displace counterclockwise in the drawing, the handle 335Y is moved to the guide convex portion 352Y of the opening / closing cover 350. It cannot be displaced because it is pushed in. That is, even if the handle 335Y is displaced in the direction in which the toner discharge port D is to be opened, the opening / closing cover 350 and the guide convex portion 352Y function as a displacement restricting means that is a restricting means, and the displacement is restricted. The Therefore, as described above, even if the cap portion 334Y tries to rotate in the direction of the arrow G in the drawing due to friction with the bottle main body 333Y that rotates in the direction of the arrow G in the drawing, the toner discharge port D may be blocked. Absent.
The same applies not only to the Y toner bottle 332Y but also to other color toner bottles.

[Configuration example 5]
Next, still another configuration example regarding the toner replenishing device (hereinafter, this configuration example will be referred to as “configuration example 5”) will be described.

  FIG. 29A is a perspective view showing the toner bottle 432Y. FIG. 29B is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the cap portion 434Y when the toner bottle 432Y is cut so as to pass through the toner discharge port D along the central axis A of the toner bottle 432Y. The toner bottle 432Y is substantially the same in the configuration of the bottle main body 433Y as in the configuration examples 1 to 4, but the configuration of the cap portion 434Y is different. That is, in the fifth configuration example, the shutter 436Y is provided so as to cover the peripheral surface of the cap portion 434Y except for a gap for discharging Y toner from the toner discharge port D. A handle 435Y held by the operator is attached to the shutter 436Y. Further, an engagement wall 438Y that engages with the engagement plate 139Y of the bottle container 31Y is provided on the end surface of the cap portion 434Y.

  30A and 30B are a front view when the toner bottle 432Y is viewed from the cap part 434Y side, and a bottle container 31Y in a state where the wall surface of the bottle container 31Y on the cap part 434Y side is removed. It is explanatory drawing which illustrated the fragmentary sectional view which shows.

  The toner bottle 432Y is placed on the bottle container 31Y in a posture in which the handle 435Y is oriented in a direction inclined as shown in FIG. This posture is also a posture in which the cut of the engagement wall 438Y provided integrally with the cap portion 434Y is directed downward in the vertical direction. At this time, the toner discharge port D formed in the cap portion 434Y is already blocked by the shutter 436Y in a state of facing downward in the vertical direction. On the engagement wall 438Y of the toner bottle 432Y placed in such a posture, the engagement plate 139Y of the bottle container 31Y passes through the cut and is formed between two engagement wall portions facing each other in parallel. Enter.

  The operator holds the handle 435Y of the toner bottle 432Y placed on the bottle container 31Y, and in the same manner as in the first configuration example, the operator moves the direction of the arrow F (clockwise) so that the handle 435Y faces upward in the vertical direction. Around). Then, the shutter 436Y also rotates in the direction of arrow F in the drawing. With this rotation, the cap portion 434Y also tries to rotate in the direction of the arrow F in the figure, but the cap portion 434Y is prevented from rotating by the engagement between the engagement wall 438Y and the engagement plate 139Y. Therefore, the shutter 436Y moves relative to the cap portion 434Y in the clockwise direction in the drawing. Then, the toner discharge port D that has been closed by the shutter 436Y communicates with the gap of the shutter 436Y so that the toner discharge port D is exposed as shown in FIG. Thereby, the setting of the toner bottle 432Y to the bottle container 31Y is completed.

  31 is a front view of the toner bottle 432Y when viewed from the cap portion 434Y side, a partial cross-sectional view showing the bottle container 31Y with the wall surface of the bottle container 31Y on the cap portion 434Y side removed, and the present printer. It is explanatory drawing which illustrated sectional drawing of the opening-and-closing cover 50 which is 100 cover members. The configuration of the opening / closing cover 50 is the same as that in the first configuration example.

  In the present configuration example 5, when the rotational driving force from the drive motor is transmitted, the bottle main body 433Y rotates while frictionally sliding with the cap portion 434Y as in the above configuration examples 1 to 4. In the configuration example 5, the cap portion 434Y is sandwiched between the engagement plate 139Y and the engagement wall 438Y and cannot be rotated, so that the cap portion 434Y is not rotationally driven by friction with the bottle body 433Y. However, in the present configuration example 5, when the bottle main body 433Y rotates, the side surface of the bottle gear 437Y integrally formed with the bottle main body 433Y and the shutter 435Y slide frictionally. Further, in Configuration Example 5, as shown in FIG. 31, when the shutter 436Y moves relative to the cap portion 434Y in the same direction as the rotation direction of the bottle body 433Y (the direction of the arrow G in the figure), the toner discharge is performed. The outlet D is in a closed state. Therefore, as the bottle main body 433Y rotates, the shutter 435Y also rotates, and the toner discharge port D in the open state may be blocked by the shutter 436Y.

  Therefore, also in the present configuration example 5, as in the above configuration example 1, when the toner bottle 432Y is set on the bottle container 31Y and the opening / closing cover 50 is closed, the handle 435Y enters the recess I of the opening / closing cover 50, and these It becomes the composition to fit. Therefore, even if the shutter 435Y is displaced counterclockwise in the drawing with the rotation of the bottle body 433Y, the handle 435Y provided integrally with the shutter 435Y is attached to the left inner wall surface in the drawing of the recess I of the opening / closing cover 50 ( It cannot be displaced further by contacting the regulating wall. Therefore, the toner discharge port D provided in the cap portion 434Y is not closed. The same applies to not only the Y toner bottle 432Y but also the other color toner bottles.

  As described above, the printer according to the second embodiment includes the process cartridge 6 and the exposure device 7 as a visible image forming unit that forms a visible toner image on the photosensitive member 1 that is an image carrier. In addition, the printer stores toner as a developer therein, and also includes a developer container including bottle bodies 133, 333, and 433, which are long container bodies having an opening C on one end surface in the longitudinal direction. A toner replenishing device 40 is provided as a developer supply device having toner bottles 132, 332, and 432 as containers (color-coded codes are omitted in the following description). The toner bottle is attached to the bottle main bodies 133, 333, and 433 so as to cover the opening C, and communicates with the opening C on a side surface (peripheral surface) in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. Cap portions 134, 334, and 434 as rotating portions having toner discharge ports D as discharge ports are provided. The toner replenishing device 40 rotates the bottle main bodies 133, 333, and 433 of the toner bottle attached to the bottle container 31 as the container mounting portion so that the central axis A extending in the longitudinal direction becomes the rotation central axis. Then, the toner in the bottle body is moved to the opening C side and discharged through the toner discharge port D of the cap portions 134, 334, 434, and is supplied to the developing device 5 which is a developer supply target. This printer is provided with shutters 136, 336, and 436 that open and close the toner discharge port D by moving relative to the cap portions 134, 334, and 434 along the rotation direction of the bottle bodies 133, 333, and 433. Yes. Further, the bottle bodies 133, 333, and 433 generate a frictional force that causes the cap portions 134, 334, and 434 and the shutters 136, 336, and 436 to move relative to each other in the direction in which the toner discharge port D is closed. It has the structure rotated while giving to. Therefore, with the rotation of the bottle bodies 133, 333, and 433, the cap portions 134 and 334 in the configuration examples 1 to 4 and the shutter 436 in the configuration example 5 rotate, and the toner discharge port that is in the open state. D may be blocked by the shutters 136, 336, and 436.

  Therefore, in the printer of the second embodiment, the cap portions 134 and 334 are caused by friction with the bottle body while the bottle bodies 133, 333, and 433 are rotated in order to discharge the toner in the bottle body from the toner discharge port D. , 434 and the shutters 136, 336, 436 are provided with restricting means for restricting relative movement in the direction in which the toner discharge port D is closed. The example of this control means is as having demonstrated in each structural example mentioned above.

  With such a configuration, the shutters 136, 336, and 436 that move relative to the cap portions 134, 334, and 434 are provided, and the bottle bodies 133, 333, and 433 rub against the cap portion or the shutter as described above. Even if it is configured to rotate while sliding, it is possible to prevent the toner discharge port D from being closed as the bottle body rotates without changing this configuration. In particular, in the above configuration examples 1 to 4, when the toner bottles 132 and 332 are attached to the bottle container 31, the rotation prevention that prevents the shutters 136 and 336 from rotating along the rotation direction of the bottle bodies 133 and 333. A shutter locking portion 31a is provided as a means. Then, by rotating the cap portions 134 and 334 along the rotation direction of the bottle bodies 133 and 333, the cap portion and the shutters 136 and 336 are relatively moved to open and close the toner discharge port D. In such a configuration, when the bottle main bodies 133 and 333 are rotated, the cap portions 134 and 334 are also rotated by the frictional force with the bottle main bodies 133 and 333, and the toner discharge port D may be closed. However, as described in the first to fourth configuration examples, the cap portions 134 and 334 do not rotate even when the bottle main bodies 133 and 333 are rotated by the regulating means exemplified in these configuration examples. Therefore, the toner discharge port D is not closed during toner supply.

  In the configuration example 5 described above, when the toner bottle 432 is attached to the bottle container 31, the engagement plate 139 </ b> Y serving as a rotation blocking unit that blocks the cap unit 434 from rotating along the rotation direction of the bottle main body 433, and An engagement wall 438Y is provided. Then, by rotating the shutter 436 along the rotation direction of the bottle main body 433, the shutter and the cap portion 434 are relatively moved to open and close the toner discharge port D. In such a configuration, when the bottle main body 433 is rotated, the shutter 436 is also rotated by the frictional force with the bottle main body 433, and the toner discharge port D may be closed. However, as described in the configuration example 5 above, the shutter 436 does not rotate even when the bottle body 433 is rotated by the restricting means exemplified in this configuration example. Therefore, the toner discharge port D is not closed during toner supply.

  In the above configuration examples 1 to 5, the cap portions 134, 334, 434 and the shutters 136, 336, 436 are relatively moved in conjunction with the displacement of the grips 135, 335, 435 as displacement members. . By providing such handles 135, 335, and 435, an operator such as a user can open and close the toner discharge port with a simple operation. In these configuration examples, the grips 135 and 335 at the opening positions corresponding to the relative positions of the cap portions 134, 334, and 434 where the toner discharge port D is opened and the shutters 136, 336, and 436 are used as the restricting means. , 435 use displacement regulating means for regulating displacement of the cap portion and the shutter so as to move relative to each other in the direction in which the toner discharge port D is closed. As the displacement restricting means, the concave portion I is used in the first, third and fifth structural examples, the regulating wall K is used in the second structural example, and the guide convex portion 352 is used in the fourth structural example.

  In the first to fifth configuration examples, the visible image forming unit and the toner replenishing device are disposed in the housing 51. The housing 51 includes an insertion / removal opening J for attaching / detaching the toner bottles 132, 332, 432 to / from the bottle container 31, and an opening / closing cover 50 as a cover member for opening / closing the insertion / removal opening J. , 150, 250, 350. In these configuration examples, the grips 135, 335, and 435 at the opening positions are brought into contact with the restriction walls formed on the inner surfaces of the open / close covers 50, 150, 250, and 350 in the closed state. Is regulated. This restriction wall is the inner wall of the recess I in the configuration examples 1, 3, and 5, the restriction wall K in the configuration example 2, and the guide convex part 352 in the configuration example 4. According to such a configuration, the toner discharge port D is blocked by the rotation of the bottle body in conjunction with the operation of the opening / closing covers 50, 150, 250, and 350 that are always performed by an operator such as a user when replacing the toner bottle. It can be prevented from becoming a state. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the toner discharge port D from being closed due to the rotation of the bottle body without adding a new work to the replacement work of the toner bottle, and the work load is not imposed on the operator.

  In particular, as in the above configuration example 1, when the handle 135 is in the open position, the handle is positioned at a position protruding toward the insertion / removal opening J, and the opening / closing cover 50 is closed to open / close the handle 135. If the concave portion I formed on the inner surface of the cover is fitted to the handle 135 at the opening position, the rotation of the bottle body can be performed only by adding a simple configuration of providing the concave portion on the inner surface of the opening / closing cover 50. As a result, the toner discharge port D can be prevented from being closed.

  Further, as in the configuration examples 3 and 4 described above, during the operation of closing the open / close covers 250 and 350 with respect to the casing 51, the handle is opened while the inner surface of the open / close cover is in contact with the handle 135 that is not in the open position. If the guide means for guiding to the position is provided, the opening / closing cover, which is an operation normally performed by the operator, even if the toner bottle 132 is not properly set and the toner discharge port D is not completely opened. By the operation of closing 50, the toner bottle 132 is automatically set appropriately. Therefore, even if the toner bottle 132 is not properly set, the toner bottle 132 is appropriately set by simply closing the open / close cover 50 by the operator, and the convenience for the operator is improved.

  Further, the toner bottles 132, 332, and 432 according to the second exemplary embodiment have cap portions 134, 334, and 434 as rotating portions that can rotate relative to the container main body. A discharge port D that discharges the developer inside the container and shutters 136, 336, and 436 that open and close the discharge port D by rotation of the cap when the toner bottle is mounted on the printer body are provided. Further, grips 135, 335, and 435 are provided on the circumferential sides of the cap parts 134, 334, and 434 as engaging parts that engage with the printer main body and prevent the cap part from rotating. As a result, when the toner bottles 132, 332, and 432 are set in the printer body, the cap portions 134, 334, and 434 do not rotate. Therefore, it is possible to prevent problems such as the cap unit rotating in the opposite direction during the setting and being erroneously set or the shutters 136, 336, and 436 dropping out.

  In particular, the toner bottles 132, 332, and 432 according to the second embodiment are detachable from above the printer main body, and the grips 135, 335, and 435 are the opening and closing covers 50, 150, and, which are cover members of the printer main body. It is desirable that the protrusions engage with the inner surfaces of 250 and 350.

  In addition, the toner bottles 132, 332, and 432 according to the second exemplary embodiment include cap portions 134, 334, and 434 as rotating portions that can rotate relative to the container main body. A discharge port D for discharging the developer inside the container, shutters 136, 336, and 436 for opening and closing the discharge port D, and the cap portion rotating in the first direction when the toner bottle is attached to the printer body. Handles 135, 335, and 435 as first rotation preventing portions for preventing the toner and the toner bottle are mounted on the printer main body, and the cap portion rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction, whereby the shutter 136 is rotated. , 336, 436, and an engagement wall 138 as a second anti-rotation portion for preventing the cap portion from further rotating in the second direction.Accordingly, it is possible to prevent erroneous setting of the toner bottle and to prevent problems caused by the cap portion rotating more than necessary when the shutter is opened.

  In the second embodiment, an example in which toner is stored as a developer in a toner bottle as a developer container has been described. However, the present invention can be applied even when the following is used as a developer. That is, a two-component developer containing a toner and a magnetic carrier, a liquid developer containing a toner and a liquid carrier, a magnetic carrier, a liquid carrier, and the like. In the second embodiment, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus that forms an image by another method such as a direct recording method. In this direct recording method, regardless of the latent image carrier, the image is directly formed by forming a pixel image by directly adhering a toner group that has been ejected in a dot shape from a toner flying device to a recording medium or an intermediate recording medium. It is a method to form.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged configuration diagram illustrating a process cartridge for Y of the printer according to the first embodiment and its periphery. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a toner bottle for Y of the printer shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a bottle container and four toner bottles in the printer. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a part of a toner supply device for Y, M, C, and K in the printer. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a process cartridge for each color and a part of a toner supply device for each color. FIG. 2A is a schematic perspective view of a toner bottle according to the first embodiment with a resin case removed. FIG. 3B is a front view of the toner bottle according to the first embodiment viewed from the opening side from which the resin case is removed. 2A and 2B are side views of the toner bottle according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating a modified example of a toner bottle to which the present invention can be applied. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a cross-section and a side surface of a bottle container in the printer together with a front surface of a Y toner bottle (before bottle placement). It is a figure which shows the cross section and side surface of the bottle container with the front of the toner bottle for Y (just after bottle mounting). It is a figure which shows the cross section and side surface of the bottle container together with the front of the toner bottle for Y (after bottle rotation). FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram in which the position of the drive gear is variously changed with respect to the bottle gear of the toner bottle for Y. 6 is a perspective view showing a toner bottle for Y in Configuration Example 1 of Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of a cap portion when cut so as to pass through a toner discharge port along the central axis of the toner bottle. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a bottle container and four toner bottles that support the toner bottle. Explanatory drawing which showed the front view when the toner bottle is seen from the cap part side, and the partial sectional view which shows the bottle container of the state which removed the wall surface of the bottle container of the cap part side (before bottle mounting) It is. Explanatory drawing which showed the front view when seeing the toner bottle from the cap part side, and the fragmentary sectional view which shows the bottle container of the state which removed the wall surface of the bottle container of the cap part side (after bottle mounting) It is. The front view when the toner bottle is viewed from the cap part side, and an explanatory view illustrating the bottle container in a state where the wall surface of the bottle container on the cap part side is removed (when setting is completed) is there. (A) and (B) are cross-sectional views when the toner bottle is cut in a direction orthogonal to the central axis so as to pass through the toner discharge port. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a part of a toner supply device for Y, M, C, and K in which the toner bottle is set. A front view of the toner bottle when viewed from the cap side, a partial cross-sectional view showing the bottle container in a state where the wall surface of the bottle container on the cap part side is removed, and a cross-sectional view of the opening / closing cover of the apparatus housing are illustrated. FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the opening / closing cover is prevented from being closed when the opening / closing cover is to be closed even though the toner bottle is not properly set. A front view of the toner bottle in the configuration example 2 when viewed from the cap part side, a partial sectional view showing the bottle container in a state where the wall surface of the bottle container on the cap part side is removed, and a sectional view of the opening / closing cover FIG. (A) and (B) show that the toner bottle is properly set according to the closing operation of the opening / closing cover when the opening / closing cover is closed even though the toner bottle is not set properly. FIG. (A) illustrates a front view of the toner bottle in the configuration example 4 when viewed from the cap part side, and a partial sectional view showing the bottle container in a state where the wall surface of the bottle container on the cap part side is removed. (B) is a front view when the toner bottle is viewed from the cap part side, and the bottle container in a state where the wall surface of the bottle container on the cap part side is removed. It is explanatory drawing which illustrated the fragmentary sectional view which shows a container (at the time of a set completion). A front view of the toner bottle as viewed from the cap part side, a partial sectional view showing the bottle container in a state where the wall surface of the bottle container on the cap part side is removed, and a sectional view of the opening / closing cover are illustrated. It is explanatory drawing (before a cover closes). (A) and (B) show that the toner bottle is properly set according to the closing operation of the opening / closing cover when the opening / closing cover is closed even though the toner bottle is not set properly. FIG. FIG. 9A is a perspective view illustrating a toner bottle for Y in Configuration Example 5. FIG. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the cap portion when the toner bottle is cut so as to pass through the toner discharge port along the central axis of the toner bottle. (A) is an explanatory view showing a front view when the toner bottle is viewed from the cap part side, and a partial cross section showing the bottle container in a state where the wall surface of the bottle container on the cap part side is removed. (After the bottle is placed), (B) is a front view when the toner bottle is viewed from the cap part side, and a partial cross section showing the bottle container in a state where the wall surface of the bottle container on the cap part side is removed. Is an explanatory diagram showing (when the set is completed). FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a state where the toner bottle is properly set and the opening / closing cover is closed. (A) is a perspective view showing a conventional toner bottle. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the cap portion when the toner bottle is cut so as to pass through the toner discharge port along the central axis of the toner bottle. It is a figure for demonstrating that the outer diameter of a gear is smaller than the outer diameter of the main-body part of a developer container. FIG. 3 is an overall view for explaining a characteristic portion of a developer container in an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Photoconductor (image carrier)
6 Process Cartridge 7 Exposure Device 31 Bottle Container 31a Shutter Locking Section 32, 132, 332, 432 Toner Bottle (Developer Container)
34, 134, 334, 434 Cap part (rotating part)
35, 135, 335, 435 Handle 36, 136, 336, 436 Shutter 37, 137 Bottle gear 38, 138 Engagement wall 39, 139 Engagement plate 40 Toner supply device 42 Drive gear 50, 150, 250, 350 Open / close cover 60 Roller 90Y Projection part A Center axis C Opening part D Toner discharge port I Concave part J Insertion / removal opening K Restriction wall M Guide surface

Claims (10)

A developer container that can store a developer supplied to an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier,
A container main body comprising a rotating body that is mounted on a developer supply unit for the image carrier and is driven to rotate to move and discharge the developer contained therein, and the container main body includes the container main body. A gear for transmitting rotation is provided, and the outer diameter of the gear is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the container body so that interference with a member disposed in the vicinity of the mounting position at the time of mounting can be prevented. A developer container, characterized in that The developer container according to claim 1.
The developer container is characterized in that the container body has a cylindrical shape, and the rotational driving force transmission gear is provided coaxially with the rotation center of the container body. The developer container according to claim 1 or 2,
The developer container, wherein the gear is integrally formed using the same material as the container body. The developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A developer container, characterized in that an inner surface of the container body is provided with a transport unit that moves the developer in the axial direction by rotation. The developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The developer container, wherein the container main body is provided with a fixing portion capable of covering the outer periphery of the gear installation portion. The developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The developer container is characterized in that the container body is provided with a misalignment prevention unit engageable with the mounting position of the container body. The developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The developer container is characterized in that the container body is provided with a configuration for positioning a developer discharge portion at a specified discharge position.   A developer supply apparatus using the developer container according to claim 1.   An image forming apparatus using the developer supply device according to claim 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9.
An image forming apparatus comprising the developer container corresponding to a plurality of colors.

Images