JP2007322678A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus for reducing the fault due to toner leaking from toner containers, which is easy to use, and is environmentally friendly. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus comprises a cover 101 which is provided to open and close an aperture 102 formed in an image forming apparatus body 100, toner storing sections 104 (M, C, Y, K) which are arranged inside the image forming apparatus body, freely attachably and detachably support the respective toner containers 103 (M, C, Y, K), and an eaves section 109 which covers areas 108 deposited with the toner leaking from the toner containers mounted in the toner container storing sections. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine having these functions, and more particularly to prevention of scattering of toner leaked from a toner container.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, toner is used to develop a latent image formed on a photoconductor. Therefore, when the toner is low, the cover of the apparatus main body is opened to replace the toner container containing the toner. It is configured to be attached and detached. Toner storage is often removed and installed even during critical maintenance. For this reason, when the toner container is attached or detached, the toner may leak downward from the toner container and accumulate in the apparatus main body. If operations such as maintenance and jamming of the apparatus are performed as they are after the toner has fallen, problems such as toner adhering to the hands and clothes or falling downward will occur.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 1, a configuration is provided in which a toner receiving portion for storing the dropped toner is provided on the inner cover that is exposed by opening an outer cover that can be freely opened and closed on the apparatus main body, and the dropped toner is isolated and stored. is doing.

JP 2001-13749 A

In Patent Document 1, the toner receiving portion is provided on the inner panel. However, depending on the configuration of the main body of the apparatus, there is an apparatus that does not have an inner cover. Will remain. Further, when the front cover is closed without wiping off the toner accumulated in the place, the toner is scattered widely to other places in the apparatus main body due to the wind pressure generated by the opening / closing operation of the cover.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that is easy to use by reducing problems caused by toner leaking from a toner container and that is favorable for the environment.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a cover provided so as to open and close an opening formed in an image forming apparatus main body and a toner container which is disposed in the image forming apparatus main body and is detachable. It is characterized by having a toner container housing part to be supported and a collar part that covers a portion where toner leaking from the toner container mounted in the toner container housing part is accumulated when the cover is opened.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the toner attachment / detachment opening of the toner container housing portion is opened and closed, and the opening / closing operation path is located above the toner accumulation portion and is closed when the cover is opened. The lid member which occupies the state is provided with a collar portion.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the collar portion is provided detachably with respect to the lid member.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first, second, or third aspect, a concave tray portion is provided at a toner accumulation site.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the tray portion is provided so as to be detachable from the toner accumulation portion.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus further includes a lock unit that holds the tray portion on the toner accumulation portion.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect, when the lid member is closed to at least one of the lid member or the collar portion, the tray portion is engaged with the tray portion in the locking direction of the locking means. It is characterized in that an engaging portion for holding a moving or locked state is provided.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth, fifth, or sixth aspect, a paper feed portion provided below the cover and an extension portion provided on the tray portion and extending toward the toner container take-out direction side. And the upper part of the sheet feeding part is covered with the extension part and the cover.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the toner accumulation site or the bottom surface of the tray portion is formed so as to be inclined in the toner container housing direction.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, a brush member is provided at a portion of the collar portion facing the toner accumulation portion.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the cover is opened at a portion where the toner leaking from the toner container mounted in the toner container housing portion disposed in the image forming apparatus main body having an openable / closable cover is accumulated. Since the covering has a covering portion, it is possible to cover the accumulated toner, and it is possible to prevent the accumulated toner from being scattered when the cover is opened and closed and to prevent the user from coming into contact with the scattered toner while using the apparatus.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, the lid for opening and closing the toner attaching / detaching port of the toner container housing portion is located above the toner accumulation portion, and the lid that occupies the closed state when the cover is opened. Since the collar is provided on the member, it is possible to cover the accumulated toner from the upper side, prevent the accumulated toner from scattering when the cover is opened and closed, and prevent the user from coming into contact with the scattered toner while using the device. it can.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the collar portion is provided detachably with respect to the lid member, it can be independently attached / detached to / from an apparatus having no collar portion, and the existing image forming apparatus can be removed. Can cope with functional improvements.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, since the concave tray portion is provided at the toner accumulation portion, the toner is deposited on the tray portion, and the periphery of the deposited toner is covered with the collar portion and the tray portion. It is possible to prevent the accumulated toner from being scattered when the cover is opened and closed, and to more reliably prevent the user or the like from coming into contact with the scattered toner during use of the apparatus.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the tray portion is provided so as to be detachable from the toner accumulation portion, the accumulated toner can be taken out together with the tray portion, and the toner cleaning property is simplified.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the lock means for holding the tray portion at the toner accumulation portion is provided, it can be surely set at the toner accumulation portion of the tray portion, and at the same time, it can be easily attached and detached.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the lid member is closed to at least one of the lid member or the collar portion, the tray portion is engaged with the tray portion to move in the locking direction of the locking means or hold the locked state. Since the engagement part is provided, even if the tray part is locked incompletely, the lid part can be locked or kept locked by the closing operation of the lid member, and toner scattering due to inadvertent removal of the tray part Can be prevented.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the sheet feeding portion provided below the cover and the extension portion provided in the tray portion and extending toward the toner container take-out direction are provided. Since the upper portion of the paper portion is covered, it is possible to prevent toner scattering to the paper feeding portion when the cover is opened and closed.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the toner accumulation site or the bottom surface of the tray portion is formed so as to be inclined in the toner container storage direction, the toner leaking from the toner container is guided toward the back side of the toner accumulation site. Therefore, the toner scattering prevention effect can be further enhanced.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, since the brush member is provided in the portion of the collar portion facing the toner accumulation portion, the toner accumulation portion and the tray portion can be covered with the brush member, and the flocking member is provided on the lid member. When provided, the toner accumulated on the toner accumulation portion and the receiving tray can be swept up by the closing operation of the lid member, so that the scattering of the toner can be further prevented.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A color copier as an image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes an image forming unit A and a paper storage unit B as a paper feeding unit in a lower part of a copier main body 100 as an image forming apparatus main body. In the copying machine main body 100, an image reading device 200 is assembled above a paper discharge section C provided on the top surface of the copying machine. A duplex unit 300 is attached to the side surface of the copying machine main body 100 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit A of the copying machine main body 100 includes a photoconductor unit 10 in the approximate center thereof. The photoconductor unit 10 includes one drive roller 11, two driven rollers 12 and 13, and an endless belt-like photoconductor 14 wound around these rollers. An organic photosensitive layer is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 14. Around the photosensitive unit 10, a charging device 16, an exposure device 17, a developing device 18, an intermediate transfer unit 20, a cleaning device 21, and the like are disposed.

  The charging device 16 uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor 14 by applying a high voltage. The exposure device 17 emits laser light from a laser diode (not shown) based on, for example, a color image reading signal from the image reading device 200, and emits the laser light through a polygon mirror, an f / θ lens, a plurality of reflection mirrors, and the like. Then, writing corresponding to the image reading signals of magenta, cyan, yellow, and black is performed, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor 14.

  The developing device 18 is configured such that developing devices 24M, 24C, 24Y, and 24K that store magenta, cyan, yellow, and black developers are stacked in a detachable manner in order from the bottom. The developing device 18 selectively brings each developing device close to the photosensitive member 14, and contacts or closes the roller-shaped developer carrying members 25 </ b> M, 25 </ b> C, 25 </ b> Y, and 25 </ b> K provided in each developing device. It is configured to be possible.

  The intermediate transfer unit 20 includes a plurality of rollers 27 and an intermediate transfer belt 28 wound around these rollers. A primary transfer roller 29 is disposed inside the intermediate transfer belt 28 in the vicinity of the position where the intermediate transfer belt 28 and the photoreceptor 14 are in contact with each other. A secondary transfer roller 31 and a cleaning device 32 for the intermediate transfer belt 28 are disposed around the intermediate transfer belt 28 with a sheet conveyance path 30 interposed therebetween.

  A cleaning device 21 for cleaning the surface of the photoconductor 14 is disposed with a cleaning member in contact with the photoconductor 14. In the cleaning device 32 for the intermediate transfer belt 28, the cleaning member is also brought into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 28 in the same manner.

  The paper storage unit B of the copying machine main body 100 is provided with two stages of paper feed cassettes 33 at the bottom of the copying machine main body 100 so as to be freely inserted and removed. A sheet as a recording medium stored in each sheet feeding cassette 33 is fed out by rotation of the sheet feeding roller 34 and fed into the sheet conveying path 30, conveyed by a pair of grip rollers 35, 36, and timing by a pair of registration rollers 37. Is measured and conveyed between the intermediate transfer belt 28 and the secondary transfer roller 31.

  On the downstream side of the sheet conveyance path 30 in the sheet conveyance direction, there are a fixing device 38 for fixing the transfer image on the sheet and two sets for discharging the sheet after the transfer image is fixed to the sheet discharge stack section 40 of the in-body sheet discharge section C. The discharge roller pair 39 is arranged. In the in-body sheet discharge section C, two sheet discharge stack sections 40 are provided in two upper and lower stages corresponding to the two pairs of discharge rollers 39.

  In the duplex unit 300, a switchback roller 42 provided in a reversible manner, a switchback conveyance path 43 that feeds one-side recorded paper by the switchback roller 42, a reverse conveyance path 44 that puts the paper switched back by the switchback conveyance path 43, A plurality of pairs of conveyance rollers 45 that convey the sheet through the reverse conveyance path 44 are provided.

  When recording an image using the color copying machine having such a configuration, the photosensitive roller 14 and the intermediate transfer belt 28 are respectively rotated by rotating the driving roller 11 and rotating one of the plurality of rollers 27. 1 is rotated and conveyed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Further, the sheet feeding roller 34 is rotated to feed the sheet from the sheet feeding cassette 33, the sheet is conveyed by the grip roller pair 35, 36 toward the registration roller pair 37 through the sheet conveying path 30, and the registration roller pair 37 is intermediate. The toner is sent in time with the rotation of the transfer belt 28 and is sent to a secondary transfer portion formed between the intermediate transfer belt 28 and the secondary transfer roller 31.

  On the other hand, as the photoconductor 14 rotates, the charging device 16 charges the surface of the photoconductor 14 and the exposure device 17 first writes the first color to form an electrostatic latent image of the first color on the photoconductor 14. Then, a toner charged to a charge opposite to that of the electrostatic latent image is electrostatically attached by the developing device 18 to form a visible image. The first color image is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 28 by the primary transfer roller 29 by applying a charge opposite to that of the toner. Similarly, second to fourth color images are sequentially formed on the photosensitive member 14 and transferred to form a color image in which four colors are combined on the intermediate transfer belt 28.

  The color image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 28 is sent to the secondary transfer portion between the intermediate transfer belt 28 and the intermediate transfer belt 28 by applying a charge opposite to that of the toner by the secondary transfer roller 31 as described above. Batch transfer to paper. After fixing the transferred image by the fixing device 38, the sheet after the image transfer is discharged onto the corresponding discharge stack unit 40 by one appropriately selected discharge roller pair 39 and stacked there.

  When recording an image on the back side of the sheet, the sheet after fixing by the fixing device 38 is switched by the switching member 46 and guided into the duplex unit 300, and sent to the switchback conveyance path 43 by the switchback roller 42. When the rear end of the sheet reaches the position of the switchback roller 42, the switchback roller 42 is reversely rotated to switch back the sheet. The sheet is switched by the switching member 48 and is put into the reverse conveyance path 44.

  The sheet put in the reverse conveying path 44 is conveyed by a plurality of pairs of conveying rollers 45 and returned to the image forming section A of the copying machine main body 100, and again through the sheet conveying path 30, the intermediate transfer belt 28 and the secondary transfer roller 31. Then, an image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 28 is separately transferred to the back surface of the sheet by the secondary transfer roller 31 in the same manner. After the image is transferred, the transfer image is fixed again by the fixing device 38 and then switched by the switching member 46 to be led to the selected discharge roller pair 39, and the discharge roller pair 39 corresponds to the corresponding discharge stack. It is discharged onto the unit 40 and stacked there.

  After the image transfer, the photoreceptor 14 is prepared for the next image formation by removing the transfer residual toner by the cleaning member of the cleaning device 21. Similarly, the intermediate transfer belt 28 after the image transfer is also a cleaning member of the cleaning device 32. The transfer residual toner is removed to prepare for the next image transfer.

Next, characteristic components of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, an opening 102 is formed on the front surface of the copying machine main body 100, as shown in FIG. 3, for access during maintenance or replacement of consumables. A front cover 101 is provided at the edge of the opening 102 so as to open and close the opening 102. In this embodiment, the front cover 101 is rotatably supported at its lower edge by a hinge mechanism (not shown). In this embodiment, the front cover 101 can be opened and closed vertically by a hinge mechanism (not shown).

  Inside the copying machine main body 100, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, developing devices 24M, 24C, 24Y, and 24K are stacked. The developing devices 24M, 24C, 24Y, and 24K are provided with toner container storage portions 104M, 104C, 104Y, and 104K that detachably support the toner containers 103M, 103C, 103Y, and 103K, respectively. In this embodiment, each developer unit is provided with each toner container, so each developer unit is provided with a toner container storage unit. However, each developer unit and toner container are individually arranged. In the case of such a configuration, the toner container storage portions 104M, 104C, 104Y, and 104K may be formed directly in the copying machine main body 100.

  Each developing device is provided with toner attaching / detaching ports 105M, 105C, 1035, and 105K for attaching / detaching toner containers 103M, 103C, 103Y, and 103K, respectively. A lid member 106 is provided in the vicinity of each toner attaching / detaching port so as to open and close each toner attaching / detaching port 105. The right edge of the lid member 106 in FIG. 4 is rotatably supported by a hinge (not shown) in the toner container storage unit 104 and can be opened and closed in the left-right direction. 5A shows the position of the lid member 106 in the closed state, and FIG. 5B shows the position of the lid member 106 in the opened state. In this embodiment, when the lid member 106 occupies the closed state position of FIG. 5A, all the toner containers are hidden. Reference numeral 107 denotes a handle portion used when the lid member 106 is opened and closed.

  Each toner attaching / detaching port (end surface of each developing device) is located at a position slightly behind the opening 102 of the copying machine main body 100, and forms an excessive portion between the opening 102. As shown in FIG. 6, each toner container is attached to and detached from each toner container storage part from the opening 102 side. End up. In the present embodiment, an exposure device 17 whose surface is covered with a resin cover is disposed in the surplus portion because of the device layout. For this reason, the leaked toner Т is accumulated on the upper surface of the exposure device 17, so that the upper surface of the exposure device 17 becomes the toner accumulation portion 108.

  That is, when each toner container is inserted and removed, the toner spills to the front lower side of each toner container storage portion in each developer unit. Therefore, if the toner container once used is taken out and put in multiple times, the toner container of each developer unit The toner remaining in the gap between the storage unit and the toner container accumulates in the gap in the toner container storage unit. When the amount of accumulated toner becomes large, the toner container may be attracted and fall forward and downward when the toner container is replaced.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the dropped toner Т mainly accumulates in the direction of pulling out the toner container storage portion and downward. In this embodiment, since the exposure device 17 is disposed in the surplus portion, the leaked toner Т is deposited on the upper surface thereof. However, if the device configuration is different, the location may not be the exposure device 17. . Other than the exposure device 17, for example, the bottom plate of the paper feeding unit / image forming unit can be used.

  When toner accumulates on the front side of the copying machine main body 100 as described above, toner scattering may occur due to the wind pressure during the opening / closing operation of the front cover 101, or the toner may adhere to the operator during maintenance.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a collar 109 that covers the front cover 101 when the front cover 101 is opened is disposed above the toner accumulation portion 108. In this embodiment, the flange 109 is provided on the front lower portion 106a of the lid member 106 that occupies the closed state when the front cover 101 is opened. Since the opening / closing operation path of the lid member 106 is located above the toner accumulation site 107, a gap is provided between the bottom surface 19 a of the collar 109 including the lid member 106 and the toner accumulation site 108, and the lid member 106. The lid 109 and the lid member 106 are configured not to interfere with the accumulated toner Т during the opening / closing operation.

  In this way, when the lid member 106 is provided with the collar 109, the toner accumulation portion 108 is covered with the collar 109 above the exposure device 17 in front of and below each toner container housing, so that there is a toner pool. When the lid member 106 is closed, the collar 109 serves to cover the dropped toner, and even if the front cover 101 is opened and closed, the toner does not scatter and prevents toner from adhering to the operator. I can. In this embodiment, since the lid member 106 is positioned above the toner accumulation site 108, the lid member 106 is provided with a collar portion. However, any other configuration may be used as long as the configuration covers the toner accumulation site 108. It goes without saying that it can be applied to places.

  As the shape of the toner accumulation portion 108, if it is flat as shown in FIG. 7, there may be a step as shown in FIG. 8. In such a case, the surface shape of the toner accumulation portion 108 should be followed. The lower shape of the lid member 106 and the flange 109 may be formed.

  The lid member 106 may be provided with the flange 109 by integral molding with the lid member 106. However, if the shape is complicated, there will be difficulty in production design including the problem of the mold configuration. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the lid member 106 and the flange 109 may be formed separately and can be retrofitted. As a post-attachment method, it is preferable to integrate the cover member 106 by a method such as screwing, an adhesive, or welding because productivity is improved.

  Further, for example, when a user purchases a copier or the like provided with a lid member 106 to which the collar portion 106 is not attached, if the user wants to attach the collar portion 109, the lid member 106 in which the collar portion 109 is formed integrally. However, if it is only manufactured, the lid member 106 with the new flange 109 is installed without using the lid member 106 that was initially mounted, and waste material is produced. By being configured to be detachable with respect to 106, it is possible to obtain a toner scattering prevention function only by attaching only the collar 109 to the existing lid member, and it is possible to suppress wasteful waste material discharge, The product is environmentally friendly.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 10 shows a configuration in which a concave tray portion 110 is provided in the toner accumulation portion 108. When a large amount of toner has fallen, if this tray part 110 is present, the collar part 109 serves as a lid for the tray part 110 and accumulates, and the space formed by the tray part 110 and the collar part 109 receiving the toner Т. Can be stored completely inside. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 10B and 10C, the wall A on the front side of the apparatus or the toner container removal direction side of the tray 110 is formed one step higher than the bottom 110 a of the tray 110. Even if the lid member 106 and the collar portion 109 are opened and closed to move the accumulated toner, the toner does not hit the wall A and come out of the tray portion 110, and the accumulated toner Т is prevented from being scattered when the front cover 101 is opened and closed. It is possible to more reliably prevent the user etc. from coming into contact with the scattered toner during use.

  As a form of the tray part 110, a concave part may be integrally formed on the surface of the casing of the exposure apparatus 17 serving as the toner volume portion 108 to form the tray part 110. However, as shown in FIG. The tray portion 111 formed in the above may be detachably provided on the toner volume portion 108. Thus, if the tray part 111 is provided in the toner volume part 108 so that attachment or detachment is possible, since the tray part 111 can be removed and cleaned, the cleaning property can be improved. The tray 111 may be simply placed on the toner volume portion 108 as shown in FIG. 11, or may be slidable with respect to the toner volume portion 108 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 13 shows a form in which a lock means 120 for holding the tray portion 111 at the toner accumulation site 108 is provided. The locking means 120 rises from the toner accumulation portion 108 and is formed on the upper surface 122 a of the base portion 122 having the hemispherical support portion 121 and the front edge portion of the tray portion 111 so as to be elastically deformable, and is engaged with the support portion 121. And an arm member 124 having a spherical portion 123. The upper surface 122a of the base portion 122 is formed so as to overlap the spherical portion 123 of the arm member 124 before being deformed in the vertical direction, and the spherical portion 123 is inserted into the hemispherical support portion 121 stepwise during normal times. It is comprised so that.

  In this way, by providing the locking means 120 that holds the tray portion 111 on the toner accumulation portion 108, it is possible to prevent the tray portion 111 from being easily set by being securely set on the toner accumulation portion 108 and to be detached at the same time. Can also be done easily.

  The locking means is not limited to the one shown in FIG. 13, but as shown in FIG. 14, a groove 131 is formed in a part of the copying machine main body 100 located behind the toner accumulation portion 108. In addition, there is a locking means 130 that forms a claw portion 132 to be inserted into the groove portion 131 at the inner edge of the tray portion 111, and locks the groove portion 131 by inserting the claw portion 132 when it is placed on the toner accumulation portion 108. Also good.

  FIG. 15 shows an engaging portion that engages with the tray portion 111 and moves the tray portion 11 in the locking direction of the locking means 120 when the lid member 106 is closed, or holds the locked state, when the lid member 106 is closed. The form which provided the projection part 140 which becomes is shown.

  By providing such a protrusion 140, even when the tray 111 is not fully locked, the lid 111 can be closed by the closing operation of the lid member 106, or the tray 111 can be locked. It is possible to prevent toner scattering due to inadvertent removal of the tray part 111.

  In FIG. 16, an extension 114 extending toward the toner container take-out direction side is provided on the tray 113 arranged at the toner accumulation portion 108, and the extension 114 and the front cover 101 cover the upper portion of the sheet storage portion B. The form made into a structure is shown. That is, since the front cover 101 opens and closes around the front lower portion 101a, the front cover 101 covers the upper portion of the sheet storage portion B in the opened state. However, since a clearance for opening and closing is provided between the copying machine main body 100 and the front lower portion 102, there is a concern that the toner may fall further downward through the clearance. For this reason, by forming the extension part 114 extended as much as possible from the tray part 113 arranged in the toner accumulation part 108, it is possible to prevent the toner from scattering to the paper storage part B when the front cover 101 is opened and closed. .

  17A shows a form in which the toner accumulation portion 108 is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the inside of the apparatus, which is the toner container storage direction, and FIG. 17B is a tray portion provided in the toner accumulation portion 108. The form which formed so that the bottom face 115a of 115 might become a downward inclination toward an apparatus inner side is shown. When the inclined surface is provided as described above, the edge portion 108a of the toner accumulation portion 108 and the front edge portion 115b of the tray portion 115 located on the front side of the apparatus where the position is higher are slightly in contact with the bottom surface 109a of the flange portion 109. Configure.

  With such a configuration, when a large amount of toner falls, a larger amount of toner is added to the space S1 between the toner accumulation portion 108 and the flange 109 due to the inclination of the toner accumulation portion 108 and the bottom surface 115a of the tray 115, or The toner can be held in the space S2 between the tray portion 115 and the flange portion 109, and the toner can be prevented from falling to the front of the apparatus. That is, it is possible to guide the toner leaking from each toner container toward the back side of the toner accumulation portion 108, and the effect of preventing toner scattering can be enhanced. Further, when the collar 109 moves toward the closed position together with the lid member 106, the accumulated toner Т is collected on the back side of the apparatus by the bottom surface 109a, so that the accumulated toner Т is prevented from being scraped out at the same time. Can do.

  FIG. 18 shows a mode in which the brush member 160 is provided on the bottom surface 109a that is the part of the flange 109 that faces the toner accumulation part 108. The brush member 160 is composed of a base material 161 and a brush part 162 composed of a plurality of short hairs planted on the base part 161.

  By providing such a brush member 160 on the bottom surface 109b, which is a part of the collar 109 facing the toner accumulation part 108, when the lid member 106 is closed, the toner Т on which the brush part 162 is accumulated is disposed on the back side of the apparatus ( Since the toner is pushed toward the toner container insertion direction side, toner scattering can be further prevented.

  Examples of the brush member 160 include a member having a brush-like tip and a flocking sheet. As a method for attaching the brush member 160, it is easy to attach the flocked sheet to the bottom 109a with an adhesive tape or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the brush member 160 may be attached with its end portion 160 a protruding beyond the flange portion 109 as shown in FIG. 19. By protruding the protruding direction to the back side of the device, it is possible to pack the accumulated toner Т to the back side, prevent the toner from scattering more, and deposit it at a position where it cannot be directly contacted by the user of the device. It is possible to accumulate toner.

  FIG. 20 shows that a sheet member 170 having adhesiveness is pasted on the surface (bottom surface 118a) of the concave tray 118 provided on the toner accumulation portion 108, and adhesiveness is applied to the surface 170a (including the front and back surfaces, either alone or on both sides). The installed form is shown. As the sheet member 170, a weak adhesive layer and a resin film sheet are preferable because they are flexible and easy to peel off.

  By providing the flexible sheet member 170 on the surface (bottom surface 118a) of the receiving plate 118 as described above, the accumulated toner Т adheres to the surface (adhesive surface) 170a of the flexible sheet 170. By removing the toner, the toner can be discarded from the tray 118 together. For this reason, it is not necessary to clean the tray part 118 itself as compared with the above-described form in which the deposited toner Т is received and discarded by the tray part 118 directly. Since the toner is a very fine powder, the toner cannot be completely removed unless suction or water wiping is performed to remove it from the tray, and there is a concern that it takes time to clean the tray. However, it is possible to reduce the cleaning time of the tray itself by adhering and discarding the toner Т on the sheet member 170 having adhesiveness on the surface 170a, and even if wind pressure is generated by opening and closing the front door 101, the sheet As compared with the case where the member 170 is not attached, toner scattering can be further prevented. In FIG. 20, reference numerals 171 and 172 denote handle portions that are held when the sheet member 170 is peeled off, but the handle portions 171 and 172 are not necessarily required.

  In each of the above embodiments, each tray portion may have the same color as the toner accumulation portion 108 and surrounding constituent portions, but may have a color different from that of the surrounding members, preferably the same color as the toner. With such a color arrangement relationship, when the falling toner accumulates in each tray portion, the state of toner contamination is not noticeable to the user, and the appearance of the product quality can be improved. Further, in the configuration in which the tray portion is detachable from the toner accumulation portion 108, the detachable member is conspicuous and can be distinguished from other members, so that the cleaning workability can be improved.

  Regarding the color, each tray portion has a different color from other members, but the collar portion 109 may be configured to be different from the color of the lid member 106. This is because the lid member 106 protrudes toward the front side of the apparatus when the lid member 106 is in the open state, and if the lid member 106 and the collar portion 109 are the same color, the lid member 106 may inadvertently hit the collar portion 109. There is concern. However, by making the color of the collar 109 different from the color of the lid member 106, the collar 109 becomes conspicuous, and can alert the operator as a protrusion when the lid member 106 is opened and closed. Safety can be improved. Further, as the color to be used, the bottom surface 109b of the collar portion 109 is a portion that comes into contact with the toner. Therefore, it is preferable to use a color similar to the toner because it can be inconspicuous when the scattered toner is attached.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view showing a state when a front cover provided on the image forming apparatus main body is opened. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view showing an open state of a lid member that opens and closes a toner container attaching / detaching port and a pulled-out state of the toner container. It is an enlarged view which shows the open / close state of a cover member. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view showing a state where toner leaks from a toner container. It is an enlarged view which shows the collar part provided in the cover member used as the principal part of this invention, and its operation | movement. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing a toner accumulation portion having a step, a configuration of a lid member and a collar corresponding to the toner accumulation portion, and an opening / closing operation. It is an enlarged view which shows the structure of the detachable cover member. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a tray portion provided in a toner accumulation portion and one form of a toner accumulation state. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing an embodiment of a tray portion that is detachable from a toner accumulation site. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a configuration of a tray portion that is slidable with respect to a toner accumulation portion and is detachable. It is an enlarged view which shows one form of the locking means of a saucer part. It is an enlarged view which shows another form of the locking means of a saucer part. It is an enlarged view which shows one structural example of the engaging part which hold | maintains a saucer part in a locked state. It is an enlarged view which shows one structural example of the extension part provided in the saucer part. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing a configuration of a toner accumulation portion having an inclined surface and a tray portion. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing an embodiment in which a brush member is provided at a portion facing a toner accumulation portion. It is an enlarged view which shows the form which changed the position which provides a brush member. It is an enlarged view which shows the structure of the adhesive sheet | seat member provided in a saucer part.

Explanation of symbols

100 Image forming apparatus body 102 Opening 101 Cover (front cover)
103 (M, C, Y, K) Toner container 104 (M, C, Y, K) Toner container storage part 105 (M, C, Y, K) Toner attaching / detaching port 106 Cover member 108 Toner accumulation part 109 Gutter part 109b Parts 110 and 113 facing the toner accumulation part 110 Recessed tray part 111 Removable saucer part 114 Extension part 115 Satisfaction part 115
115a Inclined bottom surface 120, 130 Locking means 140 Engaging portion 160 Brush member

Claims (10)

A cover provided to open and close an opening formed in the image forming apparatus body;
A toner container storage unit disposed in the image forming apparatus main body and detachably supporting the toner container;
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a collar portion that covers a portion where toner leaking from a toner container mounted in the toner container housing portion is accumulated when the cover is opened. A lid member that opens and closes the toner attachment / detachment opening of the toner container storage unit, and whose opening / closing operation path is located above the toner accumulation portion, and that is closed when the cover is opened;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flange is provided on the lid member.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flange is provided detachably with respect to the lid member.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a concave tray portion is provided at the toner accumulation portion.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the tray portion is detachably provided from the toner accumulation portion.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a lock unit configured to hold the tray portion at the toner accumulation portion.   When at least one of the lid member and the flange portion, the lid member is closed, an engagement portion that engages with the tray portion and moves the tray portion in the locking direction of the locking means or holds the locked state. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image forming apparatus is provided. A paper feeder provided below the cover;
An extension provided on the tray and extending toward the toner container take-out direction;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the extension portion and the cover cover the upper portion of the sheet feeding portion.   9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the toner accumulation portion or the bottom surface of the tray portion is formed so as to be inclined in a toner container storage direction. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a brush member is provided at a portion of the collar portion facing the toner accumulation portion.

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