JP2010096827A - Toner container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner container that includes a shutter cylinder and a cylindrical receiving part, the container ensures stable amount of collapsing of sealing while saving space. <P>SOLUTION: The toner container 31 storing toner includes a shutter attaching cylinder 32 accommodating a shutter cylinder 60 for opening/closing a toner discharging hole. A ring seal 65 for preventing a toner leak is interposed between the external circumference of the shutter cylinder 60 and the internal periphery of the shutter attaching cylinder 32. The inside diameter of the ring seal 65 is greater than the diameter of the external circumference of the shutter cylinder 60 whereas its outside diameter is smaller than the diameter of the internal periphery of the shutter attaching cylinder 32. However, the container expands by receiving a collapsing stress in a thrust direction from a leading-end flange 612 and an annular projection 322 such that an internal peripheral surface 65D is in a firm contact with the peripheral surface of a shutter cylindrical body 61 and an external circumferential surface 65U is in firm contact with the internal peripheral surface of the shutter attaching cylinder 32. Accordingly, the internal peripheral surface 65D and the external circumferential surface 65U ensure sealability for any toner leak. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner container that is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus in order to supply toner to a developing device built in the image forming apparatus.

  The toner container is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and replenishes the developing device with toner when the amount of toner in the developing device becomes less than a preset amount. For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, such a toner container includes a box-shaped container container that is filled with toner, and an internal toner that is provided at the bottom of the container container so as to be discharged to a developing device. And a toner replenishing device for replenishing.

  The toner replenishing device includes a toner conveying screw that directs toner in a container container to a replenishing opening that is opened at the bottom of the container container, and a toner conveying screw that is rotatably disposed at an appropriate position along the outer peripheral surface of the toner conveying screw. And a cylindrical shutter cylinder provided. The shutter cylinder is rotatable around a cylinder center between a closed position where the shutter is closed and an open position where the shutter is opened.

When such a shutter cylinder is inserted into a cylindrical receiving portion provided in the container container and assembled from the outside, a gap between the shutter cylinder and the cylindrical receiving portion is used in order to prevent leakage of toner. Need to be sealed. When sealing is performed with a configuration in which a cylindrical member such as a shutter cylinder rotates within the cylindrical receiving portion, for example, a flange portion for seal reception is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical receiving portion, and a ring-type sealing member is provided there. A sealing method is generally used in which the thrust member end surface in the thrust direction is crushed at the edge of the shutter cylinder.
JP 2003-280344 A

  However, in the seal method that crushes the end face in the thrust direction, parts such as the shutter cylinder or the cylindrical receiving portion are pressed in the thrust direction to manage the crushing amount of the seal, and thus the dimension management of the parts in the thrust direction is necessary. Here, since the size of parts of the shutter cylinder and the like is larger in the thrust direction than in the radial direction, there is a problem that it is difficult to manage the size due to the influence of tolerance. Further, since sealing is performed at the end face of the ring-type seal member, there is a problem that a large seal margin cannot be obtained unless the seal member is increased in the radial direction, and a large space (area in the radial direction) is required for the seal member.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to seal using the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the ring type seal member. However, when the shutter cylinder is inserted into the cylindrical receiving portion, the seal member mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the shutter cylinder may turn up, and there is a problem that the amount of seal collapse cannot be secured stably. In this case, there is a problem that the sealing performance is deteriorated and the rotational torque of the shutter cylinder is increased to deteriorate the operability.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in a toner container including a shutter cylinder and a cylindrical receiving portion thereof, it is possible to secure a stable seal crushing amount while saving space. Objective.

  A toner container according to an aspect of the present invention is a toner container that replenishes toner to a developing device, the container storing the toner, having a toner discharge port, and provided on a wall surface of the container container, A cylindrical receiving portion having a toner discharge port and a cylindrical body, and a toner discharge port positioned so as to correspond to the toner discharge port is provided on the peripheral wall of the cylinder, and the toner discharge port is the toner discharge port. It is possible to change the posture between a reference posture opposite to the outlet and a closing posture in which the toner discharge outlet is detached from the toner discharge port and closes the toner discharge port by the peripheral wall, and is rotated around the cylinder center. A shutter cylinder inserted into the cylindrical receiving portion, and a ring seal that seals a gap between an outer periphery of the shutter cylinder and an inner periphery of the cylindrical receiving portion, and the ring seal includes A first state in which the diameter is larger than the outer peripheral diameter of the shutter cylinder and the outer diameter is smaller than the inner peripheral diameter of the cylindrical receiving portion, and by receiving a crushing force in the thrust direction, the inner diameter of the shutter cylinder The state can be changed between a second state in which the outer diameter is smaller than the outer peripheral diameter of the cylindrical receiving portion and the outer diameter is larger than the inner peripheral diameter of the cylindrical receiving portion, and the shutter cylinder is inserted into the cylindrical receiving portion. In a state where the ring seal is mounted on the shutter cylinder before being operated, the ring seal is in the first state, and after the shutter cylinder is inserted into a predetermined position of the cylindrical receiving portion, The ring seal receives the crushing force and enters the second state (Claim 1).

  According to such a configuration, in a state where the crushing force is not received, the shutter is in the first state having a clearance with respect to the outer periphery of the shutter cylinder and the inner periphery of the cylindrical receiving portion. When the cylinder is inserted into the cylindrical receiving portion, the ring seal can be prevented from turning up. On the other hand, after the shutter cylinder is inserted into a predetermined position of the cylindrical receiving portion, a crushing force is applied, and the inner surface and the outer surface of the ring seal function as a seal surface in the second state. Thus, since the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the ring seal are used as the seal surfaces, the radial area for the seal can be reduced. Further, since the crushing cost of the ring seal can be managed by the outer diameter of the shutter cylinder and the inner diameter of the cylindrical receiving portion which are not significantly affected by tolerances, a stable seal crushing amount can be ensured.

  In the above configuration, a first flange portion projects from the outer periphery of the shutter cylinder, a second flange portion projects from the inner periphery of the cylindrical receiving portion, and the ring seal includes the first flange. Between the first flange portion and the second flange portion, the first flange portion and the second flange portion approaching each other by inserting the shutter cylinder into a predetermined position of the cylindrical receiving portion. It is desirable to receive a crushing force in the thrust direction from the first (claim 2). According to this configuration, it is possible to construct a configuration in which a crushing force is applied to the ring seal only by providing flange portions on the shutter cylinder and the cylindrical receiving portion.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It is desirable to provide further the washer arrange | positioned at the side surface facing the 2nd flange part of the said cylindrical receiving part of the said ring seal (Claim 3). According to this configuration, since the washer is interposed between the ring seal and the second flange portion, it is possible to ensure slipperiness between the two even when the ring seal is crushed. Accordingly, the rotational torque of the shutter cylinder can be kept small, and the operability for changing the posture of the shutter cylinder can be improved.

  In the above configuration, it is preferable that a washer attached to one side surface of the ring seal is further provided, and the washer is disposed on a front side surface in a direction in which the shutter cylinder is inserted into the cylindrical receiving portion. (Claim 4). According to this configuration, it is possible to more reliably prevent the ring seal from being turned up when the shutter cylinder is assembled to the cylindrical receiving portion.

  According to the toner container of the present invention, in the toner container including the shutter cylinder and its cylindrical receiving portion, it is possible to secure a stable seal crushing amount while saving space. Therefore, the toner container can be reduced in size and toner leakage can be reliably prevented.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, an outline of an image forming apparatus to which the toner container 20 according to the present embodiment is applied will be described with reference to FIGS.

  1 and 2 are external perspective views showing an embodiment of a printer. FIG. 1 shows a state in which a paper discharge tray 17 is attached to the apparatus main body 11, and FIG. The state where it was removed from is shown, respectively. 1 and 2, (A) is a perspective view seen from the right rear, and (B) is a perspective view seen from the left rear. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a cross-sectional view seen from the left side showing an embodiment of the internal structure of the apparatus main body 11. 1 to 3, the XX direction is referred to as the left-right direction, and the Y-Y direction is referred to as the front-rear direction. It is called the back. Incidentally, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the left and right direction of the page is opposite to the left and right direction displayed by X.

  The printer 10 includes a device main body 11 having a box shape in which various members for image formation to be described later are housed, a paper discharge tray 17 attached to the upper surface of the device main body 11 so as to be openable and closable, and the device main body 11. And a cover body 19 attached to the front face of the door so as to be openable and closable.

  The paper discharge tray 17 receives paper P that is discharged after image forming processing is performed in the apparatus main body 11. The paper discharge tray 17 rotates forward and backward around the lower edge of the rear end thereof, thereby closing the upper surface opening of the apparatus main body 11 (shown by a solid line in FIG. 1) and opening the opening. The posture can be changed between the posture R2 (shown by a dotted line in FIG. 1). The paper discharge tray 17 has an inclined surface in which the upper surface of the front half is formed so as to be inclined forward, and the paper P discharged from the upper rear surface of the cover body 19 is discharged while being guided by this inclined surface. It is discharged onto the tray 17.

  The paper discharge tray 17 can be detached from the apparatus main body 11. As shown in FIG. 2, an opening is formed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 11 over the entire surface behind the upper rear end of the cover body 19. This opening is for attaching and detaching a toner container 20 to be described later with the paper discharge tray 17 removed. A partition plate 18 is provided at a position slightly below the opening to partition the lower image forming unit 12. The toner container 20 is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 11 while being supported on the upper surface of the partition plate 18.

  The cover body 19 has an inverted L shape when viewed from the side (viewed from the + X direction), and its upper part is hung on the front upper corner of the apparatus main body 11. The cover body 19 has a lower end that can be rotated around a support shaft 191 provided on a predetermined frame of the apparatus main body 11, thereby closing the front opening of the apparatus main body 11 and the opening posture S <b> 1. The posture can be changed between the opened posture S2 opened (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3).

  A paper discharge port 192 for discharging the paper P onto the paper discharge tray 17 is provided on the rear surface of the upper end portion of the cover body 19. The paper P passes between the front surface of the apparatus main body 11 and the rear surface of the cover body 19 and is discharged from the paper discharge port 192 onto the paper discharge tray 17.

  Next, the internal structure of the apparatus main body 11 will be described with reference to FIG. In the apparatus main body 11, an image forming unit 12 that forms an image based on image information transmitted from an external device such as a computer, and a toner image formed by the image forming unit 12 and transferred to the paper P is subjected to a fixing process. A fixing unit 13 to be applied, a sheet storage unit 14 that stores a transfer sheet, and a toner supply unit 15 that supplies toner to the image forming unit 12 are provided. Formed on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 11 is a paper discharge section 16 having a paper discharge tray 17 through which the paper P after the fixing process is discharged.

  At an appropriate position of the apparatus main body 11, an operation panel (not shown) for inputting the output conditions of the paper P and the like is provided. This operation panel is provided with a power key, a start button (not shown), various keys for inputting output conditions, and the like.

  The image forming unit 12 forms a toner image on the paper P fed from the paper storage unit 14. In FIG. 3, as the image forming unit 12, a magenta unit 12M using magenta toner (developer) sequentially disposed from the upstream side (rear side in FIG. 3) to the downstream side, and a cyan color unit In this example, a cyan unit 12C using toner, a yellow unit 12Y using yellow toner, and a black unit 12K using black toner are shown.

  Each unit 12M, 12C, 12Y, and 12K includes a photosensitive drum 121 and a developing device 122, respectively. The photosensitive drum 121 is for forming an electrostatic latent image and a toner image along the electrostatic latent image on the peripheral surface, and is an extremely smooth amorphous silicon layer that is tough and has excellent wear resistance on the peripheral surface. Etc. are laminated. Each photoconductive drum 121 receives supply of toner from a corresponding developing device 122 while rotating clockwise in FIG. Each developing device 122 is supplied with toner from the toner supply unit 15.

  A charging device 123 is provided immediately below each photoconductor drum 121, and an exposure device 124 is provided further below each charging device 123. Each photosensitive drum 121 is charged uniformly by the charging device 123. A laser beam corresponding to each color based on image data input from a computer or the like is irradiated from each exposure device 124 to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 after charging, and the peripheral surface of each photosensitive drum 121 is electrostatically charged. A latent image is formed. By supplying toner from the developing device 122 to the electrostatic latent image, a toner image is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121.

  A transfer belt 125 stretched between the driving roller 125a and the driven roller 125b is provided above the respective photosensitive drums 121 so as to be in contact with the respective photosensitive drums 121. The transfer belt 125 is driven by a drive roller 125 a and a driven roller while being synchronized with each photoconductive drum 121 while being pressed against the peripheral surface of the photoconductive drum 121 by a transfer roller 126 provided corresponding to each photoconductive drum 121. Circulate between the rollers 125b.

  Accordingly, when the transfer belt 125 circulates, the toner image of the magenta toner is transferred to the surface of the transfer belt 125 by the photosensitive drum 121 of the magenta unit 12M. The transfer of the image, and finally the black toner image, is performed in the overcoated state. As a result, a color toner image is formed on the surface of the transfer belt 125. The color toner image formed on the surface of the transfer belt 125 is transferred to the paper P conveyed from the paper storage unit 14.

  A cleaning device 127 that removes and cleans residual toner on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 is provided at a position in front of each photosensitive drum 121. The peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 cleaned by the cleaning device 127 goes to the charging device 123 for a new charging process. Waste toner removed from the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 by the cleaning device 127 is collected and stored in a toner collection bottle (not shown) through a predetermined path.

  At the front position of the image forming unit 12, a sheet conveyance path 111 extending in the vertical direction along the rear surface of the cover body 19 is formed. A registration roller pair 112 is provided at an appropriate position on the sheet conveyance path 111, and the sheet P fed out from the sheet storage unit 14 is wound around a driving roller 125 a by driving the registration roller pair 112 at a timing. It is conveyed toward the transfer belt 125.

  In the sheet conveyance path 111, a second transfer roller 113 that is in contact with the surface of the transfer belt 125 is provided at a position facing the driving roller 125a. The sheet P is pressed and clamped between the transfer belt 125 and the second transfer roller 113 while being conveyed through the sheet conveyance path 111, whereby the toner image on the transfer belt 125 is transferred.

  The fixing unit 13 performs a fixing process on the toner image on the sheet transferred by the image forming unit 12 including the photosensitive drum 121 and the transfer belt 125 and includes a fixing device 131. The fixing device 131 is provided immediately above the second transfer roller 113, and the paper P supplied to the fixing unit 13 with the toner image on the transfer belt 125 transferred is subjected to fixing processing by the fixing device 131. The

  The fixing device 131 includes a fixing roller 132 having an energization heating element such as a halogen lamp inside, and a pressure roller 133 disposed so as to face the fixing roller 132 so that peripheral surfaces thereof are in contact with each other. Yes. When the image forming processed paper P sent from the image forming unit 12 passes through the nip portion between the fixing roller 132 and the pressure roller 133 by the driving of the fixing roller 132, heat from the fixing roller 132 is generated. The fixing process is performed. Thereafter, the paper P is discharged toward the paper discharge tray 17 of the paper discharge unit 16 through a paper discharge conveyance path 114 and a paper discharge port 192 extending from the upper part of the fixing unit 13.

  The paper storage unit 14 includes a paper tray 141 that is disposed below the exposure device 124 in the apparatus main body 11 and is detachably mounted. The paper tray 141 is configured to include a box body whose upper surface is open on the entire surface, and stores a paper bundle P1 in which a plurality of paper sheets P are stacked. The uppermost sheet P of the sheet bundle P1 stored in the sheet tray 141 is fed out toward the sheet conveyance path 111 by driving a pickup roller 142 disposed at the downstream end (front end in FIG. 3). Thereafter, the sheet P is fed to the nip portion between the second transfer roller 113 and the transfer belt 125 in the image forming unit 12 through the sheet conveyance path 111 by driving the registration roller pair 112.

  The toner supply unit 15 includes four toner containers 20 (a magenta container 20M, a cyan container 20C, a yellow container 20Y, and a black container) corresponding to the units 12M, 12C, 12Y, and 12K of the image forming unit 12, respectively. A container 20K) is provided. The toner is supplied from the corresponding containers 20M, 20C, 20Y, and 20K to the developing devices 122 of the units 12M, 12C, 12Y, and 12K when the remaining amount decreases.

  As described above, the cover body 19 can be opened and closed with respect to the front side of the apparatus main body 11 by changing the posture between the closed posture S1 and the open posture S2. The cover body 19 is normally set in the closed position S1 so that the sheet from the sheet storage unit 14 is conveyed toward the second transfer roller 113 between the image forming unit 12 and the front surface in FIG. The sheet conveyance path 111 is formed.

  When a paper jam occurs in the registration roller pair 112 or the fixing unit 13, the cover body 19 is opened. That is, the posture is changed from the closed posture S1 to the open posture S2. Thus, the user can easily remove the jammed paper from the paper conveyance path 111 and the fixing unit 13 exposed to the outside.

  The cover body 19 is configured so that the paper P that has passed through the fixing unit 13 and has undergone the fixing process is reversed and then returned to the paper transport path 111, and the printing process is also performed on the back side thereof. A reverse conveyance path for double-sided printing is provided. Here, illustration and description thereof are omitted.

  A horizontally long opening / closing lid 110 that is opened when the toner container 20 is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 11 is provided on the upper left side of the apparatus main body 11. When the operation lever of the toner container 20 is operated in a state where the opening / closing lid 110 is opened (FIG. 2B), a shutter cylinder 60 described later is opened / closed (turned).

  4 to 6 are perspective views showing a toner container 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway exploded perspective view, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are assembled perspective views. FIG. 5 is a partially cut-out assembled perspective view seen from the front side obliquely upward, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view seen from the back side obliquely below. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 5, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 4 to 8 are the same as those shown in FIG. 1 (X is the left-right direction (-X: leftward, + X: rightward), Y is the front-rear direction (-Y: forward, + Y). : Back)).

  Of the four toner containers 20, the magenta container 20M, the cyan container 20C, and the yellow container 20Y all have the same capacity and the same specifications. On the other hand, the black container 20K is set to a capacity larger than these, and the specifications are different from those of the other containers. Hereinafter, the toner container 20 will be described for the magenta to yellow containers 20M, 20C, and 20Y. Incidentally, the basic configuration of the black container 20K is the same as those described above except that the capacity and specific specifications are different.

  The toner container 20 supplies a container container 30 that is long in the left-right direction for storing toner, an agitator 40 that agitates the toner in the container container 30, and toner that is being agitated by the agitator 40 to the developing device 122. Therefore, the posture is changed between the transport member 50 transported in the container container 30, the open posture in which the toner transported by the transport member 50 is directed to the developing device 122, and the closed posture in which the supply to the developing device 122 is regulated. A possible shutter cylinder 60 and a cover lid 70 that covers one end face of the container container 30 (left plate 314 described later) are provided.

  The cover lid 70 is a lid member attached to the left side plate 314 of the container body 31. The cover lid 70 has a three-dimensional shape so as to correspond to various irregularities (specifically, a toner loading cylinder 317 and a shutter mounting cylinder 32 described later) formed on the left plate 314 of the container body 31. Yes. By mounting the cover lid 70 on the side surface, various members are protected and the appearance of the toner container 20 is beautifully designed.

  The container container 30 includes a container main body 31 whose upper surface is opened over substantially the entire surface, and a lid 35 that closes the upper surface opening of the container main body 31. The container main body 31 is provided with a shutter mounting cylinder (cylindrical receiving portion) 32 for inserting and mounting the shutter cylinder 60 from the left surface side at the left end position of the bottom.

  The container body 31 includes an arc bottom plate 311 formed in a downward convex arc shape, a front plate 312 erected from the front edge of the arc bottom plate 311, and an upward extension from the rear edge. A rear plate 313 provided, a left plate 314 provided between right edges of the rear plate 313, the front plate 312 and the arc bottom plate 311, and a right plate 315 provided between the left edges. It has. A toner filling chamber Z for filling toner is formed by a space surrounded by the arc bottom plate 311, the front side plate 312, the rear side plate 313, the left side plate 314, and the right side plate 315.

  In the present embodiment, the vertical dimension of the rear side plate 313 is set shorter than the vertical dimension of the front side plate 312. That is, the rising height of the rear side plate 313 from the arc bottom plate 311 is set lower than that of the front side plate 312. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the upper surface of the container body 31 is inclined downward toward the rear as viewed from the -X side.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, the arc bottom plate 311 is provided with a screw storage recess 316. The screw storage recess 316 is a recess having an arcuate cross section that is bulged downward from a position slightly rearward of the center portion in the front-rear direction of the arc bottom plate 311 and extends over the entire length in the left-right direction.

  A hook-shaped toner conveyance space Z1 is formed on the inner surface side of the screw storage recess 316, and the conveyance member 50 is mounted in the toner conveyance space Z1. The screw storage recess 316 is formed in a substantially semicircular shape in a cross-sectional view from the left-right direction, whereby an upper half of a later-described toner transport screw 51 mounted in the toner transport space Z1 is directed upward from the toner transport space Z1. And projecting (see FIG. 8).

  By forming the screw storage recess 316 on the inner surface side of the arc bottom plate 311, as a result, an arc-shaped protrusion 316 a that exhibits an arc shape in a cross-sectional view along the screw storage recess 316 is formed on the outer surface side of the arc bottom plate 311. Has been. Due to the presence of the arcuate ridges 316a, the structural strength of the container body 31 is improved.

  A toner filling port 314 a for filling toner into the toner filling chamber Z is provided at a position in the upper front portion of the left plate 314. Further, a U-shaped groove member 318 having a U-shape for supporting the central shaft 421 of the agitator 40 protrudes from the inner surface side of the left plate 314. The U-shaped groove member 318 includes a pair of longitudinal ribs 318a in the front-rear direction that are parallel to each other and extend in the vertical direction, and a bottom piece 318b that is laid between the lower ends of the pair of longitudinal ribs 318a. The agitator 40 has a small-diameter central shaft 421b at the end of the central shaft 421 fitted between the pair of vertical ribs 318a of the U-shaped groove member 318 and is supported by the bottom piece 318b, so that the left end portion is inside the container body 31. It will be in the state where it was attached to.

  A toner loading cylinder 317 is provided at the toner filling port 314a so as to surround the toner filling port 314a. The toner loading cylinder 317 is fitted with a synthetic resin plug member 314e after the container body 31 is filled with toner.

  Further, the left plate 314 is provided with a shutter mounting cylinder 32 for mounting the shutter cylinder 60 that is provided concentrically with the center of curvature of the screw storage recess 316 and protrudes toward the right. Further, a support shaft 319 for projecting and supporting a lock member 66 to be described later is provided on the left plate 314 at a position directly above the shutter mounting cylinder 32. The support shaft 319 is provided with a plurality of stopper pieces 319a projecting radially at the base portion thereof. The lock member 66 is fixed to the support shaft 319 by being abutted against the stopper piece 319a.

  At the bottom of the container body 31, support legs 33 are provided for supporting the container container 30 on the partition plate 18 (FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 6, the support leg 33 includes a left leg 331 projecting downward from the lower surface of the shutter mounting cylinder 32, a right leg 332 provided at the lower right end of the arc bottom plate 311, Positioning legs 333 provided at positions unique to the respective containers 20M, 20C, 20Y, and 20K are provided so as to project further downward from the lower end of the cover lid 70.

  The right leg 332 plays a role of protecting a later-described transport gear 53, and is provided in a state of projecting downward and leftward at a position corresponding to the screw storage recess 316. The right leg 332 is composed of a horizontal small plate 332a and a pair of front and rear vertical small plates 332b erected from front and rear ends of the horizontal small plate 332a. The transport gear 53 is housed and protected in a space surrounded by the horizontal small plate 332a and the pair of vertical small plates 332b.

  The right leg 332 is set so that the lower surface of the horizontal small plate 332a abuts on the same plane as the lower end of the left leg 331 (that is, is flush). On the other hand, the positioning legs 333 have different installation positions in the front-rear direction according to the containers 20M, 20C, 20Y, 20K. On the other hand, the partition plate 18 is provided with recesses 181 into which the positioning legs 333 are fitted at positions corresponding to the positioning legs 333 of the containers 20M, 20C, 20Y, and 20K, respectively (see FIG. 7). .

  Therefore, when the containers 20M, 20C, 20Y, and 20K are respectively mounted at appropriate positions in the container storage chamber Q, the positioning legs 333 are fitted into the target recesses 181. On the other hand, when the toner container 20 is mounted at an incorrect position, the positioning leg 333 does not fit into the recess 181 and cannot be mounted correctly. As a result, the user can easily recognize the erroneous mounting of the toner container 20.

  On the other hand, on the driving force transmission side (right side) that transmits the driving force to the conveying member 50 in the apparatus main body 11, as shown in FIG. Guide grooves 101 corresponding to the right leg 332 of the container 20 are provided. When the toner container 20 is mounted in the container storage chamber Q, the right leg 332 is fitted into the guide groove 101. By lowering the toner container 20 in this state, the toner container 20 is mounted in the container storage chamber Q while being guided by the guide groove 101.

  Further, on the operation side (left side) for operating the shutter cylinder 60 of the toner container 20 in the apparatus main body 11, as shown in FIG. 2B, the shutter of each toner container 20 is placed on the left wall in the toner filling chamber Z. Support recesses 102 for supporting the mounting cylinder 32 are provided. The upper part of each support recess 102 is wide so that the shutter mounting cylinder 32 can be easily guided to the support recess 102.

  When the toner container 20 is mounted in the container storage chamber Q, the right leg 332 is fitted in the guide groove 101, and then the shutter mounting cylinder 32 is moved to the wide upper portion of the support recess 102 while the toner container 20 is lowered. Insert into the part. Thus, the toner container 20 continues to descend while being guided by the guide groove 101, and when the toner container 20 reaches the partition plate 18, it is mounted in the container storage chamber Q in a positioning state in which the shutter mounting cylinder 32 is fitted in the support recess 102. The

  As described above, it is necessary to provide a dedicated member for protecting the conveyance gear 53 or positioning it by adopting the right leg 332 that serves as both the protection of the conveyance gear 53 and the positioning of the toner container 20 as the support leg 33. The number of parts can be reduced accordingly. Further, by providing unique positioning legs 333 for each of the containers 20M, 20C, 20Y, and 20K, it is possible to prevent the containers 20M, 20C, 20Y, and 20K from being erroneously attached.

  A shaft support hole 315a (FIG. 4) is formed in the right side plate 315 at a position facing the lower part of the groove of the U-shaped groove member 318 in the left-right direction. The shaft support hole 315a is for inserting a connecting shaft 491 of a stirring gear 49 described later from the outer surface side of the right side plate 315. The right end of the agitator 40 is supported by the connecting shaft 491 so as to be integrally rotatable. Further, the right plate 315 is provided with a gear mounting cylinder 315b bulged toward the toner filling chamber Z at the lower rear portion of the shaft support hole 315a. The gear mounting cylinder 315b is fitted with approximately half the thickness of a later-described transport gear 53, and a partition wall provided on the left end surface of the gear mounting cylinder 315b supports a connecting shaft 531 of the transport gear 53 described later. A shaft support hole 315d is provided.

  On the outer surface side of the right plate 315, as shown in FIG. 6, an annular band 315c centering on the center of the shaft support hole 315a is provided to protect a stirring gear 49 described later. A portion corresponding to the right leg 332 of the annular band 315c is provided with a notch, and the space surrounded by the annular band 315c and the inside of the right leg 332 are in communication with each other through the notch.

  The lid 35 closes the upper surface opening of the container main body 31 and has the same shape as the container main body 31 in plan view as shown in FIG. The lid body 35 includes a lid body 36 whose entire lower surface is open, and a lid body side flange 37 projecting outward from the lower end of the lid body 36 over the entire circumference. The lid body 36 has a substantially triangular shape in a cross section in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 8), while the rear side plate 362 has a predetermined height, and the front side plate 363 has almost no height dimension. ing. The height dimension of the rear side plate 362 substantially matches the height dimension difference of the rear side plate 313 of the container body 31 with respect to the front side plate 312.

  On the other hand, the container main body 31 is provided with a main body side flange 34 projecting from the upper edge portion over the entire circumference so as to face the lid side flange 37. The opposing surfaces of the flanges 34 and 37 are joined to each other via a predetermined adhesive or by a welding process, whereby the lid 35 is fixed to the container body 31.

  A strip-shaped pressing member 394 is provided on the rear surface side of the lid body 36 so as to project downward from the left end portion thereof. The pressing member 394 is for pressing the upper surface of the large-diameter central shaft 421a of the agitator 40 with its lower edge portion. As described above, the small-diameter central shaft 421b of the central shaft 421 of the agitator 40 is fitted into and supported by the U-shaped groove member 318. In this state, when the lid 35 is attached to the container main body 31, the upper surface of the large-diameter central shaft 421a adjacent to the small-diameter central shaft 421b is pressed by the pressing member 394, and the shaft body member 41 is prevented from coming off. As a result, the mounting state of the agitator 40 in the container main body 30 becomes stable.

  A handle recess 38 is provided at an appropriate position (right position in the present embodiment) on the rear plate 362 (the side surface having the larger vertical dimension) of the lid body 36. The handle recess 38 is formed by recessing the rear side plate 362 in a circular arc shape toward the front. Incidentally, in this embodiment, the handle recess 38 is set to a size that allows the four fingers of the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger to enter. For example, the vertical dimension of the rear side plate 362 is about 10 mm. Thus, the user can hold the lid 35 in a stable state with a finger.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper edge part of the handle recessed part 38 is provided with the hook strip 381 formed by bulging over the full length toward outward. By forming the hooking strip 381, when the handle recess 38 is gripped by the fingertip, the fingertip is hooked on the hooking strip 381. For this reason, there is no inconvenience that the fingertip slips, and the lid 35 can be held more securely.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state where the toner container 20 is held. FIG. 9 shows a state in which the direction of the flanges 34 and 37 of each container container 30 is set to be horizontal and the container container 30 is mounted in the container storage chamber Q. When the container containers 30 are mounted side by side in the container storage chamber Q in such a state, the rear plate 362 side of the lid 35 protrudes upward in a saw-like shape.

  That is, since the front side plate 363 of the adjacent toner container 20 is positioned on the side of the rear side plate 362 of a certain toner container 20, the user can easily insert an index finger or the like into the handle recess 38. On the other hand, on the side of the front plate 363, there is a handle recess 38 of another adjacent toner container 20, so that the thumb can be attached to the upper end corner without difficulty. Therefore, the user inserts four fingers of the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger into the handle recess 38 protruding upward, places the thumb on the side of the front side plate 363, grips the lid body 35, and pulls it upward. The toner container 20 can be easily pulled out from the container storage chamber Q of the printer 10.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the agitator 40 is for agitating the toner in the container main body 31. The agitator 40 includes a shaft member 41 installed between a U-shaped groove member 318 provided in the left plate 314 of the container body 31 and a shaft support hole 315a formed in the right plate 315, and the shaft member. The stirring blade 45 attached to 41 and the stirring gear 49 concentrically connected to the shaft member 41 so as to be integrally rotatable are provided.

  The length of the shaft member 41 is set slightly shorter than the inner dimension between the left plate 314 and the right plate 315. The shaft member 41 is concentric with a square shaft 42 having a substantially rectangular shape in a cross-sectional view, a plurality of blade support members 43 provided on the square shaft 42, and the right end side (driving force transmission side) of the square shaft 42. And a joint disc 44 fixed in the above.

  The blade support member 43 locks one edge of the stirring blade 45 in the longitudinal direction. The angular axis 42 has a central axis 421 that is concentric with the angular axis 42. The central shaft 421 includes a large-diameter central shaft 421a and a small-diameter central shaft 421b that projects concentrically from the tip surface of the large-diameter central shaft 421a toward the left. The small-diameter central shaft 421b is set to have a diameter slightly smaller than the dimension between the pair of vertical ribs 318a of the U-shaped groove member 318, and can be fitted into the groove between the vertical ribs 318a. On the other hand, the large-diameter central shaft 421a has a diameter larger than the dimension between the vertical ribs 318a and cannot enter the groove.

  In a state where the shaft member 41 is mounted in the container main body 31 and the lid body 35 is mounted on the container main body 31, the large-diameter central shaft 421 a exists at a position in contact with the lower edge portion of the pressing member 361. . Accordingly, the large-diameter central shaft 421a is pressed by the pressing member 394 when the lid 35 is attached. On the other hand, the small-diameter central shaft 421b is rotatably supported by the arc-shaped bottom piece 318b of the U-shaped groove member 318.

  In this state, the bottom surface of the left small-diameter central shaft 421b is stopped by the bottom piece 318b of the groove 39, but the top surface is open. On the other hand, the upper surface of the large-diameter central shaft 421a is abutted against the lower edge of the pressing member 361, but the other portions are open. Therefore, even if the toner enters between the small diameter central shaft 421b and the bottom piece 318b or between the large diameter central shaft 421a and the pressing member 361 by the rotation of the agitator 40, the toner escapes upward or downward, respectively. Can do. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the toner from being clogged and solidified or stuck to these portions, and the rotational property of the agitator 40 can be maintained well.

  The joint disc 44 is concentrically connected to the agitation gear 49 via a shaft support hole 315a so as to be integrally rotatable. The rotation of the stirring gear 49 is transmitted to the shaft member 41 via the joint disc 44.

  The stirring gear 49 has a connecting shaft 491 that protrudes leftward at the center position. The connecting shaft 491 is set to have a diameter slightly smaller than the hole diameter of the shaft support hole 315a, and is fitted into the shaft support hole 315a in a sliding state. A key protrusion projects from the tip of the connecting shaft 491. On the other hand, a key hole corresponding to the key protrusion is formed in the right surface of the joint disc 44. When the key protrusion is fitted into the key hole, the stirring gear 49 and the shaft member 41 can rotate integrally around the shaft center, and the rotation of the stirring gear 49 is transmitted to the shaft member 41.

  The shaft member 41 and the agitation gear 49 are connected to each other via an annular seal member 441 interposed between the right side plate 315 and the joint disc 44, as shown in FIG. The presence of the annular seal member 441 prevents the toner in the container body 31 from leaking through the shaft support hole 315a.

  The stirring blade 45 has a long side edge fixed to the square shaft 42 via the blade support member 43 for stirring toner, and is formed of a flexible synthetic resin film. Yes. The stirring blade 45 has a length dimension set to be the same as that of the square shaft 42, and a width dimension (a dimension in the radial direction of the square shaft 42) of the stirring shaft 45 and the arc bottom plate of the container body 31. It is set slightly longer than the distance between the inner surface of 311.

  In such a stirring blade 45, a predetermined number of small holes 451 for locking the stirring blade 45 to the blade support member 43 are formed at positions corresponding to the blade support member 43 at the edge on the long side. ing. The stirring blade 45 is fixed to the shaft member 41 in a state where each small hole 451 is fitted in a predetermined protrusion of the blade support member 43.

  The stirring blade 45 is provided with a plurality of cut grooves 452. The cut groove 452 is formed by cutting the stirring blade 45 in the width direction from the edge on the side opposite to the side where the small hole 451 is provided (base end side) toward the base end side.

  When the shaft member 41 is mounted in the toner filling chamber Z of the container body 31 and the shaft member 41 is rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. 8, the stirring blade 45 is curved by elastic deformation and the arc bottom plate 311. Abuts against the inner surface side. The agitator 40 agitates the toner in the toner filling chamber Z while scraping off the toner adhering to the inner surface of the arc bottom plate 311 by the contact of the stirring blade 45.

  Next, the conveying member 50 will be described based on FIG. 4 with reference to other drawings as necessary. The conveyance member 50 conveys the toner being agitated by the agitator 40 toward the shutter cylinder 60 along the toner conveyance space Z1 of the screw storage recess 316 provided in the arc bottom plate 311 of the container body 31. .

  The conveying member 50 includes a toner conveying screw 51 disposed along the toner conveying space Z1 of the screw storage recess 316, and a cylindrical body 52 that is concentrically and integrally extended from the right end portion of the toner conveying screw 51. , And a conveyance gear 53 that is concentrically mounted on the cylindrical body 52.

  The toner conveying screw 51 includes a screw shaft 511 extending in the left-right direction, and a plurality of agitation fins 512 that are integrally fitted on the screw shaft 511 at an equal pitch. The stirring fins 512 are attached over the substantially entire length of the screw shaft 511 so as to form a spiral shape in a continuous state. The left end of the screw shaft 511 is supported concentrically and relatively rotatably by a shutter cylinder 60 mounted on a shutter mounting cylinder 32 provided on the left plate 314.

  A stirring fin 512 is not provided at a portion of the screw shaft 511 corresponding to a later-described toner discharge port 321 of the shutter mounting cylinder 32. Instead, one or more unillustrated ribs (protrusions) parallel to the screw shaft 511 are provided, and at the tip (left end) of the screw shaft 511, a reverse spiral agitation in which the agitating fin 512 and the spiral direction are set opposite to each other is provided. Fins 513 are provided. Therefore, the toner that has reached the toner discharge port 321 by the driving of the toner conveying screw 51 is drawn toward the toner discharge port 321 by the stirring fin 512 and the reverse spiral stirring fin 513, thereby smoothly passing through the toner discharge port 321. To be discharged.

  The cylindrical body 52 is for transmitting the drive rotation of the transport gear 53 to the toner transport screw 51, and has a concentric key hole formed on the right end surface thereof. The cylindrical body 52 is concentrically connected to the transport gear 53 mounted on the gear mounting cylinder 315b in a state where the right surface is in contact with the left surface of the gear mounting cylinder 315b of the right side plate 315. .

  The transport gear 53 rotates by obtaining a driving force from a driving motor (not shown) provided at an appropriate position in the apparatus main body 11. The rotation of the conveying gear 53 is directly transmitted to the toner conveying screw 51 and is transmitted to the shaft member 41 of the agitator 40 via the stirring gear 49. The transport gear 53 is disposed in the internal space of the right leg 332 and meshed with the stirring gear 49.

  On the left surface side of the transport gear 53, a connecting shaft 531 that is concentrically protruded leftward and is inserted into the shaft support hole 315d and connected to the cylindrical body 52 is provided. Further, a triangular joint protrusion 532 (FIG. 6) for transmitting the driving force of the driving motor is provided on the right surface side of the transport gear 53.

  On the left end surface of the connecting shaft 531, a key projection is provided concentrically. On the right end surface of the columnar body 52, a key hole corresponding to the key projection is provided. When the key protrusion is fitted into the key hole, the driving rotation of the conveying gear 53 is transmitted to the toner conveying screw 51 via the cylindrical body 52.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the toner conveying screw 51 is mounted in the screw storage recess 316 in the container main body 31 (that is, in the toner conveying space Z1), and the upper half of the toner conveying screw 51 is upward from the toner conveying space Z1. Protrusively toward. On the other hand, the stirring blade 45 is dimensioned so that the tip edge is elastically deformed and curved in a state where the tip edge is in sliding contact with the inner surface of the arc bottom plate 311.

  Accordingly, when the agitator 40 integrally rotates around the shaft member 41 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 8, the tip of the stirring blade 45 strokes the upper surface of the toner conveying screw 51 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. It will be. As a result, a so-called shelf hanging phenomenon in which toner accumulates at a position above the toner conveying screw 51 does not occur, and the toner in the toner filling chamber Z is always supplied to the toner conveying screw 51 reliably.

  That is, when the depth of the toner conveying space Z1 is deeper than the diameter dimension (diameter) of the toner conveying screw 51 and the amount of bending of the agitating blade 45 is not large as in the prior art, the tip of the agitating blade 45 is It cannot come into contact with the peripheral surface of the toner conveying screw 51 and passes through the upper surface opening of the screw storage recess 316 so as to rub. This acts as a force for pressing and solidifying the toner present in the screw storage recess 316. As a result, a shelf hanging phenomenon occurs in which toner accumulates in a state like a ceiling of a tunnel in the upper surface opening portion of the screw storage recess 316, which may cause inconvenience that toner cannot be properly supplied to the developing device 122. However, by setting the depth of the screw storage recess 316 so that the upper half of the toner conveying screw 51 protrudes and is always in contact with the tip of the stirring blade 45 as in this embodiment, the occurrence of such inconveniences is ensured. Is prevented.

  Next, the shutter cylinder 60 will be described based on FIG. 4 and FIGS. 10 and 11 with reference to other drawings as necessary. FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment of the shutter cylinder 60, and FIG. 10A shows a state in which the shutter cylinder 60 is set to the first closing posture in the closing posture T1, 10B shows a state in which the shutter cylinder 60 is set to the second closing posture T12 in the closing posture T1, and FIG. 10C shows a state in which the shutter cylinder 60 is set to the opening posture T2. Each is shown. 11A is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line XI (A) -XI (A) in FIG. 10A, and FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI (B)-in FIG. It is XI (B) line partial sectional drawing. 10 and 11, the direction indication by X and Y is the same as in FIG. 1 (X is the left-right direction (-X: leftward, + X: rightward), Y is the front-back direction (-Y: forward, + Y: backward)).

  The shutter cylinder 60 is generally formed of a cylindrical body, and replenishes toner by being rotated forward and backward around the cylinder center while being mounted on the shutter mounting cylinder 32 (FIG. 4) of the container body 31. It is possible to change the posture between a closing posture T1 to be lost and an open posture T2 (reference posture) in which the toner conveyed by the conveying member 50 can be replenished toward the developing device 122 (FIG. 3). Yes. In a state where the shutter cylinder 60 is fitted in the shutter mounting cylinder 32, the left end portion of the screw shaft 511 of the toner conveying screw 51 is concentric with the shutter cylinder 60 so as to be relatively rotatable about the axis as shown in FIG. Supported.

  As the closing posture T1 of the shutter cylinder 60, a first closing posture T11 having a large amount of rotation from the reference posture and a second closing posture T12 having a smaller amount of rotation than the first closing posture T11 can be selectively set. ing. When the posture is set to the closing posture T1, the shutter cylinder 60 is locked by the lock member 66 so as not to go to the opening posture T2 in any of the closing postures T11 or T12.

  The first closing posture T11 is a clockwise direction from the state where the shutter cylinder 60 is set to the opening posture T2, which is the reference posture (FIG. 10C), as shown in FIG. 10A. It is a posture rotated slightly more than 90 ° toward The second closing posture T12 is a posture in which the shutter cylinder 60 is rotated by approximately 90 ° clockwise around the cylinder center from the state in which the shutter cylinder 60 is set to the open posture T2. The phase of these closing postures T11 or T12 is an example, and for example, the phase difference between the first closing posture T11 and the second closing posture T12 may be made slightly larger.

  The shutter cylinder 60 includes a shutter cylinder 61, a locking cylinder 62, a circular closing part 63, an operation part 64, and a ring seal 65. The shutter cylinder 61 is a cylindrical body that is inserted into the shutter mounting cylinder 32 of the container body 31. The locking cylinder 62 is a member for extending the shutter cylinder 61 concentrically from the front end side (right end side) of the shutter cylinder 61 toward the right and locking the shutter cylinder 61 to the shutter mounting cylinder 32. . The circular closing portion 63 is provided on the proximal end side (left end side) of the shutter cylinder 61 and is a member having a larger diameter than the shutter cylinder 61. The operation portion 64 is a member that protrudes from the left end surface of the circular closing portion 63 toward the left, and that rotates the shutter cylinder 61.

  The ring seal 65 is an elastic seal member that is externally fitted on the peripheral surface between the shutter cylinder 61 and the locking cylinder 62. The ring seal 65 seals a gap between the outer periphery of the shutter cylinder 60 and the inner periphery of the shutter mounting cylinder 32 (cylindrical receiving portion). The ring seal 65 has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the shutter cylinder 60 and an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the shutter mounting cylinder 32 (first state) in a state where it does not receive a crushing force in the thrust direction. However, by receiving the thrust force in the thrust direction, the inner diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the shutter cylinder 60 and the outer diameter is larger than the inner diameter of the shutter mounting cylinder 32 (second state).

  A lock member 66 is attached to such a shutter cylinder 60. The lock member 66 is a member that locks the setting postures (first closing posture T11 and second closing posture T12) of the shutter cylinder 60, and is provided at a position directly above the shutter mounting cylinder 32 in the left plate 314 of the container body 31. ing.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the shutter mounting cylinder 32 is set to have a slightly longer length in the left-right direction than the shutter cylinder 61. The shutter cylinder 60 is inserted into the shutter mounting cylinder 32 from the left end opening of the shutter mounting cylinder 32, and the circular closing portion 63 is stopped against the left end edge of the shutter mounting cylinder 32. In this inserted state, the shutter cylinder 61 is housed in the shutter mounting cylinder 32, and the locking cylinder 62 protrudes rightward from the shutter mounting cylinder 32, and the toner transport space of the container body 31. It will be in the state located in Z1.

  The inner diameter of the shutter mounting cylinder 32 is set slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shutter cylinder 61. Further, an annular projection 322 (second flange portion) is provided at the tip (right end) of the shutter mounting cylinder 32 so as to project concentrically toward the inside. The inner peripheral surface of the annular protrusion 322 is in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the locking cylindrical body 62.

  The inner diameter of the shutter cylinder 61 is set slightly larger than the outer diameter of the agitating fin 512 so that the agitating fin 512 can be inserted into the shutter cylinder 61. The base end side (left end) of the shutter cylinder 61 is provided with a concentric base end flange 611 (FIG. 11), and is located on the tip end side (right end) and at the boundary position with the locking cylinder 62. Is provided with a front end flange 612 (first flange portion). The outer peripheral surface of the base end flange 611 has an outer diameter dimension that is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the shutter mounting cylinder 32. On the other hand, the outer peripheral surface of the tip flange 612 has a smaller outer diameter than the inner peripheral surface of the shutter mounting cylinder 32.

  The ring seal 65 is disposed between the tip flange 612 and the annular protrusion 322. The right annular side surface of the tip flange 612 and the left annular side surface of the annular protrusion 322 serve to prevent the ring seal 65 from coming off, and to apply a thrust force in the thrust direction to the ring seal 65.

  A pair of ribs 613 provided between the flanges 611 and 612 are provided on the peripheral surface of the shutter cylinder 61 at a point-symmetrical position with respect to the cylinder center. On one peripheral surface of the shutter cylinder 61 between the pair of ribs 613, a toner discharge outlet 614 having a rectangular shape as viewed from the radial direction extending in the left-right direction is provided at the center position.

  A sponge-like seal pad 67 is attached to one surface (reduced diameter portion) 610 of the shutter cylinder 61 provided with the toner discharge outlet 614. As the seal pad 67, various synthetic resin foams can be used, and suitable examples thereof include a high-density microcell urethane sheet. The seal pad 67 is provided with a square hole 671 having the same shape at a position corresponding to the toner discharge port 614.

  On the other hand, the shutter mounting cylinder 32 is provided with a toner discharge port 321 at a position facing the toner discharge port 614 of the shutter cylinder 61 set in the open position T2. Therefore, the toner in the shutter cylinder 61 is discharged by the driving of the conveying member 50 in a state where leakage to the outside is prevented by the seal pad 67 when the shutter cylinder 60 is set to the open posture T2. 614, the square hole 671, and the toner discharge port 321 are supplied to the developing device 122.

  A guide rib 615 extending toward the right starting from the proximal end flange 611 is provided on the peripheral surface of the shutter cylinder 61 opposite to the peripheral surface where the toner discharge outlet 614 is provided. It has been. The guide rib 615 is provided to facilitate the insertion operation when the shutter cylinder 60 is inserted into the shutter mounting cylinder 32. The guide rib 615 is set to have a length in the left-right direction that is less than half that of the shutter cylinder 61 and a thickness in the radial direction slightly smaller than that of the proximal flange 611.

  At the tip (right end) of the guide rib 615, an inclined surface 615a that is inclined downward toward the peripheral surface of the shutter cylinder 61 is provided. Therefore, when the shutter cylinder 60 is inserted into the shutter mounting cylinder 32, the inclined surface 615a of the guide rib 615 abuts against the left end edge of the shutter mounting cylinder 32 and is then scooped up relative to the inclined surface 615a. For this reason, during the assembly work, the shutter cylinder 60 can be smoothly inserted into the shutter mounting cylinder 32 without the base end flange 611 colliding with the left end edge of the shutter mounting cylinder 32. Therefore, the workability of assembling the shutter cylinder 60 to the shutter mounting cylinder 32 can be improved.

  The locking cylinder 62 is provided with a pair of locking claws 621 formed in a state where peripheral surfaces facing each other in the radial direction are cut out in a concave shape, and the pair of locking claws A pair of relief holes 622 are provided so as to face each other with a phase shift of 90 ° with respect to the portion 621.

  The locking claw 621 restricts the movement of the screw shaft 511 in the axial direction in a state where the shutter cylinder 60 is inserted into the shutter mounting cylinder 32 from the left surface opening (specifically, the locking claw portion 621 prevents the screw shaft 511 from being removed to the left). ) And restricting the rotation around the cylinder center outside the predetermined range (specifically, the shutter cylinder 60 is allowed to rotate only between the closed posture T1 and the open posture T2). .

  The locking claw 621 includes a claw body 621a that protrudes from the right end of the locking cylinder 62 toward the recess-shaped space, and a tip (left end) of the claw body 621a. And a locking claw 621b projecting outward. The claw body 621 a protrudes outward from the ring seal 65. The locking claw 621b has a left end surface which is an orthogonal surface 621c parallel to a plane orthogonal to the cylindrical direction, and an inclined surface which is inclined downward from the outermost surface of the orthogonal surface 621c toward the claw body 621a. 621d.

  When the shutter cylinder 60 is inserted into the shutter mounting cylinder 32, the inclined surface 621d of the locking claw 621 is annular after the right end of the locking cylinder 62 exceeds the annular protrusion 322 (FIG. 11) of the shutter mounting cylinder 32. Abuts against the protrusion 322. By such contact, the locking claw portion 621 is guided by the inclined surface 621d and is elastically deformed and pushed down in the cylindrical direction, so that the locking claw 621b can pass through the annular protrusion 322.

  The locking claw portion 621 is restored to the original state when the locking claw 621b passes through the annular protrusion 322. As a result, the orthogonal surface 621c of the locking claw 621b faces the annular protrusion 322, so that the shutter cylinder 60 is prevented from coming off toward the left.

  On the other hand, at the bottom of the container main body 31, a small arc rod 316b (FIG. 6) provided between the arc-shaped ridge 316a and the shutter mounting cylinder 32, the left end edge of the small arc rod 316b, and the shutter mounting cylinder 32 are provided. And a large circular arc ridge 316c provided between the right end edge of each of the two.

  The small arc rod 316b is set so that the radius of curvature of the inner surface is slightly larger than the radius of the outer surface of the locking cylindrical body 62, whereby the locking cylindrical body 62 rotates in sliding contact with the small circular arc rod 316b. Further, as shown in FIG. 11 (B), the large arc rod 316c has a radius of curvature of the inner surface larger than the radius of curvature of the inner surface of the small arc rod 316b and the radial direction of the latching claw 621b of the latching cylinder 62. The diameter is set so that the tip of the wire does not interfere.

  The locking cylinder 62 is provided with a circular arc stopper 623 protruding from the right end edge thereof toward the right and having a radius of curvature equal to that of the locking cylinder 62. The arc stopper 623 interferes with a predetermined position of the container body 31 in the state where the shutter cylinder 60 is set to the first closing posture T11 of the closing posture T1 (FIG. 10A), and in FIG. Prevents further clockwise rotation. Further, the arc stopper 623 interferes with another predetermined position of the container body 31 in a state where the shutter cylinder 60 is set to the open posture T2 (FIG. 10C), and more than that in FIG. Prevents counterclockwise rotation.

  For example, when the toner in the toner filling chamber Z is fed into the shutter cylinder 60 by driving the conveying member 50 in a state where the shutter cylinder 60 is in the closed posture T1, the escape hole 622 is configured to remove the fed toner into the toner filling chamber. It is for escaping to Z. By doing so, the toner pushed into the shutter cylinder 60 is prevented from being agglomerated.

  The circular closing portion 63 is for closing the left end surface of the shutter cylinder 61. The circular closing portion 63 includes a closing disc 631 and an annular body 632. The closing disc 631 is a disc-shaped body that is concentric with the cylinder center of the shutter cylinder 61 and is integrally fixed to the left end of the shutter cylinder 61 and has a larger diameter than the shutter cylinder 61. The annular body 632 is integrally formed on the peripheral surface of the closing disc 631 in a state of projecting leftward from the closing disc 631.

  As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, a shaft support hole 636 is recessed at the center position of the right surface of the closed disc 631. The left end portion of the screw shaft 511 is fitted into the shaft support hole 636 and is rotatably supported. That is, the left end portion of the screw shaft 511 is fitted into the shaft support hole 636 in a state where the toner conveying screw 51 is disposed in the toner conveying space Z1 in the container body 31 and the left end portion is inserted into the shutter mounting cylinder 32. It is. As a result, the toner transport screw 51 is mounted in the toner transport space Z1 in the container body 31 so as to be integrally rotatable about the screw shaft 511.

  The annular body 632 is provided with a front chord part 633, a rear chord part 634, an engaged protrusion 635, and a claw piece 634a. The front chord portion 633 and the rear chord portion 634 are straight portions formed by cutting out a part of the annular body 632, and are substantially horizontal when the shutter cylinder 60 is set to the first closing posture T11. The engaged protrusion 635 protrudes radially outward of the annular body 632 at a position slightly clockwise from the front chord 633. The claw piece 634 a protrudes from the rear end side of the rear chord part 634 toward the outside in the tangential direction of the annular body 632.

  The operation unit 64 is for rotating the shutter cylinder 60 and is provided to project leftward from the closing disc 631 of the circular closing unit 63. The operation unit 64 includes a disk 641 concentrically protruding from the closed disk 631 toward the left, a cylindrical protrusion 642 concentrically protruding from the center position of the disk 641, and a radial direction from the cylindrical protrusion 642. The fan-shaped operation protrusion 643 that protrudes outward and has a fan shape when viewed from the −X direction, and the triangular protrusion 642 that has a triangular shape when viewed from the side protruding from the opposite side of the fan-shaped operation protrusion 643. And a triangular operation piece 644.

  The cylindrical protrusion 642, the fan-shaped operation protrusion 643, and the triangular operation piece 644 are provided with a not-illustrated knob cover that is shaped so as to be easily picked and operated by the user. The actual rotation operation of the shutter cylinder 60 is performed through this knob cover.

  The fan-shaped operation protrusion 643 faces upward in a state where the shutter cylinder 60 is set to the first closing posture T11 of the closing posture T1 (FIG. 10A), and the triangular operation piece 644 faces downward. In this state, the operation unit 64 is turned counterclockwise around the cylinder center by a slight predetermined angle, so that the second closing posture T12 of the closing posture T1 is obtained as shown in FIG. 10B. Is set. Further, by rotating the operation portion 64 by approximately 90 °, the posture of the shutter cylinder 60 that has been set to the closed posture T1 is changed to the open posture T2 (FIG. 10C).

  In the state where the shutter cylinder 60 is mounted on the shutter mounting cylinder 32, the ring seal 65 causes the toner in the toner filling chamber Z of the container body 31 to flow between the inner peripheral surface of the shutter mounting cylinder 32 and the outer peripheral surface of the shutter cylindrical body 61. This is to prevent intrusion in between. The ring seal 65 is made of an elastomer (elastic material) such as rubber or soft synthetic resin.

  In order to reduce the operating torque of the operating portion 64 with respect to the ring seal 65 and to prevent the ring seal 65 from being turned up when the shutter cylinder 60 is mounted on the shutter mounting cylinder 32, as shown in FIG. As shown enlarged in the circle, a washer 651 is attached. The washer 651 is an annular part formed of a resin film material having good slipperiness, and as shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 13, the right surface of the ring seal 65 (the shutter cylinder is inserted into the cylindrical receiving portion). Is attached with a double-sided tape 652. The ring seal 65 will be described in detail later.

  The lock member 66 is for locking the first closing posture T11 (FIG. 10A) and the second closing posture T12 (FIG. 10B) in the closing posture T1 of the shutter cylinder 60. The left side plate 314 is externally supported by a support shaft 319 (FIG. 4).

  When the toner container 20 is transported or the like, the engaged protrusion 635 of the shutter cylinder 60 contacts the first engagement piece 665 of the lock member 66 in a state where the shutter cylinder 60 is set to the first closing position T11. It stops and is locked in the first closing posture T11. Next, when the toner container 20 is attached to the printer 10, the posture is changed from the first closing posture T11 to the second closing posture T12. When the posture is changed, the engagement state of the first engagement piece 665 with the engagement protrusion 635 is canceled due to the elastic deformation of the lock member 66, and the operation portion 64 is rotated counterclockwise. The engagement protrusion 635 is engaged with the second engagement piece 666. After the toner container 20 is mounted on the printer 10, the operation unit 64 is operated to release the engagement of the second engagement piece 666, and the shutter cylinder 60 is set to the open posture T2. As a result, the outlet 614 of the shutter cylinder 60 is aligned with the toner discharge port 321 of the shutter mounting cylinder 32, and the toner can be supplied.

  Next, the ring seal 65 will be described in detail. FIG. 12 is an enlarged view showing a seal portion by the ring seal 65, and here, the ring seal 65 is omitted. An arrow LE shown in FIG. 12 is a path through which the toner leaks from the toner filling chamber Z. When sealing is performed with a configuration in which the shutter cylinder 60 rotates within the shutter mounting cylinder 32, a method is generally used in which the end surface in the thrust direction of the seal member is crushed at the edge of the shutter cylinder 60 and sealing is performed at the end surface. However, in this embodiment, the ring seal 65 is assembled in the annular space 65H that is substantially surrounded by the tip flange 612 and the annular protrusion 322, and seals are performed between the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the ring seal 65.

  13 is an exploded perspective view showing the ring seal 65 and accessory parts, FIG. 14 is a broken perspective view showing a state before the shutter cylinder 60 is inserted into the shutter mounting cylinder 32, and FIG. It is a fractured perspective view showing a state after being inserted into the mounting cylinder 32. When mounting the shutter cylinder 60, a seal assembly is prepared in which a washer 651 is attached to the right end surface of the ring seal 65 in the thrust direction using an annular double-sided tape 652.

  14, the ring seal 65 is fitted into the shutter cylinder 61 so that the washer 651 of the seal assembly is positioned in front of the insertion direction IN of the shutter cylinder 60 and faces the annular protrusion 322. . At this time, the left end surface in the thrust direction of the ring seal 65 contacts the right surface of the front end flange 612. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 15, the shutter cylinder 60 is inserted into the shutter mounting cylinder 32. When this insertion is completed, the ring seal 65 is sandwiched between the tip flange 612 and the annular protrusion 322 and is crushed in the thrust direction.

  The crushing of the ring seal 65 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 16A shows a state where the ring seal 65 is not yet crushed. As described above, the ring seal 65 has an inner diameter that is larger than the outer diameter of the shutter cylinder 60 and an outer diameter that is smaller than the inner diameter of the shutter mounting cylinder 32 in a state where it does not receive a crushing force in the thrust direction. 1 state). Therefore, the inner peripheral surface 65D of the ring seal 65 is not pressed against the peripheral surface of the shutter cylinder 61, and the outer peripheral surface 65U of the ring seal 65 is not pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the shutter mounting cylinder 32.

  For this reason, it is easy to fit the ring seal 65 into the shutter cylinder 61, and when the shutter cylinder 60 with the ring seal 65 fitted is inserted into the shutter mounting cylinder 32, the insertion resistance is small, and the ring It is also possible to prevent the seal 65 from turning up. In addition, since the washer 651 with good slipperiness is disposed in front of the insertion direction IN, the ring seal 65 can be further prevented from turning up.

  In FIG. 16B, the insertion of the shutter cylinder 60 into the shutter mounting cylinder 32 proceeds, the distance between the tip flange 612 and the annular protrusion 322 is narrowed, and the ring seal 65 is interposed between the tip flange 612 and the annular protrusion 322. Shows a state where crushing in the thrust direction has started. By this crushing, the ring seal 65 swells, the inner peripheral surface 65D of the ring seal 65 is in partial contact with the peripheral surface of the shutter cylinder 61, and the outer peripheral surface 65U is in partial contact with the inner peripheral surface of the shutter mounting cylinder 32.

  FIG. 16C shows a state where the shutter cylinder 60 is inserted to a predetermined position of the shutter mounting cylinder 32. In this state, if the ring seal 65 is further crushed and the shutter cylinder 61 and the shutter mounting cylinder 32 do not exist, the inner diameter of the ring seal 65 is smaller than the outer diameter of the shutter cylinder 60, and the outer diameter is the shutter mounting. It becomes larger than the inner peripheral diameter of the cylinder 32 (second state). As a result, the inner peripheral surface 65D of the ring seal 65 and the outer peripheral surface 65U are in total pressure contact with the peripheral surface of the shutter cylinder 61 and the inner peripheral surface of the shutter mounting cylinder 32, respectively. Therefore, the inner peripheral surface 65D and the outer peripheral surface 65U ensure sealing performance against toner leakage.

  As described above, the ring seal 65 has a clearance with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the shutter cylinder 61 and the inner peripheral surface of the shutter mounting cylinder 32 in a state where the ring seal 65 is not subjected to the crushing force in the thrust direction. Thus, when the shutter cylinder 60 is inserted into the shutter mounting cylinder 32, the presence of the washer 651 can be combined to prevent the ring seal 65 from being turned up. On the other hand, after the shutter cylinder 60 is inserted into a predetermined position of the shutter mounting cylinder 32, the ring seal 65 swells by receiving a crushing force in the thrust direction, and the inner peripheral surface 65D and the outer peripheral surface 65U of the ring seal 65 are sealed surfaces. Function as. Thus, since the inner peripheral surface 65D and the outer peripheral surface 65U are used as the sealing surfaces, the radial area for sealing can be reduced. Further, since the squeezing allowance of the ring seal 65 can be managed by the outer diameter of the shutter cylinder 60 and the inner diameter of the shutter mounting cylinder 32 that are not significantly affected by tolerances, a stable seal squeezing amount can be ensured.

  Further, the shutter cylinder 60 rotates about the axis when the posture is changed between the closing posture T1 and the opening posture T2. During this rotation, the washer 651 is interposed between the ring seal 65 and the annular protrusion 322. Therefore, even when the ring seal 65 is crushed, it is possible to ensure slipperiness between the two. Accordingly, the rotational torque of the shutter cylinder 60 can be kept small, and the operability for changing the posture of the shutter cylinder 60 can be improved.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modified embodiments having the following contents can be adopted.

  (1) In the above embodiment, the printer 10 for color printing has been described as an example of the image forming apparatus to which the toner container 20 according to the present invention is applied. However, the printer 10 may be for monochrome printing. The image forming apparatus is not limited to a printer, and may be a copying machine or a facsimile apparatus.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the example in which the washer 651 is bonded to the ring seal 65 using the double-sided tape 652 is shown. The washer 651 may be fixed to the ring seal 65 by welding, for example, or the washer 651 and the ring seal 65 may not be bonded.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the example in which the washer 651 is disposed only on the side facing the annular protrusion 322 is shown. In addition to this, a similar washer may be disposed on the side facing the front end flange 612. Alternatively, the attachment of the washer 651 to the ring seal 65 may be omitted.

2A and 2B are external perspective views of a printer to which a toner container according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted, in which FIG. 3A is a perspective view seen from the right rear side, and FIG. 2A and 2B are perspective views illustrating a state in which a paper discharge tray is removed from the apparatus main body in the printer illustrated in FIG. 1, in which FIG. 1A is a perspective view viewed from the right rear, and FIG. is there. It is explanatory drawing of the cross sectional view seen from the left surface side which shows the internal structure of a printer. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway exploded perspective view showing a toner container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a partially cut-out assembly perspective view of the toner container shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the toner container shown in FIG. It is the VII-VII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the VIII-VIII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a state where a toner container is held by hand. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment of a shutter cylinder, where (A) shows a state in which the shutter cylinder is set to a first closing posture out of closing postures, and (B) shows a state in which the shutter cylinder is closed. Of the postures, a state in which the posture is set to the second closed posture, and (C) shows a state in which the shutter cylinder is set in the open posture. 10A is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line XI (A) -XI (A) in FIG. 10A, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI (B) -XI (B) in FIG. FIG. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the seal location by a ring seal. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a ring seal and an accessory. It is a fractured perspective view which shows the state before a shutter cylinder is inserted in a shutter mounting cylinder. It is a fractured perspective view showing a state after the shutter cylinder is inserted into the shutter mounting cylinder. (A)-(C) are sectional drawings for demonstrating the crushing state of a ring seal.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printer 12 Image formation part 13 Fixing part 20 Toner container 30 Container container 31 Container main body 32 Shutter mounting cylinder (cylindrical receiving part)
321 Toner discharge port 322 Annular protrusion (second flange)
40 Agitator 50 Conveying member 60 Shutter cylinder 61 Shutter cylinder 612 Tip flange (first flange)
65 Ring seal 651 Washer

Claims (4)

A toner container for supplying toner to the developing device;
A container for storing the toner and having a toner outlet;
A cylindrical receiving portion provided on the wall surface of the container container, in which the toner discharge port is opened;
The cylindrical peripheral wall has a toner discharge port that is positioned to correspond to the toner discharge port, and the toner discharge port is opposed to the toner discharge port. A shutter cylinder inserted into the cylindrical receiving portion so as to rotate around the cylinder center so that the posture can be changed between a closed posture in which the toner discharge port is separated from the toner discharge port and closed by the peripheral wall;
A ring seal that seals a gap between the outer periphery of the shutter cylinder and the inner periphery of the cylindrical receiving portion,
The ring seal is
A first state in which the inner diameter is larger than the outer peripheral diameter of the shutter cylinder and the outer diameter is smaller than the inner peripheral diameter of the cylindrical receiving portion;
By receiving a crushing force in the thrust direction, the state changes between the second state in which the inner diameter is smaller than the outer peripheral diameter of the shutter cylinder and the outer diameter is larger than the inner peripheral diameter of the cylindrical receiving portion. Is possible,
In a state where the ring seal is attached to the shutter cylinder before the shutter cylinder is inserted into the cylindrical receiving portion, the ring seal is in the first state,
After the shutter cylinder is inserted into a predetermined position of the cylindrical receiving portion, the ring seal receives the crushing force and enters the second state.
A toner container characterized by that. The toner container according to claim 1.
A first flange portion projects from the outer periphery of the shutter cylinder, and a second flange portion projects from the inner periphery of the cylindrical receiving portion,
The ring seal is disposed between the first flange portion and the second flange portion. The ring seal is inserted into the cylindrical receiving portion of the shutter cylinder at a predetermined position. 2. A toner container that receives a crushing force in a thrust direction from both sides when approaching the two flange portions. The toner container according to claim 2.
A toner container, further comprising a washer disposed on a side surface of the ring seal facing the second flange portion of the cylindrical receiving portion. The toner container according to claim 1.
Further comprising a washer attached to one side of the ring seal;
The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the washer is disposed on a front side surface in a direction in which the shutter cylinder is inserted into the cylindrical receiving portion.

Images