JP2006084755A - Toner cartridge, image forming apparatus and method for reproducing toner cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner cartridge capable of more surely suppressing the load variation of a driving motor which may be caused by the play of a bottle part 101Y while evading deterioration in the degree of freedom of layout which may be caused by a state that horizontal space is small than vertical space. <P>SOLUTION: A drive receiving gear 111Y is formed on the tip part of the bottle part 101Y, a cap part 105Y which is a peripheral cover part for covering the rotational periphery of the tip part is formed in a holder part 102Y, the movement of the bottle part 101Y in a direction orthogonal to a rotary axis direction is regulated by butting between a position of the tip part which corresponds to the back side of the arrangement position of the drive receiving gear 111Y and the inner peripheral surface of the cap part 105Y and the drive receiving gear 111Y is partially exposed from a gear exposing aperture A formed on the cap part 105Y. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner cartridge that can be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, or a printer, an image forming apparatus that uses the toner cartridge, and a toner cartridge reproducing method that reproduces the toner cartridge.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus that forms a toner image on a recording medium such as transfer paper by using an electrophotographic method or a direct recording method using toner is known. The electrophotographic method is a method in which toner is attached to a latent image formed on a latent image carrier such as a photoconductor to form a toner image on the latent image carrier. In addition, the direct recording method, for example, as in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the toner group that has been ejected from the toner flying device is directly attached to the recording body regardless of the latent image carrier, and the toner image is formed. It is a method to form.

  In these methods, since toner is consumed as the image is formed, it is necessary to periodically replenish the image forming apparatus main body with toner. As a method for replenishing toner, a method is known in which toner cartridges described in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 are replaced with new ones.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a toner replenishing device of an image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2. In the figure, the toner replenishing device includes a toner cartridge 150, a tubular nozzle 160, a transport tube 170, an air pump 180, a suction pump 190, and the like. The toner cartridge 150 includes a deformable bag portion 151 and a cap portion 152 fixed to the bag portion 151. The upper half of the bag portion 151 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, but the lower half has an inverted quadrangular pyramid shape. With such an inverted quadrangular pyramid shape, a hopper that tapers toward the opening provided at the lower end of the bag portion 151 is formed. The cap portion 152 is provided with a first space communicating with an opening formed at the lower end of the hopper and a second space communicating with the first space via a communication port 155. Of these, the first space is filled with toner falling by its own weight from the hopper of the bag portion 151. On the other hand, a cylindrical nozzle 160 is inserted into the second space so that a toner receiving port provided on a side surface thereof faces a communication port between the first space and the second space.

  The toner cartridge 150 is set on a support base (not shown) in a posture in which the cap portion 152 is directed downward in the vertical direction. Then, when the internal toner is almost exhausted, it is replaced with a new one. At the time of this replacement, the used toner cartridge is pulled out from the nozzle 160 fixed to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and then a new toner cartridge is attached to the nozzle 160.

  A transport tube 170 and a suction pump 190 are sequentially connected to the rear end side of the nozzle 160 inserted into the second space of the cap portion 152 of the toner cartridge 150. When the suction pump 190 is activated, the toner in the first space of the cap portion 152 is sucked through the transport tube 170 and the nozzle 160 and flows into the nozzle 160. Then, it passes through the transport tube 170 and the suction pump 190 and is discharged to a transport destination such as a developing device.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the toner cartridge described in Patent Document 3. As shown in FIG. The toner cartridge 250 includes a bottle portion 251 that stores toner, and a cylindrical holder portion 252 that is a rotation engagement member that is rotatably engaged with the bottle portion 251. The cylindrical holder 252 is engaged with the tip of the bottle 251 so as to cover an opening (not shown) provided at the tip of the bottle 251. A drive receiving gear 253 is provided on the front end side of the bottle portion 251 over the entire circumference. A driving gear (not shown) fixed to the image forming apparatus main body rotates while meshing with the drive receiving gear 253, so that the bottle portion 251 rotates while being held by the holder portion 252. When the bottle portion 251 rotates while being held by the holder portion 252, the toner in the bottle portion 251 is conveyed from the rear end side of the bottle toward the front end side by the spiral protrusion 254 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the bottle portion 251. The Then, it flows into the holder portion 252 through an opening (not shown) provided at the tip of the bottle portion 251.

  A shutter member 255 is slidably movable in the cylindrical circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical holder portion 252 with which the tip of the bottle portion 251 is engaged. In the state shown in the figure, the shutter member 255 covers a toner discharge port (not shown) provided on the outer peripheral surface of the holder portion 252. When the toner cartridge 250 is set on a cartridge support base of an image forming apparatus main body (not shown), a convex part (not shown) provided on the holder portion 252 is engaged with a concave part (not shown) provided on the cartridge support base. This engagement is performed by the operator holding the handle 256 of the toner cartridge 250 placed on the cartridge support and rotating the holder portion 252. During this rotation, only the shutter member 255 of the entire holder portion 252 hits the protrusion of the cartridge support base and is prevented from rotating. Then, the discharge port (not shown) that has been covered by the shutter member 255 until then is gradually exposed and moved to a position facing the toner receiving port of the cartridge support (not shown). When the bottle portion 251 of the toner cartridge 250 rotates in the state of being set on the cartridge support in this manner, the toner in the bottle portion 251 flows into the holder portion 252. The inflowing toner is discharged from the toner discharge port of the holder portion 252 toward the toner receiving port (not shown) by its own weight.

JP 2002-307737 A JP 2004-18138 A JP 2004-139031 A

  In order to reduce the replacement frequency of these toner cartridges, it is necessary to increase the toner storage capacity as much as possible. In the toner cartridge 150 shown in FIG. 1, in order to increase the toner accommodation amount, the size of the cartridge must be increased in the vertical direction. This is for the reason explained below. That is, the toner cartridge 150 is configured such that the toner in the bag portion 151 is collected by its own weight along the taper of the lower half of the bag portion toward the opening and dropped from the opening into the cap portion 152. In such a configuration, if the size of the bag portion 151 is increased in the horizontal direction, the toner cannot be satisfactorily slid on the taper of the hopper, and a large amount is accumulated in the hopper. In order to make the toner slide well, the taper must be kept to a certain length, and for that purpose, the size of the bag portion 151 in the horizontal direction needs to be kept small to some extent. Therefore, in order to increase the toner storage amount, it is necessary to increase the cartridge size in the vertical direction.

  However, when the size of the cartridge is increased in the vertical direction, the degree of freedom of layout in the image forming apparatus main body is deteriorated as compared with the case where the cartridge is increased in the horizontal direction. This is for the reason explained below. That is, in general, an image forming apparatus uses many members that take up a space in the horizontal direction rather than the vertical direction, such as a drum-shaped photoconductor and various rollers. In the housing of such an image forming apparatus, for example, a space that extends long in the horizontal direction, such as a space formed between two rollers arranged in parallel with each other, is easily formed, but a space that extends long in the vertical direction. It is difficult to do. For this reason, when a toner cartridge that is large and bulky in the vertical direction is used, the degree of freedom of layout in the apparatus is deteriorated.

  On the other hand, the toner cartridge 250 shown in FIG. 2 has an elongated cylindrical shape and is set in a state where it is laid down in the horizontal direction. Like a photoconductor and various rollers, it is set so that it takes up more space in the horizontal direction than in the vertical direction. For this reason, it is possible to avoid a deterioration in the degree of freedom of layout due to taking a space in the vertical direction rather than the horizontal direction.

  However, the toner cartridge 250 can easily increase the load fluctuation with respect to the drive motor that is the drive source of the bottle unit 251. Specifically, the holder portion 252 of the illustrated toner cartridge 250 is firmly fixed by a positioning member (not illustrated) of the printer main body, and thus does not rattle within the printer main body. On the other hand, although the elongate bottle portion 251 has the tip portion rotatably engaged with the holder portion 252 firmly fixed in this manner, it is not completely fixed. Therefore, it is easy to rattle in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis. When such rattling occurs, the amount of meshing between the drive receiving gear 253 provided on the rotation peripheral surface of the bottle portion 251 and the driving gear (not shown) on the image forming apparatus main body side changes. As a result, load fluctuations of the drive motor occur. In the bottle portion 251, the amount of displacement due to rattling increases from the front end side engaged with the holder portion 252 fixed by the positioning member toward the rear end side not engaged with the holder portion 252. In view of this, in the illustrated toner cartridge 250, the drive receiving gear 253 is provided at the front end portion whose displacement is smaller than that of the rear end portion, thereby minimizing the load fluctuation of the drive motor due to rattling. However, even with such a configuration, the load fluctuation of the drive motor cannot be sufficiently suppressed depending on the amount of backlash of the bottle unit 251 as the toner container.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and an object thereof is to provide the following toner cartridge, image forming apparatus, and toner cartridge manufacturing method. In other words, toner that can more reliably suppress fluctuations in the load of the drive motor due to rattling of a toner container such as a bottle while avoiding deterioration in layout flexibility due to taking a space in the vertical direction rather than the horizontal direction. Cartridges and the like.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to a toner container for containing toner and a rotation with respect to the toner container so as to cover an opening formed at a tip portion of the toner container. A rotating engagement member that freely engages, and a drive receiving gear that is provided on the rotational peripheral surface of the toner container so as to receive the rotational driving force of the driving-side gear that is rotationally driven; In the toner cartridge that discharges the toner in the toner container from the opening into the rotation engaging member with the rotation of the toner container, and then discharges the toner out of the rotation engaging member, the drive receiving gear is connected to the toner container. Provided in the tip portion, a peripheral surface covering portion that covers the rotational peripheral surface of the tip portion is provided in the rotational engagement member, a location on the rear end side relative to the location of the drive receiving gear in the tip portion, Abutment with the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral surface covering portion Thereby restricting the movement of the toner container in the direction orthogonal to the rotational axis direction, and partially exposing the drive receiving gear from the gear exposure opening provided in the cover. It is characterized by.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge of the first aspect, a tube insertion portion in which an insertion passage for inserting a tube member fixed to the main body of the image forming apparatus is formed. The rotation engagement member is provided so as to extend in a direction parallel to the rotation axis direction of the vessel.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge of the first or second aspect, the toner cartridge engages with a convex portion protruding along a direction parallel to the toner container rotation axis direction of the positioning member fixed to the image forming apparatus main body. A concave engagement portion for causing the rotation is provided at a position shifted from the rotation axis of the toner container in the rotation engagement member.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the toner cartridge of the first or second aspect, the positioning member fixed to the main body of the image forming apparatus is engaged with a recess recessed along a direction parallel to the toner container rotation axis direction. For this purpose, the convex engagement portion is provided at a position shifted from the rotation axis of the toner container in the rotation engagement member.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge according to the third or fourth aspect, a tube insertion portion in which an insertion passage for inserting a tube member fixed to the image forming apparatus main body is formed. The rotation engagement member is provided so as to extend in a direction parallel to the rotation axis direction of the toner container.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge of the second or fifth aspect, the toner container is a cylindrical one elongated in the direction of the rotation axis.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge of the second, fifth or sixth aspect, the toner storage portion for storing the toner sent from the toner container, the toner storage portion and the insertion passage, The communication passage is provided in the rotation engagement member in a positional relationship in which the insertion passage, the communication passage, and the toner storage portion are sequentially arranged in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction. Is.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge of the seventh aspect, the communication path is provided so as to extend straight in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge of the eighth aspect, a taper that tapers from the toner storage portion side toward the insertion passage side is provided in the communication passage. .
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge according to the seventh, eighth, or ninth aspect, a shutter member that closes the opening on the insertion passage side in the communication passage includes a position that closes the opening in the insertion passage; It is characterized by being provided so as to be slidable between a position where the opening is exposed.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge of the tenth aspect, a seal member for sealing between the tube insertion portion and the shutter member inserted in the insertion passage is provided on the tube insertion portion. It is fixed to the inner wall of the insertion passage.
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge according to the eleventh aspect, the seal member is disposed on the upstream side in the tube member insertion direction with respect to the communication passage in the insertion passage with respect to the communication passage. It is provided in the downstream part.
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge of any of the first to twelfth aspects, the toner is accommodated in the toner container.
The invention according to claim 14 is the toner cartridge according to claim 13, wherein the toner is refilled into the toner container that has become empty due to use in the image forming apparatus. It is characterized by being.
According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge of the thirteenth or fourteenth aspect, a plurality of toner cartridges that are set in the same image forming apparatus and that store different color toners in the toner container are provided. Each of the rotation engagement members has a different shape so that the shape of the projected image of the rotation engagement member in the rotation axis direction is different.
According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner image forming means for forming a toner image on a recording medium, and a toner for supplying the toner image forming means, and is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body. In the image forming apparatus including the toner cartridge, the tube member for using the toner cartridge according to any one of claims 2 and 5 to 12 and being inserted into the insertion passage of the toner cartridge is used. And suction means for transporting the toner from the rotation engagement member to the toner image forming means via the tube member by sucking the toner in the rotation engagement member through the tube member. It is characterized by this.
According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the sixteenth aspect, the toner cartridge according to the fifth aspect is used, and the tube is used when the toner cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. The engagement of the concave engaging portion or the convex engaging portion of the positioning member is started before the insertion into the insertion passage into the member.
The invention according to claim 18 is configured to accommodate a toner image forming unit for forming a toner image on a recording medium and a toner to be supplied to the toner image forming unit and to be detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. In the image forming apparatus including the toner cartridge, the toner cartridge according to any one of claims 3 to 6 is used, and a concave portion or a convex portion that is engaged with the engaging convex portion or the engaging concave portion is formed. The above-described positioning member is provided.
According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner container for containing toner, and the toner container can be rotated while being engaged with the toner container so as to cover an opening formed in the toner container. A rotation engaging member held on the toner container, and the toner in the toner container is fed into the rotation engaging member from the opening as the toner container rotates. In the toner cartridge recycling method for refilling the toner container in the toner cartridge to be discharged and regenerating the toner cartridge, the toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 15 is used as the toner cartridge. Removing the container from the rotation engaging member, refilling the toner container after removal, and removing the toner container from the rotation engaging member. It is characterized in that to implement the kick process.
According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner container for containing toner, and the toner container can be rotated while being engaged with the toner container so as to cover an opening formed in the toner container. A rotation engaging member held on the toner container, and the toner in the toner container is fed into the rotation engaging member from the opening as the toner container rotates. In a toner cartridge recycling method for refilling toner in the toner container of the toner cartridge to be discharged and regenerating the toner cartridge, the toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 15 is used as the toner cartridge. A step of forming a hole for filling in the toner container; a step of refilling the toner into the toner container through the hole; and a step of closing the hole. That.

In these inventions, the toner in the toner container is not fed into the rotation engagement member depending only on its own weight but is fed using the rotational force of the toner container. In such a configuration, even if the toner container is set in a posture that takes a space in the horizontal direction rather than the vertical direction, the toner in the toner container can be fed into the rotation engaging member without remaining, so the horizontal It is possible to avoid a deterioration in the degree of freedom in layout due to setting in a posture that takes a space in the vertical direction rather than the direction.
In addition, in the front end of the toner container that is covered by the peripheral surface covering portion of the rotation engaging member, a region on the rear end side of the portion where the drive receiving gear is provided is arranged on the peripheral surface covering portion of the rotation engaging member. Make it hit the inner surface. Then, by restricting the movement of the toner container in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis direction by this abutment, the toner container is moved in the direction as compared with the conventional toner cartridge which has not restricted the movement. Reduce the amount of rattling. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably suppress the load fluctuation of the drive motor due to the backlash of the toner container. Note that if the entire area of the front end portion of the toner container is covered by the peripheral surface covering portion of the rotation engaging member, the drive receiving gear is covered by the peripheral surface covering portion, so that the driving gear on the image forming apparatus main body side is covered. It becomes impossible to bite. However, in the present invention, since the drive receiving gear is partially exposed from the gear exposing opening provided in the peripheral surface covering portion, the exposed portion can be meshed with the driving gear.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electrophotographic printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) will be described as an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
First, the basic configuration of the printer will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the printer. In the figure, the printer includes four process cartridges 1Y, 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 image forming substances for forming an image, but the other configurations are the same and are replaced when the lifetime is reached. Taking a process cartridge 1Y for generating a Y toner image as an example, as shown in FIG. 4, a drum-shaped photoconductor 2Y, a drum cleaning device 3Y, a charge eliminating device (not shown), a charging device 4Y, a developing device 5Y, and the like. It has. The process cartridge 1Y can be attached to and detached from the printer body, so that consumable parts can be replaced at a time.

  The charging device 4Y uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor 2Y that is rotated clockwise in the drawing by a driving unit (not shown). In the figure, a charging bias is applied by a power source (not shown), and a charging roller 6Y that is driven to rotate counterclockwise in the drawing is brought into contact with the photosensitive member 2Y to uniformly charge the photosensitive member 2Y. A charging device 4Y is shown. Instead of the charging roller 6Y, a roller that contacts a charging brush may be used. Moreover, you may use what performs a charging process without contact with respect to the photoreceptor 2Y like a scorotron charger. The surface of the photoreceptor 2Y that is uniformly charged by the charging device 4Y is exposed and scanned by a laser beam emitted from an optical writing unit, which will be described later, and carries an electrostatic latent image for Y.

  The developing device 5Y has a first agent storage portion 8Y in which a first transport screw 7Y is disposed. Further, it also has a second agent storage portion 13Y in which a toner concentration sensor (hereinafter referred to as a T sensor) 9Y including a magnetic permeability sensor, a second transport screw 10Y, a developing roll 11Y, a doctor blade 12Y, and the like are disposed. In these two agent storage portions, a Y developer (not shown) composed of a magnetic carrier and a negatively chargeable Y toner is included. The first transport screw 7Y is driven to rotate by a driving unit (not shown), thereby transporting the Y developer in the first agent storage portion 8Y from the front side to the back side in the drawing. And it penetrates into the 2nd agent accommodating part 13Y through the communication port which is not shown in the partition wall between the 1st agent accommodating part 8Y and the 2nd agent accommodating part 13Y. The second transport screw 10Y in the second agent storage unit 13Y is driven to rotate by a driving unit (not shown), thereby transporting the Y developer from the back side to the front side in the drawing. The toner density of the Y developer in the middle of conveyance is detected by the T sensor 9Y fixed to the bottom of the first agent storage portion 13Y. In the upper part of the second conveying screw 10Y for conveying the Y developer in this way, a developing roll 11Y containing the magnet roller 15Y in a nonmagnetic pipe 14Y that is driven to rotate counterclockwise in the figure is arranged in parallel. It is installed. The Y developer conveyed by the second conveying screw 10Y is pumped up to the surface of the nonmagnetic pipe 14Y by the magnetic force generated by the magnet roller 15Y. Then, after the layer thickness of the non-magnetic pipe 14Y is regulated by a doctor blade 12Y disposed so as to maintain a predetermined gap, the layer thickness is regulated and conveyed to a developing region facing the photoconductor 2Y. Y toner is adhered to the electrostatic latent image. This adhesion forms a Y toner image on the photoreceptor 2Y. The Y developer that has consumed the Y toner by the development is returned to the second conveying screw 10Y as the nonmagnetic pipe 14Y of the developing roll 11Y rotates. And if it conveys to the front end in a figure, it will return in the 1st agent accommodating part 8Y via the communication port which is not shown in figure.

  The result of detecting the magnetic permeability of the Y developer by the T sensor 9Y is sent as a voltage signal to a control unit (not shown). Since the magnetic permeability of the Y developer has a correlation with the Y toner concentration of the Y developer, the T sensor 9Y outputs a voltage having a value corresponding to the Y toner concentration. The control unit includes a RAM, and outputs from the V Vref for Y, which is a target value of the output voltage from the T sensor 9Y, and outputs from the T sensors for M, C, and K mounted in other developing devices. Data of M target Vtref, C target Vtref, and K target Vtref, which are voltage target values, are stored. For the developing device 5Y, the value of the output voltage from the T sensor 9Y is compared with the Y Vtref, and the Y toner supply device described later is driven for a time corresponding to the comparison result. With this driving, an appropriate amount of Y toner is supplied from the first agent storage unit 8Y to the Y developer whose Y toner has been consumed by developing and the Y toner density has been reduced. For this reason, the Y toner concentration of the Y developer in the second agent container 13Y is maintained within a predetermined range. Similar toner supply control is performed for the developers of the process cartridges (1M, C, K) for other colors.

  The Y toner image formed on the photoreceptor 2Y is intermediately transferred to an intermediate transfer belt described later. The drum cleaning device 3Y removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 2Y after the intermediate transfer process. Thus, the surface of the photoreceptor 2Y that has been subjected to the cleaning process is neutralized by a neutralization device (not shown). By this charge removal, the surface of the photoreceptor 2Y is initialized and prepared for the next image formation. In FIG. 3 described above, in the process cartridges 1M, 6C, and 6K for other colors, M, C, and K toner images are similarly formed on the photoreceptors 2M, C, and K, and the intermediate transfer belt is formed. Intermediate transfer.

  An optical writing unit 20 is disposed below the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K in the drawing. The optical writing unit 20 serving as a latent image forming unit irradiates each photoconductor in each of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K with a laser beam L emitted based on the image information. As a result, electrostatic latent images for Y, M, C, and K are formed on the photoreceptors 2Y, M, C, and K. The optical writing unit 20 deflects the laser light L emitted from the light source by the polygon mirror 21 that is rotationally driven by a motor, and passes through the photoconductors 2Y, M, C, and K via a plurality of optical lenses and mirrors. Is irradiated.

  A first paper feed cassette 31 and a second paper feed cassette 32 are arranged on the lower side of the optical writing unit 20 in the drawing so as to overlap in the vertical direction. Each of these paper feed cassettes accommodates a plurality of transfer papers P as recording bodies in a stacked state, and the uppermost transfer paper P includes a first paper feed roller 31a, The second paper feed rollers 32a are in contact with each other. When the first paper feed roller 31a is driven to rotate counterclockwise in the figure by driving means (not shown), the uppermost transfer paper P in the first paper feed cassette 31 is vertically oriented on the right side of the cassette in the figure. The paper is discharged toward the paper feed path 33 arranged so as to extend. Further, when the second paper feed roller 32 a is driven to rotate counterclockwise in the figure by a driving means (not shown), the uppermost transfer paper P in the second paper feed cassette 32 is directed toward the paper feed path 33. Discharged. A plurality of transport roller pairs 34 are arranged in the paper feed path 33, and the transfer paper P sent to the paper feed path 33 is sandwiched between the rollers of the transport roller pair 34, while the paper feed path 33. 33 is conveyed from the lower side to the upper side in the figure.

  A registration roller pair 35 is disposed at the end of the paper feed path 33. The registration roller pair 35 temporarily stops the rotation of both rollers as soon as the transfer paper P sent from the transport roller pair 34 is sandwiched between the rollers. Then, the transfer paper P is sent out toward a later-described secondary transfer nip at an appropriate timing.

  Above each of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K, there is disposed a transfer unit 40 that endlessly moves counterclockwise in the figure while stretching an intermediate transfer belt 41 that is an intermediate transfer body. In addition to the intermediate transfer belt 40, the transfer unit 40 includes a belt cleaning device 42, a first bracket 43, a second bracket 44, and the like. Also provided are four primary transfer rollers 45Y, 45M, 45C, 45K, secondary transfer backup roller 46, drive roller 47, auxiliary roller 48, tension roller 49, and the like. The intermediate transfer belt 41 is endlessly moved counterclockwise in the figure by the rotational driving of the driving roller 47 while being stretched by these eight rollers. The four primary transfer rollers 45Y, 45M, 45C, 45K sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 41 moved endlessly in this way between the photoreceptors 2Y, 2M, 2C, and 2K to form primary transfer nips. ing. Then, a transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner (for example, plus) is applied to the back surface (loop inner peripheral surface) of the intermediate transfer belt 41. The intermediate transfer belt 41 sequentially passes through the primary transfer nips for Y, M, C, and K as the endless movement of the intermediate transfer belt 41, and on the photoreceptor 2Y, M, C, and K on the front surface. The Y, M, C, and 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 41.

  The secondary transfer backup roller 46 sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 41 with the secondary transfer roller 50 disposed outside the loop of the intermediate transfer belt 41 to form a secondary transfer nip. The registration roller pair 35 described above sends the transfer paper P sandwiched between the rollers toward the secondary transfer nip at a timing at which the transfer paper P can be synchronized with the four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 41. The four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 41 is affected by the secondary transfer electric field formed between the secondary transfer roller 50 to which the secondary transfer bias is applied and the secondary transfer backup roller 46, and the influence of the nip pressure. The secondary transfer is batch-transferred onto the transfer paper P in the secondary transfer nip. Then, combined with the white color of the transfer paper P, a full color toner image is obtained.

  Transfer residual toner that has not been transferred to the transfer paper P adheres to the intermediate transfer belt 41 after passing through the secondary transfer nip. This is cleaned by the belt cleaning device 42.

  A fixing device 60 including a pressure roller 61 and a fixing belt unit 62 is disposed above the secondary transfer nip in the drawing. The fixing belt unit 62 of the fixing device 60 moves the fixing belt 64 endlessly in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing while being stretched by the heating roller 63, the tension roller 65, and the driving roller 66. The heating roller 63 includes a heat source such as a halogen lamp, and heats the fixing belt 64 from the back side. A pressure roller 61 that is driven to rotate clockwise in the figure is in contact with the surface of the fixing belt 64 that is heated in this manner from the front surface side. Thereby, a fixing nip where the pressure roller 61 and the fixing belt 64 abut is formed.

  The transfer paper P that has passed through the secondary transfer nip is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 41 and then fed into the fixing device 60. Then, in the process of being conveyed from the lower side to the upper side in the figure while being sandwiched by the fixing nip, the full-color toner image is fixed by being heated or pressed by the fixing belt 64.

  The transfer sheet P subjected to the fixing process in this manner is discharged outside the apparatus after passing between the rollers of the discharge roller pair 67. A stack unit 68 is formed on the upper surface of the housing of the printer main body, and the transfer sheets P discharged to the outside by the pair of discharge rollers 67 are sequentially stacked on the stack unit 68.

  Above the transfer unit 40, four toner cartridges 100Y, 100M, 100C, and 100K that store Y, M, C, and K toners are disposed. The Y, M, C, and K toners in the toner cartridges 100Y, 100M, and 100K are appropriately supplied to the developing devices of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K, respectively. These toner cartridges 100Y, 100M, 100C, and 100K can be attached to and detached from the printer main body independently of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K.

  In the printer having the above-described configuration, toner image formation for forming a toner image on the transfer paper P, which is a recording medium, by combining the four process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K, the optical writing unit 20, the transfer unit 40, and the like. Means are configured.

Next, a characteristic configuration of the printer will be described.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a toner cartridge 100Y for Y. In the drawing, a toner cartridge 100Y for Y includes a bottle-shaped bottle portion 101Y that stores Y toner (not shown) and a cylindrical holder portion 102Y. The holder portion 102Y rotatably holds the bottle portion 101Y while engaging the tip portion of the bottle portion 101Y so as to cover an opening (not shown) formed at the tip of the bottle portion 101Y. The bottle portion 101Y is embossed with a screw-like projection that protrudes from the outside toward the inside along the circumferential surface of 103Y. When the bottle portion 101Y is rotated by a drive system (not shown), the Y toner in the bottle portion 101Y moves along the screw-shaped protrusion from the bottle bottom side toward the bottle front end side. Then, the toner flows into the cylindrical holder portion 102Y through an opening (not shown) provided at the tip of the bottle portion 101Y as a toner container.

  A nozzle receiving port 109Y is formed on an end surface of the holder portion 102Y in the bottle axis direction. The nozzle receiving port 109Y is for receiving a later-described suction nozzle fixed to the printer main body side. On both sides of the nozzle receiving port 109Y in the figure, positioning pin receiving ports 110Y each having a slightly smaller diameter than the nozzle receiving port are formed. Each of the positioning pin receiving ports 110Y is formed at a position deviated from the rotation axis of the bottle portion 101Y, and a pin insertion passage (not shown) is provided in a direction parallel to the rotation axis direction of the bottle portion 101Y. It is formed to extend. As the bottle portion 101Y, a bottle made of a resin material that is so rigid that it is not deformed by an impact when rotated by the driving gear is used.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a cartridge connecting portion 71Y for Y that is a part of a toner replenishing device described later. The cartridge connecting portion 71Y for Y is fixed to the upper end of a transport tube 72Y for transporting Y toner so that a suction nozzle 73Y as a tube member extends in the horizontal direction. A toner receiving port 74Y for receiving Y toner is formed at the tip of the suction nozzle 73Y. Further, on both sides of the suction nozzle 73Y, rod-like positioning pins 75Y are respectively fixed so as to extend in the horizontal direction (direction parallel to the rotation axis of the bottle portion). A positioning pin 75Y, which is a convex portion of the cartridge connecting portion 71Y as a positioning member, has a tip protruding beyond the tip of the suction nozzle 73Y.

  FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the toner cartridge 100Y for Y. The holder portion 102Y, which is a rotation engaging member of the Y toner cartridge 100Y, includes an engaging portion that engages with the bottle portion 101Y and a nozzle insertion portion 104Y that is formed separately from the engaging portion. The engaging portion includes a cap portion 105Y that covers the peripheral surface of the tip portion of the bottle portion 101Y while engaging with the bottle portion 101Y, and a toner storage portion 106Y that temporarily stores toner. In the engaging portion, a cylindrical toner storage portion 106Y having a smaller diameter than the inner diameter thereof is fitted in the cylindrical cap portion 105Y. A rubber O-ring 107Y, which is a non-breathable material, is fitted between the two fittings. Thereby, the airtightness between the inner peripheral surface of the cap unit 105Y and the outer peripheral surface of the toner storage unit 106Y is kept high.

  A recess (not shown) is formed in the lower portion of the toner storage portion 106Y formed to have a smaller diameter than the cap portion 105Y, and the nozzle insertion portion 104Y is fitted into the recess. A rubber O-ring 108Y, which is a non-breathable material, is fitted between the two fittings. Thereby, the airtightness between the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion of the toner storage portion 106Y which is a part of the engaging portion and the outer peripheral surface of the convex portion for fitting of the nozzle insertion portion 104Y is kept high.

  A drive receiving gear 111Y that meshes with the rotational driving force of a driving gear (not shown) fixed to the printer main body is formed on the rotational peripheral surface of the front end of the bottle 101Y. When the cap part 105Y of the holder part 102Y is engaged with the tip of the bottle part 101Y, it functions as a peripheral surface covering part that covers the rotational peripheral surface of the tip part of the bottle part 101Y. However, the cap portion 105Y has a gear exposure opening A, and a part of the front end portion of the bottle portion 101Y is exposed from the gear exposure opening A for the drive receiving gear 111Y. As a result of this exposure, as shown in FIG. 5, the drive receiving gear 111Y at the tip of the bottle covered with the cap portion 105Y can be engaged with a driving gear (not shown).

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the tip of the Y toner cartridge 100Y before being set in the toner replenishing device. The tip of the bottle 101Y has a cylindrical shape with a smaller diameter than the bottle body, and an opening is formed at the tip of the small-diameter cylinder. A hooking portion 112Y that protrudes slightly from the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder is formed on the front end side of the bottle from the peripheral surface of the small-diameter cylinder at the front end and from the drive receiving gear 111Y. The cap portion 105Y of the holder portion 102Y is formed with a cylindrical space for receiving a small-diameter cylinder, which is the tip portion of the bottle portion 101Y, and a projection 113 protruding from the inner periphery of the cylinder is formed at the rear end portion of the cylindrical space. Is formed. The front end portion of the bottle portion 101Y is inserted into the cap portion 105Y so that the hook portion 112Y gets over the protrusion 113Y in the cap portion 105Y, and is rotatably engaged with the cap portion 105Y.

  A plurality of protrusions B are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the rear end portion (end portion on the bottle rear end side) of the cap portion 105Y. The cap portion 105Y as a peripheral surface covering portion that covers the peripheral surface of the front end portion of the bottle portion 111Y by the above-described engagement has these protrusions B more than the locations where the drive receiving gear 111Y is disposed at the front end portion of the bottle portion 101Y. It hits the area on the rear end side. Then, by restricting the movement of the bottle portion 101Y, which is a toner container, in the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction from this abutment, the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction of the bottle portion 101Y compared to the conventional toner cartridge. Reduce the amount of rattling. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably suppress the load fluctuation of the drive motor due to the backlash of the bottle portion 101Y.

  The nozzle insertion portion 104Y has a fitting convex portion protruding from the upper surface of the tubular nozzle main body portion, and this fitting convex portion is fitted to the bottom of the toner storage portion 106Y inside the cap portion 105Y. Yes. A communication passage 114Y is formed in the fitting convex portion, and the communication passage 114Y communicates with an insertion passage 115Y provided in the nozzle body so as to extend in a direction parallel to the bottle axis direction. . However, a rod-like shutter member 116Y formed in the same diameter as the suction nozzle (74Y) described above is slidably inserted into the insertion passage 115Y, and is located immediately below the communication passage 114Y. Thus, the communication path 114Y and the insertion path 115Y are blocked. Note that the end of the insertion passage 115Y is the nozzle receiving port 109Y shown in FIG.

  The toner that has flowed into the toner storage portion 106Y from the small diameter cylinder at the tip of the bottle portion 101Y falls and accumulates in the communication path 114Y of the nozzle insertion portion 104Y by its own weight. The fitting convex portion of the nozzle insertion portion 104Y fitted to the toner storage portion 106Y functions as the bottom portion of the toner storage portion 106Y. The fitting convex communication passage 115Y is formed in a bowl shape as described above, thereby serving as a hopper that collects toner at the bottom in the center of the passage by a taper. In the state shown in the drawing, since the tip of the communication path 114Y is closed by the shutter member 116Y, toner does not flow into the insertion path 115Y from the communication path 114Y.

  FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the tip of the Y toner cartridge 100Y. In the drawing, the cap part (105Y) of the holder part 102Y is not shown for convenience. A ring-shaped ring seal 118Y made of a sponge, which is a breathable material and an elastic material, is attached to a bottle side end portion of a cylindrical toner storage portion 106Y fitted inside a cap portion (105Y) (not shown). It is fixed. As shown in FIG. 8, the tip of the bottle portion 101Y that is rotatably engaged with the cap portion 105Y hits the ring seal 118Y that is fixed to the end portion of the toner storage portion 106Y in the cap portion 105Y. . Thereby, the airtightness between the inner peripheral surface of the bottle portion 101Y as a toner container and the outer peripheral surface of the cap portion 105Y engaged therewith is enhanced.

  When the Y toner cartridge 100Y is set on a cartridge mounting table of a toner replenishing device to be described later, first, an opening / closing door (not shown) provided on the side plate of the printer housing is opened. Then, the cartridge mounting table of the toner supply device in the housing is exposed. This cartridge mounting table is provided with four semi-cylindrical recesses for mounting four toner cartridges for Y, M, C, and K in parallel. The operator holds the toner cartridge 100Y in such a posture that the holder portion 102Y is positioned at the head. Then, after placing the holder part 102Y on the end of the Y depression among the four depressions on the half cylinder provided on the cartridge mounting table, slide along the bottle axis of rotation so that the entire cartridge is inserted. Move. By this sliding movement, the toner cartridge 100Y is pushed to a predetermined position and set on the cartridge mounting table.

  In FIG. 6 described above, the two positioning pins 73Y of the Y cartridge connecting portion 71Y in the toner replenishing device are fixed so that the tip ends protrude beyond the tip of the suction nozzle 73Y. And the front-end | tip part is taper rather than the rear-end side. While the toner cartridge is being inserted onto the cartridge mounting table at the time of setting, the tapered tip ends of the two positioning pins 73Y respectively enter the two positioning pin receiving ports 110Y of the toner cartridge 100Y shown in FIG. When the toner cartridge 100Y is further inserted, the rear end side that is thicker than the front end portion of the positioning pin 73Y also enters the pin receiving port 110Y. When the rear end side, which is thicker than the front end portion, enters the pin receiving port 110Y, the toner cartridge 100Y is positioned on the cartridge mounting table in the direction perpendicular to the rotational axis direction.

  When the toner cartridge 100Y is further inserted after such positioning, the suction nozzle 73Y in the cartridge connecting portion 109Y of the toner replenishing device shown in FIG. 6 is placed in the nozzle receiving port 109Y of the holder portion 102Y shown in FIG. Enter. When the inside of the suction nozzle 73Y is pushed to a certain extent into the insertion passage (115Y) extending inside the nozzle receiving port 109Y, the setting of the toner cartridge 100Y is completed.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the tip of the Y toner cartridge 100Y set in the toner replenishing device. When the toner cartridge 100Y is set on a cartridge mounting table of a toner supply device (not shown), the suction nozzle 73Y fixed to the toner supply device is inserted into the insertion passage 115Y of the nozzle insertion portion 104Y in the holder portion 102Y. At this time, in the insertion path 115Y, the shutter member 116Y located immediately below the communication path 114Y is pushed by the tip of the suction nozzle 73Y inserted in the insertion path 115Y and slides from the right side to the left side in the drawing. To do. Then, while retracting from directly below the communication path 114Y, a toner receiving port (74Y in FIG. 6) provided at the tip of the suction nozzle 73Y is positioned directly below the communication path 114Y. As a result, the inside of the toner storage unit 106Y and the inside of the suction nozzle 73Y communicate with each other via the communication path 114Y of the nozzle insertion unit 104Y.

  Two O-rings 117Y made of rubber, which is a non-breathable material, are fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the insertion passage 115Y in which the suction nozzle 73Y and the shutter member 116Y can slide. The suction nozzle 73Y and the shutter member 116Y slide in the insertion passage 115Y so as to penetrate the inside of the O-ring 117Y. One of the two O-rings 117Y is fixed at a position closer to the inlet side (nozzle inlet side) than the communication path 114Y on the inner wall of the insertion path 115Y, and at this position, the insertion path 115Y and the suction nozzle as a tube member Sealing with 73Y. This prevents air from flowing into the insertion passage 115Y from the gap between the inlet (toner receiving port) of the insertion passage 115Y and the suction nozzle 73Y. The other O-ring 117Y is fixed to a location on the outlet side of the communication passage 114Y on the inner wall of the insertion passage 115Y, and the insertion passage 115Y and the suction nozzle 73Y are sealed at this location. Thereby, the inflow of air into the insertion passage 115Y is prevented from the gap between the outlet of the insertion passage 115Y and the suction nozzle 73Y.

  A toner cartridge 100Y set in a toner replenishing device (not shown) meshes a gear portion 117Y formed at the tip of the bottle portion 101Y with a driving gear 76Y fixed to the toner replenishing device. When the driving gear 76Y is rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown), the bottle portion 101Y rotates while being held by the holder portion 102Y by meshing with the driving gear 76Y. By this rotation, the Y toner in the bottle portion 101Y is conveyed from the bottle rear end side toward the front end side, and flows into the toner storage portion 106Y of the holder portion 102. Then, it accumulates on the communication path 114Y which is the bottom of the toner storage portion 106Y.

  Assume that the holder 102Y that rotatably holds the bottle 101Y tries to rotate on the cartridge mounting table due to the reaction of the rotational movement of the bottle 101Y. In this case, the inner wall of the pin insertion passage as the concave engaging portion that is engaged with the positioning pin (75Y) as the convex portion fixed to the toner replenishing device at a position shifted from the rotation axis of the bottle portion 101Y is caught. . And by this catching, by preventing rotation of the holder part 102, the position shift of the holder part 102Y accompanying rotation of the bottle part 101Y can be avoided.

  In addition, although the example which provided the positioning pin 75Y as a convex part engaged with the pin insertion channel | path which is a concave engagement part of the holder part 102Y as the cartridge connection part 71Y which is a positioning member was demonstrated, the relationship of an unevenness | corrugation is reversed. May be. Specifically, a concave portion extending in a direction parallel to the bottle rotation axis direction is provided in the cartridge connecting portion 71Y, and a convex engaging portion extending in the same direction is formed in the holder portion 102Y of the toner cartridge 100Y.

  A suction pump is connected to a region (not shown) of the transport pipe 72Y connected to the suction nozzle 73Y, and air and toner in the transport pipe 72Y are sucked by this operation. Then, the suction force is transmitted to the inside of the communication path 114Y and the toner storage unit 106Y via the inside of the transport pipe 72Y and the inside of the suction nozzle 73Y. Then, the Y toner in the toner reservoir 106Y and the communication path 114Y is sucked into the suction nozzle 73Y.

  As described above, the insertion passage 115Y and the suction nozzle 73Y inserted into the insertion passage 115Y are sealed by the O-ring 117Y which is a non-breathable sealing member. On the other hand, the cap portion 105Y of the holder portion 102Y and the bottle portion 101Y engaged with the cap portion 105Y are sealed by a ring seal 118Y which is a breathable seal member. In such a configuration, the airtightness between the insertion passage 115Y and the suction nozzle 73Y is higher than the airtightness between the bottle portion 101Y and the cap portion 105Y engaged therewith. When the suction nozzle 73Y, the communication path 114Y, and the toner storage unit 106Y have negative pressure accompanying suction by the suction pump, the air inflow from the outside is inferior in airtightness as indicated by arrows in the figure. Occurs between the portion 101Y and the cap portion 105Y. Specifically, air is interposed between the bottle part 101Y and the toner storage part 106Y via the inside of the cap part 105Y and the outside of the bottle part 101Y inserted therein. Reaching the ring seal 118Y. Then, the toner flows into the toner storage unit 106Y through the inside of the ring seal 118Y. Since the airtightness between the insertion passage 115Y and the suction nozzle 73Y is kept high by the O-ring 117Y, there does not occur a situation in which air is introduced from here and sucked into the suction nozzle 73Y. For this reason, it is possible to satisfactorily exert the suction force from the toner reservoir 106Y toward the suction nozzle 73Y. Accordingly, a stable amount of Y toner can be discharged from the toner storage unit 106Y toward the developing device on the printer main body side.

  If the airtightness between the inside and the outside of the toner cartridge 100Y is too high, the outside air does not flow into the cartridge due to the toner suction by the suction pump, and the bottle portion 101Y is deformed by an excessive negative pressure. . However, in the toner cartridge 100Y of the printer, a ring seal 118Y made of a sponge that is a breathable material is used. For this reason, when the toner reservoir 106Y becomes slightly negative pressure as the toner is sucked, an appropriate amount of outside air flows into the toner reservoir 106Y through the ring seal 118Y. Therefore, deformation of the bottle part 101Y due to excessive negative pressure can be avoided.

  Further, although the Y toner cartridge 100Y containing Y toner has been described in detail, the toner cartridges for other colors (100M, C, K) have the same configuration.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the toner replenishing device and the surrounding configuration. The toner replenishing device 70 includes a cartridge mounting table 77, four cartridge connecting portions 71Y, M, C, and K, and four suction pumps 78Y, M, C, and K. The cartridge mounting table 77 has four semi-cylindrical recesses for mounting the four toner cartridges 100Y, 100M, 100C, and 100K in parallel. Below the cartridge mounting table 77, four developing devices are arranged so as to be located directly below the corresponding color toner cartridges. In the drawing, for convenience, only the developing device 5K for Y among the four developing devices is shown.

  An opening / closing door for exchanging cartridges is provided on the side surface of the printer casing (not shown). When the opening / closing door is opened, the toner replenishing device 70 in the casing is exposed at the back side in the drawing. The operator sets the toner cartridge 100Y, M, C, and K in the toner replenishing device 70 by sliding them on the cartridge mounting table 77 so as to push the toner cartridges 100Y, 100M, and 100K in the bottle longitudinal direction from the opening / closing door.

  A connecting portion support plate 79 for supporting the four cartridge connecting portions 71 </ b> Y is erected on one end portion of the cartridge mounting table 77. The suction nozzles of the cartridge connecting portions 71Y, 71M, 71C, and 71K are inserted into the nozzle insertion passages (not shown) of the toner cartridges 100Y, 100M, 100K, and K mounted on the cartridge mounting table 77, respectively. Suction pumps 78Y, M, C, and K are connected to the ends of the transport pipes 72Y, M, C, and K of the cartridge connecting portions 71Y, 71M, 71C, and 71K. Immediately below each suction pump 78Y, M, C, K, a toner supply port E of each developing device is located.

  FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the suction pump 78Y for Y among the four suction pumps 78Y, 78M, 78C, 78K. The suction pump 78Y is of a type called a uniaxial eccentric screw pump (commonly known as a Mono pump). The pump portion 80Y includes a rotor 81Y processed into an eccentric double screw shape using a metal or a highly rigid resin, a stator 82Y in which a double screw cavity is formed in a material such as rubber, and a resin containing these. It is made up of a made holder and the like. The suction pump 78Y includes, in addition to the pump unit 80Y, a discharge unit 83Y, a motor 84Y that rotates the rotor 81Y, and the like. When the double screw-shaped rotor 81Y rotates in the stator 82Y, a negative pressure is generated on the suction side (right side in the drawing) of the pump unit 80Y. With this negative pressure, the Y toner in the Y toner cartridge 100Y is sucked through the transport tube 72Y and the like. Then, it reaches the pump portion 80Y of the suction pump 78Y, and is discharged from the discharge portion 83Y through the stator 82Y. The discharged Y toner is replenished to the Y developing device through the toner replenishing port of the developing device located immediately below the ejection portion 83Y. The toner is replenished in the same manner in the developing devices for other colors.

  As described above, as the bottle portions of the toner cartridges 100Y, 100M, 100K, a cylindrical shape that is elongated in the direction of the rotation axis is used. By using such a bottle portion, it is possible to easily support the rotating peripheral surface as compared with the case of using an angular shape. Specifically, if one end side of the bottle part is only held rotatably by the holder part, the other end side tends to be bent by the weight of the toner, so that a considerable load is applied to the holding part by the holder part. There is a risk of destruction. For this reason, on the cartridge mounting table, it is necessary to support the other end side of the bottle part on the table. Thus, when supporting on a stand, if the peripheral surface of a bottle part is angular, a bottle part will be bound on a mounting base. However, if a cylindrical part is used as a bottle part like this embodiment, it can be supported on a stand, without making a bottle part bounce.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the toner cartridge 100Y of the printer, the holder portion 102Y is configured as follows. That is, the toner storage section 106Y that stores Y toner sent from the bottle section 101Y, and the communication path 114Y that communicates this with the insertion path 115Y, the insertion path 115Y, the communication path 114Y, and the toner storage section 106Y Are arranged in a positional relationship in order in a direction orthogonal to the bottle rotation axis direction. In such a configuration, the Y toner sent from the bottle portion 101Y to the toner storage portion 106Y can be dropped by its own weight into the suction nozzle 73Y in the insertion passage 115Y through the communication passage 114Y.

  As the toner cartridges 100Y, 100M, 100K, it is possible to use a regenerated cartridge in addition to a non-regenerated cartridge in which a bottle portion of a new cartridge is filled with Y, M, C, K toner. This recycled cartridge is a cartridge that has been used by being refilled with Y, M, C, and K refill toner in the bottle portion of the used cartridge.

  13, FIG. 14, FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 are schematic views showing the contours of the projected images in the bottle rotation axis direction of the holder portions in the toner cartridges 100M, C, K and Y for M, C, K and Y. . In any figure, the outline of the projection image when the holder part is projected from the bottle rear end side toward the bottle front end side is shown. As can be seen from these drawings, the shape of the projected image in the direction of the bottle rotation axis of the holder portion differs between the four toner cartridges containing different color toners. Specifically, in any projected image, a rectangular convex portion is formed at the upper left in the figure of a perfect circle shape. The convex portion is formed by a guide member (not shown) protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the holder portion. The shape of these rectangular convex portions is slightly different between the holder portions.

  FIG. 17 is a front view showing a side plate of the toner replenishing device (70). When a door (not shown) provided on the side plate of the printer main body is opened, the side plate of the toner supply device shown is exposed. As shown in the figure, this side plate has four circular openings, and their shapes are different from each other. The first, second, third, and fourth openings from the left in the figure are for receiving toner cartridges for M, C, K, and Y, respectively. The first, second, third, and fourth open shapes are the same as the contour shapes of the projected images of the holder portions shown in FIGS. 13, 14, 15, and 16, respectively. For this reason, for example, even if an attempt is made to insert a toner cartridge for Y whose contour of the projection image of the holder portion is the shape shown in FIG. To prevent the insertion. This avoids a situation where a toner cartridge for a different color is set on the mounting portion for a predetermined color of the cartridge mounting table.

Next, an embodiment of a toner cartridge recycling method for recycling a used toner cartridge 100Y described so far will be described.
There are roughly two methods for regenerating the toner cartridge 100Y. These will be described below as a first reproduction method and a second reproduction method.

[First playback method]
In the first regeneration method, the toner cartridge 100Y that has been used because the Y toner in the bottle portion 101Y shown in FIG. Play by implementation. In the disassembling process, the bottle portion 101Y that is rotatably engaged with the holder portion 102Y is removed from the holder portion 102Y with a dedicated tool. Thus, when the toner discharge opening provided at the front end of the bottle portion 102Y is exposed, the Y refill toner is refilled into the bottle portion 101Y through the opening in a refilling step. In the reassembly process, the toner cartridge 101Y is reassembled by engaging the tip of the refilled bottle 101Y with the holder 102Y.

[Second playback method]
In the second regeneration method, the toner cartridge 100Y that has been used is regenerated by performing three processes: a drilling process, a refilling process, and a hole closing process. In the bottle part 101Y, first, a hole is formed by drilling or the like in the end surface (bottom) on the rear end side of the bottle part 101Y in a drilling step. Next, after the Y refill toner is refilled through the hole in the refilling step, the hole is closed by welding the same material as the resin material constituting the bottle part 101Y in the hole closing step. . In addition, you may block | close the hole formed in the drilling process by sticking a seal film. Further, a new toner cartridge 100Y is made such that the opening formed on the end surface (bottom) of the rear end side of the bottle portion 101Y is closed by sticking a seal film, and the seal film is peeled off, A hole forming step may be performed by making holes in the seal film. Moreover, the place where a hole is made in the hole making process may not be the bottom of the bottle part 101Y. For example, a hole may be made in the peripheral surface.

  In any reproduction method, it is needless to say that the toner cartridges for other colors can be reproduced, not limited to the toner cartridge 100Y for Y.

  Heretofore, a printer that forms a full-color image using a plurality of latent image carriers divided for each color has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus that forms a full color image by forming single color toner images of different colors on one latent image carrier and sequentially transferring them onto an intermediate transfer body. . The present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus that forms only a single color toner image. The present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus that forms a toner image by a direct recording method instead of an electrophotographic method.

  As described above, in the toner cartridge 100Y of the printer according to the embodiment, the bottle portion 101Y serving as the toner container has a cylindrical shape elongated in the rotation axis direction. In such a configuration, the rotating peripheral surface can be easily supported as compared with the case where an angular shape is used for the reason described above.

  Further, the toner storage section 106Y that stores the toner sent from the inside of the bottle section 101Y, and the communication path 114Y that communicates this with the insertion path 115Y, the insertion path 115Y, the communication path 114Y, and the toner storage section 106Y. It is provided in the holder part 102Y which is a rotation engagement member in a positional relationship that is sequentially arranged in a direction orthogonal to the bottle rotation axis direction. In such a configuration, the Y toner sent from the bottle portion 101Y to the toner storage portion 106Y can be dropped by its own weight into the suction nozzle 73Y in the insertion passage 115Y through the communication passage 114Y.

  The communication path 114Y is provided so as to extend straight in a direction orthogonal to the bottle rotation axis direction. In such a configuration, unlike the case of a structure that is bent halfway, the suction nozzle in the insertion passage 115Y does not stagnate the Y toner that has fallen into the communication passage 114Y by its own weight from the toner storage portion 106Y without stagnation at the bending portion. It can be dropped into 73Y.

  Further, the communication path 114Y is provided with a taper that tapers from the toner reservoir 106Y side toward the insertion path 115Y side. In such a configuration, a hopper tapering from the upper side to the lower side of the Y toner can be provided in the communication path 114Y so that the toner can be smoothly dropped into the suction nozzle 73Y.

  A cylindrical shutter member 116Y that closes the opening on the insertion passage 115Y side in the communication passage 114Y is provided so as to be slidable between a position that closes the opening in the insertion passage 115Y and a position that exposes the opening. Yes. In such a configuration, the insertion of the suction nozzle 73Y is performed by sliding the shutter member 116Y that closes the opening of the communication passage 114Y in the insertion passage 115Y while abutting against the tip of the suction nozzle 73Y inserted in the insertion passage 115Y. At the same time, the opening is opened. As a result, toner leakage from the insertion path 115Y to the outside of the toner cartridge 100Y before setting is prevented, and the opening is automatically opened along with the setting of the cartridge, so that the suction nozzle 73Y from the toner reservoir 106Y. It is possible to cause a state where toner can flow into the inside.

  Further, an O-ring 117Y as a seal member for sealing between the nozzle insertion portion 104Y as a tube insertion portion and the shutter member 116 inserted into the insertion passage 115Y is fixed to the inner wall of the insertion passage 115Y. In such a configuration, toner suction is performed by sucking external air from the gap between the inner wall of the insertion passage 115Y and the outer wall of the suction nozzle 73Y inserted therein and sucking it into the toner receiving port 74Y of the suction nozzle 73Y. A decrease in transportability can be avoided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the O-ring 117Y, which is a seal member, is disposed at a location upstream of the communicating passage with the communicating passage 114Y in the insertion passage 115Y and a location downstream of the nozzle insertion direction. And provided. In such a configuration, as in the toner cartridge 100Y shown in the drawing, not only the end on the nozzle receiving side of the insertion passage 115Y but also the end on the opposite side is opened from the gap between the passage inner wall and the nozzle outer wall. It is possible to avoid a decrease in toner suction / conveyability due to air suction.

  Since the shutter member 116Y has the same outer diameter as the suction nozzle 73Y, the shutter member 116Y closes the opening of the communication port 114Y and the suction nozzle 73Y is inserted into the insertion passage 115Y. Thus, the airtightness between the outside of the holder portion 102Y and the communication path 114Y can be similarly maintained. Thus, when the cartridge is not set in which the suction nozzle 73Y is inserted into the communication path 114Y, toner leakage from the toner reservoir 106Y to the outside through the communication path 114Y can be satisfactorily avoided, and at the time of cartridge setting. Further, it is possible to favorably avoid a decrease in toner suction / conveyability due to air suction.

  Further, in the printer according to the embodiment, the bottle rotation of the holder unit is respectively performed between the plurality of toner cartridges 100Y, 100M, 100C, and 100K that are set in the same printer and store different color toners in the bottle unit. The holder part has a different shape so that the shape of the projected image in the axial direction is different. In this configuration, as described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 17, for example, a K toner cartridge is set at a cartridge setting position for Y in the cartridge mounting table 77 of the toner replenishing device 70. It is possible to avoid setting errors.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a toner supply device described in Patent Document 2. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a toner cartridge described in Patent Document 3. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a printer according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged configuration diagram illustrating a process cartridge for Y of the printer. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a toner cartridge for Y of the printer. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a cartridge connecting portion for Y in the toner supply device of the printer. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the toner cartridge. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a front end portion of the toner cartridge before being set in the toner supply device. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a front end portion of the toner cartridge. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a front end portion of the toner cartridge set in the toner supply device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the toner replenishing device and its peripheral configuration. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a suction pump for Y in the toner replenishing device. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a projected image in a bottle rotation axis direction of a holder portion in an M toner cartridge. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of a projected image in a bottle rotation axis direction of a holder portion in a C toner cartridge. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of a projected image in a bottle rotation axis direction of a holder portion in a K toner cartridge. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the contour of a projected image in the bottle rotation axis direction of a holder portion in a Y toner cartridge. FIG. 3 is a front view showing a side plate of the toner supply device.

Explanation of symbols

1Y, M, C, K Process cartridge (part of toner image forming means)
20 Optical writing unit (part of toner image forming means)
40 Transfer unit (part of toner image forming means)
70 Toner supply device 71Y Cartridge connecting portion (positioning member)
73Y Suction nozzle (tube member)
75Y Positioning pin (convex part)
100Y, M, C, K Toner cartridge 101Y Bottle part (toner container)
102Y Holder part (rotating engagement member)
104Y Nozzle insertion part (insertion part)
105Y Cap part (surrounding surface covering part)
106Y toner reservoir 107Y O-ring (non-breathable sealing member)
111Y Drive receiving gear 114Y Communication path A Gear exposure opening

Claims (20)

A toner container for containing toner, a rotary engagement member that is rotatably engaged with the toner container so as to cover an opening formed at the tip of the toner container, and is driven to rotate. A drive receiving gear provided on the rotation peripheral surface of the toner container so as to receive the rotational driving force of the driving side gear, and the toner in the toner container is opened as the toner container rotates. In the toner cartridge that is fed into the rotation engagement member from the toner cartridge and discharged out of the rotation engagement member,
The drive receiving gear is provided at the tip portion of the toner container, and a peripheral surface covering portion that covers the rotating peripheral surface of the tip portion is provided at the rotation engaging member, and the drive receiving gear is disposed at the tip portion. The movement of the toner container in the direction perpendicular to the rotational axis direction is regulated by the contact between the location on the rear end side with respect to the location and the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral surface covering portion, and the covering portion A toner cartridge in which the drive receiving gear is partially exposed through a gear exposure opening provided in the toner cartridge. The toner cartridge according to claim 1.
The tube insertion portion formed with an insertion passage for inserting a tube member fixed to the image forming apparatus main body is rotated so that the insertion passage extends in a direction parallel to the rotation axis direction of the toner container. A toner cartridge provided on an engaging member. The toner cartridge according to claim 1 or 2,
Rotating the toner container in the rotational engagement member with a concave engagement portion for engaging with a convex portion protruding along a direction parallel to the rotation direction of the toner container in the positioning member fixed to the image forming apparatus main body A toner cartridge provided at a position deviated from an axis. The toner cartridge according to claim 1 or 2,
A convex engaging portion for engaging with a concave portion recessed along a direction parallel to the toner container rotation axis direction of the positioning member fixed to the image forming apparatus main body, the toner container rotation axis line of the rotation engaging member A toner cartridge provided at a position deviated from the toner cartridge. The toner cartridge according to claim 3 or 4,
The tube insertion portion in which an insertion passage for inserting a tube member fixed to the image forming apparatus main body is formed so that the insertion passage extends in a direction parallel to the rotation axis direction of the toner container. A toner cartridge provided on a rotation engagement member. The toner cartridge according to claim 2 or 5,
A toner cartridge using a cylindrical cartridge elongated in the direction of the rotation axis as the toner container. The toner cartridge according to claim 2, 5 or 6,
A toner storage section that stores toner sent from within the toner container, and a communication path that connects the toner storage section and the insertion path are defined as the insertion path, the communication path, and the toner storage section. A toner cartridge, wherein the toner cartridge is provided in the rotation engagement member in a positional relationship that is sequentially arranged in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction. The toner cartridge according to claim 7.
A toner cartridge, wherein the communication path is provided so as to extend straight in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction. The toner cartridge according to claim 8.
A toner cartridge, wherein a taper that tapers from the toner storage portion side toward the insertion passage side is provided in the communication passage. The toner cartridge according to claim 7, 8 or 9,
A toner, wherein a shutter member that closes the opening on the insertion passage side in the communication passage is provided so as to be slidable between a position that closes the opening in the insertion passage and a position that exposes the opening. cartridge. The toner cartridge according to claim 10.
A toner cartridge, wherein a seal member for sealing between the tube insertion portion and the shutter member inserted in the insertion passage is fixed to an inner wall of the insertion passage of the tube insertion portion. The toner cartridge according to claim 11.
A toner cartridge, wherein the seal member is provided at a location upstream of the communication passage in the insertion passage with respect to the communication passage and a location downstream of the tube member insertion direction. The toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
A toner cartridge containing toner in the toner container. The toner cartridge according to claim 13, comprising:
A toner cartridge, wherein the toner is a refill toner that is refilled in the toner container that is emptied with use in an image forming apparatus. The toner cartridge according to claim 13 or 14,
The shape of the projected image in the rotational axis direction of the rotational engagement member is different between the plurality of toner cartridges that are set in the same image forming apparatus and that store different color toners in the toner container. Thus, the toner cartridge is characterized in that the shape of the rotation engagement member is different. Image forming apparatus comprising: a toner image forming unit that forms a toner image on a recording medium; and a toner cartridge that contains toner to be supplied to the toner image forming unit and is configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body. In
The toner cartridge according to claim 2 or any one of claims 5 to 12 is used, the tube member to be inserted into the insertion passage of the toner cartridge, and the rotation engaging member through the tube member. An image forming apparatus comprising: suction means for sucking toner in the toner and transporting the toner from the rotation engaging member to the toner image forming means through the tube member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16.
The toner cartridge of claim 5 is used as the toner cartridge, and the concave portion of the positioning member is more inserted than the insertion of the toner cartridge into the insertion passage when the toner cartridge is attached to the image forming apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the engagement of the joint portion or the convex engagement portion is started first. Image forming apparatus comprising: a toner image forming unit that forms a toner image on a recording medium; and a toner cartridge that contains toner to be supplied to the toner image forming unit and is configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body. In
A toner cartridge according to any one of claims 3 to 6 is used as the toner cartridge, and a positioning member formed with a concave portion or a convex portion to be engaged with the engaging convex portion or the engaging concave portion is provided. Image forming apparatus. A toner container for containing toner, and a rotation engaging member for rotatably holding the toner container while engaging the toner container so as to cover an opening formed in the toner container. The toner container in the toner cartridge that has the toner container and is discharged from the rotation engaging member after the toner in the toner container is fed into the rotation engaging member from the opening as the toner container rotates. In a toner cartridge recycling method in which toner is refilled and the toner cartridge is recycled,
The toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the toner container is removed from the rotating engagement member, and the toner container after removal is refilled with toner; And a step of attaching the toner container after refilling to the rotary engaging member. A toner container for containing toner, and a rotation engaging member for rotatably holding the toner container while engaging the toner container so as to cover an opening formed in the toner container. The toner container in the toner cartridge that has the toner container and is discharged from the rotation engaging member after the toner in the toner container is fed into the rotation engaging member from the opening as the toner container rotates. In a toner cartridge recycling method in which toner is refilled and the toner cartridge is recycled,
The toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein a toner refilling hole is provided in the toner container, and a toner is refilled into the toner container through the hole. And a step of closing the hole.

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