JP2012234115A - Powder storage container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a powder storage container capable of suppressing losing of a cap used for sealing an outlet.SOLUTION: The bottom of a bottle part 71 of a toner cartridge 70 body (a wall face perpendicular to a rotation axis at a side located apart from an opening 72) is provided with a cartridge recess 110 that is a cap holding part formed coaxially with the rotation axis. The inside diameter A of the cartridge recess 110 is formed similar to or substantially 0.1 mm less than the outside diameter B of a cylindrical part 101 of the cap 100. The cylindrical part 101 in the side formed with a screw recess 104 of the cap 100 that is removed in use is press-fitted in the cartridge recess 110 of the toner cartridge 70 body to be fixed.

Description

  The present invention relates to a powder container for storing powders such as toner and developer, and an image forming apparatus including the powder container.

  Conventionally, various powder storage containers configured to store and replace powders such as toner and developer used in image forming apparatuses such as copiers, facsimiles, printers, and multi-function machines have been known. Yes. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a configuration in which a cap member is sealed from above an inner plug provided at a toner discharge port of a toner storage container so that toner stored during transportation or storage does not leak to the outside. Have been described. In such a toner storage container, it is necessary to remove the cap member when it is attached to the image forming apparatus and store it after use of the toner storage container, and to reseal the toner storage container when the toner storage container is stored (when not attached). .

  This is to prevent contamination caused by scattering of the toner remaining in the toner storage container when the toner storage container is resealed and the toner storage container is turned over after the toner storage container is used. Recently, some toner containers are collected and reused to reduce environmental burden. This is because if there is no cap member at the time of recovery, the toner storage container and the recovery box are contaminated with toner remaining in the toner storage container, which requires cleaning and prevents reuse. If the cap is lost, the toner storage container after use cannot be sealed, and there is a high possibility that the problem of contaminating the surrounding area will occur.

  However, at present, the occurrence of problems due to the loss of the cap member for resealing the powder container has not been suppressed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a powder storage container that can prevent the cap member used for resealing the powder storage container from being lost, and an image forming apparatus including the powder storage container. Is to provide a device.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of the powder container according to claim 1 comprises a detachable cap member for sealing the discharge port of the powder in the powder container for storing powder, The powder container and the cap member are formed so that the cap member can be held at a place other than the discharge port.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the powder container according to the first aspect, the cap member is provided with a portion of the apparatus main body on which the powder container is mounted and a portion that fits with each other. It is characterized by this.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the powder container according to the second aspect, a rotational driving force is transmitted from the fitting portion.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the powder container according to any one of the first to third aspects, the cap member includes a central processing unit (CPU), an input / output interface unit, and a ROM (ROM). And an IC tag (IC tag) provided with an integrated circuit (IC chip) having a RAM (RAM).
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the powder container according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the cap member held at a place other than the discharge port is removed, and the discharge port is again inserted. It can be mounted.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the powder forming container is a powder container for storing the powder in an image forming apparatus for forming an image by attaching powder on a recording medium. 5. The powder storage container according to any one of 5 is provided.
In the present invention, the powder container and the cap member are formed so that the cap member can be held at a place other than the discharge port. The cap member removed from the container can be held in the powder container. That is, the cap member is formed so as to be held at a place other than the discharge port of the powder container, and the cap member itself has a function of preventing the loss. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cap member from being lost by holding the cap member removed from the powder storage container in the powder storage container.

  The present invention prevents the cap member from being lost by holding the cap member removed from the powder container in the powder container itself. Therefore, it is possible to provide a powder container that can prevent the cap member used for resealing the powder container from being lost, and an image forming apparatus including the powder container.

1 is a configuration explanatory diagram of a printer according to an embodiment. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the process cartridge which concerns on embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a toner cartridge according to the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a state of a toner cartridge before being attached to a toner supply device. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a state of a toner cartridge mounted on a toner supply device. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram illustrating another configuration of a tube insertion member of a toner cartridge. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a state when the toner cartridge is stored. Explanatory drawing of the structure holding the cap member removed from the opening part. Explanatory drawing of the structure holding the cap member removed from the discharge port which concerns on Example 2. FIG. The top view perpendicular | vertical to the axial direction of the cap member and the fitting member provided in the main body. Explanatory drawing of the structure which provided the IC tag in the cap member based on Example 3. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the cap member and cap holding part which concern on Example 4. FIG.

  Hereinafter, as an example of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied, an embodiment of an electrophotographic printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) will be described with reference to examples. First, the basic configuration and operation of the printer will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of the printer, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a process cartridge according to the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer has four process cartridges 1Y, M, C, and Y for generating toner images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black (hereinafter referred to as Y, M, C, and K). K is provided. These use Y, M, C, and K toners of different colors as image forming substances for forming an image, but other than that, they have the same configuration and are replaced when the lifetime is reached.

  Next, the process cartridge 1Y for generating a Y toner image will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The process cartridges (1M, C, K) for other colors have the same configuration except that the toner used is different. As shown in FIG. 2, the process cartridge 1Y includes a drum-shaped photosensitive member 2Y, a drum cleaning device 3Y, a charge eliminating device (not shown), a charging device 4Y, a developing device 5Y, and the like. The process cartridge 1Y can be attached to and detached from the printer body, so that consumable parts can be replaced at a time.

  The charging device 4Y uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor 2Y while being rotated clockwise in the drawing by a driving unit (not shown). In FIG. 2, the charging roller 6 </ b> Y that is driven to rotate counterclockwise in the drawing is brought into contact with the photoconductor 2 </ b> Y while a charging bias is applied by a power source (not shown), thereby uniformly charging the photoconductor 2 </ b> Y. A charging device 4Y of the type is shown. The charging device 4Y is not limited to the one using the charging roller 6Y, and a device that contacts the charging brush may be used instead of the charging roller 6Y. Moreover, you may use what performs a charging process without contact with respect to the photoreceptor 2Y like a scorotron charger. The surface of the photoreceptor 2Y that is uniformly charged by the charging device 4Y is exposed and scanned by a laser beam emitted from an optical writing unit, which will be described later, and carries an electrostatic latent image for Y.

  The developing device 5Y has a first agent storage portion 8Y in which a first transport screw 7Y is disposed. Further, it also has a second agent storage portion 13Y in which a toner concentration sensor (hereinafter referred to as a T sensor) 9Y including a magnetic permeability sensor, a second transport screw 10Y, a developing roll 11Y, a doctor blade 12Y, and the like are disposed. In these two agent storage portions 8 and 13, a Y developer (not shown) composed of a magnetic carrier and a negatively chargeable Y toner is included. The first transport screw 7Y is rotationally driven by a driving unit (not shown), thereby transporting the Y developer in the first agent storage portion 8Y from the front side to the back side in the drawing. And it penetrates into the 2nd agent accommodating part 13Y through the communicating port (not shown) provided in the partition wall between the 1st agent accommodating part 8Y and the 2nd agent accommodating part 13Y.

  The second transport screw 10Y in the second agent storage unit 13Y is rotationally driven by a driving unit (not shown) to transport the Y developer from the back side to the front side in the drawing. The toner density of the Y developer in the middle of conveyance is detected by the T sensor 9Y fixed to the bottom of the first agent storage portion 13Y. In the upper part of the second conveying screw 10Y that conveys the Y developer in this manner, a developing roll 11Y that encloses the magnet roller 15Y in a nonmagnetic pipe 14Y that is driven to rotate counterclockwise in the figure is arranged in parallel. It is installed. The Y developer conveyed by the second conveying screw 10Y is pumped up to the surface of the nonmagnetic pipe 14Y by the magnetic force generated by the magnet roller 15Y. Then, after the layer thickness of the non-magnetic pipe 14Y is regulated by a doctor blade 12Y disposed so as to maintain a predetermined gap, the layer thickness is regulated and conveyed to a developing region facing the photoconductor 2Y. Y toner is adhered to the electrostatic latent image. This adhesion forms a Y toner image on the photoreceptor 2Y. The Y developer that has consumed the Y toner by the development is returned to the second conveying screw 10Y as the nonmagnetic pipe 14Y of the developing roll 11Y rotates. And if it conveys to the front end in a figure, it will return in the 1st agent accommodating part 8Y via the communication port which is not shown in figure.

  The result of detecting the magnetic permeability of the Y developer by the T sensor 9Y is sent as a voltage signal to a control unit (not shown). Since the magnetic permeability of the Y developer has a correlation with the Y toner concentration of the Y developer, the T sensor 9Y outputs a voltage having a value corresponding to the Y toner concentration. The control unit includes a RAM. In the RAM, the V-tref for Y, which is the target value of the output voltage from the T sensor 9Y, and the V-tref for M, which is the target value of the output voltage from the T sensors for M, C, and K mounted in other developing devices. , C Vtref and K Vtref data are stored. For the developing device 5Y, the value of the output voltage from the T sensor 9Y is compared with the Y Vtref, and the Y toner replenishing device described later is driven for a time corresponding to the comparison result. With this driving, an appropriate amount of Y toner is supplied from the first agent storage unit 8Y to the Y developer whose Y toner has been consumed by developing and the Y toner density has been reduced. For this reason, the Y toner concentration of the Y developer in the second agent container 13Y is maintained within a predetermined range.

  The Y toner image formed on the photoreceptor 2Y is intermediately transferred to an intermediate transfer belt described later. The drum cleaning device 3Y removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 2Y after the intermediate transfer process. The surface of the photoreceptor 2Y that has been subjected to the cleaning process is neutralized by a neutralization device (not shown). By this charge removal, the surface of the photoreceptor 2Y is initialized and prepared for the next image formation. In the process cartridges 1M, 6C, and 6K for other colors, M, C, and K toner images are similarly formed on the photoreceptors 2M, C, and K, and are intermediately transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt.

  An optical writing unit 20 is disposed below the process cartridges 1Y, M, C, and K in the drawing. The optical writing unit 20 serving as a latent image forming unit irradiates each photoconductor in each of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K with a laser beam L emitted based on image information. As a result, electrostatic latent images for Y, M, C, and K are formed on the photoreceptors 2Y, M, C, and K. Here, the optical writing unit 20 deflects the laser light L emitted from the light source by the polygon mirror 21 that is rotationally driven by a motor, and passes through the photoconductors 2Y, M, C, and the like via a plurality of optical lenses and mirrors. K is irradiated.

  A first paper feed cassette 31 and a second paper feed cassette 32 are arranged on the lower side of the optical writing unit 20 in the drawing so as to overlap in the vertical direction. Each of the paper feed cassettes 31 and 32 accommodates a plurality of transfer papers P as a recording medium in a stacked state, and the uppermost transfer paper P has a first paper feed. The roller 31a and the second paper feed roller 32a are in contact with each other. When the first paper feed roller 31a is rotationally driven counterclockwise in the figure by a driving means (not shown), the uppermost transfer paper P in the first paper feed cassette 31 is vertically on the right side of the cassette in the figure. The paper is discharged toward a paper feed path 33 arranged to extend in the direction. Further, when the second paper feed roller 32 a is driven to rotate counterclockwise in the drawing by a driving means (not shown), the uppermost transfer paper P in the second paper feed cassette 32 enters the paper feed path 33. It is discharged towards. A plurality of transport roller pairs 34 are arranged in the paper feed path 33, and the transfer paper P sent to the paper feed path 33 is sandwiched between the rollers of the transport roller pair 34, while the paper feed path 33. 33 is conveyed from the lower side to the upper side in the figure.

  A registration roller pair 35 is disposed at the end of the paper feed path 33. The registration roller pair 35 temporarily stops the rotation of both rollers as soon as the transfer paper P sent from the conveyance roller pair 34 is sandwiched between the rollers. Then, the transfer paper P is sent out toward a later-described secondary transfer nip at an appropriate timing.

  Above each of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K, a transfer unit 40 that moves the intermediate transfer belt 41, which is an intermediate transfer body, endlessly moves counterclockwise in the drawing while being stretched. In addition to the intermediate transfer belt 41, the transfer unit 40 includes a belt cleaning device 42, a first bracket 43, a second bracket 44, and the like. Also, four primary transfer rollers 45Y, 45M, 45C, 45K, secondary transfer backup roller 46, drive roller 47, auxiliary roller 48, tension roller 49, and the like are provided. The intermediate transfer belt 41 is endlessly moved counterclockwise in the figure by the rotational drive of the driving roller 47 while being stretched around these eight rollers. The four primary transfer rollers 45Y, 45M, 45C, 45K sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 41 thus moved endlessly between the photoreceptors 2Y, M, C, and K, thereby forming primary transfer nips. doing. Then, a transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of toner (for example, plus) is applied to the back surface (loop inner peripheral surface) of the intermediate transfer belt 41. The intermediate transfer belt 41 sequentially passes through the primary transfer nips for Y, M, C, and K along with the endless movement thereof, and the Y, M, C, and K on the photoreceptors 2Y, M, C, and K are formed on the surface thereof. The M, C, and K toner images are superimposed and primarily transferred. As a result, a four-color superimposed toner image (hereinafter referred to as a four-color toner image) is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 41.

  The secondary transfer backup roller 46 sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 41 with the secondary transfer roller 50 disposed outside the loop of the intermediate transfer belt 41 to form a secondary transfer nip. The registration roller pair 35 described above feeds the transfer paper P sandwiched between the rollers toward the secondary transfer nip at a timing that can be synchronized with the four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 41. The four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 41 is affected by the influence of the secondary transfer electric field and the nip pressure formed between the secondary transfer roller 50 to which the secondary transfer bias is applied and the secondary transfer backup roller 46. The secondary transfer is performed on the transfer paper P in the next transfer nip. Then, combined with the white color of the transfer paper P, a full color toner image is obtained.

  Transfer residual toner that has not been transferred to the transfer paper P adheres to the intermediate transfer belt 41 after passing through the secondary transfer nip. This is cleaned by the belt cleaning device 42.

  Above the secondary transfer nip in the figure, a fixing device 60 including a pressure roller 61 and a fixing belt unit 62 is disposed. The fixing belt unit 62 of the fixing device 60 moves the fixing belt 64 endlessly in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing while being stretched by the heating roller 63, the tension roller 65, and the driving roller 66. The heating roller 63 includes a heat source such as a halogen lamp, and heats the fixing belt 64 from the back side. The pressure roller 61 that is driven to rotate clockwise in the drawing is in contact with the surface of the fixing belt 64 that is heated in this manner from the front surface side. Thereby, a fixing nip where the pressure roller 61 and the fixing belt 64 abut is formed.

  The transfer paper P that has passed through the secondary transfer nip is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 41 and then fed into the fixing device 60. Then, in the process of being conveyed from the lower side to the upper side in the figure while being sandwiched by the fixing nip, the full-color toner image is fixed by being heated by the fixing belt 64 and pressurized by the fixing nip.

  The transfer sheet P subjected to the fixing process in this manner is discharged outside the apparatus after passing between the rollers of the discharge roller pair 67. A stack unit 68 is formed on the upper surface of the housing of the printer main body, and the transfer sheets P discharged to the outside by the pair of discharge rollers 67 are sequentially stacked on the stack unit 68.

  Above the transfer unit 40, toner cartridges 70Y, M, C, and K, which are four powder storage containers for storing Y, M, C, and K toners, are disposed. The Y, M, C, and K toner in the toner cartridges 70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K are appropriately supplied to the developing devices of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K, respectively. These toner cartridges 70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K can be attached to and detached from the printer main body independently of the process cartridges 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K. Here, the toner cartridge 70 may contain a developer adjusted to a predetermined toner concentration instead of the toner alone.

  In the printer having the above-described configuration, a toner image that forms a toner image on the transfer paper P, which is a recording medium, by combining the four process cartridges 1Y, M, C, K, the optical writing unit 20, the transfer unit 40, and the like. Forming means are configured.

  Next, the configuration and operation of toner cartridges 70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K, which are characteristic powder storage containers of the printer, will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, since the toner cartridges 70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K have the same configuration and operation except that the Y, M, C, and K toners to be stored are different, the subscripts Y, M, C, and K are hereinafter omitted. I will explain.

Example 1
First, Example 1 which is a first example of the toner cartridge 70 according to the present exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a configuration of the toner cartridge 70 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a state of the toner cartridge 70 before being mounted on the toner supply device. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the state of the toner cartridge 70 attached to the toner replenishing device, FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing another configuration of the tube insertion member of the toner cartridge 70, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the state of. And FIG. 8 is explanatory drawing of the structure holding the cap member removed from the opening part.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the toner cartridge 70 includes a bottle portion 71 that stores toner, an opening portion 72 that is a toner discharge port that is formed to have a smaller diameter than the bottle portion and opens, and an outer peripheral surface of the opening portion 72. The provided gear 73 is integrally formed. The bottle portion 71 is embossed with a spiral protrusion 71a along the circumferential surface so as to protrude from the outside toward the inside. When the toner cartridge 70 is attached to a toner replenishing device (not shown), the gear 73 meshes with a driving gear 81 fixed to the toner replenishing device. When the driving gear 81 is rotationally driven by a driving source (not shown), the toner cartridge 70 is rotated by the meshing of the driving gear 81 and the gear 73. The toner in the bottle portion 71 moves toward the opening portion 72 by the rotation of the toner cartridge 70.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a tube insertion member 74 that functions as an inner plug for inserting the tube member 82 on the toner supply device side is fixedly attached to the opening 72 of the toner cartridge 70. The tube insertion member 74 includes a flange member 75 that closes the opening 72, an elastic member 76 that is attached and fixed to the flange member 75, a shutter member 77 that can slide in the tube insertion path of the flange member 75, and a spring member 78. Composed. The flange member 75 includes a tube insertion portion 75a formed in a cylindrical shape so as to have an outer diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of the opening 72, and a tube insertion path 75b formed in a tower shape. An elastic member 76 is fixed to the tube insertion portion 75a of the flange member 75 by a double-sided tape or the like, and the diameter of the central portion of the tube insertion portion 75a and the elastic member 76 is slightly smaller than the tube member 82 described later (in this embodiment). A hole (diameter about 1 mm smaller) is provided. The shutter member 77 has a cylindrical shape that is slightly larger in diameter than the hole (in the present embodiment, approximately 1 mm in diameter), and the elastic member 76 and the shutter member 77 are in contact with each other with no gap. A material such as urethane foam is used for the elastic member 76. The shutter member 77 is preferably made of a material having high dimensional accuracy of the cylindrical portion, such as polyacetal.

  The tube member 82 on the toner supply device side is connected to the powder pump 84 in a sealed state via a flexible tube 83. As the powder pump 84, a Mohno pump or the like can be used. An opening 82 a is provided in the upper part of the tube member 82, and the opening 82 a is preferably located above the center line of the tube member 82. The opening area of the opening 82a is preferably smaller than the area of the inner diameter of the tube member 82.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the toner cartridge 70 is mounted on a toner replenishing device (not shown) and the tube member 82 on the toner replenishing device side is inserted into the tube inserting member 74, the distal end of the tube member 82 is the shutter member 77. push. Then, the shutter member 77 is slid leftward in the figure while compressing the spring member 78, and the tube member 82 is set at a predetermined position. Thereafter, the toner in the bottle portion 71 of the toner cartridge 70 is transferred toward the opening 72 by the rotation of the toner cartridge 70, and is supplied to the toner replenishing device through the opening 82 a in the tube member 82. At this time, the tube member 82 fixed to the toner supply device and the elastic member 76 of the tube insertion member 74 attached to the opening 72 of the toner cartridge 70 slide. The toner in the bottle portion 71 is sucked by the powder pump 84, but the bottle portion 71 temporarily has a negative pressure. However, since air slightly enters from the sliding portion between the tube member 82 and the elastic member 76, the negative pressure is eliminated and the toner suction is not affected. If a breathable member is used for the elastic member 76, this negative pressure can be surely eliminated.

  On the other hand, when the toner cartridge 70 is removed from the toner replenishing device, the shutter member 77 is slid rightward in the drawing by the spring member 78 of the tube insertion member 74, and its end is returned to the position of the elastic member 76. Thereby, the opening of the opening 72 of the toner cartridge 70 can be automatically plugged, and toner scattering can be eliminated. At this time, if the elastic member 76 is, for example, a foam material, the toner adhering to the tube member 82 when the toner cartridge 70 is removed can be confined in the foam cell, and the toner cartridge 70 can be removed without contamination.

  The tube insertion member of the toner cartridge can also be configured as shown in FIG. In order to stably suck the toner in the bottle portion 71 of the toner cartridge 70 by the powder pump 84, the toner should always be present in the opening portion 82a of the tube member 82. If toner does not exist in the opening 82a, the powder pump 84 sucks air, and the amount of toner sucked varies.

  The tube insertion member 90 includes a flange member 91 that closes the opening 72, an elastic member 92 that is attached and fixed to the flange member 91, a shutter member 93 that can slide in the tube insertion path of the flange member 91, and a spring member 94. Has been. The flange member 91 includes a tube insertion portion 91a formed in a cylindrical shape so as to have an outer diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of the opening 72, and a tube insertion path 91b formed in a tower shape. Here, the shape of the tube insertion portion 91 a on the bottle side, that is, the shape of the surface in contact with the toner is a conical shape (conical surface 91 c) whose diameter decreases toward the opening 72. Further, a continuous spiral groove may be provided on the conical surface 91c of the tube insertion portion 91a. As described above, when the shape of the surface of the tube insertion portion 91a that contacts the toner is the conical surface 91c, the toner collected in the opening 72 due to the rotation of the toner cartridge 70 is smoothly collected above the opening 82a of the tube member 82. Can do.

  Next, an example in which the cap 100 which is a detachable cap member for sealing the opening 72 of the toner cartridge 70 which is a feature of the present embodiment is applied to the tube insertion member 74 described with reference to FIG. I will explain. In FIG. 7, the same members as those described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the toner cartridge 70 is sealed with a cap 100 whose opening 72 functions as a sealing member when stored (when not installed). The cap 100 has a cylindrical tube portion 101 having an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the opening portion 72, a cover plate portion 102 provided so as to cover the opening of the opening portion 72, and the user can easily grasp the cap. The handle portion 103 is erected in this manner. And it attaches to the opening part 72 so that attachment or detachment is possible. If a screw convex part 95 (opening part 72) and a screw concave part 104 (cylinder part 101) which are screwed together are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the opening part 72 of the toner cartridge 70 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical part 101 of the cap 100, 100 can be easily opened and closed. A material such as high-density polyethylene can be used for the cap 100. Thus, the toner cartridge 70 can be sealed by sealing the opening 72 of the toner cartridge 70 with the cap 100, and air and moisture can be prevented from entering the bottle 71 and the opening 72 during storage.

  The cap 100 needs to be removed from the opening 72 when the toner cartridge 70 is mounted on the printer main body and stored until the toner cartridge 70 is used, and the toner cartridge 70 needs to be resealed when the toner cartridge 70 is stored (not mounted). . However, if the cap 100 is lost, the toner cartridge 70 after use cannot be sealed, and there is a high possibility that the surroundings will be contaminated. Here, the cap 100 is lost because the conventional cap 100 itself has only a function of sealing and protecting the toner before using the toner cartridge 70, and no function is exhibited during use of the toner cartridge 70. It is because it does not have. This is because the user does not have any function to perform while using the toner cartridge 70, and the user neglects to store the cap 100 or forgets the storage location.

  This embodiment is characterized in that the cap 100 is removed when the toner cartridge 70 is used, but the removed cap 100 is held in a place other than the opening 72 of the toner cartridge 70. A configuration for holding the cap 100 with the toner cartridge 70 will be described. The bottom of the bottle portion 71 of the toner cartridge 70 main body (wall surface perpendicular to the rotation axis on the side away from the opening 72) is provided with a cartridge recess 110 which is a cap holding portion formed coaxially with the rotation axis. Yes. The inner diameter A of the cartridge recess 110 is equal to or approximately −0.1 mm with respect to the outer diameter B of the cylinder portion 101 of the cap 100. Then, the cylindrical portion 101 on the side where the screw concave portion 104 of the cap 100 which has been removed in use is fitted and fixed so as to be press-fitted into the cartridge concave portion 110 of the toner cartridge 70 main body.

  The toner cartridge 70 is formed from high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, or the like, and the cap 100 is formed from high-density polyethylene or the like as described above. By fixing in this way, the fitting portion between the cartridge recess 110 and the cap 100 is slightly deformed, and the fitting is not easily released unless a force exceeding a predetermined level is applied, and the holding portion of the cap 100 is not easily released. Can be prevented from falling off. Here, the dimensional relationship between the inner diameter A of the cartridge recess 110 and the outer diameter B of the cylindrical portion 101 of the cap 100 is not limited to the above numerical values, but is preferably set to an optimal numerical value depending on the material, shape, etc. used. .

  In this way, the cap 100 and the toner cartridge 70 are formed so that the cap 100 can also be held in the cartridge recess 110 provided at the bottom of the toner cartridge 70. Since the toner cartridge 70 is formed in this way, the removed cap 100 can be held in the toner cartridge 70 while the toner cartridge 70 is mounted on the printer main body. That is, the cap 100 is formed so as to be held in the cartridge recess 110 of the toner cartridge 70, and the cap 100 itself has a function of preventing the loss. Therefore, by holding the cap 100 removed from the toner cartridge 70 in the toner cartridge 70, it is possible to prevent the cap 100 from being lost.

  Further, when the toner cartridge 70 is replaced after the toner cartridge 70 is used, the cap 100 is fitted and held so as to be press-fitted into the cartridge recess 110, so that the cap 100 can be removed by applying a predetermined force or more. . By re-sealing the opening 72 which is the toner outlet of the toner cartridge 70 with the removed cap 100, the used toner cartridge 70 can be sealed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent contamination due to the toner cartridge 70 falling over and the remaining toner scattering outside through the opening 72 when the used toner cartridge 70 is stored and transported (collected).

(Example 2)
Next, Example 2 which is a second example of the toner cartridge 70 according to the present exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment only in that the cap 100 is provided with a configuration that fits with a member provided in the printer main body when the printer main body is mounted. Since the other points relating to the configuration and operation are the same as those of the above-described powder conveyance device 35 of the first embodiment, the same points will be omitted as appropriate. Here, FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a configuration for holding the cap member removed from the discharge port according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a plan view perpendicular to the axial direction of the cap member and the fitting member provided in the main body. It is.

  The toner cartridge 70 of the present embodiment is characterized in that the cap 100 is formed with a shape that can be fitted to a member provided in the printer main body. By forming in this way, for example, completion of mounting of the toner cartridge 70 to the printer main body can be reliably detected, or rotational driving force can be transmitted to the toner cartridge 70 from a member provided on the main body side to be fitted. It becomes possible.

  The cap 100 of the present embodiment has a convexity that fits into the concave portion 122 of the fitting member 120 provided on the printer body on the side opposite to the side covering the opening 72 of the cover plate portion 102 as shown in the cross section shown in FIG. A convex portion 105 having a shape is formed. The fitting member 120 of the printer main body is a groove-like recess 122 formed in a straight line as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10A and is fixed by a shaft 123 and an end ring 124. The fitting member 120 of the printer main body is configured to slide in the arrow direction (right direction) in FIG. 9 when the toner cartridge 70 is mounted. Then, in a state where the cap 100 is held by the toner cartridge 70, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10B, the convex portion 105 formed on the cap 100 is a concave portion of the fitting member 120 when mounted on the printer main body. 122.

  Unless the concave portion 122 and the convex portion 105 are fitted together, the toner cartridge 70 is not attached to the printer body, that is, the cartridge setting is not completed. Therefore, the user always holds the cap 100 removed from the toner cartridge 70 on the toner cartridge 70, and can reliably prevent the cap 100 from being lost. In this embodiment, a set detection sensor (not shown) is attached to the end of the fitting member 120. If the concave portion 122 and the convex portion 105 are not fitted, the completion of the cartridge setting is not detected. With this configuration, if the user forgets to hold the cap 100 on the toner cartridge 70, a warning or the like can be displayed on the operation panel (not shown) of the printer main body. Convenience can also be improved.

  Further, a rotational driving force of a driving source (not shown) is transmitted to the shaft 123 fixed to the fitting member 120 so that the toner cartridge 70 is driven to rotate through the fitting of the fitting member 120 and the cap 100. It can also be configured. By rotationally driving in this way, the toner cartridge 70 can be rotationally driven without providing the gear 73 and the driving gear 81 on the opening 72 side which is the discharge port of the toner cartridge 70. The toner can be moved to the opening 72 side by rotating the cartridge 70 and rotating the spiral protrusion 71 a formed on the bottle portion 71. Therefore, since the toner cartridge 70 cannot be rotationally driven without holding the cap 100 on the toner cartridge 70, the user needs to hold the cap 100 on the toner cartridge 70 without fail. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the cap 100 from being lost.

(Example 3)
Example 3 which is a third example of the toner cartridge 70 according to the present exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments only in that the cap 100 is provided with an IC tag (hereinafter referred to as an IC tag) that is a means for communicating with the printer main body. Since other points relating to the configuration and operation are the same as those of the powder conveyance device 35 of the first and second embodiments, the same points will be omitted as appropriate. Here, FIG. 11 is explanatory drawing of the structure which provided the IC tag in the cap member based on a present Example. In the present embodiment, a configuration in which an IC tag is provided on the cap 100 according to the first embodiment will be described.

  The cap 100 of this embodiment is equipped with an IC tag 106 that communicates with the antenna 131 provided in the printer main body on the side opposite to the side covering the opening 72 of the cover plate 102 as shown in the cross section shown in FIG. doing. The IC tag 106 includes an integrated circuit (IC chip) having a central processing unit (CPU), an input / output interface unit, a ROM (ROM), and a RAM (RAM), and the toner cartridge 70 itself and toner to be stored therein. Store information etc. in the ram. When the toner cartridge 70 is attached to the printer main body, communication with the printer main body is performed to prevent a mounting error, or when the toner cartridge 70 is used for recycling, communication with a device at the recycling factory is performed to prevent an error in toner to be replenished. can do.

  Specifically, an IC tag in which the above-described integrated circuit is embedded in a tag member or covered with a tag member is bonded to the side opposite to the side of the cap 100 covering the opening 72 of the cover plate portion 102 with an adhesive, It is attached by fixing by welding. By mounting the IC tag 106 storing the information on the toner cartridge 70 itself and the toner to be stored on the cap 100, when the toner cartridge 70 is mounted on the printer body, it communicates with the printer body. Then, it can be determined whether or not the toner cartridge 70 is correct. That is, cartridge set detection is performed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent problems such as a printer main body failure caused by setting an incorrect toner cartridge. Since communication with the printer main body cannot be performed unless the cap 100 is held in the cartridge recess 110 of the toner cartridge 70, it cannot be detected that the correct toner cartridge 70 is mounted, and the printer main body cannot be operated. Therefore, the user always holds the cap 100 removed from the toner cartridge 70 on the toner cartridge 70, and can reliably prevent the cap 100 from being lost.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, an antenna 131 is provided at the end of a support portion 130 provided on the printer body facing the IC tag 106 provided on the cap 100 held by the toner cartridge 70. However, it is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the support portion 130 may be provided with a contact terminal that contacts the IC tag 106 attached to the cap 100 on the side opposite to the side covering the opening 72 of the cover plate portion 102. Further, the position where the cap 100 is attached is not limited to the side opposite to the side covering the opening 72 of the cover plate 102. For example, it can be provided on the side (the screw recess 104 side) that covers the opening 72 of the cover plate part 102, or can be provided on the handle part 103. That is, there is no problem as long as it is not an obstacle to other functions and can communicate with an antenna or a contact terminal provided in the printer main body. The same applies to the position where the antenna or contact terminal provided in the printer body is provided. Therefore, as described in the second embodiment, the convex portion 105 that fits into the concave portion 122 of the fitting member 120 provided in the printer main body is formed on the opposite side of the cap 100 from the side that covers the opening 72 of the cover plate portion 102. The present invention can also be applied to such a configuration.

Example 4
Example 4 which is a fourth example of the toner cartridge 70 according to the present exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment and Embodiments 1 to 3, the identification concave portion that fits the identification convex portion formed in the cap holding portion corresponding to the color of the toner accommodated in the toner cartridge 70 in the cap member of the present embodiment. The only difference is that it relates to the provision of Since the other points relating to the configuration and operation are the same as those of the powder conveyance device 35 of the first to third embodiments, the same points will be omitted as appropriate. Here, FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a cap member and a cap holding portion according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, a configuration in which the identification concave portion is provided in the cap 100 of the first embodiment will be described.

  As described above, the printer of this embodiment includes the toner cartridges 70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K that store Y, M, C, and K toners, respectively. When there are toner cartridges 70 respectively corresponding to the four color toners, there is a possibility that when the plurality of caps 100 are simultaneously held by the plurality of toner cartridges 70, the toner cartridges 70 corresponding to other colors may be mistakenly held. is there. If the cap 100 is held in the wrong manner as described above, toners of different colors are mixed, which may cause problems such as color mixing during image formation. Further, as in the third embodiment described above, when the IC tag 106 is attached to the cap 100 to manage the toner cartridge 70 itself and the toner information to be stored, there is a possibility that a more serious problem may occur. is there.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, when there are a plurality of toner cartridges 70 corresponding to each color, in order to prevent the cap 100 from being mistaken, a part of the cartridge concave portion 110 is formed with a convex portion changed for each color. And the concave-shaped part was formed also in the front-end | tip of the cap 100 corresponding, respectively. By forming the cartridge recess 110 and the tip of the cap 100, the toner cartridge 70 and the cap 100 are combined. By providing such a combination, even when there are toner cartridges 70 corresponding to a plurality of colors of toner, it is possible to prevent the wrong color cap 100 from being erroneously held by the toner cartridge 70 corresponding to another color. it can. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a malfunction caused by holding the wrong cap 100 in the toner cartridge 70.

  Specifically, for example, as shown in a perspective view of FIG. 12A (the cartridge recess 110 is a cross-section), an identification projecting toward the side where the cap 100 is fitted to the surface 112 perpendicular to the rotation axis of the cartridge recess 110 is shown. The convex portion J is formed. When the identification concave portion J ′ corresponding to the identification convex portion J is formed at the end of the cylindrical portion 101 on the side of the cap 100 where the screw concave portion 104 is formed, and the cap 100 is held by the toner cartridge 70. Further, they are configured to be fitted to each other. By forming such a combination of identifying fitting portions in the cartridge recess 110 and the cap 100 for each color, it is possible to prevent the wrong cap 100 from being held in the toner cartridge 70 of a different color. Here, as the shape of the identifying convex portion J, the convex shape can be changed as shown in J1 and J2 shown in FIGS.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the toner cartridge 70 is rotationally driven. However, the present invention is not limited to rotational driving. Further, the press-fitting direction of the cap 100 into the cartridge recess 110 is not limited to the direction described in each of the above-described drawings, and may be the opposite direction.

As described above, the toner cartridge 70 of the present embodiment can provide the following operational effects. The cap 100 and the toner cartridge 70 are formed so that the cap 100 can also be held in a cartridge recess 110 provided at the bottom of the toner cartridge 70. Since the toner cartridge 70 is formed in this way, the removed cap 100 can be held in the toner cartridge 70 while the toner cartridge 70 is mounted on the printer body. That is, the cap 100 is formed so as to be held in the cartridge recess 110 of the toner cartridge 70, and the cap 100 itself has a function of preventing the loss. Therefore, by holding the cap 100 removed from the toner cartridge 70 in the toner cartridge 70, it is possible to prevent the cap 100 from being lost. Therefore, it is possible to provide a powder container that prevents the loss of the cap that uses the toner cartridge 70 for resealing.
Further, the toner cartridge 70 of the present embodiment can provide the following operational effects. The concave portion 122 of the fitting member 120 provided in the printer main body and the convex portion 105 provided in the cover plate portion 102 of the cap 100 are fitted together when the toner cartridge 70 is attached to the printer main body. In a state where the concave portion 122 and the convex portion 105 are fitted together, the toner cartridge 70 is not attached to the printer body, that is, the cartridge setting is not completed. With such a configuration, the user always holds the cap 100 removed from the toner cartridge 70 on the toner cartridge 70, and can reliably prevent the cap 100 from being lost.
Further, the toner cartridge 70 of the present embodiment can provide the following operational effects. The toner cartridge 70 is driven to rotate through the fitting between the concave portion 122 of the fitting member 120 and the convex portion 105 of the cap 100. By rotationally driving in this manner, the cartridge 70 can be rotationally driven without providing the gear 73 and the driving gear 81 on the opening 72 side which is the discharge port of the toner cartridge 70. The toner can be moved to the opening 72 side by rotating the cartridge 70 and rotating the spiral protrusion 71 a formed on the bottle portion 71. Therefore, the toner cartridge 70 cannot be rotationally driven unless the toner cartridge 70 holds the cap 100, and the user must always hold the cap 100 on the toner cartridge 70. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the cap 100 from being lost.
Further, the toner cartridge 70 of the present embodiment can provide the following operational effects. By mounting the IC tag 106 storing the information on the toner cartridge 70 itself and the toner to be stored on the cap 100, when the toner cartridge 70 is mounted on the printer body, it communicates with the printer body. Then, it can be determined whether or not the toner cartridge 70 is correct. That is, cartridge set detection is performed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent problems such as a printer main body failure caused by setting an incorrect toner cartridge. Since communication with the printer main body cannot be performed unless the cap 100 is held in the cartridge recess 110 of the toner cartridge 70, it cannot be detected that the correct toner cartridge 70 is mounted, and the printer main body cannot be operated. Therefore, the user always holds the cap 100 removed from the toner cartridge 70 on the toner cartridge 70, and can reliably prevent the cap 100 from being lost.
Further, the toner cartridge 70 of the present embodiment can provide the following operational effects. When the toner cartridge 70 is replaced after the toner cartridge 70 is used, the cap 100 is fitted and held so as to be press-fitted into the cartridge recess 110, so that the cap 100 can be removed by applying a predetermined force or more. By re-sealing the opening 72 which is the toner outlet of the toner cartridge 70 with the removed cap 100, the used toner cartridge 70 can be sealed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent contamination due to the toner cartridge 70 falling over and the remaining toner scattering outside through the opening 72 when the used toner cartridge 70 is stored and transported (collected).
In addition, the printer according to the present embodiment includes any one of the above-described toner cartridges 70, so that the same operation and effect as any of the above-described toner cartridges 70 can be achieved.

70 Toner cartridge 71 Bottle part 71a Protrusion 72 Opening 73 Gear 74, 90 Pipe insertion member 75, 91 Flange member 75a, 91a Pipe insertion part 75b, 91b Pipe insertion path 76, 92 Elastic member 77, 93 Shutter member 78, 94 Spring Member 81 driving gear 82 pipe member 82a opening 83 tube 84 powder pump 91c conical surface 95 screw convex part 100 cap 101 cylinder part 102 cover plate part 103 handle part 104 screw concave part 105 convex part 106 IC tag 110 cartridge concave part 120 fitting Member 122 Recess 122
123 shaft 124 end ring 130 support part 130
131 Antenna J Identification concave part J 'Identification convex part

JP 2008-257184 A JP 2009-276659 A

Claims (6)

In a powder storage container for storing powder,
A removable cap member for sealing the powder outlet is provided,
The powder container and the cap member are formed so that the cap member can be held in a place other than the discharge port. The powder container according to claim 1,
A powder storage container, wherein the cap member is provided with a member of an apparatus main body to which the powder storage container is mounted and a portion that fits together. The powder container according to claim 2,
A powder container, wherein a rotational driving force is transmitted from the fitting portion. In the powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In the cap member,
An IC tag (IC tag) provided with an integrated circuit (IC chip) having a central processing unit (CPU), an input / output interface unit, a ROM (ROM), and a RAM (RAM) is mounted. A powder container. In the powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Remove the cap member held in a place other than the outlet,
A powder container which can be remounted on the discharge port. In an image forming apparatus for forming an image by attaching powder on a recording medium,
An image forming apparatus comprising the powder storage container according to claim 1 as a powder storage container for storing the powder.

Images