JP2008292514A - Waste toner recovery container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waste toner recovery container capable of preventing contamination caused by spilling-out or scattering of toner, when replaced. <P>SOLUTION: This waste toner recovery container 1 attached detachably to an image forming device main body, and for recovering waste toner removed by a cleaning device to store it, is provided with a dropping pipette part 4 which is deformed elastically by pushing to generate wind pressure, in the vicinity of an inlet 2. The dropping pipette part 4 is communicated with the inlet 2 by a duct 5, and the duct 5 is opened upwards in the inlet 2. The dropping pipette part 4 is provided turnably around the inlet 2, and a locking means is provided to lock the turn of the dropping pipette part 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a detachable waste toner collecting container provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer that employs an electrophotographic system, an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum is developed with toner by a developing device and is visualized as a toner image. Imaged. The toner image is transferred onto a recording material such as paper by a transfer device, and the recording material onto which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to a fixing device and heated and pressurized in the fixing device to record the toner image. Fixed as a permanent image on the material.

  By the way, when the toner image is transferred onto the recording material, not all of the toner is transferred onto the recording material, and a part of the toner is not transferred onto the recording material but remains as a transfer residual toner on the image carrier. The transfer residual toner is removed by a cleaning device, and the removed transfer residual toner is collected and stored in a waste toner collection container as waste toner.

  The waste toner collection container is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body, and the transfer residual toner removed from the image carrier by the cleaning device is conveyed to the waste toner collection container through the conveyance duct and collected as waste toner. Is done. When the waste toner collection container becomes full of waste toner, the waste toner collection container is removed from the image forming apparatus and replaced with a new one.

With respect to such a waste toner collection container, Patent Document 1 proposes a configuration in which a guide is provided to turn the container upward when the waste toner collection container is removed from the apparatus main body. In Patent Document 2, a shutter is provided at a waste toner discharge port of the waste toner storage device, and when the waste toner storage device is displaced downward, a lever that interlocks with the shutter contacts a part of the waste toner collection container. Thus, a configuration has been proposed in which the shutter is opened by being displaced.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-276022 JP-A-6-242710

  However, in the conventional waste toner collection container, no measures are taken against the toner adhering to the entrance of the waste toner collection container or the discharge duct, and the entrance of the waste toner collection container or the discharge duct of the transport duct is not taken. When the waste toner collecting container is replaced, the toner adhering to the toner spills out due to vibrations or scatters and contaminates the surroundings.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a waste toner collecting container capable of preventing contamination due to spilled or scattered toner during replacement.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that it is elastically pressed by pushing in a waste toner collecting container that is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body and collects and stores the waste toner removed by the cleaning device. A spoid part that generates a wind pressure by deformation is provided near the inlet.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the spoid portion and the inlet are communicated with each other through a duct, and the duct is opened upward at the inlet.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the spoid part is provided so as to be rotatable around the inlet.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, a lock means for locking the rotation of the spoid part is provided.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, if the spoid part is pushed before exchanging the waste toner collecting container, the spoid part is elastically deformed (compressed) to generate wind pressure. Since the toner adhering to the inlet and the discharge port of the transport duct is blown off by the air flow induced by the wind pressure, the toner is not spilled or scattered when removing the waste toner collection container. The surroundings and user's fingers and clothes are not contaminated with toner.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the duct that connects the spoid part of the waste toner collecting container and the inlet is opened upward at the inlet. Therefore, even if an air flow is generated by pushing the spoid part, the waste toner collecting container The stored waste toner is not drawn by the air flow and flows out of the waste toner collection container.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, when replacing the waste toner collecting container, the spoid part can be rotated to a position where it can be easily operated around the inlet. The toner that is present can be effectively blown off.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, since the rotation of the spoid part is locked by the lock means except when the waste toner collecting container is replaced, there is a problem that the spoid part is inadvertently rotated and jumps out. There is nothing to do.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of an image forming apparatus main body equipped with a waste toner collecting container according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the waste toner collecting container, and FIG. 3 is a state in which a spoid part of the waste toner collecting container is rotated. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state where an air flow is generated by pushing a spid portion of the waste toner collecting container, FIG. 5 is a side view of the same, and FIG. 6 is a view showing the waste toner collecting container in the image forming apparatus main body. It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows the state attached or detached with respect to.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a main body frame of the image forming apparatus. A rectangular recess 10a is formed in a part of the main body frame, and the waste toner collecting container 1 according to the present invention is detachably attached to the recess 10a. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the waste toner collecting container 1 is integrally formed with a resin in a flat rectangular box shape, and a cylindrical inlet 2 is formed around its axis at the upper end of the upper part. The upper surface opening is opened and closed by a lid member 3 that can be opened and closed.

  Further, a small spoid part 4 integrally formed in a rectangular box shape with a resin is disposed in the vicinity of the inlet 2 at the upper part of the waste toner collecting container 1, and the spoid part 4 is input by a rectangular duct 5. 2, and is held together with the inlet 2 so as to be horizontally rotatable around the inlet 2. Here, the rectangular duct 5 extends horizontally from the spoid part 4 and then rises obliquely upward toward the inlet 2, and its end opens upward into the inlet 2.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, a snap fit 11 is formed on the image forming apparatus main body side as a lock means for locking the rotation of the spoid part 4, and includes the use of the waste toner collection container 1. Except when the waste toner collecting container 1 is replaced, as shown in FIG. 1, the spoid part 4 is stored beside the inlet 2, and the rectangular duct 5 is engaged with the engaging recess 11 a of the snap fit 11, thereby reducing the spoid. The rotation of the part 4 is locked.

  Thus, in the image forming process repeated in the image forming apparatus main body, the untransferred toner remaining on the image carrier without being transferred from a not-shown image carrier such as a photosensitive drum to a recording material such as paper is not. The transfer residual toner removed by the cleaning device shown in the figure is transported as waste toner to the waste toner collection container 1 through the transport duct 12 shown in FIG. It is recovered and stored in the waste toner recovery container 1.

  Thus, when the waste toner collection container 1 is full of waste toner, the waste toner collection container 1 is removed and replaced with a new one. Before the waste toner collection container 1 is replaced, the snap fit 11 is used. The rotation lock of the spoid part 4 (engagement of the snap fit 11 of the rectangular duct 5 with the engagement recess 11a) is released, and the spid part 4 is at an angle of about 90 ° with the inlet 2 as the center as shown in FIG. The spoid 4 is rotated horizontally in the direction of the arrow, and the spoid 4 is moved to the front position where the user can easily work, and the spid 4 is pushed. Then, the spoid portion 4 is elastically deformed (compressed) to generate wind pressure, and the toner adhering to the inlet 2 of the waste toner collecting container 1 and the discharge port of the transport duct 12 before removal is induced by the wind pressure. 4 and FIG. 5 is blown off by the air flow indicated by the arrows and removed thereafter, so that when the waste toner collecting container 1 is removed as shown in FIG. Your fingers and clothes will not be contaminated with toner. A new waste toner collecting container 1 is also mounted and stored in the recess 10a formed in the main body frame 10 of the image forming apparatus in the manner shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, since the rectangular duct 5 that communicates the spoid part 4 of the waste toner collecting container 1 and the inlet 2 is opened upward in the inlet 2, the air flow is generated by pushing the spoid part 4 as described above. However, the waste toner stored in the waste toner collection container 1 is not drawn by the air flow and flows out of the waste toner collection container 1.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when replacing the waste toner collecting container 1, the spoid part 4 can be rotated around the inlet 2 to a position where it can be easily operated. The toner adhering to the toner can be effectively blown off.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the rotation of the spoid part 4 is locked by the snap fit 11 except when the waste toner collecting container 1 is replaced, there is a problem such that the spoid part 4 rotates unexpectedly and jumps out. Will not occur.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of an image forming apparatus main body including a waste toner collecting container according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a waste toner collecting container according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing a state in which a spoid part of the waste toner collecting container according to the present invention is rotated. FIG. 6 is a front view showing a state where an air flow is generated by pushing a spoid part of a waste toner collecting container according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state where an air flow is generated by pushing a spoid part of a waste toner collecting container according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view illustrating a state in which the waste toner collecting container according to the present invention is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Waste toner collection container 2 Entrance of waste toner collection container 3 Cover member of waste toner collection container 4 Spoid part of waste toner collection container 5 Rectangular duct 10 Main body frame 10a Recess of main body frame 11 Snap fit (locking means)
11a Engaging recess of snap fit 12 Transport duct

Claims (4)

In a waste toner collection container that is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body and collects and stores the waste toner removed by the cleaning device,
A waste toner collecting container, characterized in that a spoid part that generates an air pressure by being elastically deformed by being pushed is provided in the vicinity of the inlet.   2. The waste toner collecting container according to claim 1, wherein the spoid part and the inlet communicate with each other through a duct, and the duct is opened upward at the inlet.   The waste toner collecting container according to claim 1, wherein the spoid part is provided to be rotatable around the inlet.   4. A waste toner collecting container according to claim 3, further comprising a locking means for locking the rotation of the spoid part.

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