JP2006098491A - Packing method for developer supply container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a packing method for developer supply container, with which developer packed in the dead space of a container having a different cross-sectional shape is slid down by a simple stir configuration and a low torque, and a discharge opening is prevented from being blocked by the developer during distribution or the like, and thus stable discharge performance is exhibited and reliability is improved. <P>SOLUTION: The developer supply container 10 is packed in a packing box 30 such that the position of the container 10 is restricted so as to be different from at least the position used when attached to the main body of an image forming apparatus. A stir member in the developer supply container 10 is disposed such that the first vane part of the stir member is curved in contact with the lower internal wall face of the container in the direction of the gravity when it is packed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for packing a developer supply container for supplying a powder developer to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter also simply referred to as an image forming apparatus) that forms an image using a developer, and in particular, a developer. The present invention relates to a method for packing a developer replenishing container having a developer agitating blade that conveys the developer to the developer discharge opening.

  Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is an object that forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming system. Examples of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, a laser beam printer, an LED printer, etc.), a facsimile machine, a word processor, and the like.

  Image forming apparatuses such as electrophotographic copying machines and laser beam printers form a latent image by selectively exposing a uniformly charged photosensitive drum, and developing the latent image with a developer. An agent image is formed, and the developer image is transferred to a recording medium to record an image. In such an apparatus, the developer must be replenished every time the developer runs out. Here, the developer replenishment container for replenishing the developer to the image forming apparatus is configured to store the developer contained in the image forming apparatus main body. A so-called batch replenishment type developer replenishment container that replenishes the developer receiving container all at once, and after the developer replenishment container is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, the developer replenishment container is left as it is, and development is gradually performed until the developer is used up. It is roughly divided into so-called stationary developer supply containers for supplying a developer to the apparatus.

  Particularly in recent years, many stationary developer replenishing containers have been proposed from the viewpoint of dirt and operability at the time of developer replenishment, and a rotating stirring member is provided inside the developer replenishing container to provide an image forming apparatus. A device that is configured to supply the developer stored therein to the image forming apparatus main body by rotating the stirring member in a state of being mounted on the main body has been put into practical use.

  In the case of the developer replenishment container of the main body type as described above, the developer is attached to the copying machine main body in a state where the developer is tightened to some extent due to physical distribution until reaching the user or long-term storage at the user. Therefore, it is necessary to surely break down the developer packed by physical distribution or the like and supply it according to the requirements of the image forming apparatus main body. However, if the developer packed by physical distribution or the like is to be destroyed only by rotating the stirring member, etc., a very high torque is required, which may cause an excessive load on the image forming apparatus main body or the developer supply container side. Even in such a case, it is necessary to make the structure stiff so as not to damage the stirring member due to the high torque. In order to overcome such a problem, when the developer supply container is packed / shipped, it is packed in a posture different from that when the developer supply container is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, and the developer around the discharge port is prevented from being blocked. In addition, there has been proposed / implemented an apparatus that causes the developer to change the attitude of the developer supply container during the mounting operation to the image forming apparatus main body, thereby causing the developer packed by physical distribution to be destroyed (see Patent Document 1).

  By adopting such a packing method, it has become possible to reliably collapse the developer packed by physical distribution only with rotation of the stirring member with relatively low torque. In addition, the stirrer used in the developer supply container of Patent Document 1 is provided with a rigid arm portion that protrudes in the rotational radius direction from the shaft portion so that the packed developer can be broken down more reliably, and further at the tip thereof. Although a flexible member is provided, the above-described agitating member having a flexible agitating blade provided directly on the rotating shaft portion for the purpose of reducing the number of parts and assembling man-hours can be used as described above. By adopting such a packing method, the developer can be sufficiently broken down and discharged, which is actually employed (see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-199995 (FIGS. 26 and 14) JP 2000-347493 A (FIG. 5)

  By providing the developer replenishment container mentioned above, it is possible to provide a main body stationary developer replenishment container with excellent replenishment operability, avoiding an excessive load on the image forming apparatus main body, and the developer replenishment container itself. It became possible to have a simple configuration. However, the above effect is that the inner wall shape of the container perpendicular to the rotation axis of the stirring member of the developer supply container is such that the distance from the rotation center of the stirring member to the farthest part is the distance from the rotation center to the developer discharge opening. On the other hand, it is an effective means only when there is relatively no difference as in the developer supply containers shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 (less than 1.3 times in the developer supply containers of Patent Documents 1 and 2). It was. This is because when designing the agitating member, the rubbing pressure must satisfy the developer discharging performance so that the developer is not damaged by rubbing the agitating blade. The idea is that the developer supply container that requires the highest developer discharge performance is located in the vicinity of the discharge opening (mainly on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the stirring member from the discharge opening on the wall surface where the discharge opening is provided. It is desirable to increase the rubbing pressure of (), and to make the rubbing pressure equal to or less than the other portions. Accordingly, as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, if the inner wall of the developer supply container has a shape that has a relatively small distance from the rotation center of the stirring member, the posture during distribution is temporarily mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. Even if the developer is packed in the top corner of the developer supply container by changing the state from the current posture to 180 degrees, it is possible to sufficiently collapse the packed developer.

  However, in recent years, as the market demand for downsizing of the main body of the image forming apparatus increases, in the developer supply container, it is desired to improve the space efficiency so as to supply more developer in a limited space. . Under such circumstances, there have been cases where it is required to use, for example, a configuration in which the dimension in the height direction is larger than the dimension in the width direction in the cross section in the rotation axis direction of the stirring member. Even in the case of a container having an unusual cross-sectional shape, the same design concept as described above should be applied when designing the stirring member, and the stirring member is increased so that the rubbing pressure near the discharge opening increases accordingly. Place. Then, in the developer supply container having a configuration in which the dimension in the height direction is larger than the dimension in the width direction, when the rotation center of the stirring member is disposed on the container lower side that is the developer discharge opening side, naturally A dead space that does not reach the stirring blades is formed on the top surface (upper side) of the container. For this reason, it is necessary to separately provide a long wing that can reach the dead space. However, even with a long blade that can reach the dead space, it is necessary to prevent damage to the developer even when the vicinity of the discharge opening where the amount of friction is the largest is rubbed. The rubbing pressure of the stirring blade needs to be greatly reduced. In such a situation, it is not possible to exert the rubbing pressure enough to cause the stirring blade to enter the developer packed on the top surface portion or the like by scraping off the developer packed on the top surface by changing the packing posture at the time of distribution. May remain in the container as it is packed, which is not sufficient in terms of reliability.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable developer replenishing container packaging method that exhibits stable discharge performance by effectively dragging down the developer packed in a dead space portion of a container having an irregular cross-sectional shape. Is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, a typical configuration of the present invention is a developer replenishment container for supplying a developer housed in an image forming apparatus main body from a developer discharge opening, and the image forming apparatus main body In the method of packing a developer supply container detachably attachable to the developer, the developer supply container has a shaft portion rotatably supported in the container and a flexible stirring blade portion attached to the shaft portion. A stirring member having a developer agitating member having a first wing formed longer than a distance from the rotation center of the stirring member to the inner wall surface of the container farthest from the rotation center of the stirring member; The developer supply container has a cross section in which the length from the rotation center of the stirring member to the inner wall surface of the container is longer than the length to the developer discharge opening in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the stirring member. Said developer The supply container is packed in a packing box in a state of being regulated to be at least a posture different from the posture attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and the stirring member in the developer supply container is provided on the inner wall surface of the container. Among them, the first wing portion is arranged so as to be substantially in contact with the wall surface which is lower in the gravitational direction than when being mounted on the image forming apparatus main body and is in a bent state. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, a developer replenishment container that has undergone physical distribution can be packed by a user in a simple manner that does not increase the cost of changing the attitude during physical distribution relative to the attitude when the image forming apparatus main body is mounted. The developer packed in the container is destroyed or an effect of giving a breakage is obtained by taking out from the box, changing the posture for attaching to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and vibration when attaching to the main body of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the discharge failure due to the developer packing. In addition, since the stirring member in the developer supply container is installed in advance between the developer whose first wing portion is packed by physical distribution and the inner wall surface of the container, the packed developer does not collapse even by the above operation. Even in such a case, it is possible to exhibit the effect of breaking down the developer more reliably than in the case where the stirring member is inserted into the packed developer and scraped.

  Further, since the developer attached to the inner wall surface of the container can be scraped off by the first wing portion that can reach the inner wall surface of the container farthest from the rotation center of the stirring member, the residual developer when the container is replaced The amount can be reduced.

  In addition, since the first wing portion of the stirring member is not deformed / stored for a long time in a state of being greatly deformed, the creep deformation of the first wing portion can be prevented, and the first wing portion can be left for a long time or severely It is possible to provide a developer supply container having a more reliable stirring member that can withstand standing in the environment.

  In addition, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in setting the rotation center position of the stirring member and the shape of the developer supply container, and it is possible to provide a developer supply container that is excellent in space efficiency, and the image forming apparatus main body can be made compact. Become.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
(overall structure)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state of packaging during distribution / transportation of a developer supply container according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 10 is a developer supply container according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and 30 is a packaging box in which the developer supply container 10 is accommodated in a regulated state. The fixing of the developer supply container 10 into the packaging box 30 includes a case where the position / posture is substantially regulated with some backlash.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an electrophotographic copying apparatus which is an example of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus to which the developer supply container according to the first embodiment of the present invention is attached.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 100 denotes an electrophotographic copying apparatus main body (hereinafter also referred to as an apparatus main body). Reference numeral 101 denotes a document, which is placed on a platen glass 102 and is arranged so that development information is imaged on the drum 104 by a plurality of mirrors M and lenses Ln of the optical unit 103. Reference numerals 105 to 108 denote cassettes, and among the sheets P stacked in the cassettes 105 to 108, the optimum sheets are selected from the information input by the user from the operation unit (not shown) or the paper size of the original 101. Select from the paper size information.

  Then, one sheet P conveyed by the feeding / separating devices 105 </ b> A to 108 </ b> A is conveyed to the registration roller 110 via the conveying unit 109, and the rotation of the drum 104 and the scanning timing of the optical unit 103 are synchronized. Then transport. Reference numerals 111 and 112 denote transfer and separation chargers.

  Thereafter, the sheet P conveyed by the conveying unit 113 is fixed to the developer T on the sheet by heat and pressure in the fixing unit 114, and then passes through the discharge reversing unit 115 in the case of single-sided copying. The paper is discharged to the discharge tray 117 by the roller 116. In the case of double-sided copying, the same path as in the case of single-sided copying is performed after the paper is transported to the registration roller 110 via the re-feed transporting units 119 and 120 under the control of the flapper 118 of the discharge reversing unit 115. Then, it is discharged to the discharge tray 117.

  In the case of multiple copying, the paper P passes through the discharge reversing unit 115 and is once discharged out of the apparatus by the discharge roller 116. After that, the end of the paper P passes through the flapper 118, and the flapper 118 is controlled at the timing when it is still nipped by the discharge roller 116, and the discharge roller 116 is reversely rotated, so that it is conveyed again into the apparatus. . Thereafter, the sheet is conveyed to the registration roller 110 via the re-feed conveyance units 119 and 120, and then discharged to the discharge tray 117 along the same path as in the case of single-sided copying.

  Incidentally, in the apparatus main body 100 having the above-described configuration, a developing device 201, a cleaner unit 202, and a primary charger 203 are disposed around the drum 104. Here, the developing device 201 adsorbs the developer T onto the drum 104 in order to reveal information obtained by forming information on the document 101 on the drum 104 as an electrostatic latent image by the optical unit 103. A developer supply container 10 for supplying developer T to the developing device 201 is detachably provided on the apparatus main body 100.

  In the present embodiment, an electrophotographic copying apparatus has been described as an example of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. However, for example, a so-called laser beam printer or facsimile without a scanner unit may be used.

(Developer supply container)
Next, the developer supply container according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  3A and 3B are perspective views of the developer supply container 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 3A shows a state in which the shutter 14 is attached, and FIG. 3B shows a state in which the shutter 14 is removed. When the developer supply container 10 is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 100, the developer supply container 10 is mounted in the posture shown in FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the developer supply container 10 shown in FIG. 3, where (A) is a cross section cut along a plane parallel to the stirring shaft 17, and (B) is a cross section cut along a plane perpendicular to the stirring shaft 17. Show. FIG. 5 is a view showing the stirring blade 16 used in the present embodiment.

  The developer supply container 10 shown in FIG. 3 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100 and is a so-called stationary type in which the developer T is gradually replenished to the developing device 201 which is a supplied portion until it is left as it is and the developer T is used up. is there.

  In the present embodiment, the developer supply container 10 is formed by joining a lid 12 to a developer container main body 11 for storing developer T by a conventionally known means such as ultrasonic welding. 13, a developer discharge opening 11 a for supplying the developer T is provided below, and a developer stirring member 15 is provided inside the container body 10. The developer supply container 10 supplies the developer T to the developing means as described above, and is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body 100 by the user operating the knob portion 13.

  Next, the form of the developer supply container 10 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the developer replenishing container 10 has a semi-cylindrical lower portion, and a hollow box having a rectangular parallelepiped shape whose width is substantially equal to the diameter of the lower semi-cylindrical portion. In this example, the width dimension (diameter of the semi-cylindrical portion, the dimension W in FIG. 4B) is about 90 mm, and the height dimension (the dimension H in FIG. 4B) is about 135 mm. The ratio of the width dimension to the height dimension is about 1: 1.5. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a stirring member 15 composed of a stirring shaft 17 and a stirring blade 16 described later can be rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. 4B at a substantially central portion of the lower semi-cylindrical portion. The developer T accommodated in the shaft can be stirred and transported. Further, the developer T is discharged to a position approximately 60 ° from the vertical center of the arcuate surface of the lower semi-cylindrical portion, the rotation axis direction of the stirring member 15, and approximately 60 ° from below the vertical. The developer discharge opening 11 a for supplying the toner to 100 is provided with a size of about 20 mm in the rotation axis direction of the stirring member 15 and about 10 mm in the rotation direction of the stirring member 15.

  Here, the width dimension of the container 10 is not limited by the gist of the present invention. However, when the stirring blade 16 formed of only a flexible member as shown in the present invention is used, the rotation center is used. If the distance from the container to the inner wall surface of the container becomes large, the rigidity of the flexible member forming the stirring blade 16 becomes insufficient, and the stirring / conveying ability of the developer T may be lowered. However, in order to make up for the lack of rigidity of the flexible member, the stirring member 15 is not composed of only the flexible member, but a projection for assisting the stirring blade 16 from the stirring shaft 17 is provided. This is not the case.

  Further, the height dimension of the container 10 is limited by receiving the width dimension for the reason described in the configuration of the stirring blade 16 to be described later. An appropriate range is set. Here, the height of the container 10 is preferably in the range of about 1.3 times to about 2.5 times the width, in view of the performance of the stirring blade 16, more preferably in the range of 1.3 times to 2.0 times. The inside is most preferably used.

  The arrangement position and size of the developer discharge opening 11a are preferably set as appropriate depending on the design restrictions of the image forming apparatus main body 100, the powder characteristics of the developer T to be stored, and the like. In the embodiment, the developer discharge opening 11a is formed with a length shorter than the length of the stirring member 15 in the rotation axis direction.

(Developer stirring member)
As shown in FIG. 4, the developer stirring member 15 used in the present embodiment includes a stirring shaft 17 as a shaft portion rotatably supported in the container, and a stirring blade portion attached to the stirring shaft 17. And is arranged inside the developer supply container 10 as shown in FIG. The agitation shaft 17 is a rod-like member, and a fitting portion for fitting a coupling 18 is formed at one end with the side wall of the developer supply container 10 interposed therebetween (this coupling 18 is a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body 100). Is transmitted to the developer stirring member 15). The other end is inserted into a shaft support hole 19 provided in the developer supply container 10. The joining method of the stirring shaft 17 and the stirring blade 16 may be a conventionally known method such as patching, heat caulking, or screwing.

  Further, the stirring blade 16 is formed of a flat flexible member, and a suitable material having appropriate elasticity and creep resistance can be used, for example, a polyacetal sheet or a polyurethane rubber sheet. Although a rubberized cloth or the like may be used, a polyester (PET) film is particularly preferable. In this embodiment, an example using a PET film is shown. The thickness of the polyester film is appropriately set depending on the size of the developer supply container 10 (particularly, the radius of the lower cylindrical portion), the type of developer T stored therein, or the shape of the stirring blade 16 described later. Although it is possible, about 50 to 500 μm is preferable, and 150 to 300 μm is particularly preferable. If the thickness is less than 50 μm, the rigidity of the stirring blade 16 is weakened, and it is preferable because the developer conveying force is lowered, the joining strength with the stirring shaft 17 is lowered, and the handling property at the time of assembly is also lowered. Absent. On the other hand, if the thickness exceeds 500 μm, the rigidity becomes too strong, and the stirring blade 16 requires a large rotational torque when rotating in the main body of the developer supply container 10 and is difficult to be deformed. There are also problems such as difficulties. In the present embodiment, a polyester film having a thickness of 250 μm is used as the stirring blade 16. Further, as a method for processing the stirring blade 16, it is preferable to manufacture by stamping the material as described above because of high accuracy and low cost.

  Next, the shape and configuration of the stirring blade 16 and the operation within the main body of the developer supply container 10 will be described in detail.

  The stirring blade 16 made of a single flexible member is configured to protrude in two directions substantially opposite to the stirring shaft 17, and adheres to the developer T that is mainly compacted in the stirring dead space or to the wall surface. In order to transport the developer T in the direction of the axis of rotation, the first wing 16b that works to scrape off the developed developer T or drag the packed developer T immediately after the developer T is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. Second wing portion 16a.

(First wing)
Next, the first blade portion 16b of the stirring blade 16 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the first wing portion 16b includes an arm portion 16b1 extending in the rotational radius direction of the stirring shaft 17 facing the second wing portion 16a described later from the stirring shaft 17; It is formed of a connecting portion 16b2 that connects the tips of the arm portions 16b1. Here, the length of the arm portion 16b1 is set to a length that can reach the farthest portion in the container 10 from the rotation center of the stirring blade 16, and further, the length of the arm portion 16b1 provided at the distal end portion of the arm portion 16b1. The connecting portion 16b2 allows the inner wall surface of the container body 10 to rub an area where the second wing portion 16a described later cannot rub. However, when the length of the arm portion 16b1 is set so as to reach the farthest portion in the container main body 10 as described above, the stirring member 15 rotates, and the first wing portion 16b becomes the lower portion of the container 10 When approaching (for example, the region a in FIG. 4B), the amount of rubbing of the first wing portion 16b becomes maximum, and there is a concern about damage to the developer T or generation of coarse particles. Is done. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the width d of the arm portion 16b1 is made smaller than the width D of the wing body 16a1 of the second wing portion 16a described later, and the flexibility of the first wing portion 16b is made. It is configured to reduce the rubbing pressure so that coarse particles are not generated by making it sufficiently high.

  Thus, by adjusting the width d of the arm portion 16b1 forming the first wing portion 16b, it is possible to easily adjust the rubbing pressure, and even when the first wing portion 16b is most bent. The rubbing pressure of the first wing portion 16b can be made lower than that of the second wing portion 16a that transports the developer. Thereby, it is possible to provide a developer supply container that reduces damage to the developer and does not generate coarse particles.

  Here, the length of the arm portion 16b1 is basically a length that can reach the entire region in the developer supply container 10 including at least a portion where the second wing portion 16a described later does not reach, as described above. Although it depends on the form of the container 10 described above, it is preferably 1.3 times or more the radius of the lower arc portion of the developer supply container. On the contrary, the length of the agitating member 15 is not necessarily long, and depending on the rigidity of the first wing portion 16b, the agitating member 15 rotates. For example, the first wing portion 16b is positioned below the container 10 (see FIG. 4 (B) region a) and the like, the amount of rubbing of the first wing portion 16b becomes too large and overlaps with the second wing portion 16a, which will be described later. Since there is a possibility that the developer conveying function of the wing portion 16a may be hindered, it is desirable that the radius is not more than 4.5 times the radius of the lower arc portion of the developer supply container. Further, the width d (see FIG. 5) of the arm portion 16b1 in the rotation axis direction of the stirring shaft 17 is caused by the sliding pressure even when the first wing portion 16b is most bent as described above. It is necessary to lower the elasticity to such an extent that no coarse particles are generated, to restore the bent state, and to have elasticity so as to be able to slid to the place farthest from the center of rotation of the stirring shaft 17 . In addition, due to the initial position restriction of the stirring blade 16 described later, the first blade portion 16b needs to have sufficient strength so as not to be damaged when pulled out from the developer T in a compacted state. The width d of the arm portion 16b1 is approximately 2 to 15 mm, although it depends on the length of the arm portion 16b1, the thickness of the PET film to be used, the W dimension of the stirring blade 16 in FIG. Is more preferable, and about 3 to 10 mm is more preferable. For example, when the length of the arm portion 16b1 is long or the PET film to be used is thin, or when the W dimension is large and the rigidity needs to be increased, the dimension of the width d is increased. It is possible to make adjustments such as increasing the rigidity of the entire first wing portion 16b. In the present embodiment, the length of the arm portion 16b1 is approximately 2.5 times the radius of the lower arc portion of the developer supply container, and the width d is 5 mm.

  Further, a method in which the projecting direction of the first wing portion 16b is the same as that of the second wing portion 16a described later (for example, JP-A-2002-40788) is also conceivable. However, in the case of such a stirring blade configuration, as shown in FIG. 12, first, both the blade portions 147 and 148 have no ability to convey the developer in the direction of the rotation axis of the stirring shaft 142, and the developer discharge opening portion is stirred. In the case where the shaft 142 is not substantially in the entire rotation axis direction, sufficient developer conveying ability cannot be exhibited. Even when the wing portion 148 provided inside the wing portion 147 is configured to have a substantially L shape so as to have a developer conveying effect, the inner wing portion 148 is the arm of the outer wing portion 147. Since it is formed by making a cut 147a inside the portion 147c, a portion that cannot be rubbed in the portion corresponding to the arm portion 147c of the outer wing 147 is generated, which causes an increase in the remaining amount of the developer. This is not preferable for use in a developer supply container having a discharge opening as seen in the present embodiment.

  From the above, it is preferable that the projecting direction of the first wing part 16b is not the same direction as the second wing part 16a described later. In the present embodiment, the first wing part 16b and the second wing part 16b The wing part 16 a is provided so as to protrude in a substantially opposite direction with respect to the shaft part 17. As a result, both the connecting portion 16b2 of the first wing portion 16b and the rubbing portion 16a2 of the second wing portion 16a, which will be described later, are formed over substantially the entire region of the stirring member 15 in the rotational axis direction. Therefore, it is possible to provide a developer supply container with a small amount of residual developer.

  The first wing portion 16b is configured such that the connecting portion 16b2 rubs against the inner wall surface of the developer supply container 10 in the substantially entire region in the rotation axis direction of the stirring shaft 17 of the developer supply container 10. As a result, it is a simple and low-cost configuration, and without greatly increasing the torque load during rotation, the developer that is packed inside the developer supply container 10 including the dead space portion and the developer that adheres to the inner wall surface of the container Therefore, it is possible to provide a developer supply container that is excellent in discharging performance and has a small amount of residual developer.

(Second wing)
Next, the second blade portion 16a of the stirring blade 16 will be described.

  The second wing part 16a includes a wing part body 16a1 extending in the rotation radius direction of the stirring shaft 17 from the vicinity of both ends of the stirring shaft 17, and the rotation axis direction of the stirring shaft 17 from the tip of the wing part body 16a1. And a substantially L-shaped rubbing portion 16a2 provided so as to protrude toward the developer discharge opening 11a. In the present embodiment, the developer discharge opening 11a of the container body 10 is shorter than the developer storage space of the container body lower cylindrical portion and is provided at the substantially central portion of the cylindrical portion. The rubbing portion 16a2 of the main wing 16a extends to the right side toward the developer discharge opening 11a, and the rubbing portion 16a2 of the main wing 16a at the right end extends to the left side toward the developer discharge opening 11a.

  In this way, the second blade portion 16a of the stirring blade 16 is configured by the blade portion main body 16a1 and the rubbing portion 16a2, so that a simple and low-cost configuration that can be handled only by the shape of the stirring blade 16 is provided. Thus, the second wing portion 16a can be provided with a function of transporting the developer in the direction of the rotation axis, which is excellent in discharge performance at low cost.

  By the way, the distance between the end surface of the rubbing portion 16 a 2 and the stirring shaft 17 is set to a distance at which at least the end surface of the rubbing portion 16 a 2 can rub against the lower inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion of the container body 10. In the present embodiment, for the reasons described later, as shown in FIG. 5, the tip portion, that is, the developer discharge opening, is such that the rubbing amount of the rubbing portion 16a2 increases toward the developer discharge opening 11a. The shape is inclined toward the developer discharge opening 11a so that the portion 11a is longer.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in order to transport the developer T at a location where the developer T cannot be transported in the gap portion of the second wing portion 16a provided at two locations, The auxiliary wing portion 16c is provided at a position corresponding to the slit 16a3 of the second wing portion 16a, and the end surface thereof has a shape that has a distance capable of rubbing with at least the lower inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion of the container body 10. It has become.

  The second wing portion 16a is configured to rub against the inner wall surface of the developer supply container 10 substantially in the entire rotation axis direction of the stirring shaft 17 of the developer supply container 10, and the developer supply container It is possible to reliably stir and transport the developer T in the entire rotation axis direction of the ten stirring shafts 17 and supply the developer T in the replenishing container 10 to the image forming apparatus main body 100.

  Further, since the developer T having the above-described configuration can surely stir and transport the developer T substantially in the entire rotation axis direction of the stirring shaft 17 of the developer supply container 10, the developer discharge opening 11a can be further provided. It is possible to provide a developer replenishing container that can be formed small, can reduce contamination when the developer is discharged, and has excellent operability. In addition, since the seal member for sealing the developer can be made smaller during distribution, the cost can be reduced, and at the same time, a developer supply container having a wide latitude against the leakage of the developer can be provided.

  Next, the rotation center position of the stirring blade 16 and the length setting of the second blade portion 16a will be described.

  As described above, the agitating blade 16 must discharge and supply the developer T in the developer supply container 10 in accordance with a request from the image forming apparatus main body 100. I need. Naturally, if the sliding amount (intrusion amount) between the tip of the second wing portion 16a and the inner wall surface of the container is large, the sliding pressure becomes high, and a high developer conveying ability can be obtained. However, on the other hand, the developer T accommodated therein may be damaged by the rubbing pressure by the second wing portion 16a, and coarse particles may be generated. It is important to set the rubbing amount (intrusion amount) so that the rubbing pressure can be well balanced. Therefore, in the case of the container shape as seen in the present embodiment, the region where the stirring / conveying ability of the developer T should be exhibited is the developer discharge opening 11a of the developer supply container 10. To a limited area upstream of the stirring blade 16 in the rotational direction (for example, the area a in FIG. 4B), the strongest and most stable rubbing pressure is obtained in this area. It is preferable to set the rotation center position of the stirring blade 16 and the length of the second blade portion 16a so as to be obtained.

  On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 10 given as a comparative example, a rotation center (shaft 17 in FIG. 10) is simply provided at a substantially central portion of the developer supply container 10 at the most distant place. Then, the portion (region b in FIG. 10) where the conveyance capability is not required is higher than the portion (region a in FIG. 10) where the conveyance force is most required. If the length of the second wing portion 16a is set so as to obtain an appropriate conveying force, the region b is too strong and the possibility that coarse particles are generated increases, which is not preferable.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11A, the length of the second blade portion 16a is set so as to reach the entire region in the developer supply container without changing the rotation center position of the stirring blade 16. As a result, when the agitation blade 16 is rotated, the second blade portion 16a is greatly deformed as shown in FIG. 11B, and the developer supply container 10 slides on the inner wall surface. Such a setting is also not preferable because the developer transport capability by the rubbing portion 16a2 is lost and satisfactory discharge performance cannot be obtained.

  Here, the intrusion amount (sliding amount) of the stirring blade 16 is the length in the rotational radial direction from the rotation center of the stirring blade 16 to the tip of the first or second blade portion, and the rotation of the stirring blade 16. It refers to the difference in distance from the center to the inner wall surface of the container body 10. In the present embodiment, the rotation center position of the stirring blade 16 is substantially the center of the lower semi-cylindrical portion of the developer supply container 10, and the length of the second blade portion 16a is lower than the rotation center. It was set to about 47 to 48 mm longer than the distance to the inner wall surface of the semi-cylindrical portion (as described above, the rubbing portion 16a2 of the main wing 16a is longer toward the developer discharge opening side). Since the longest part is 48 mm and the shortest part is 47 mm, the difference in the length of the main wing 16a described here depends on the conveying capacity required for the wing. You may add a difference). Here, the length of the second wing portion 16a may be set as appropriate depending on the shape of the wing portion 16a and the property of the developer to be stored. It is desirable to form it longer than the distance to the inner wall surface by about 0.1 to 10 mm, more preferably about 1 to 4 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the second wing portion 16a according to the present embodiment configured as described above has a slit 16a3, but has a sufficient restoring force, and thus has a high developer conveying force. . In addition, the developer discharge opening 11a side of the rubbing portion 16a2 is more easily bent than the side connected to the wing portion main body 16a1, so when rubbing against the inner surface of the cylindrical portion of the container body 10, Since the rubbing is always delayed with respect to the connecting portion side with the wing portion main body 16a1, a developer conveying force is generated from the direction perpendicular to the stirring shaft 17 to the developer discharge opening 11a in an oblique direction.

  Furthermore, by increasing the amount of rubbing between the inner surface of the cylindrical portion of the container body 10 and the rubbing portion 16a2 toward the developer discharge opening 11a, the amount of bending of the rubbing portion 16a2 is increased, and the oblique direction is increased. The developer conveying force is increased. That is, the developer can be conveyed in the direction of the rotation axis of the stirring shaft 17. Moreover, because of the slit 16a3 provided in the second wing portion 16a, the rotational torque is not increased. Further, the auxiliary wing portion 16c protruding only on the portion corresponding to the opposite side of the position where the slit 16a3 is provided discharges the developer T in the portion not rubbed by the rubbing portion 16a2 from the developer discharge opening 11a. Therefore, the remaining amount of the developer can be extremely reduced.

(Packaging method for developer replenishment container and installation position of stirring blade)
Next, a packing method at the time of shipment of the developer supply container 10 and an installation position of the stirring blade part will be described in detail with a most preferable example.

  The developer replenishing container 10 reaches the user and is subjected to vibrations such as physical distribution or left for a long time before being mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 100. As a result, the developer T may be in a state of being consolidated (hereinafter also referred to as a packing state) in a portion that is on the bottom during distribution and when left unattended. In such a case, with the stirring blade 16 formed of only a PET film as shown in the present embodiment, the packed developer T cannot be broken, and there is a possibility of poor discharge. For this reason, it is preferable to pack the developer supply container 10 in a posture different from the posture when the developer supply container 10 is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6A. In this way, even if the developer T is hardened due to vibrations during distribution, the user can return from the packing posture to the posture for mounting on the image forming apparatus main body 100 when used by the user. As shown in (B), it is possible to give a trigger for the packed developer T to collapse or collapse. Therefore, by adopting such a packing posture, the developer T can be easily stirred and discharged even by the stirring blade 16 formed of a PET film as shown in the present embodiment.

  Specifically, the developer replenishing container 10 according to the present embodiment has a developer discharge opening portion in the rotational direction of the stirring member 15 from the posture (see FIG. 2) when the developer supply container 10 is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 100. According to the arrangement position, the developer supply container 10 is rotated 180 ° to 180 ° so that the developer is not packed in the vicinity of the discharge opening (in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. It is preferably packed in the packing box 30 in a state where it is regulated so as to maintain the (rotated state). Here, the rotation angle is expected to have the effect of breaking the packed developer as described above. Therefore, when the rotation angle is less than 45 °, the breaking effect becomes low, and conversely 180 °. Rotating more than this is not desirable because it increases the load on the user, and actually rotating more than 180 ° in a certain direction requires rotating less than 180 ° in the opposite direction. Therefore, it is preferable to pack the product so as to rotate within the range of 45 ° to 180 ° described above.

  In this way, the developer supply container 10 that has undergone physical distribution is packed in a simple manner that does not increase costs by restricting the attitude during physical distribution to a posture different from that when the image forming apparatus main body is mounted. It becomes possible to break down the developer, and it is possible to prevent discharge failure due to the clogging of the developer. Further, since there is a certain degree of freedom in the arrangement of the developer discharge openings, it is possible to provide a developer supply container that can widen the design latitude of the image forming apparatus main body.

  Next, the installation position of the first wing portion 16b in the initial stage (from the time of assembly until it is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body and starts rotating) will be described.

  As described above, in order to prevent a discharge failure due to packing of the developer T due to vibration during distribution or standing for a long period of time, it is desirable to pack in a posture different from the posture when mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus. . However, when packing is performed in such a posture, the developer T is naturally packed in the lower portion (in this embodiment, the lid portion 12 side). However, in many cases, when the user takes out the developer supply container 10 from the packing box 30, changes the posture when the image forming apparatus main body 100 is mounted, or vibrations or shocks when mounting the image forming apparatus main body 100. As a result, most of the developer T collapses downward as shown in FIG. 6B, and the stirring member 15 as shown in the present embodiment can be discharged without any problem. In addition, a small amount of developer T may remain packed in the top surface portion of the developer supply container 10, but if the amount is small, it can be scraped off due to the scraping effect of the first wing portion 16b, resulting in poor discharge. There will be no problems such as increasing the remaining amount.

  However, in rare cases, the packed developer T may not collapse due to the impact or the like, and may remain in a large amount on the lid 12 side of the developer supply container 10. In this case, since the first wing portion 16b is originally configured to have low elasticity, the first wing portion 16b has a function to penetrate into the packed developer T and break down. In other words, a large amount of the packed developer T may remain as it is.

  In order to prevent such a situation, before the developer T is packed, for example, before the developer T is filled in the developer supply container 10 or before the developer supply container 10 is packed. It is effective to dispose the first wing portion 16b in advance at a position where the developer T is packed, and to fill the developer T packed as described above.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4B, the stirring member 15 in the developer replenishing container 10 has a gravitational direction when packed compared to when mounted on the image forming apparatus main body on the inner wall surface of the container. The first wing portion 16b is disposed so as to be substantially in contact with and bent on the lower wall surface.

  By installing the first wing portion 16b in this way, even when most of the developer T remains in a packed state, the stirring member 15 rotates, whereby the first wing portion 16b is rotated. The wing portion 16b passes through the vicinity of the contact portion between the packed developer T and the inner wall surface of the container, and the packed developer T can be dragged off. Further, it becomes possible to break the packed developer T with the stirring blade having a strength much lower than the strength of the stirring blade that can penetrate into the packed developer T and break down.

  Further, the amount of contact of the first wing portion for effectively dragging the packed developer T as described above with the inner wall of the developer supply container (dimension C in FIG. 4) is 3 to 50 mm. Preferably there is. This is because when the amount of the first wing portion contacting the inner wall of the developer supply container is less than 3 mm, the gap between the packed developer T and the inner wall surface of the developer supply container described above is used. This is because the amount of scraping is small and the drag-off effect may not be obtained sufficiently. On the other hand, if the amount of contact of the first wing portion with the inner wall of the developer supply container is greater than 50 mm, the drag effect is high, but the second wing portion 16a interferes with the second wing portion 16a. This is because there is a possibility of adversely affecting the transfer / discharge effect of the wing, and there is a possibility that the wing is greatly bent and creep-deformed. For this reason, as described above, the amount of contact of the first wing portion with the inner wall of the developer supply container (dimension C in FIG. 4) is preferably 3 mm to 50 mm.

  As described above, the first wing portion 16b is disposed at a position where packing is newly generated due to a change in the posture at the time of distribution, and the packed development is performed by the rotation of the stirring member 15 immediately after being mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus. From the fact that the first wing portion 16b is arranged to substantially contact 3 to 50 mm so as to act so as to wear through the contact portion (C portion in FIG. 4B) between the agent and the inner wall surface of the container. Even if the packed developer does not collapse due to the mounting operation on the image forming apparatus, etc., development is performed with a much lower torque than when the agitating blade is inserted into the packed developer and scraped. The effect of dragging off the agent can be exhibited. Accordingly, since it is not necessary to increase the sliding pressure on the inner wall of the first wing portion 16b, it is possible to provide a developer supply container with high discharge reliability that does not cause the occurrence of coarse particles.

  Further, when the initial arrangement position of the stirring blade 16 is not set as described above, it reaches the user and during the physical distribution / storage period until it is used, for example, as in the stirring blade 16 shown in FIG. There is a possibility that the first wing portion 16b may be left for a long time in a state of being largely deformed. In this case, the first wing portion 16b may be creep-deformed depending on the leaving period and the external environment, and the function of the first wing portion 16b may not be sufficiently exhibited. According to the present embodiment, by intentionally setting the initial arrangement position of the stirring blades 16 as described above, the deformation amount of the stirring blades 16 during the distribution is minimized and the creep deformation is less likely to occur. It was possible to provide a high stirring blade 16.

  From the above, the developer T is most easily packed as the initial position of the stirring blade 16 that is not affected by creep deformation and can maximize the effect of the first blade portion 16b. It is preferable to appropriately select and set a position where one wing portion 16b does not remain greatly deformed. In the present embodiment, as described above, in the cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis of the agitating member 15, the inner surface of the developer supply container is downstream of the agitating member 15 in the rotation direction with respect to the discharge opening 11 a. The first wing portion 16b substantially contacts with the inner wall surface on the side about 20 mm (dimension C in FIG. 4B) and is arranged to be bent.

(Experimental result)
The developer T was actually discharged in the developer supply container 10 using the stirring member 15 described above.

  First, as a first experimental example, in order to confirm the effect of the present invention, using the developer supply container of the present embodiment, the posture at the time of distribution is mounted on the image forming apparatus (see FIG. 2). 1st blade part is regulated to the wall surface on the lower side in the gravitational direction at the time of packing among the inner wall surfaces of the container. The test was carried out under the following conditions, with 16b being placed in contact with 20 mm (dimension C in FIG. 4).

  The test condition is that the developer filling amount in the developer supply container of the present embodiment is about 250 g, and tapping is performed 1000 times in a posture rotated 180 ° from the posture when mounted on the image forming apparatus main body ( 2 Hz, drop height 20 mm) was performed to reproduce the tightened state of the developer. Then, using this developer supply container, the rotation speed of the stirring blade is set to 10 rpm, the developer discharge amount per rotation of the stirring blade is monitored, and the developer discharge amount per rotation of the stirring blade is less than 1 g. At that time, the experiment was terminated.

  As a result, most of the developer T can be dragged off by being pulled out of the developer T so that the first wing portion 16b is worn between the developer T and the inner wall surface of the container during the first rotation. There was found. Further, since the dropped developer was unpacked, it was found that good discharge performance can be exhibited from the initial discharge.

  As a result, there is no abnormality in the discharge state, and the amount of developer T remaining in the developer supply container 10 after the end of the experiment is also about 4 to 6 g (about 1.2 to 1.7% in the initial filling amount ratio). Proved to be very good discharge performance.

  In addition, after being left in a harsh environment (40 ° C./90%) for 10 days, the same experiment was conducted to confirm that almost no effects such as creep deformation were observed, and the same good discharge performance as described above was obtained. .

  Next, as a second experimental example, assuming that the position of the first blade and the posture during distribution are not defined, for example, the position of the stirring blade is set to the position shown in FIG. An experiment was performed under the same conditions by reproducing the case of physical distribution in a posture attached to the forming apparatus.

  As a result, the developer packed in the vicinity of the developer discharge opening cannot be easily disassembled, and the developer can hardly be discharged, or even if it can be discharged, the discharge amount that satisfies the required amount from the image forming apparatus main body is several. Something that takes from ten seconds to several minutes has occurred. In addition, the stirring blade may be plastically deformed because it rotates in the packed developer, and even if the packed developer can be unwound, sufficient transport / discharge performance cannot be obtained, and the experiment is completed. In some cases, the amount of the developer remaining in the developer supply container later becomes about 20 to 40 g (about 8 to 16% in the initial filling amount ratio).

  Finally, as the third experimental example, the position of the first wing portion is not defined in the same way as the second experimental example described above, and only the posture during distribution of the container is 180 ° from the posture attached to the image forming apparatus main body. A similar experiment was conducted assuming the case of being restricted by a rotated posture.

  Further, in order to reproduce the case where the packing developer on the container top surface portion does not collapse, after the tapping, the developer T was set carefully so as not to collapse, and an experiment was conducted.

  As a result, the first wing portion does not sufficiently collapse the developer packed in the container top surface portion, and the developer is hardly discharged even when rotation is started, and satisfactory discharge performance cannot be obtained. It was.

  In addition, during the experiment, a part of the developer packed on the top surface of the container may collapse due to a slight vibration during the rotation of the stirring member. In such a case, although sufficient performance can be exerted with respect to the initial discharge performance, the developer remaining on the top surface of the container has not been destroyed (or it takes a very long time), and as a result, it is not contained in the container. In some cases, the remaining developer amount is about 15 to 20 g (about 6 to 10% with respect to the initial filling amount), and it is difficult to say that the developer has sufficient discharge performance.

  Furthermore, when the same experiment was conducted after being left in a harsh environment (40 ° C./90%) for 10 days, most of the developer T packed on the top surface of the container remained in the container, and satisfactory discharge was achieved. Could not get performance. Further, after this experiment, when the developer supply container 10 was disassembled and investigated, it was found that the first wing portion 16b was still largely bent due to creep deformation.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the method for packing the developer supply container 10 is regulated so that the posture at the time of distribution is different from the posture of mounting on the image forming apparatus main body, and the stirring blade 15 In the cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis of the stirring member 15, the side wall surface of the inner wall surface of the developer supply container 10 on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the stirring member 15 with respect to the discharge opening 11a. In addition, the first wing portion 16b was regulated so as to be in contact with 20 mm. In this way, even in the developer supply container 10 that has undergone physical distribution, the user can use a simple method that does not increase the cost of changing the attitude during physical distribution relative to the attitude when the image forming apparatus is mounted. The developer T packed in the container 10 is broken or broken by taking out from the packing box 30 by using the above, changing the posture for mounting to the image forming apparatus main body 100, vibration at the time of mounting to the image forming apparatus main body 100, or the like. Since the effect of giving a trigger is obtained, it is possible to more reliably prevent the discharge failure due to the packing of the developer T. In addition, the stirring member 15 in the developer supply container 10 is installed in advance between the developer packed with the first wing portion 16b by physical distribution and the inner wall surface of the container. Even when T does not collapse, it is possible to exert the effect of breaking the developer with a much lower torque than when the stirring member 15 is introduced into the packed developer T and scraped. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the rubbing pressure of the stirring member 15 on the inner wall of the container, so that it is possible to provide the developer supply container 10 with high discharge reliability without worrying about the generation of coarse particles.

  Further, the first blade 16b that can reach the inner wall surface of the container farthest from the rotation center of the agitating member 15 can scrape off the developer attached to the inner wall surface of the container. It became possible to reduce the developer amount.

  Further, since the first wing portion 16b is not deformed / stored for a long time in a state of being greatly deformed, the creep deformation of the first wing portion 16b can be prevented, and the first wing portion 16b Very reliable developer replenishment that eliminates the possibility of impairing the function and can easily break down the packed developer T, and can withstand long-term or harsh environment It became possible to provide containers.

  Furthermore, the degree of freedom in design can be increased with respect to the setting of the rotation center position of the stirring member 15 and the shape of the developer supply container 10, and the space in the image forming apparatus main body 100 can be effectively used. As a result, it is possible to provide a developer replenishing container with excellent space efficiency, which can greatly contribute to space saving and downsizing of the main body of the image forming apparatus.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the developer supply container 10 according to this embodiment is from the rotation center of the stirring member 15 to the inner wall surface of the container 10 in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the stirring member 15. Has a longer cross-sectional shape than the length to the developer discharge opening 11a. Specifically, the developer supply container 10 has a distance from the rotation center of the stirring member 15 to the farthest part in the developer supply container 10 so that the developer discharge opening is from the rotation center of the stirring member 10. The cross-sectional shape is 1.3 times or more and 4.5 times or less of the distance to 11a.

  According to this embodiment, as described above, even with a developer replenishment container having an irregular cross-sectional shape, the cost can be suppressed with a simple agitating blade configuration, and there is no occurrence of coarse particles. An excellent developer supply container can be provided. Further, even when the first wing portion 16b is most bent, the stirring member 15 which does not affect the developer conveying function of the second wing portion 16a and does not generate coarse particles is excellent in reliability. It is possible to provide a developer supply container 10 having

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the inner wall surface of the developer supply container 10 that is in contact with the first wing portion 16b and that is on the lower side in the gravitational direction at the time of packing is the developer supply container. Is a wall surface on the upper side in the gravitational direction when mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. Accordingly, even when the developer packed in the upper side in the direction of gravity when the main body of the developer supply container 10 is not collapsed by the operation of mounting the developer supply container 10 on the image forming apparatus main body 100, Since one blade portion 16b has an effect of scraping and dragging the contact portion between the packed developer T and the wall surface, the above-described effect can be more reliably exhibited with low torque.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the developer supply container 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the developer supply container 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention on a plane perpendicular to the stirring axis. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state of packing at the time of distribution / transportation of the developer supply container according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  The developer supply container 10 according to the present embodiment has a developer supply in which the cross-sectional shape is inclined as shown in FIGS. It is an example of the container 10. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the attitude during distribution (packing) is rotated by 70 ° in the rotation direction of the stirring member from the attitude when installed in the image forming apparatus main body. An example of packaging in the state will be described.

  Here, using the developer supply container 10 according to the present embodiment, the developer T discharge experiment (filling amount is about 250 g in the case of this container as well as the first embodiment, and other conditions are described above. The same discharge performance as that of the developer supply container of the first embodiment was exhibited, and the remaining amount was also substantially the same as 3.2 g to 5.4 g. The same result was obtained for the influence of the initial position of the stirring blade 16 and the like.

  Also in the present embodiment, the method for packing the developer supply container 10 is regulated such that the posture at the time of distribution is different from the posture at the time of mounting on the image forming apparatus, and the initial arrangement position of the stirring blade is further In the cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis of the member, the first wing portion is formed on the side wall surface on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the agitating member with respect to the developer discharge opening 11a in the inner wall surface of the developer supply container 10. It was regulated to a state (C dimension in FIG. 8) in which 16b was placed so as to contact 20 mm. Even if comprised in this way, the effect similar to 1st Embodiment mentioned above is acquired.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state when the developer supply container according to the first embodiment of the present invention is packed. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body to which a developer supply container is attached. 2A and 2B are perspective views of a developer supply container according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a developer supply container with a shutter, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a developer supply container without a shutter. 2A is a front cross-sectional view of a developer supply container according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is a front view which shows the stirring member which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. 2A is a cross-sectional view showing a packaging posture of the developer supply container according to the first embodiment of the present invention during distribution, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the internal developer when the image forming apparatus main body is mounted. . FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a developer supply container according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the developer supply container which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the mode at the time of packing of the developer supply container which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the comparative example of a developer supply container. It is sectional drawing which shows the comparative example of a developer supply container. It is a front view which shows the prior art example of a stirring blade.

Explanation of symbols

T ... developer 10 ... developer supply container 11 ... developer storage container body 11a ... developer discharge opening 12 ... lid 13 ... knob 14 ... shutter 15 ... developer stirring member 16 ... stirring blade (stirring blade)
16a ... 2nd wing part 16a1 ... wing part body 16a2 ... rubbing part 16a3 ... slit 16b ... 1st wing part 16b1 ... arm part 16b2 ... connection part 16c ... auxiliary wing part 17 ... stirring shaft (shaft part)
18 ... Coupling 19 ... Shaft support hole 30 ... Packing box 100 ... Image forming apparatus main body

Claims (9)

In a developer supply container for supplying developer housed in the image forming apparatus main body from the developer discharge opening, and in a developer supply container detachable from the image forming apparatus main body,
The developer supply container is a developer stirring member having a shaft portion rotatably supported in the container and a flexible stirring blade portion attached to the shaft portion, wherein the stirring blade portion is at least the A developer agitating member having a first wing formed longer than the distance from the rotation center of the agitating member to the inner wall surface of the container farthest away;
The developer supply container has a cross-sectional shape in which the length from the rotation center of the stirring member to the inner wall surface of the container is longer than the length to the developer discharge opening in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the stirring member And
The developer replenishing container is packed in a packaging box in a state of being regulated so as to have at least a posture different from the posture attached to the image forming apparatus main body, and the stirring member in the developer replenishing container further includes: Among the inner wall surfaces, the first wing portion is arranged so as to be substantially in contact with the wall surface that is lower in the gravitational direction when packaged than when mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus. A packaging form of the developer supply container.   The developer replenishing container maintains a state rotated from 45 ° to 180 ° in the rotation direction of the stirring member in accordance with the arrangement position of the developer discharge opening from the posture when mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus. The developer supply container packaging form according to claim 1, wherein the developer supply container is packaged in a packaging box in a state of being regulated.   2. The developer supply container packing according to claim 1, wherein an amount of the first wing portion entering the inner wall surface of the container at the time of packing the developer supply container is 3 to 50 mm. Form.   The first wing portion is a connecting portion that connects an arm portion extending in the rotational radius direction of the shaft portion from the vicinity of both ends of the shaft portion and a tip of the arm portion, and is formed on the inner wall surface of the developer container. The developer supply container packing form according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a connecting portion that can be slid over substantially the entire region of the shaft portion rotation axis direction. The developer discharge opening is formed with a length shorter than the length of the stirring member in the rotation axis direction,
The stirring blade portion of the stirring member is housed inside the container by rubbing over at least a part of the inner wall surface of the container in which the developer discharge opening is formed and substantially in the entire rotation axis direction of the shaft portion. 5. The developer replenishment according to claim 1, further comprising a second wing portion that conveys the developer toward the developer discharge opening in the rotation axis direction of the stirring member. Packaging form of the container.   The second wing portion includes a wing portion main body extending in the rotational radius direction of the shaft portion from the vicinity of both ends of the shaft portion, and the developer discharge opening in the rotation axis direction of the shaft portion from the tip of the wing portion main body. The packaging form of the developer supply container according to claim 5, comprising a substantially L-shaped rubbing portion provided so as to protrude to the side.   The packing form of the developer supply container according to claim 6, wherein a width of an arm portion forming the first wing portion is narrower than a width of a wing portion main body forming the second wing portion. .   8. The development according to claim 5, wherein the first wing portion and the second wing portion are provided in a direction substantially opposing each other with the shaft portion interposed therebetween. Packing form of drug supply container.   In the developer supply container, the distance from the rotation center of the stirring member to the farthest part in the developer supply container is 1.3 times the distance from the rotation center of the stirring member to the developer discharge opening. The developer supply container packing form according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the packing form is not less than 4.5 times and not more than 4.5 times.

Images