JP2007310139A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus in which a method of removing a waste toner bottle is easily understandable for a user and which enables a user to remove a waste toner bottle with ease even when the waste toner bottle of the conventional type is used. <P>SOLUTION: The slope S of disengagement member 13 pushes itself out toward an engagement piece 11 according as it approaches nearer in an engagement direction Y1 of the engagement piece 11 of the waste toner bottle 19. Accordingly, the slope S abuts on the engagement piece 11 at the time of engagement with the waste toner bottle by depression of the disengagement button 14, and further moves in the abutting direction Z, and therefore the slope S of the disengagement member 13 presses the engagement piece 11 of the waste toner bottle 9 in the disengagement direction Y2 and the engagement state is released. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile, and in particular, a waste toner bottle that collects waste toner generated by cleaning and removing toner remaining on the surface of a photoreceptor after image formation can be mounted. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile machine that forms an image using toner, toner is supplied from a developing device to the surface of a photosensitive member (photosensitive drum) on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and the toner is applied to the surface of the photosensitive drum. Generally, after the image is formed, the toner image is transferred to a transfer material such as copy paper. At this time, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum without being transferred to the transfer material is removed by a cleaning device, and the removed toner (waste toner) is generally put into a waste toner bottle mounted on the image forming apparatus. Discharged and collected. The waste toner bottle is generally configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus, and the waste toner bottle is removed from the image forming apparatus and discarded.

  In such an image forming apparatus, the waste toner bottle has an engagement piece whose engagement direction is a direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting direction in which the waste toner bottle is attached to the image forming apparatus. Mounted and fixed. And it is the structure which removes, releasing engagement by pressing the said engagement piece with a finger | toe in a disengagement direction.

  However, the above configuration has the following problems. First, the location of the engaging piece is difficult to understand, and there is a problem that causes damage to the waste toner bottle and its mounting portion when it is forcibly removed without pressing the engaging piece. In addition, since the urging force of the engagement piece in the engagement direction is strong in order to sufficiently engage the image forming apparatus, it is difficult to push the engagement piece with the finger in the release direction, and the user is dissatisfied.

  The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art, and even when such a waste toner bottle is used, the user can easily understand the removal method and easily remove the waste toner bottle. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing the above.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image that can be mounted by engaging a waste toner bottle having an engaging piece whose engaging direction is a direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting direction to be mounted on the image forming apparatus. The forming device has an inclined surface that can come into contact with the engagement piece when the waste toner bottle is engaged and protrudes toward the engagement piece toward the engagement direction of the engagement piece. An engagement release member movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the engagement direction of the piece and the mounting direction of the waste toner bottle, and moved in a direction in which the inclined surface of the engagement release member comes into contact with the engagement piece of the waste toner bottle And a release button.

  According to the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, the waste toner bottle is configured to be mountable, and the waste toner bottle is formed by the engagement piece whose engagement direction is a direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting direction to be mounted on the image forming apparatus. Mounted and fixed to the image forming apparatus. When the release button is pressed to release the engagement of the waste toner bottle, the engagement release member having the inclined surface moves in a direction in which the inclined surface comes into contact with the engagement piece of the waste toner bottle.

  Here, the inclined surface of the disengagement member protrudes toward the engagement piece as it goes in the engagement direction of the engagement piece. Accordingly, when the release button is pressed, the inclined surface comes into contact with the engagement piece when the waste toner bottle is engaged, and further moves in the contact direction so that the inclined surface of the engagement release member causes the engagement piece of the waste toner bottle to move. The engagement piece is pushed in the releasing direction to release the engaged state.

  In this way, the engagement state can be easily released by the inclined surface of the engagement release member simply by pressing the release button, so even when a waste toner bottle similar to the conventional one is used, It is easy for the user to understand how to remove, and the waste toner bottle can be easily removed.

  Preferably, an elastic member is provided that applies an urging force in a direction opposite to the mounting direction to the waste toner bottle when the waste toner bottle is engaged.

  In this case, when the waste toner bottle is engaged and attached, the elastic member applies an urging force in a direction opposite to the attaching direction, that is, an urging force in the separation direction, to the waste toner bottle.

  Therefore, when the engagement is released, the urging force acts to push the waste toner bottle in the releasing direction, so that the waste toner bottle can be more easily detached.

  Preferably, the waste toner discharge port disposed at the waste toner bottle conduction port when the waste toner bottle is engaged and the waste toner discharge port are opened when the waste toner bottle is engaged, and the waste toner bottle is discarded when the waste toner bottle is not engaged. A shutter provided at the waste toner discharge port and movable in the mounting direction and in the opposite direction to close the toner discharge port, and the elastic member is an open shutter when the waste toner bottle is engaged. On the other hand, by applying a biasing force in the direction opposite to the mounting direction, the shutter is biased in the closing direction to close the shutter when the engagement is released.

  In this case, the waste toner discharge port for discharging the waste toner is disposed at the conduction port of the waste toner bottle when the waste toner bottle is engaged. The waste toner discharge port is configured to be openable and closable by a shutter in the direction in which the waste toner bottle is attached and in the opposite direction. The waste toner discharge port is opened when the waste toner bottle is engaged, and when the waste toner bottle is not engaged. In order to close the waste toner discharge port, an urging force in a direction opposite to the mounting direction of the waste toner bottle is applied to the open shutter by the elastic member.

  Thus, by using the elastic member for both loading / unloading of the waste toner bottle and opening / closing of the shutter, an increase in the number of components can be suppressed and an extra cost increase can be prevented.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, since the engaged state can be easily released by the inclined surface of the disengagement member simply by pressing the release button, a waste toner bottle similar to the conventional one is used. Even in such a case, it is easy for the user to understand the removal method, and the waste toner bottle can be easily removed.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment sequentially transfers an image forming unit 2 having a photosensitive drum 1 provided for each color and toner developed on the photosensitive drum 1 of the image forming unit 2. The intermediate transfer belt 3 and a secondary transfer roller 7 that transfers the toner for each color transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 3 to a transfer material 6 (sheet or the like) conveyed from the paper feed tray 4 to the paper discharge tray 5. A cleaning unit 8 that cleans the surface of the intermediate transfer belt after the transfer onto the transfer material 6 and removes waste toner including a cleaning agent, and a waste toner bottle 9 that stores waste toner discharged from the cleaning unit 8 And a toner portion 10. The present invention is widely applicable to laser printers, facsimiles, copiers, and the like that use waste toner bottles (discharge waste toner).

  FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the vicinity of the waste toner portion and the waste toner bottle in the image forming apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the waste toner bottle of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention has waste toner having an engagement piece 11 in which the direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting direction X1 to be mounted on the image forming apparatus is the engagement direction Y1 (see FIG. 3). In this image forming apparatus, the bottle 9 can be attached by being engaged with the engaging portion 12 of the image forming apparatus by the engaging piece 11. And, when the waste toner bottle 9 is engaged, it has an inclined surface S that can come into contact with the engagement piece 11 and protrudes toward the engagement piece 11 toward the engagement direction Y1 of the engagement piece 11. The disengagement member 13 that can move in the direction (Z direction) substantially perpendicular to the engagement direction Y1 of the engagement piece 11 and the mounting direction X1 of the waste toner bottle 9 and the inclined surface S of the disengagement member 13 are discarded. And a release button 14 for moving the toner bottle 9 in a direction to be brought into contact with the engagement piece 11.

  In the present embodiment, the release button 14 and the disengagement member 13 are integrally formed, and Z is provided for the image forming apparatus (waste toner discharge means 16 described later) and the waste toner bottle 9 attached to the image forming apparatus. It is fixed so that it can swing in the direction. Here, the release button 14 is urged by an elastic member such as a spring so as to return to the original position after being moved in the Z direction.

  According to the image forming apparatus having the above configuration, the waste toner bottle 9 is configured to be attachable to the engaging portion 12 provided in the waste toner portion 10 of the image forming apparatus, and the waste toner bottle is attached to the image forming apparatus. The engagement piece 11 having the engagement direction Y1 in the direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting direction X1 engages with the engagement portion 12 on the image forming apparatus side, and is fixedly mounted on the image forming apparatus. When the release button 14 is pressed to release the engagement of the waste toner bottle 9, the disengagement member 13 connected to the release button 14 and having the inclined surface S engages the inclined surface S with the waste toner bottle 9. It moves in the direction to contact the piece 11.

  Here, FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the engaging member of FIG. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing the time of engagement, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the time when the release button is pressed. As shown in FIG. 4, the inclined surface S of the disengagement member 13 protrudes toward the engagement piece 11 toward the engagement direction Y <b> 1 of the engagement piece 11. Therefore, the inclined surface S comes into contact with the engagement piece 11 when the waste toner bottle is engaged when the release button 14 is pressed, and further moves in the contact direction Z, as shown in FIG. The inclined surface S of the release member 13 pushes the engagement piece 11 of the waste toner bottle 9 in the release direction Y2 of the engagement piece 11, and the engagement state is released.

  As described above, since the engagement state can be easily released by the inclined surface S of the engagement release member 13 only by pressing the release button 14, the waste toner bottle 9 similar to the conventional one as shown in FIG. Even when the toner is used, it is easy for the user to understand the removal method, and the waste toner bottle 9 can be easily removed.

  FIG. 5 is a partial schematic view of the waste toner portion of FIG. FIG. 5A is a bottom view in the shutter closed state, and FIG. 5B is a bottom view in the shutter open state. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of the waste toner portion of FIG. 1 when the waste toner bottle is mounted. In this embodiment, the waste toner bottle 9 is engaged with the waste toner discharge port 17 provided in the waste toner discharge member 16 disposed in the conduction port 15 of the waste toner bottle 9 when the waste toner bottle 9 is engaged. In some cases, the waste toner discharge port 17 is opened, and when the waste toner bottle 9 is not engaged, the waste toner discharge port 17 is closed, and is provided in the waste toner discharge port 17 and is movable in the mounting direction X1 and the opposite direction X2. And a shutter 18. An elastic member 19 is provided that applies a biasing force in the separation direction X2 opposite to the mounting direction X1 to the waste toner bottle 9 and the opened shutter 18 when the waste toner bottle 9 is engaged. Composed.

  In this case, the cleaning unit 8 and the waste toner bottle 9 are connected by a waste toner discharge member 16 (a component of the waste toner unit 10) so that the waste toner can be conveyed. The waste toner discharge member 16 is provided with a waste toner discharge port 17 for discharging the waste toner, and is disposed in the conduction port 15 of the waste toner bottle 9 when the waste toner bottle 9 is engaged. The waste toner discharge port 17 is provided on the side surface of the waste toner discharge member 16, and is configured to be opened and closed in the mounting direction X1 of the waste toner bottle 9 and the opposite direction X2 by a shutter 18 provided on the same side surface. . In order to open the waste toner discharge port 17 when the waste toner bottle 9 is engaged and to close the waste toner discharge port 17 when the waste toner bottle 9 is not engaged, one end is fixed to the shutter 18 and the other end is the waste toner discharge member 16. The urging force in the direction X2 opposite to the mounting direction X1 of the waste toner bottle 9 is applied to the open shutter 18 by the elastic member 19 fixed to the elastic member 19.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the waste toner bottle 9 is mounted, the shutter 18 is configured to abut on the side surface portion of the waste toner bottle near the conduction port 15. Accordingly, when the waste toner bottle 9 is engaged and attached to the waste toner portion 10 of the image forming apparatus, the shutter 18 is pushed in the direction in which the waste toner discharge port 17 is opened (attachment direction X1). Accordingly, the elastic member 19 applies an urging force in the direction opposite to the mounting direction X1, that is, the urging force in the separation direction X2, to the waste toner bottle 9 via the shutter 18.

  Accordingly, when the release button 14 is pressed to release the engagement, the biasing force acts to push the waste toner bottle 9 in the separation direction X2, so that the waste toner bottle 9 is automatically moved in the separation direction X2. Coming out. Therefore, the waste toner bottle 9 can be detached more easily.

  In this way, by using the elastic member 19 for both loading / unloading of the waste toner bottle 9 and opening / closing of the shutter 18, it is possible to suppress an increase in the number of components and prevent an extra cost increase.

  The embodiment according to the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various improvements, changes, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the movement direction Z of the release button 14 (engagement release member 13), the engagement / release direction Y1 / Y2 of the waste toner bottle 9, and the attachment / detachment direction X1 / X2 of the waste toner bottle 9 are set. Although defined as in FIG. 2, the present invention is not limited to this, and the release button 14 is arranged to be movable in the front-rear direction (X1 / X2 direction in FIG. 2) with respect to the image forming apparatus, and the waste toner bottle 9 is mounted / removed. The removal direction is the vertical direction (Z direction in FIG. 2) substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and the engagement / release direction of the waste toner bottle 9 is the horizontal direction (Y1 / Y2 direction in FIG. 2) substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction. It is good also as a structure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the vicinity of a waste toner portion and a waste toner bottle in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a waste toner bottle in FIG. 1. It is the elements on larger scale near the engaging member of FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial schematic view of a waste toner portion in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a waste toner portion of FIG. 1 when a waste toner bottle is mounted.

Explanation of symbols

9 Waste toner bottle 11 Engagement piece 13 Disengagement member 14 Release button 15 Conduction port 16 Waste toner discharge member 17 Waste toner discharge port 18 Shutter 19 Elastic member S Inclined surface X1 Mounting direction X2 Release direction Y1 Engagement direction Y2 Release direction Z Contact direction

Claims (3)

An image forming apparatus capable of being mounted by engaging a waste toner bottle having an engagement piece whose engagement direction is substantially perpendicular to a mounting direction to be mounted on the image forming apparatus with the engagement piece,
The waste toner bottle has an inclined surface that can be brought into contact with the engagement piece and protrudes toward the engagement piece toward the engagement direction when the waste toner bottle is engaged. A disengagement member that is movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting direction of the waste toner bottle;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a release button that moves the inclined surface of the disengagement member in a direction to contact the engagement piece of the waste toner bottle.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic member that applies an urging force in a direction opposite to the mounting direction to the waste toner bottle when the waste toner bottle is engaged. A waste toner discharge port disposed at a conduction port of the waste toner bottle when the waste toner bottle is engaged;
The waste toner discharge port is opened when the waste toner bottle is engaged, and closed when the waste toner bottle is not engaged. Possible shutters,
When the waste toner bottle is engaged, the elastic member applies an urging force in a direction opposite to the mounting direction to the shutter in the open state, so that the shutter is closed in the closing direction when the engagement is released. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

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