JP2008158005A - Waste toner recovery container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waste toner recovery container and an image forming apparatus which are capable of preventing hands from becoming soiled in the replacement work of a waste toner recovery container; by surely preventing scattering of waste toner. <P>SOLUTION: The waste toner recovery container 9 has a heating element 95 in the wall surface of an opening 92 constituting a connection port. The heating element 95 generates heat, when it is detected that toner is full and by the completion sequence of an image forming job. The waste toner that adhered to the wall surface of the opening 92 or the waste toner accumulated around the opening 92 is melted by the heat generation of the heating element and is fixed to the wall surface of the opening 92, and the like. Furthermore, an inner shutter 94, located inside a toner conveying pipe 90, is in contact with the heating element 95 and is heated in matching with the heat generation of the heating element 95. As a result, the waste toner adhering to the inner shutter 94 is melted and fixed, as well. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a waste toner collecting container for collecting waste toner and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a waste toner collection container and an image forming apparatus that suppress the scattering of waste toner during the removal operation of the waste toner collection container.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a toner image is formed on a photosensitive drum, and the toner image is transferred onto a recording sheet (or once transferred onto an intermediate transfer belt and then transferred onto a recording sheet). An image is formed by heat fixing. Then, after transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum, the toner (waste toner) remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum is scraped off and collected by a cleaning blade or the like in preparation for the next image formation. The collected waste toner is accommodated in a waste toner collection container installed in the vicinity of the photosensitive drum via a toner conveyance tube.

  In the waste toner collecting container, when the waste toner exceeds a predetermined accumulation amount, it is detected that the inside of the container is full, and replacement work of the waste toner collecting container is required. The operator pulls the full waste toner collection container away from the main body of the apparatus and inserts a new waste toner collection container. During the replacement operation of the waste toner collecting container, the waste toner is scattered from the connecting portion with the toner conveyance tube, and the inside of the image forming apparatus and the operator are soiled.

As a technique paying attention to this problem, it has been proposed to suppress toner scattering at the time of removal by heating and solidifying waste toner before being stored in a waste toner collecting container with a heater or the like. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a waste toner collecting device that stores a certain amount of waste toner in a toner transport unit, heats and temporarily compresses the temporarily stored waste toner, and discharges the solidified waste toner to a waste toner container. Is disclosed.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-40964

  However, in the above-described waste toner collecting device, a space for temporarily storing a certain amount of waste toner, a partition plate, and a piston that pushes out solidified waste toner on the toner conveyance tube side (that is, the image forming apparatus main body side). A mechanism and its drive are required. For this reason, the image forming apparatus main body is increased in size or cost.

  Therefore, as a simple method for preventing waste toner scattering, an image forming apparatus in which a waste toner collecting container and a toner transport tube are provided with a shutter that closes an opening portion by a mechanical mechanism such as a push spring has been proposed.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the toner transport pipe 90 of the waste toner collecting container and the toner transport pipe 7 of the image forming apparatus main body connect the openings 92 and 72 to form a waste toner communication path. . The toner transport tube 90 is provided with a shutter that automatically closes the opening 92 in conjunction with the removal operation when the toner transport tube 90 is detached from the toner transport tube 7. This shutter is paired with a shutter 93 (outer shutter 93) that slides outside the toner conveyance tube 90 and a shutter 94 (inner shutter 94) that slides inside. When the waste toner collecting container is removed, both shutters move so as to close the opening 92. A shutter 73 that automatically closes the opening 72 in conjunction with the removal operation is also provided outside the toner transport tube 7. These shutters block the openings 92 and 72 to prevent the toner from being scattered during the removal operation of the waste toner collection container and the conveyance.

  However, the above-described conventional waste toner collecting container has the following problems. That is, the waste toner is accumulated on the wall surfaces of the openings 92 and 72 as shown in FIG. Further, it adheres to the inner side of the toner conveyance tube 90, particularly to the inner shutter 94. These waste toners fall into the toner transport tube 90 due to vibrations when they are removed from the toner transport tube 7, but some waste toners are dropped, time lag of shutter operation, or the shutter is closed. In some cases, the airflow may spill over the gap between the toner transport tube 7 and the toner transport tube 90 or the inner shutter 94. Such waste toner is dragged by the outer shutter 93 and sent to the outside of the toner conveying tube 90. As a result, the inside of the image forming apparatus or the operator is soiled.

  The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the conventional image forming apparatus described above. That is, it is an object of the present invention to provide a waste toner collection container and an image forming apparatus that can reliably prevent waste toner from being scattered and can be used as a clean hand when replacing the waste toner collection container.

  A waste toner collection container designed to solve this problem is a waste toner container that contains waste toner and is connected to an opening of a toner transport pipe of an image forming apparatus to form a waste toner transport path. The toner container is located inside the toner container and the waste toner container, and when connected to the image forming apparatus, waits at a first position where the connection port is opened, and closes the connection port when removed from the image forming apparatus. A waste toner collecting container having a cover member that moves to a second position that is located on the wall surface of the connection port and generates heat at a predetermined timing when connected to the opening of the image forming apparatus. The cover member is provided in accordance with the heat generated by the heat generating member.

  The waste toner collection container of the present invention has a cover member that opens and closes the connection port of the waste toner container. The cover member is disposed so as to open the connecting port when the waste toner collecting container is attached to the image forming apparatus and to close the connecting port when the waste toner collecting container is detached from the image forming apparatus. The movement of the cover member can be realized by a mechanical mechanism using a push spring or the like, and its structure is simple. The waste toner container includes a transport pipe for transporting waste toner in addition to a housing for storing waste toner.

  The waste toner collection container of the present invention has a heat generating member on the wall surface of the opening that constitutes the connection port. A polyimide heater or the like can be used as the heat generating member, and heat is generated by power feeding. When the heat generating member generates heat, the waste toner attached to the wall surface of the connection port or the waste toner accumulated around the connection port is melted and fixed. This suppresses toner spillage when the waste toner collection container is removed. Note that the timing of heat generation is, for example, during the end sequence of an image forming job or when waste toner is full.

  Further, in the waste toner collecting container of the present invention, the cover member located inside the waste toner container is also heated in accordance with the heat generated by the heat generating member. Therefore, waste toner adhering to the cover member is also melted and fixed to the cover member. This more reliably suppresses toner spillage when the waste toner collection container is removed.

  Further, it is better that the cover member is in contact with the heat generating member when waiting at the first position. That is, since the cover member is in contact with the heat generating member, the heat generated by the heat generating member is transmitted to the cover member. Therefore, the cover member can be heated in accordance with the heat generation of the heat generating member without providing a heating source for the cover member. Therefore, the structure becomes simple.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes the waste toner collecting container of the present invention and a control unit that controls the temperature of the heat generating member based on the toner accumulation amount of the waste toner collecting container. It is characterized in that the temperature of the heat generating member is controlled so that the heat generation temperature T1 before the detection and the heat generation temperature T2 after the toner full is detected are T1 <T2.

  In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the controller controls the temperature of the heat generating member of the waste toner collecting container. Specifically, control is performed such that the heat generation temperature T2 after the toner full detection is higher than the heat generation temperature T1 before the toner full detection is detected. That is, by increasing the set temperature when the toner is full, it is possible to reliably melt and fix the waste toner adhering to a large amount when the toner is full. This more reliably suppresses toner spillage when the waste toner collection container is removed.

  According to the present invention, a waste toner collection container and an image forming apparatus that reliably prevent waste toner from scattering and achieve a clean hand when replacing the waste toner collection container are realized.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a tandem type color printer.

  The image forming apparatus of this embodiment is a tandem full-color printer, and has four image forming units arranged in parallel as shown in FIG. Specifically, the color printer 100 according to this embodiment includes four color image forming units 1K, 1C, 1M, and 1Y. Each color has toner storage units 40K, 40C, 40M, and 40Y corresponding to the image forming units, and a waste toner collecting container 9 that collects waste toner after image formation. In addition, an intermediate transfer belt 8, a secondary transfer device 51, a cleaning blade 60, and the like are provided. Each image forming unit forms an image of each color on the intermediate transfer belt 8. Each image forming unit corresponds to each color of black (K) for the image forming unit 1K, cyan (C) for the image forming unit 1C, magenta (M) for the image forming unit 1M, and yellow (Y) for the image forming unit 1Y. ing. The arrangement of the image forming units is not limited to the order shown in FIG.

  Further, the color printer 100 according to the present embodiment includes a toner transporting unit 7 that incorporates toner transporting means such as a screw and serves to transport waste toner. The toner conveying tube 7 is connected to a waste toner collecting container 9. The toner conveying tube 7 branches toward each image forming unit and is also connected to a cleaning device of each image forming unit. Similarly, the intermediate transfer belt 8 is branched toward the cleaning blade 60 and connected to the cleaning blade 60.

  Further, the color printer 100 according to this embodiment includes a high-frequency power source 10 and a control unit 11 that controls the high-frequency power source 10. The high frequency power supply 10 supplies power to the waste toner collecting container 9. A signal output when the waste toner collecting container 9 is full is input to the control unit 11.

  Note that “full” of the waste toner collecting container 9 does not necessarily mean 100% or the vicinity thereof. For example, when the amount of accumulated waste toner exceeds 80% of the volume of the waste toner container, a toner full signal is output. If it does, 80% may be full. That is, when the amount of accumulated toner becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value that defines fullness, it is defined as “full”.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 1K is a rotating drum type electrophotographic photosensitive member, and includes a photosensitive drum 2 which is a negatively charged organic photoconductor (OPC). The photosensitive drum 2 rotates at a constant speed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Further, around the photosensitive drum 2, a charging device 3, a developing device 4, a transfer device 5, and a cleaning blade 6 are sequentially arranged along the rotation direction. An exposure area in which a latent image is formed is provided between the charging device 3 and the developing device 4. The other image forming units have the same configuration.

  Unused toner is transported from the toner storage unit 40Y to the developing unit 4 through the toner transport pipe 41. Then, it is developed on the photosensitive drum 2 and transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 at the time of image formation. On the other hand, the waste toner is scraped off from the photosensitive drum 2 or the intermediate transfer member 8 by the cleaning blades 6 and 60 and is transported to the waste toner collecting container 9 through the toner transport pipe 7. The other toner storage units have the same configuration.

  Next, an image forming operation of the color printer 100 of this embodiment will be described. First, the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 is charged to −500 V by the charging bias of the charging device 3. Next, a latent image of the first page is formed in the exposure area. Any exposure means may be used as long as it can form an electrostatic latent image. For example, laser exposure is applicable.

  Next, the developing device 4 performs development with negatively charged toner, and a toner image of the first page is formed on the photosensitive drum 2. Next, the toner image of the first page is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 by the transfer device 5. That is, the toner on the photosensitive drum 2 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 8 by the plus bias of the transfer device 5. At this time, a part of the toner remains on the photosensitive drum 2 without being transferred and becomes waste toner. Waste toner is scraped off by the cleaning blade 6.

  Such an operation is repeated for each image forming unit, and the toner images of the respective colors are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 8. A color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 by superimposing the four color toner images. This color image is transferred onto the recording paper by the secondary transfer device 51. Then, the recording paper is output to the discharge tray via the fixing device. During the secondary transfer, some toner remains on the intermediate transfer belt 8 without being transferred and becomes waste toner. Waste toner is scraped off by the cleaning blade 60.

  Waste toner collected by the cleaning blade 6 on the photosensitive other drum 2 is sent to the toner conveying tube 7. In addition, waste toner collected by the cleaning blade 60 on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is also fed into the toner transport tube 7. That is, the waste toner collected by the cleaning blade 6 of each image forming unit and the cleaning blade 60 of the intermediate transfer belt 8 merges in the toner transport tube 7 and is transported toward the waste toner collection container 9. Each color toner is mixed and stored in the waste toner collecting container 9.

  Next, the connecting portion between the waste toner collecting container 9 and the toner transport pipe 7 will be described. 3 shows a state in which the waste toner collection container 9 and the toner transport pipe 7 are connected, and FIG. 4 shows a state in which the waste toner collection container 9 is detached from the toner transport pipe 7.

  The toner conveying tube 7 includes a screw 71 for conveying waste toner therein. An opening 72 is provided at the end of the toner conveyance tube 7, that is, at the tip of the waste toner conveyance path constituted by the screw 71. Waste toner flows out of the toner transport tube 7 through the opening 72.

  Further, the toner transport tube 7 is provided with a shutter 73 capable of sliding the outer surface thereof and closing the opening 72. The shutter 73 is always urged toward the opening 72 by a push spring or the like. Therefore, when the toner is removed from the waste toner collection container 9, it moves to the opening 72 side in conjunction with the movement of the waste toner collection container 9 and is positioned on the opening 72. That is, the shutter 73 is in a state of closing the opening 72 as shown in FIG. 4 when the toner conveying tube 7 is not connected to the waste toner collecting container 9. That is, the opening 72 is closed. On the other hand, when the toner conveying tube 7 is connected to the waste toner collecting container 9, it is pushed into the waste toner collecting container 9 and waits at a position away from the opening 72 as shown in FIG. Become. That is, the opening 72 is opened.

  The waste toner collection container 9 is connected to the toner conveyance pipe 7 and is located in the toner conveyance pipe 90 serving as a conveyance path to the waste toner collection container body, and conveys the waste toner to the collection container body. And a screw 91 to be used. Further, an opening 92 is provided at the end of the toner conveyance tube 90, that is, at the tip of the waste toner conveyance path constituted by the screw 91. Waste toner flows into the inside of the toner conveyance tube 90 through the opening 92.

  Further, the waste toner collecting container 9 has an outer shutter 93 that can slide the outer surface and close the opening 92, and an inner shutter that can slide the inner surface and close the opening 92. 94. The outer shutter 93 is always urged toward the opening 92 by a pressing spring or the like. Therefore, when the toner transport tube 7 is removed, the toner transport tube 90 moves to the opening 92 side in conjunction with the movement of the toner transport tube 90 and is positioned on the opening 92. Further, the inner shutter 94 is always urged toward the opening 92 side. Therefore, in conjunction with the movement of the waste toner collection container 9, it moves to the opening 92 side and is positioned on the opening 92. That is, the outer shutter 93 and the inner shutter 94 are in a state in which both shutters close the opening 93 as shown in FIG. 4 when the toner transport tube 90 is not connected to the toner transport tube 7. That is, the opening 92 is closed. On the other hand, when the toner transport tube 90 is connected to the toner transport tube 7, the toner transport tube 90 is pushed into the toner transport tube 7 and is in a standby state at a position away from the opening 92 as shown in FIG. That is, the opening 92 is opened.

  The inner shutter 94 in the waste toner collecting container 9 is made of a material having high thermal conductivity. For example, copper or aluminum is applicable. The inner shutter 94 is not necessarily required to have high thermal conductivity as a whole, and it is sufficient that at least a portion including the outer surface has high thermal conductivity.

  Further, a sheet-like heating element 95 such as a polyimide heater is disposed around the opening 92 of the waste toner collecting container 9 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the outer shutter 93 and the inner shutter 94 are omitted. The heating element 95 generates heat by power feeding from the high frequency power supply 10 and is temperature-controlled by the control unit 11.

  Further, the inner shutter 94 is in contact with the heating element 95 as shown in FIG. 6 when the opening 92 is open. Therefore, when the heating element 95 generates heat, the heat is quickly transmitted to the inner shutter 94. That is, the inner shutter 94 is also heated with the heat generation of the heating element 95.

  In the color printer 100 of the present embodiment, the heating element 95 generates heat when the power supply to the heating element 95 is turned on, and the wall surface of the opening 92 and its periphery are heated. By heating the wall surface of the opening 92, the waste toner adhering to the wall surface of the opening 92 is melted. Further, the inner shutter 94 is heated with the heat generation of the heating element 95, and the waste toner adhering to the inner shutter 94 is also melted. Thereafter, the power supply to the heating element 95 is turned off to solidify the melted toner and adhere to the wall surface of the heating element 95 and the inner shutter 94.

  By fixing the waste toner, toner spillage during removal of the waste toner collection container 9 is suppressed. Even if it is peeled off due to vibration at the time of detachment, it does not scatter in the color printer 100 because it falls as a lump on the inner shutter 94. Further, since the toner adhering to the inner shutter 94 is also fixed, it does not scatter in the color printer 100. Therefore, contamination of the color printer 100 or the operator is suppressed.

  The timing for generating heat from the heating element 95 may be any time when toner fullness is detected, and about 3 to 5 seconds is appropriate. Note that the heat generation timing may be performed during, for example, an end sequence after the end of the image print job. In addition, it may be performed by a fixed number of printed sheets or a fixed number of dots. By periodically performing the heat treatment in this manner, it is possible to suppress the contamination of the operator even when the waste toner collection container 9 is removed at a timing other than when full is detected, for example, when jam is detected.

  When the timing of heating the heating element 95 is set when the toner full is detected (that is, after the toner is full) and during the end sequence after the end of the image printing job (that is, before the toner is full), the control unit 11 The heating temperature of the heating element 95 is switched between after the toner is full and before the toner is full. In this embodiment, the heat generation temperature T2 after the toner is full is set higher than the heat generation temperature T1 before the toner is full. Specific temperature setting will be described later.

  Further, when the heat from the heating element 95 spreads to the inside of the toner conveyance tube 90, the waste toner in the toner conveyance tube 90 is solidified. The solidified toner accumulates in the conveyance path and becomes an obstacle to the waste toner conveyance. Therefore, it is preferable to heat only the periphery of the opening 92 as the heating of the toner conveying tube 90.

  Further, when the heating element 95 and the screw 91 are separated from each other, solidification of the toner near the screw 91 is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to ensure high toner transportability. Further, a heat radiating member may be disposed inside the toner conveying tube 90 so as to avoid the heat from the heating element 95 efficiently.

Next, the evaluation result of the color printer 100 of this embodiment will be described. The results of the first evaluation are shown in Table 1. In the first evaluation, after a predetermined number of test prints are performed by the color printer 100 of this embodiment, the waste toner collection container 9 is removed, and contamination around the opening 92 of the waste toner collection container 9 and in the image forming apparatus is confirmed. The state was confirmed visually. In Table 1, T1 means the temperature (° C.) of the heating element 95. In addition, as a determination of whether or not toner spills, if the waste toner is solidified around the heating element 95 or on the inner shutter 94, no contamination occurs in the apparatus, and the toner does not blow off even when air is blown onto the inner shutter 94, “O”, and “X” if not.

  According to this evaluation result, when T1 is around 50 ° C. (near the glass transition temperature of the resin), the toner is not completely melted, resulting in toner spillage and toner scattering. On the other hand, at 70 ° C. or higher, the waste toner solidified around the heating element 95 or on the inner shutter 94. If T1 is 90 ° C. or higher, the container may be deformed. Therefore, if T1 is set within the range of 70 ° C. to 90 ° C., the result is that the toner can be prevented from scattering without deforming the container.

The results of the second evaluation are shown in Table 2. In the second evaluation, after the test printing is performed until the waste toner collection container 9 detects the toner full in the color printer 100 of this embodiment, the waste toner collection container 9 is removed and the periphery of the opening 92 of the waste toner collection container 9 is removed. And the state of contamination in the image forming apparatus was visually confirmed. In Table 2, T2 means the temperature (° C.) of the heating element 95. In addition, the quality determination of toner spillage is the same as in the first evaluation.

  According to this evaluation result, when the heating temperature of the heating element 95 is set in the same range as the first evaluation (when the toner is removed before full of toner), toner spillage occurs. When the toner full is detected, the most waste toner is accumulated around the heating element 95 or on the inner shutter 94. Therefore, the amount of waste toner falling when the waste toner collection container 9 is removed is large. Therefore, at a set temperature of 100 ° C. or lower, the waste toner has not been completely fixed. In this evaluation, waste toner is sufficient around the heating element 95 or on the inner shutter 94 unless the temperature is higher than the set temperature that has become an appropriate temperature in the first evaluation, specifically within the range of 130 ° C. to 200 ° C. The result was not solidified.

  From these evaluation results, it is preferable that the set temperature of the heat generating element 95 is set to at least two types of the set temperature T2 at the time of toner full detection and the set temperature T1 before the toner full, and T2> T1. I understood it. Specifically, in the color printer 100 of this embodiment, the set temperature T1 is set in the range of 70 ° C. to 90 ° C., the set temperature T2 is set in the range of 130 ° C. to 200 ° C., and the temperature is controlled by the control unit 11. . As a result, the waste toner can be reliably fixed and the scattering of the toner can be suppressed.

  When the heating element 95 is set to a high temperature in this manner, the opening and closing of the inner shutter 94 or the outer shutter 93 is ensured such that the periphery of the opening 92 of the waste toner collecting container 9 is melted and a gap with the toner transport tube 7 is generated. There is a risk that it will not be possible. However, generally, after the toner full is detected, the waste toner collection container 9 is discarded or collected, so that it is not necessary to consider reuse. That is, it is not a problem that the shutters 93 and 94 are destroyed after the toner full detection.

  As described above in detail, the waste toner collection container 9 of this embodiment has the heating element 95 on the wall surface of the opening 92 that constitutes the connection port with the toner transport pipe 7. When the heating element 95 generates heat when the toner full is detected or in the end sequence of the image forming job, the waste toner attached to the wall surface of the opening 92 or the waste toner accumulated around the opening 92 is melted. Sticks to the wall. Further, the inner shutter 94 positioned inside the toner conveying tube 90 is also in contact with the heating element 95 and is heated in accordance with the heat generation of the heating element 95. Therefore, the waste toner adhering to the inner shutter 94 is also melted and fixed. As a result, toner spillage during removal of the waste toner collection container 9 is more reliably suppressed. Accordingly, a waste toner collection container and an image forming apparatus that reliably prevent waste toner from being scattered and have a clean hand when the waste toner collection container is replaced are realized.

  Note that this embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. For example, as an image forming apparatus, a printer, a copier, a scanner, a FAX, or the like that can form an image by an electrophotographic method is applicable. Further, it may be one that forms a color image or one that is dedicated to a monochrome image. Further, a tandem method or a four-cycle method may be used. Further, a secondary transfer method or a direct transfer method may be used.

  In the embodiment, the inner shutter 94 is made of a highly heat conductive material, and the inner shutter 94 is heated by being in contact with the heating element 95, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a power source may be provided for the inner shutter 94 and controlled separately from the heating element 95.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a color printer according to an embodiment. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a connecting portion (connected state) between a toner transport tube of a waste toner collecting container and a toner transport tube of an image forming apparatus main body according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a connecting portion (non-connected state) between a toner transport tube of a waste toner collecting container and a toner transport tube of an image forming apparatus main body according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an end portion of a toner conveyance tube of a waste toner collecting container. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an enlarged state of a connecting portion of a toner conveyance tube according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a connecting portion between a toner conveyance tube of a waste toner recovery container and a toner conveyance tube of an image forming apparatus main body according to a conventional form. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an enlarged state of a connecting portion of a toner conveyance tube according to a conventional form.

Explanation of symbols

7 Toner transport pipe 72 Opening 73 Shutter 9 Waste toner collection container (waste toner container)
90 Toner transport tube (waste toner container)
92 Opening (connection port)
93 Outer shutter 94 Inner shutter (cover member)
95 Heating element (heating member)
10 high frequency power supply 11 control unit 100 color printer (image forming apparatus)

Claims (3)

A waste toner container that contains waste toner and is connected to an opening of a toner transport pipe of the image forming apparatus to form a waste toner transport path, and is located inside the waste toner container, A cover member that waits at a first position for opening the connection port when connected to the forming apparatus and moves to a second position for closing the connection port when removed from the image forming apparatus; In the provided waste toner collection container,
A heating member located on the wall surface of the connection port and generating heat at a predetermined timing when connected to the opening of the image forming apparatus;
The waste toner collecting container, wherein the cover member is heated in accordance with heat generated by the heat generating member. The waste toner collecting container according to claim 1,
The waste toner collecting container, wherein the cover member is in contact with the heat generating member when waiting at the first position. A waste toner collecting container according to claim 1 or 2,
A controller that controls the temperature of the heat generating member based on the amount of accumulated toner in the waste toner collecting container;
The control unit controls the temperature of the heat generating member so that a heat generation temperature T1 before detecting toner fullness and a heat generation temperature T2 after detecting toner fullness satisfy T1 <T2. Image forming apparatus.

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