JP2011033938A - Toner container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner container that is easily attached to an image forming apparatus body without being blown when rotationally attached to the image forming apparatus body, and has simple constitution while securing a predetermined space between the toner container and the image forming apparatus body, and to provide an image forming apparatus including the toner container. <P>SOLUTION: The toner container Y5 constituted to be detachable from the image forming apparatus body 10 and attached to the image forming apparatus body 10 by rotation is constituted of a container body 50Y that can be driven to rotate, and a cap 51Y that rotatably holds the container body 50Y and has a toner supply port TH communicating with a toner replenishing device Y6. The container body 50Y is rotatably locked by a plurality of locking pawls 513Y provided in the cap 51Y and elastically deformed in a radial direction, and a protrusion P for preventing blow that prevents the toner container from being blown when attached to the image forming apparatus body 10 is provided on an outer surface of the locking pawl 513Y. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a composite machine thereof, and more particularly to a technique for mounting a toner container to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a color printer, a cylindrical toner container (toner bottle) that is separate from the process cartridge and is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and is accommodated in the toner container. A toner replenishing device that replenishes the developing device in the process cartridge with a new toner, and allows a new toner to be replenished to the developing device from a toner container located away from the process cartridge. There is known an image forming apparatus capable of extending a period in which a process cartridge needs to be replaced without useless replacement, and improving design flexibility (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  In the image forming apparatuses described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the toner container (toner bottle 32Y) is fixed by being mounted on the container main body (toner bottle main body) that contains new toner and is driven to rotate, and the image forming apparatus main body. And a cap portion 34Y formed with a toner supply port (toner discharge port) that holds the container body rotatably and communicates with the toner replenishing device. When the spiral protrusion is formed and the container main body is driven to rotate, new toner contained in the container main body is conveyed by the spiral protrusion toward the toner supply port of the cap portion, and the toner replenishing device The developing device is supplied through (toner transport device 40Y, toner supply device 40Y) (see FIGS. 3 to 7 of Patent Document 1, FIGS. 3 to 7 of Patent Document 2, and the like).

  In the image forming apparatuses described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when the toner container is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, the toner container is provided in a fitting slit provided in the image forming apparatus main body (or toner replenishing device). The toner container is fitted and attached to the image forming apparatus main body by rotating the fitted portion, and the toner supply port (toner discharge port) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the toner container in conjunction with the rotational mounting operation. When the toner container is rotationally mounted (fitted) in order to open and close the shutter member (shutter 36Y), the toner container is squeezed by rattling due to the play gap between the image forming apparatus main body and the toner container (tubular shape). There is a problem in that it is difficult to set one end of the toner container because the end of one of the toner containers sways in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. In addition, when trying to set it forcibly, there is a problem that components such as a toner replenishing device fitted to the toner container are damaged when the image forming apparatus body is mounted.

  As a means for solving such a problem, it is conceivable to reduce play between the toner container and the insertion port of the image forming apparatus main body, thereby reducing rattling. However, there is a problem in that it is difficult to mount due to an increase in sliding contact resistance when rotating and mounting (fitting) to the image forming apparatus main body. In addition, when the toner container is rotationally mounted, there is a problem in that there is an increased risk that parts such as the toner replenishing device may be damaged without being properly fitted to the toner container.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention rotates and attaches to the image forming apparatus main body with a simple structure while maintaining ease of installation by securing a play between the toner container and the image forming apparatus main body at a predetermined interval or more. It is an object of the present invention to provide a toner container that can be easily mounted without being damaged, and an image forming apparatus including the toner container.

  In order to solve the above problems, the toner container according to claim 1 is a toner container configured to be detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus and containing toner to be replenished to the developing device, and the main body of the image forming apparatus. A container body that can be rotationally driven in a mounted state, and a cap having a toner supply port that communicates with a toner replenishing device that replenishes toner to the developing device in a state of being rotated and mounted on the image forming apparatus body, The cap is provided with a plurality of locking claws that are elastically deformable in the radial direction for rotatably locking the container body, and the outer surface of the locking claw is attached to the image forming apparatus body. Protrusions for preventing twisting when protruding are provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the toner container according to the first aspect, the outer surface of the cap is fitted to the toner supply device or the image forming apparatus main body when the cap is mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus. A fitting part is provided for releasably fitting with the mating part, and the protrusion for preventing twisting is projected from a locking claw located on the opposite side to the fitting part of the locking claw. And

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner container according to the first or second aspect, wherein a plurality of twisting prevention protrusions are provided on each of the locking claws.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the toner container according to any one of the first to third aspects, a plurality of twisting prevention protrusions are provided on one of the locking claws.

  A toner container according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the toner container according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the cap opens and closes the toner supply port in conjunction with the rotation of the attachment to the image forming apparatus main body. A shutter member is provided.

  An image forming apparatus according to a sixth aspect is characterized in that the toner container according to any one of the first to fifth aspects is attached to a main body of the image forming apparatus.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner container configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body and containing toner to be replenished to the developing device. A container body that can be rotationally driven in a mounted state, and a cap having a toner supply port that communicates with a toner replenishing device that replenishes toner to the developing device in a state of being rotated and mounted on the image forming apparatus body, The cap is provided with a plurality of locking claws that are elastically deformable in the radial direction for rotatably locking the container body, and the outer surface of the locking claw is attached to the image forming apparatus body. The protrusions for preventing warping when projecting are projected, that is, when the toner container is rotationally mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus, it is elastically biased by the protrusions for preventing warping provided on the outer surface of the locking claw. Toner toner Without is fueled, while maintaining the play of the secured over a predetermined distance mounting easiness of the image forming apparatus main body for mounting a toner container, the toner container can be easily attached to the image forming apparatus main body.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the toner container of the first aspect, the outer surface of the cap has a fitting portion provided in the toner replenishing device or the image forming apparatus main body when the cap is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus. In addition to the above-described effects, a fitting portion is provided for releasably fitting, and the protrusion for preventing twisting is provided on a locking claw located on the opposite side of the locking portion of the locking claw. Thus, the curling can be effectively prevented by the smaller number of curling prevention projections, and the sliding contact resistance at the time of the rotational mounting can be reduced, so that the curling can be easily mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. In addition, since the number of protrusions for preventing twisting is small, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the toner container according to the first or second aspect, since a plurality of protrusions for preventing twisting are provided for each of the locking claws, in addition to the above effect, Can be prevented.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the toner container according to any one of the first to third aspects, since the plurality of protrusions for preventing twisting are provided on one of the locking claws, in addition to the above effect, It is possible to reliably prevent sag at the time of wearing.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the toner container according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the cap includes a shutter member that opens and closes the toner supply port in conjunction with a rotation operation of mounting on the image forming apparatus main body. Since it is provided, in addition to the above effects, there is less possibility that the toner scatters and stains the surroundings when the toner container is detached.

  According to the sixth aspect of the invention, since the toner container according to any one of the first to fifth aspects is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, the effect can be exhibited in the image forming apparatus.

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment in a front see-through state. FIG. 2 is a configuration explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a process cartridge mainly according to Embodiment 1 with a partially enlarged view of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view mainly illustrating a toner container according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view mainly showing a cap of the toner container of FIG. 3. 4A is a cross-sectional view cut along a plane along the insertion direction, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view cut along a plane perpendicular to the peripheral surface. 4 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a toner storage portion of the image forming apparatus main body. FIG. FIG. 7 is a front view illustrating an inner panel that covers a front portion of the toner storage portion of FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating a state after the toner container is inserted into the insertion port and before the rotational mounting. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a fitting state with a toner container and a schematic configuration of a toner supply device. 6 is a perspective view showing a cap corresponding to FIG. 4 of the toner container according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 9 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 8 of the toner container according to Embodiment 2. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a cap corresponding to FIG. 4 of the toner container according to Embodiment 3. FIG. FIG. 9 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 8 of the toner container according to Embodiment 3.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Overall configuration of image forming apparatus)
First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Reference numeral 1 denotes a tandem type color printer shown as an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and includes yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (three primary colors and black). K) has a function of forming a full-color image from the four toners. The color printer 1 includes an image forming apparatus main body 10 that is a casing of the entire apparatus, and an image that is disposed at the center and slightly below the image forming apparatus main body 10 and forms toner images of the respective colors using the four color toners. A forming unit 11, an optical unit 12 that is disposed below the image forming unit 11 and writes an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive drum, which will be described later, and an image forming unit 11 that is disposed above the image forming unit 11. A transfer unit 13 that transfers the toner image to a copy sheet, and a fixing unit 14 that is disposed near one side of the apparatus main body 10 on the downstream side of the transfer unit 13 in the sheet conveyance direction, and fixes the toner image to the copy sheet; The sheet feeding unit 15 is disposed at the bottom of the image forming apparatus main body 10 and accommodates a plurality of copy sheets as sheet materials and feeds the sheets one by one, and the fixing unit 14 at the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body 10. Placed beside An in-cylinder discharge type paper discharge unit 16 that stores and stacks sheets on which images are fixed, and four toner containers that are disposed below the paper discharge unit 16 and store new toner for each color. And the like.

  The image forming unit 11 includes four process cartridges 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K that are detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body 10 having substantially the same configuration provided for each of the four color toners. Each process cartridge has a function of forming a corresponding toner color image based on image information transmitted from the device. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the process cartridges 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K includes a drum-shaped latent image carrier that can be driven and rotated, and the photosensitive drum Y1 (M1, C1, and K1). Initializing by uniformly charging the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum Y1 (M1, C1, K1) centered on the drum Y1 (M1, C1, K1) to a predetermined voltage. The toner image is transferred to an electrostatic latent image formed by an optical unit 12 described later on the outer peripheral surface of the charging device Y2 (M2, C2, K2) and the photosensitive drum Y1 (M1, C1, K1). A developing device Y3 (M3, C3, K3) for developing the toner, and a cleaning device Y4 for cleaning residual toner on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum Y1 (M1, C1, K1) remaining transferred by the transfer unit 13 described later. M4, C4, K4) are configured and the like.

  The optical unit 12 is mainly composed of a light source such as an LD (laser diode), a polygon mirror that is a rotary polygon mirror for scanning, a scanning optical system such as a polygon motor that scans them, an fθ lens, and a mirror. To an exposure device (writing device) for irradiating the surface of a photosensitive drum, which will be described later, with a laser beam L to selectively expose the surface to write an electrostatic latent image.

  The transfer unit 13 is mainly composed of an intermediate transfer unit 130 configured to be removable from the image forming apparatus main body 10, and the intermediate transfer unit 130 is stretched by a plurality of stretching rollers and can be driven to rotate. An intermediate transfer belt 131 (intermediate transfer body) composed of a flexible endless belt and a bias power supply (not shown) are connected to the photosensitive drums Y1, M1, C1, and K1 by applying a primary transfer bias. The four primary transfer rollers 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K that transfer the toner images of the respective colors to the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 131 by electrostatic force are mainly configured. The intermediate transfer belt 131 is the photosensitive drums Y1, M1, and D1. At the transfer nip contacting C1 and K1, the polarity of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 131 is reversed by the primary transfer rollers 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K. It has a function of transferring the toner image to the intermediate transfer belt 131 by electrostatic attraction by applying a transfer bias.

  Further, the transfer unit 13 is provided with a secondary transfer roller 132 that is urged by an urging means (not shown) and presses against the intermediate transfer belt 131 by using one of the stretching rollers as a backup roller to form a secondary transfer nip. The secondary transfer roller is connected to a bias power source (not shown) so that a transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image can be applied.

  The fixing unit 14 is mainly composed of a fixing belt 14a provided with heating means such as a halogen heater and heated, and a pressure roller 14b that is urged and pressed against the fixing belt 14a by a urging means to form a fixing nip. And a fixing device that applies heat and pressure to a sheet carrying an unfixed toner image at the fixing nip. In addition, the fixing unit 14 is partitioned from other parts in the apparatus main body 10 by a housing 14c made of a heat-insulating material such as a resin, so that heat is transmitted to other parts to reduce adverse effects. It is configured.

  The paper supply unit 15 includes a paper supply cassette 150 that stores a bundle of a plurality of copy sheets of a predetermined size, which is a sheet material, and a sheet that is at the top of the stack of copy sheets stored in the paper supply cassette 150. The pickup roller 151 that feeds copy paper to the transport path R by rotating in pressure contact with the paper, and a separating device 152 that separates the copy paper that is pressed against the pickup roller 151 and fed simultaneously at the same time one by one. And has a function of separating and supplying copy sheets one by one to the conveyance path R that continues to the secondary transfer nip.

  The transport path R is also provided with a plurality of transport roller pairs R1 that are provided at predetermined intervals and transport copy paper, a registration roller pair R2 that adjusts the transport timing of the paper to the secondary transfer nip, and the like. Yes.

  The paper discharge unit 16 discharges a copy sheet on which the image has been fixed by passing through the fixing unit 14 from the apparatus main body 10 and discharges and outputs the paper using the paper discharge roller pair 160 and 161. This is mainly composed of two paper discharge trays 162 and 163 for stacking and placing the received copy sheets, and is a part (space) for placing and stocking sheets after image formation and fixing. is there. The two discharge trays 162 and 163 can be selected by switching the discharge destination by a switching claw or the like (not shown).

  The toner storage unit 17 is a space in which four toner bottles Y5, M5, C5, and K5, which are toner containers that store toner of each color for each toner color, can be mounted, and the four insertion ports 17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K. have. The toner bottles Y5, M5, C5, and K5 will be described in detail later.

(Image forming operation)
Next, an image forming operation (image forming process) of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
First, in the image forming unit 11, the outer peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums Y1, M1, C1, and K1 are uniformly charged and initialized by the charging devices Y2, M2, C2, and K2, respectively. Then, based on the image information sent from the other device such as a personal computer to the control means (not shown), the outer peripheral surface of the initialized photosensitive drums Y1, M1, C1, K1 is selectively selected by the optical unit 12. And an electrostatic latent image is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drums Y1, M1, C1, and K1 by lowering the level of the charging potential. Next, by applying a developing bias to the toner carried on the developing roller by the developing devices Y3, M3, C3, and K3, the toner of each color is transferred to the electrostatic latent image, and the electrostatic latent image is developed into the toner image. .

  The toner images formed on the photosensitive drums Y1, M1, C1, and K1 in the primary transfer nip are reversed from the primary transfer rollers 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K through the intermediate transfer belt 131 to the toner images. A polar primary transfer bias is applied, and the image is transferred from the outer peripheral surface of each of the photosensitive drums Y1, M1, C1, and K1 to the intermediate transfer belt 131 by electrostatic attraction, and is superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 131 to be a full-color toner image. Is formed.

  On the other hand, in the paper feeding unit 15, copy sheets are separated one by one from the paper feeding cassette 150 by the separating device 152 by the control means (not shown) and sent out to the transport path R. The copy sheet sent to the transport path R is transported by the transport roller pair R1, reaches the registration roller pair R2, and temporarily stops. Then, the registration roller pair R2 starts to be driven in accordance with the arrival time of the portion where the full-color toner image is carried on the intermediate transfer belt 131 to the secondary transfer nip, and the transfer timing is adjusted to copy paper. Is fed to the secondary transfer nip.

  At the secondary transfer nip, a transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image is applied to the copy sheet via the intermediate transfer belt 131, and the full-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 131 is transferred to the copy sheet by electrostatic attraction. Next, in the fixing unit 14, heat and pressure are applied to the copy paper carrying the unfixed toner image at the fixing nip, and the melted toner is pressed onto the paper and fixed. The copy sheet on which the image is fixed is discharged and stacked on the discharge trays 162 and 163 by the discharge roller pairs 160 and 161. Further, the transfer residual toner remaining on and adhering to the photosensitive drums Y1, M1, C1, and K1 after the primary transfer is scraped off and cleaned by the cleaning blades of the cleaning devices Y4, M4, C4, and K4. After that, the untransferred toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 131 is cleaned by a cleaning unit (not shown) to prepare for the next image formation.

(Process cartridge and developing device)
Next, the process cartridge and the developing device according to the first embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. The four process cartridges 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K described above have substantially the same configuration except for the color of the toner to be used. Therefore, the yellow process cartridge 11Y will be described as an example, and the others will be described. Is omitted.

  As described above, the process cartridge 11Y can transmit the driving force of the driving means (not shown), and is provided with the photosensitive drum Y1 that is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in the drawing. Then, the charging device Y2, the developing device Y3, and the cleaning device Y4 are arranged in this order from the upstream side in the rotation direction around the photosensitive drum Y1. Reference numeral 13Y denotes a primary transfer roller, and reference numeral 131 denotes an intermediate transfer belt. The primary transfer roller 13Y moves forward and backward in the direction of the photosensitive drum Y1 with the intermediate transfer belt 131 interposed therebetween. Formation / cancellation is possible.

  The charging device Y2 includes a charging roller 20, a cleaning roller 21, and the like. The charging roller 20 is connected to a power source (not shown) and has a function of uniformly charging the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum Y1. 21 has a function of cleaning the toner and the like adhering to the charging roller 20.

  The developing device Y3 carries a developer case 30 containing a developer containing (yellow) toner and a magnetic carrier, a developer carrying the developer, and transports it to a developing region that is in close proximity to the photosensitive drum Y1, and the photosensitive member. A developing roller 31 as a developer carrying member that supplies toner to the drum Y1, a doctor blade 32 as a developer regulating member that regulates the layer thickness of the developer carried by the developing roller 31, and development in the developing case 30 Conveying screws 33 and 34 that charge the agent with stirring and convey it to the developing roller 31, a density detection sensor 35 that detects the toner density in the developing case 30, and the like. Further, the developing roller 31 includes a developing sleeve 31a that is rotationally driven and a magnet 31b that is fixed inside and has a plurality of magnetic poles, and is connected to a bias power source (not shown) so that a developing bias can be applied. .

  The developing case 30 communicates with a toner replenishing device, which will be described later, at the toner replenishing port 36, and the toner replenishing device is operated based on the measured value of the density detection sensor 35 to supply toner from the toner bottle 17Y. The toner concentration of the developer contained in the developer is set within a predetermined range.

  The cleaning device Y4 includes a cleaning blade 40 whose tip abuts on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum Y1, a cleaning case 41 that supports the cleaning blade 40 and stores waste toner scraped off by the cleaning blade 40, and the cleaning case 41 includes a discharge screw 42 for discharging waste toner accumulated in the toner toward a waste toner storage bottle (not shown), and scrapes and cleans residual toner adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum Y1 after the primary transfer. It has a function to do.

(Developer operation)
Next, the operation (development process) of the developing device will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
First, the toner supplied from the toner bottle 17Y by the toner replenishing device via the toner replenishing port 36 is conveyed to the developing roller 31 by the conveying screws 33 and 34, and the magnetic carrier accommodated in the developing case 30 in the meantime. The mixture is stirred and charged to a desired charge amount by frictional charging.

  Next, the charged developer is carried on the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 31 by attracting the magnetic carrier by the magnetic force of the magnet 31 b. Then, as the developing sleeve 31 a rotates, it passes through the doctor blade 32, and at that time, the layer thickness is regulated by the blade tip of the doctor blade 32. With the further rotation of the developing sleeve 31a, the developer carried on the developing roller 31 is carried to the developing region, where a developing bias is applied, and only the toner charged to a predetermined polarity is photosensitive by electrostatic force. The image is transferred to the electrostatic latent image carried on the surface of the body drum Y1.

  The magnetic carrier and the remaining toner reach the repulsion pole of the magnet 31b with the rotation of the developing sleeve 31a. Then, the magnetic carrier and the remaining toner are separated from the surface of the developing sleeve 31a and dropped, and are agitated with other developer by the conveying screw 34. Used for the next development.

[Toner container and toner supply device]
Next, a toner container and a toner supply device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 to 9.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the color printer 1 according to the present embodiment, 4 provided for each toner color as a toner container for storing new toner to be supplied to the developing devices Y3, M3, C3, and K3. Two toner bottles Y5, M5, C5, and K5 can be attached to the four insertion ports 17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K of the toner storage unit 17. The new toner contained in the toner bottles Y5, M5, C5, and K5 can be replenished to the developing devices Y3, M3, C3, and K3 by the toner replenishing devices Y6, M6, C6, and K6. The toner bottles Y5, M5, C5 and K5 and the toner replenishing devices Y6, M6, C6 and K6 differ only in the color of the toner to be used, and the others are substantially the same in configuration. ) Is taken as an example, and explanation of others is omitted.

(Toner container)
First, a toner container according to Example 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 3, the toner bottle Y5, which is a toner container according to the first embodiment, mainly includes a substantially cylindrical container body 50Y made of PET resin and a cap 51Y that rotatably holds the container body 50Y. It is configured. The container main body 50Y has an axial end on the cap 51Y side that is open and communicates with the inside of the cap 51Y, and a spiral protrusion 50aY is formed in a convex shape from the inner peripheral surface to the inside. The container main body 50Y is configured to be able to transmit a driving force of a driving motor (not shown) that is a driving means, and is rotated in a predetermined direction by the driving motor so that new toner accommodated therein is guided to the spiral protrusion 50aY. And is gradually transported to the cap 51Y.

  The cap 51Y is mainly composed of a cap main body 510Y formed in a cylindrical cap shape, and a toner supply port TH (see FIG. 9) communicates with a toner replenishing device Y6 (described later) on the outer peripheral surface of the cap main body 510Y. Is provided. The cap 51Y has a gripping portion 511Y that serves as a handle when attached, a shutter member 512Y that opens and closes the toner supply port TH, a plurality of locking claws 513Y that rotatably lock the container main body 50Y, and the image forming apparatus main body 10. A fitting portion 515Y (see FIG. 9) that is provided inside the guide rib 514Y and the shutter member 512Y that guides when the toner is mounted, and fits with a fitting slit of a toner replenishing device Y6 described later when the image forming apparatus body 10 is rotationally mounted. Etc. are also provided.

  The shutter member 512Y slides along the peripheral surface of the cap main body 510Y in conjunction with a rotation operation of mounting a toner bottle to the image forming apparatus main body 10 described later, and a toner supply port provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cap main body 510Y. The locking claw 513Y has a function of opening and closing TH (see FIG. 9), and engages with an engagement groove (not shown) formed around the opening of the container body 50Y to rotatably lock the container body 50Y. It has a function. The functions of the guide rib 514Y and the fitting portion 515Y will be described in the mounting rotation operation described later.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a protrusion P (a protrusion preventing protrusion) having a cross section shown in FIG. 5 is provided on the outer surface of the locking claw 513Y. The projections P can be provided on all the locking claws 513Y. However, in this embodiment, the peripheral surfaces of the fitting portion 515Y (described later) provided in the shutter member 512Y shown in FIG. 4 and the cap main body 510Y. One locking claw 513Y on the opposite side is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the protrusion P has a substantially right triangle shape having a tapered surface with respect to the insertion direction, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5B, it has a substantially semicircular shape. Therefore, even when the toner bottle Y5 is inserted into the insertion port 17Y of the image forming apparatus main body 10 and at the time of rotational mounting described later, the toner bottle Y5 can be easily inserted and mounted with reduced sliding contact resistance due to the protrusions P. be able to.

(Mounting rotation operation)
Next, the mounting of the toner bottles Y5, M5, C5, and K5 to the image forming apparatus main body 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 6 shows a state where a front cover which is a front door of the image forming apparatus main body 10 is opened, and FIG. 7 shows a front view with the inner panel extracted. As shown in FIG. 6, when the front cover is opened, the aforementioned insertion openings 17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K are exposed. These insertion ports 17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K are formed in the inner panel shown in FIG. 7, and the toner bottles Y5, M5, C5, and K5 are inserted in the longitudinal direction from the container body 50Y side by grasping the grip portion 511Y. Then, the image forming apparatus main body 10 is mounted.

  In the insertion port 17Y (17M, 17C, 17K), as shown in FIG. 7, a guide slit S1 for inserting and guiding the guide rib 514Y and an enlarged edge portion S2 for inserting the shutter member 512Y are formed. When the toner bottle Y5 is inserted into the insertion opening 17Y by aligning the guide rib 514Y of the toner bottle Y5 with the guide slit S1 of the insertion opening 17Y of the image forming apparatus main body 10, the shutter member 512Y protruding from the peripheral surface of the cap main body 510Y is also obtained. It is comprised so that it can pass through the extended edge part S2 without trouble.

  Further, a toner replenishing device Y6 described later is disposed immediately before the insertion opening 17Y inside the inner panel, that is, immediately below the cap 51Y when the toner bottle Y5 is inserted into the image forming apparatus main body 10 to the root. Then, after inserting the toner bottle Y5 into the image forming apparatus main body 10 to the root, as shown in FIG. 8, rotate the gripping portion 511Y while gripping the gripping portion 511Y in the direction of the arrow in the figure, that is, when viewed from the front, As shown in FIG. 9, the toner bottle Y5 is attached to the toner replenishing device Y6 by fitting the fitting slit 60cY which is the fitting portion of the toner replenishing device Y6 and the fitting portion 515Y of the cap 51Y. At this time, since the shutter member 512Y stops in contact with the toner replenishing device Y6, the shutter member 512Y moves relative to the cap 51Y in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the gripper 511Y, thereby opening the toner supply port TH. To do. Of course, the fitting slit 60cY is not necessarily provided in the toner supply device Y6, and may be provided in the image forming apparatus main body 10. Further, the fitting method is not limited to the illustrated form, and it is sufficient that the toner bottle Y5 and the toner replenishing device Y6 are firmly sealed (sealed) and communicated so that the toner can be prevented from scattering.

  When the toner container (toner bottle Y5) is rotationally mounted on the toner replenishing device Y6 (or the image forming apparatus main body 10), the conventional toner container is turned and does not fit well, and the toner container can be mounted. It was sometimes difficult. However, in the toner container according to the present embodiment, the protrusions P for preventing twisting are provided on the outer surfaces of the engaging claws 513Y that are opposite to the peripheral surfaces of the fitting portion 515Y and the cap body 510Y. Since the gap between the container and the apparatus main body (or the toner replenishing apparatus) is attached while being urged toward the fitting portion 515Y by the engaging claw 513Y that can be elastically deformed in the radial direction, The curling can be reduced by the protrusions P and can be easily mounted on the image forming apparatus main body.

  Note that a protrusion for preventing curling may be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cap 51Y on the opposite side of the fitting portion 515Y of the toner bottle Y5. However, as in this embodiment, the protrusion provided on the outer surface of the locking claw 513Y. However, since the latching claw 513Y can be elastically biased, the wearability is further improved. Further, in addition to the protrusion P provided on the outer surface of the locking claw 513Y, a protrusion that is slightly smaller than the protrusion P can be further provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cap 51Y, and both can be used together. By doing so, it is possible to more reliably prevent the sag during rotation of the toner container.

(Toner supply device)
Next, the toner replenishing device Y6 will be briefly described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9, the toner replenishing device Y6 is a replenishing device main body 60Y that is a housing case of the entire device, a stirring member 61Y that stirs the supplied toner, and is rotated to convey the toner to the developing device Y3. It comprises a conveying screw 62Y and the like, and has a function of conveying toner from the toner bottle Y5, which is a toner container for storing new toner, to the developing device Y3.

  A toner intake port 60aY communicating with the toner supply port TH of the toner bottle Y5 is provided at the upper end of the replenishing device body 60Y, and a toner replenishing port 60bY communicating with the inside of the developing case 30 of the developing device Y3 is provided at the lower end. It has been. The toner intake port 60aY is formed with a fitting slit 60cY for fitting with the fitting portion 515Y of the toner bottle Y5, and the fitting slit 60cY allows the toner supply port TH and the toner intake port 60aY to be connected. It is possible to communicate by fitting and sealing, and to prevent toner scattering from leaking from the coupling portion.

  The agitating member 61Y is attached along a shaft 61bY to which a flexible member 61aY having flexibility can be driven to rotate, and the shaft 61bY is rotated to agitate the flexible member 61aY with toner. Has a function to prevent aggregation.

  The transport screw 62Y has a function of rotating and transporting the toner obliquely upward in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, dropping it by its own weight, and transporting the toner from the toner supply port 60bY to the developing device Y3. In this manner, the toner stored in the replenishing device main body 60Y is moved by gravity even when the conveying screw 62Y is stopped by conveying the toner diagonally upward against the gravity and then dropping it by its own weight. Can be prevented from being dropped and transported to the developing device Y3, and a more accurate amount of toner can be transported.

Next, a toner container according to Example 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The only difference from the toner container (toner bottle Y5) according to the first embodiment is that a plurality of twisting prevention protrusions P are provided. Therefore, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIG. 10, the toner bottle Y5 ′ according to the second embodiment has a plurality of protrusions P (illustrated) on the outer surface of the engaging claw 513Y that is opposite to the peripheral surface of the fitting portion 515Y and the cap body 510Y. 3 in the form) are provided. For this reason, the toner container can be prevented from being twisted more reliably than the toner bottle Y5 according to the first exemplary embodiment.

Next, a toner container according to Example 3 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The only difference from the toner container (toner bottle Y5) according to the first embodiment is that the protrusions P for preventing twisting are provided on the plurality of locking claws 513Y. Description is omitted. As shown in FIG. 12, the toner bottle Y5 ″ according to the third embodiment includes a locking claw 513Y that is opposite to the fitting portion 515Y and the peripheral surface of the cap body 510Y, and locking claw on both sides thereof. Each of the protrusions P is provided on the outer surface of 513Y, so that the toner container can be prevented from being twisted more reliably than the toner bottles Y5 and Y5 ′ according to the first and second embodiments.
Although it may be provided on all the locking claws 513Y, it is possible to achieve the prevention of the toner container from being curled with a smaller number by providing the locking claws 513Y near the opposite side of the fitting portion 515Y in a concentrated manner. it can.

  As described above, a color printer has been described as an example of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. However, the image forming apparatus is not necessarily limited to such a printer. The present invention can be applied. In short, the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus that is mounted by rotating a toner container that is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus.

Further, although the case where the toner container according to the embodiment is fitted to the toner replenishing device has been described, the toner container may be fitted to the image forming apparatus main body, and the fitting method is not limited to the illustrated form. It is sufficient that the toner container and the toner replenishing device are firmly sealed (sealed) and communicated with each other by the rotational mounting operation so that the toner can be prevented from scattering.
Further, the cylindrical shape of the toner container is not limited to the illustrated form, and it is needless to say that the toner container can be appropriately modified and changed within the scope of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 10 Image forming apparatus main body 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K Process cartridge Y3, M3, C3, K3 Developing device Y5, M5, C5, K5 Toner bottle (toner container)
50Y Container body 51Y Cap 513Y Locking claw 515Y Fitting portion TH Toner supply port Y6 (M6, C6, K6) Toner supply device 60cY Fitting slit (fitting portion)
P protrusion

JP 2004-139031 A JP 2004-287404 A

Claims (6)

A toner container configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body and containing toner to be replenished to the developing device;
A container main body that can be rotationally driven when mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, and a cap having a toner supply port that communicates with a toner replenishing device that replenishes toner to the developing device while being rotated and mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. With
The cap is provided with a plurality of locking claws in the circumferential direction that are elastically deformable in the radial direction for locking the container body rotatably.
A toner container, wherein a protrusion for preventing twisting when mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus is provided on the outer surface of the locking claw. The outer surface of the cap is provided with a fitting portion that detachably fits with a fitting portion provided in the toner replenishing device or the image forming device main body when being attached to the image forming device main body.
2. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion for preventing warping protrudes from a locking claw located on a side opposite to the fitting portion of the locking claw.   3. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the protrusions for preventing twisting are provided for each of the locking claws.   The toner container according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the protrusions for preventing warpage are provided on one of the locking claws.   5. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the cap is provided with a shutter member that opens and closes the toner supply port in conjunction with a rotation operation of mounting on the main body of the image forming apparatus. .   An image forming apparatus, wherein the toner container according to claim 1 is attached to a main body of the image forming apparatus.

Images