JP2014174425A - Storage container, container having toner stored therein, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a storage container capable of preventing stored materials from leaking and a cap part from being detached from a container body, even a large impact is applied to the storage container due to the fall of the storage container.SOLUTION: A storage container includes a container body having an opening at one end, and a cap part fitted to the container body to seal the opening; one of the cap part and the container body includes a regulating member for regulating a movable area in a vertical direction of the cap part with respect to a length direction of the container body when the cap part is fitted and attached to the container body; and the regulating member interferes with one of the cap part and the container body to regulate the movable area.

Description

  The present invention relates to a storage container, a toner container, and an image forming apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1, in a container containing toner as a powder container to be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, etc., a cylindrical bottle body as a container body 33 and a tip side thereof A cylindrical cap portion 40 is also provided that is rotatable relative to the container body 33.
The container main body 33 is provided with a spiral conveyance unit 36 that conveys toner as powder stored by its own rotation to the tip side.
Further, the cap portion 40 has a toner supply port 44 at a lower portion of the peripheral surface thereof, and a holder portion 42 for mounting the cap portion 40 to the container main body 33.
And the claw part 43 provided in the cap part is latched by the convex part 50 around the opening of the container main body 33, so that the cap part 40 and the container main body 33 are connected (joined) so as to be relatively rotatable. Yes.
A technique that can prevent toner leakage from the joint portion by interposing a seal 45 at the joint portion between the container body 33 and the cap portion 40 has been studied.

However, in the conventional powder container, as shown in FIG. 1, the gap a and the gap b (the cap generated when the cap part and the container body 33 are locked) are formed between the cap part 40 and the container body 33. When the powder storage container is subjected to a large impact by dropping, the cap portion 40 or the container main body 33 moves by the gap, thereby causing the cap portion 40 to move. There is a problem in that a gap is generated at the joint between the container body 33 and the container main body 33 and the toner leaks (see FIG. 2).
In addition, the container body 33 and the cap part 40 are connected to the convex part 50 formed around the opening of the container body 33 by engaging the claw part 43 of the cap part 40. If the gap between the container body 33 and the container body 33 is simply reduced, a stress is applied directly to the claw portion 43 of the cap section 40 when a large impact is applied due to dropping, and the cap section 40 is detached from the container body 33. (See FIG. 3).

In addition, the applicant of the present application first suppresses the axial displacement between the cap portion and the container main body, and for the purpose of preventing the scattering of the powder stored at the time of mounting on the apparatus main body using the powder, When the container main body is fitted in and attached to the cap portion, the seal on which the tip on the tip side abuts and comes into close contact, the gripping portion gripped by the operator, and the container main body sandwich the central axis. Proposed for a powder container that has a rib that is provided only at and around the position facing the gripping portion, and in which the cap portion reduces the gap in the overlapping portion with the container body by the rib. (See Patent Document 1).
According to the proposed technique, a gap between the cap portion and the container body can be suppressed, and powder scattering can be prevented. However, in the above proposal, the problem that powder is leaked from the powder storage container and the cap part is detached from the container main body cannot be solved when a large impact is applied to the powder storage container.

  In recent years, containers with large diameters and large capacities (toner bottles) have increased, and as a result, the load on the cap when the toner container drops has increased, and the drop resistance of the toner container has been increased. The quality at the time of fall is maintained by adding cushioning materials, such as a polystyrene foam, at the time of packing in order to obtain. However, the addition of the buffer material increases the cost of the toner container and increases the environmental load. Moreover, since the packing form of the container containing toner becomes large by adding the buffer material, the transport efficiency is lowered. Furthermore, it becomes difficult to take out the container containing the toner, and it is necessary to dispose the buffer material. From such a point, it is desired to improve the drop resistance of the toner-containing container itself more easily and effectively.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and achieve the following objects. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a storage container that can prevent leakage of stored items and detachment of the cap portion from the container body even when a large impact is applied to the storage container.

The storage container of the present invention as a means for solving the problems includes a container main body having an opening at one end, and a cap portion that fits the container main body and seals the opening.
Further, either the cap part or the container main body regulates a movable range in the vertical direction of the cap part with respect to the length direction of the container main body in a state where the cap part is fitted and attached to the container main body. A regulating member for
The movable range is regulated by interference between the regulating member and any of the cap part and the container body.

  According to the present invention, the above-described problems can be solved, and even when a large impact is applied to the storage container, it is possible to prevent leakage of stored items and removal of the cap portion from the container body. A container can be provided.

FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the front end side of the storage container. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating that the cap portion or the container main body moves by a gap when a large impact is applied to the storage container. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating that the cap portion is detached from the container body when a large impact due to dropping is applied to the storage container. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example of a developing device used in the image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the accommodation stack unit. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the front end side of the storage container of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view showing a state in which the regulating member is provided between the claw portions in the cap portion. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a state where the regulating member is provided between the claw portions in the cap portion. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship among the claw portion, the regulating member, the flange portion, and the convex portion. FIG. 11A is a diagram illustrating a direction in which the toner container is dropped in the drop test. FIG. 11B is a left side view of FIG. 11A.

(Storage container)
The storage container of this invention has a container main body and a cap part, and also has another member as needed.

The storage container includes a container body having an opening at one end, and a cap portion that fits the container body and seals the opening.
Further, either the cap part or the container main body regulates a movable range in the vertical direction of the cap part with respect to the length direction of the container main body in a state where the cap part is fitted and attached to the container main body. A regulating member for
The movable range is regulated by interference between the regulating member and any of the cap part and the container body.

In the present invention, any one of the cap part and the container body is movable in the vertical direction of the cap part with respect to the length direction of the container body in a state where the cap part is fitted and attached to the container body. However, it is preferable that the cap part is provided.
It is preferable that the container body has a flange portion around the opening and a convex portion between the flange portion and the opening end. Moreover, it is preferable that the said cap part has the said control member and the nail | claw part which can be latched to the said convex part.
Then, by locking the convex portion of the container main body and the claw portion of the cap portion, the cap portion is fitted to the container main body in a state where the movable range is restricted by the restriction member. Installed. Thereby, it can reduce that the big impact by the fall of the said storage container applies only to a nail | claw part, and it can prevent that a cap part remove | deviates from a container main body.
In this case, it is preferable that a gap between the claw portion and the flange portion is larger than a gap between the restriction member and the flange portion. Thereby, even if the big impact by the fall of the said storage container is given, it can prevent reliably that the leak of a stored item and a cap part remove | deviate from a container main body.

<Container body>
The container body is a member having an opening at one end, and preferably has a flange portion around the opening and a convex portion between the flange portion and the opening end.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular about the magnitude | size of the said opening, a shape, a structure, etc., It can select suitably according to the objective.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular about the magnitude | size, shape, structure, material, etc. of the flange part of the said container main body, According to the objective, it can select suitably. The flange portion can be formed integrally with or separately from the container body, but is preferably integral and is provided around the opening of the container body.

The size, shape, structure, material, etc. of the container body are not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose.
Examples of the shape of the container main body include a cylindrical shape in which spiral irregularities are formed on the inner peripheral surface, and part or all of the spiral portion has a bellows function.
Examples of the material of the container body include polyester resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, polystyrene resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyacrylic acid, polycarbonate resin, ABS resin, and polyacetal resin.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a magnitude | size of the said container main body, According to the objective, it can select suitably, The magnitude | size of the grade normally used is preferable.
The container body may be formed of a single member or may be formed of two or more members.
The container main body is provided with a spiral groove on the outer peripheral side surface thereof, and the container main body is configured such that the stored contents stored in the container main body are transported to the cap portion side when the container main body rotates. ing.

-Convex-
There is no restriction | limiting in particular about the magnitude | size, shape, structure, material, etc. of the said convex part, According to the objective, it can select suitably. The convex portion can be formed integrally with or separately from the container body, but is preferably integral, and is provided between a flange portion provided around the opening of the container body and the opening end. Yes. The convex portion may be annular or non-annular, but is preferably annular from the viewpoint of locking force.
The convex part of the container body and the claw part of the cap part are locked, the cap part and the container body are connected, and the opening is sealed.

<Cap part>
The cap portion is a member that fits into the container body and seals the opening.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular about the magnitude | size, shape, structure, material, etc. of the said cap part, According to the objective, it can select suitably.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a material of the said cap part, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, polyester resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, polystyrene resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyacrylic Examples include acids, polycarbonate resins, ABS resins, polyacetal resins, and the like.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a magnitude | size and shape of the said cap part, According to the objective, it can select suitably, The magnitude | size of the grade normally used is preferable.
The cap part may be formed of a single member or may be formed of two or more members.
The cap part is a member that seals the opening. For example, a spiral groove is provided on the outer periphery of the container main body, and the container main body is rotated to be conveyed from the container main body to the cap part side. It may have a role as a discharge member for discharging the stored items to the outside. With regard to this point, when the stored item is toner, the cap unit rotates the toner-contained container main body to rotate the toner conveyed from the toner-contained container main body to the cap unit side to the developing unit of the image forming apparatus. It has a function of discharging (supplying). Details will be described later.

The cap part preferably has a regulating member for regulating a movable range in a vertical direction of the cap part with respect to a length direction of the container body in a state in which the cap part is fitted and attached to the container body. .
It is preferable that the cap portion has a claw portion that can be locked to the convex portion of the container body.

-Claw and regulating member-
There is no restriction | limiting in particular about the magnitude | size, shape, structure, material, etc. of the said nail | claw part and the said control member, According to the objective, it can select suitably. The claw portion and the regulating member can be formed integrally or separately from the cap portion, but are preferably integral.
It is preferable that a plurality of the regulating member and the claw part are provided along the inner peripheral surface of the cap part, and more preferably 6 or more.
The restriction member is preferably provided along the circumferential direction.
The regulation member is provided evenly between the claw portions adjacent to each other, so that when the storage container falls, a large impact can be prevented from being directly applied to the claw portion, and the cap portion can be This is preferable because it can be surely prevented from coming off from the container body.
It is preferable that the cap portion has a claw portion that can be locked to the convex portion of the container body.
It is a member that fits and attaches to the container main body by sealing the convex portion and the claw portion and seals the opening.

The gap G1 between the claw portion and the flange portion is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose, but is preferably 0.5 mm to 1 mm.
The gap G2 between the restriction member and the flange portion is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. However, if the restriction member and the flange portion interfere with each other, the sliding torque of the toner container increases. 0.4mm or less is preferable from the point that the problem that it will occur, and 0.2 mm-0.4 mm are more preferable.
The difference (G1-G2) between the gap G1 between the claw part and the flange part and the gap G2 between the regulating member and the flange part is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. , 0.3 mm or more is preferable. When the difference (G1-G2) is less than 0.3 mm, when the regulation member is distorted by a large impact when the storage container is dropped, an impact may be applied to the claw portion.

<Container>
The stored item is not particularly limited as long as it can be stored in the storage container, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, powder, powder, liquid, semi-fluid , Etc. Among these, powder is particularly preferable.
Examples of the liquid include drinking water, salad oil, dressing, liquid detergent, shampoo, rinse, and ink.
Examples of the semi-fluid include mayonnaise, ketchup, paint, jelly, jam, and the like.
Examples of the powder include synthetic resins such as toners, synthetic resin powders and granules, powder compounds, and blended powders thereof; organic natural product powders such as starch and wood powder; rice, beans, wheat and the like Grain or powder thereof; inorganic compound powder such as calcium carbonate, calcium silicate, zeolite, hydroxyapatite, ferrite, zinc sulfide, magnesium sulfide; metal powder such as iron powder, copper powder, nickel alloy powder; carbon black, titanium oxide And inorganic pigments such as Bengala; organic pigments such as phthalocyanine blue and indigo, and dyes. Among these, toner is particularly preferable.

<< Toner >>
The toner contains at least a binder resin and a colorant, and further contains other components as necessary.

-Binder resin-
The binder resin is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. Examples thereof include polyester resins, (meth) acrylic resins, styrene- (meth) acrylic copolymer resins, epoxy resins, COC (cyclic olefin resin (for example, TOPAS-COC, manufactured by Ticona)) and the like. Among these, styrene- (meth) acrylic copolymer resins and polyester resins are preferable. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

-Colorant-
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said colorant, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, a black pigment, a yellow pigment, a magenta pigment, a cyan pigment etc. are mentioned.
The black pigment is used for black toner, for example. Examples of the black pigment include carbon black, copper oxide, manganese dioxide, aniline black, activated carbon, nonmagnetic ferrite, magnetite, nigrosine dye, and iron black.
The yellow pigment is used for yellow toner, for example. Examples of the yellow pigment include CI Pigment Yellow (CI Pigment Yellow) 74, 93, 97, 109, 128, 151, 154, 155, 166, 168, 180, 185, naphthol yellow S, Hansa yellow (10G, 5G, G), cadmium yellow, yellow iron oxide, ocher, yellow lead, titanium yellow, polyazo yellow and the like can be mentioned.
The magenta pigment is used for magenta toner, for example. Examples of the magenta pigment include quinacridone pigments, CI Pigment Red 48: 2, 57: 1, 58: 2, 5, 31, 146, 147, 150, 176, And monoazo pigments such as 184 and 269.
The cyan pigment is used for cyan toner, for example. Examples of the cyan pigment include a Cu-phthalocyanine pigment, a Zn-phthalocyanine pigment, and an Al-phthalocyanine pigment.

There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a volume average particle diameter of the said toner, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 5 micrometers-15 micrometers are preferable.
The volume average particle diameter can be measured by, for example, a laser diffraction particle size distribution measuring apparatus (for example, SALD-3000J, manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation).

<Other members>
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said other member, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, a drive member, an attachment member, etc. are mentioned.

  Although the storage container of the present invention has a simple configuration, the gap between the flange portion of the container main body and the regulating member is reduced, and even if a large impact is applied to the storage container due to a drop, leakage of stored items is prevented. Since the cap part can be prevented from coming off from the container body, it can be used for various purposes by being mounted on the apparatus body that uses the stored items. The image forming apparatus is particularly preferably used.

(Toner container)
The toner container of the present invention is a container in which toner is stored in the storage container of the present invention.

(Image forming device)
An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an electrostatic latent image carrier, an electrostatic latent image forming unit, a developing unit, a toner-containing container according to the present invention, a transfer unit, and a fixing unit. Other means are available accordingly.

<Electrostatic latent image carrier>
The electrostatic latent image carrier (hereinafter, also referred to as “electrophotographic photoreceptor”, “photoreceptor”, “image carrier”) is particularly limited in terms of material, shape, structure, size, and the like. However, it can be suitably selected from known ones, and the shape thereof is preferably a drum shape, and examples of the material thereof include inorganic photoreceptors such as amorphous silicon and selenium, polysilane, phthalopolymethine and the like. Organic photoreceptors, and the like. Among these, amorphous silicon is preferable from the viewpoint of long life.

  The formation of the electrostatic latent image can be performed, for example, by uniformly charging the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier and then performing imagewise exposure, and is performed by the electrostatic latent image forming unit. be able to. The electrostatic latent image forming means includes, for example, at least a charger that uniformly charges the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier and an exposure device that exposes the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier imagewise. Prepare.

The charging can be performed, for example, by applying a voltage to the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier using the charger.
The charger is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, a known contact charging device including a conductive or semiconductive roll, brush, film, rubber blade, etc. And non-contact chargers using corona discharge such as corotrons and corotrons.

The exposure can be performed, for example, by exposing the surface of the latent electrostatic image bearing member imagewise using the exposure device.
The exposure device is not particularly limited as long as it can expose the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier charged by the charger so as to form an image to be formed, and is appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, various exposure devices such as a copying optical system, a rod lens array system, a laser optical system, and a liquid crystal shutter optical system can be used.
In the present invention, a back light system in which imagewise exposure is performed from the back side of the electrostatic latent image carrier may be employed.

-Development means-
The developing means is a step of developing the electrostatic latent image using toner or the developer to form a visible image.
The visible image can be formed, for example, by developing the electrostatic latent image using the toner or the developer, and can be performed by the developing unit.
The developing unit is not particularly limited as long as it can be developed using, for example, the toner or the developer, and can be appropriately selected from known ones. For example, the toner or developer is accommodated. Preferred examples include those having at least a developing unit capable of bringing the toner or developer into contact or non-contact with the electrostatic latent image. As the developing device, a developing device including the toner container of the present invention is used.

  The developing unit may be a dry developing type, a wet developing type, a single color developing unit, or a multi-color developing unit. For example, a toner having a stirrer for charging the toner or the developer by frictional stirring and a rotatable magnet roller is preferable.

  In the developing device, for example, the toner and the carrier are mixed and agitated, and the toner is charged by friction at that time, and held on the surface of the rotating magnet roller in a raised state to form a magnetic brush. . Since the magnet roller is disposed in the vicinity of the electrostatic latent image carrier (photoconductor), a part of the toner constituting the magnetic brush formed on the surface of the magnet roller is electrically attracted. It moves to the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier by force. As a result, the electrostatic latent image is developed with the toner, and a visible image is formed with the toner on the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier.

  The developer accommodated in the developing device is a developer containing the toner, but the developer may be a one-component developer or a two-component developer.

-Transfer process and transfer means-
The transfer step is a step of transferring the visible image onto a recording medium. After the primary transfer of the visible image onto the intermediate transfer member using an intermediate transfer member, the visible image is transferred onto the recording medium. A primary transfer step of forming a composite transfer image by transferring a visible image onto an intermediate transfer body using two or more colors, preferably full color toner as the toner, and a composite transfer image; A mode including a secondary transfer step of transferring the transfer image onto the recording medium is more preferable.
The transfer can be performed, for example, by charging the visible latent image using a transfer charger and charging the electrostatic latent image carrier, and can be performed by the transfer unit. The transfer means includes a primary transfer means for transferring a visible image onto an intermediate transfer member to form a composite transfer image, and a secondary transfer means for transferring the composite transfer image onto a recording medium. Embodiments are preferred.
The intermediate transfer member is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected from known transfer members according to the purpose. For example, a transfer belt and the like are preferable.

The transfer means (the primary transfer means and the secondary transfer means) is a transfer for peeling and charging the visible image formed on the electrostatic latent image carrier (photoconductor) to the recording medium side. It is preferable to have at least a vessel. There may be one transfer means or two or more transfer means.
Examples of the transfer device include a corona transfer device using corona discharge, a transfer belt, a transfer roller, a pressure transfer roller, and an adhesive transfer device.
The recording medium is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected from known recording media (recording paper).

The fixing step is a step of fixing the visible image transferred to the recording medium using a fixing device, and may be performed each time the toner of each color is transferred to the recording medium, or for the toner of each color. You may perform this simultaneously in the state which laminated | stacked this.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said fixing device, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, A well-known heating-pressing means is suitable. Examples of the heating and pressing means include a combination of a heating roller and a pressure roller, a combination of a heating roller, a pressure roller, and an endless belt.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the heating in the said heating-pressing means, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 80 to 200 degreeC is preferable.

The neutralization step is a step of performing neutralization by applying a neutralization bias to the electrostatic latent image carrier, and can be suitably performed by a neutralization unit.
The neutralization means is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately selected from known neutralizers as long as it can apply a neutralization bias to the electrostatic latent image carrier. Preferably mentioned.

The cleaning step is a step of removing the toner remaining on the electrostatic latent image carrier and can be suitably performed by a cleaning unit.
The cleaning means is not particularly limited as long as it can remove the electrophotographic toner remaining on the electrostatic latent image carrier, and can be appropriately selected from known cleaners. Suitable examples include brush cleaners, electrostatic brush cleaners, magnetic roller cleaners, blade cleaners, brush cleaners, web cleaners, and the like.

The recycling step is a step of recycling the toner removed by the cleaning step to the developing unit, and can be suitably performed by the recycling unit.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said recycling means, A well-known conveyance means etc. are mentioned.

  The control means is not particularly limited as long as the movement of each means can be controlled, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. Examples thereof include devices such as a sequencer and a computer.

Here, FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a color laser printer 100 showing an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
The color laser printer 100 has a configuration in which a paper feed unit 2 is disposed below the apparatus main body 1 and an image forming unit 3 is disposed above the paper feed unit 2.
The image forming unit 3 is provided with an intermediate transfer belt 7 as an image carrier constituted by a flexible endless belt wound around a plurality of rollers 4, 5, 6.
The image forming unit 3 is provided with four image forming units 8Y, 8C, 8M, and 8K as image forming means facing the lower running side between the rollers 4 and 5 of the intermediate transfer belt 7. Yes.

The four image forming units 8 include a photosensitive drum 10 as a latent image carrier in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 7.
Around the photosensitive drum 10, a charging device 11, a developing device 12, and a cleaning device 13 are arranged. Further, primary transfer is performed inside the intermediate transfer belt 7 at a position where the photosensitive drum 10 is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 7. A transfer device 14 is provided.
In the present embodiment, the four image forming units 8Y, 8C, 8M, and 8K have the same structure, but the developer color of the developing device 12 is divided into four colors of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black. It has been.
Also, below the image forming unit 8, there is disposed an optical writing unit 15 as optical writing means for irradiating the surface of each photosensitive drum with optically modulated laser light L. The laser light L is applied to the charging device 11 and the developing device. The photosensitive drum 10 is irradiated in between.
The members provided for each color, such as the image forming unit 8, are denoted by Y for yellow, C for cyan, M for magenta, and K for black for each color, but in the description common to all colors, Y, Explanation will be made without adding C, M, and K.

When the image forming operation is started, the photosensitive drum 10 of the image forming unit 8 is rotated clockwise by a driving device (not shown), and the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 is set to a predetermined polarity by the charging device 11. Uniformly charged.
The charged photoreceptor surface is irradiated with the laser beam L from the optical writing unit 15, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor drum 10 surface.
At this time, the image information to be exposed on each photosensitive drum 10 is single-color image information obtained by separating a desired full-color image into color information of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black.
The electrostatic latent image formed in this way is visualized as a toner image by the developer of each developing device 12 when passing through the developing device 12.

Intermediate transfer belt 7 One of the plurality of rollers 4, 5 and 6 is rotationally driven counterclockwise by a driving device (not shown), whereby the intermediate transfer belt 7 is driven to travel in the direction indicated by the arrow. And the other rollers are driven to rotate.
The yellow toner image formed by the yellow image forming unit 8Y including the yellow developing device 12 is transferred by the transfer device 14 to the intermediate transfer belt 7 that travels in this way.
To the transferred yellow toner image, a cyan toner image formed by the image forming units 8C, 8M, and 8K, a magenta toner image, and a black toner image are sequentially transferred and superimposed by the transfer device 14, and thus the intermediate transfer belt 7 is A full-color toner image is carried on the surface.
The intermediate transfer belt 7 is provided with a secondary transfer device 20 facing the roller 6 and a belt cleaning device 21 facing the roller 4 for cleaning the belt surface.

  Further, the residual toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum after the toner image is transferred is removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum by the cleaning device 13, and then the surface is subjected to a static eliminating action by a static eliminating device (not shown). The surface potential is initialized and prepared for the next image formation.

On the other hand, a recording medium made of paper or a resin sheet is fed from the paper feeding unit 2 and fed into the image forming unit 3 from the paper feeding port 2a.
A recording medium, for example, a sheet fed to the image forming unit 3 is fed to the secondary transfer device 20 facing the roller 6 via a registration roller 24.
At this time, a transfer voltage having a polarity opposite to the toner charging polarity of the toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt is applied to the secondary transfer device 20, whereby the toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt is collectively transferred onto the sheet. The
When the sheet on which the toner image has been transferred passes through the fixing device 22, the toner image is melted and fixed on the sheet by the heat and pressure.
The fixed paper is discharged to a paper discharge unit 23 constituted by the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body 1 as indicated by an arrow.
Further, the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 12 after the toner image is transferred onto the paper is removed by the cleaning device 21.
The above description is an image forming operation when a full-color image is formed on a sheet. However, a single-color image is formed by using any one of the image forming units 8, or a two-color or three-color image is formed. It can also be formed.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example of the developing device 12. The developing device 12 includes a developing sleeve 25 as a developer carrying member having a magnetic field generating means therein, carrying a two-component developer containing magnetic particles and toner on the surface, and carried on the developing sleeve 25. And a doctor 26 as a developer regulating member that regulates the layer thickness of the developer conveyed.
A developer accommodating portion 27 that accommodates the developer regulated by the doctor 26 without being conveyed to the developing area facing the photosensitive drum 10 is formed on the upstream side of the doctor 26 in the developer conveying direction.
A toner conveying screw 28 for agitating and conveying the toner is provided adjacent to the lower portion of the developer accommodating portion 27.

Next, the operation of the developing device 12 will be described.
In the developing device 12, a developer layer is formed on the developing sleeve 25.
Further, the toner is taken into the developer from the developer accommodating portion 27 by the movement of the developer layer conveyed by the rotation of the developing sleeve 25. The toner is taken in so that the developer is within a predetermined toner density range. The toner taken into the developer is charged by frictional charging with the carrier.
The developer containing charged toner is supplied to the surface of the developing sleeve 25 having a magnetic pole inside and is carried by magnetic force.
The developer layer carried on the developing sleeve 25 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow as the developing sleeve 25 rotates. In the middle, after the thickness of the developer layer is regulated by the doctor 26, the developer layer is conveyed to a developing area facing the photosensitive drum 10. In the development area, development based on the latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 10 is performed.
The developer layer remaining on the developing sleeve 25 is conveyed to the upstream portion of the developer accommodating portion 27 in the developer conveying direction as the developing sleeve 26 rotates.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the accommodation stack portion.
In FIG. 1 shown above, a storage stack portion 30 for storing toner containing containers 31Y, 31M, 31C, 31K as a storage container of the present invention is disposed above the intermediate transfer belt 7.
The toner containing containers 31Y, 31M, 31C, and 31K are set so as to be placed from the top for each toner color in the containing stack portion 30 as shown in FIG. That is, when the cover 32 of the paper discharge unit 23 is opened, the toner-containing containers 31Y, 31M, 31C, and 31K appear, and the toner-containing containers 31Y, 31M, 31C, and 31K can be replaced by operations from above.
The Y, M, C, and K toners in the toner containing containers 31Y, 31M, 31C, and 31K are appropriately supplied to the developing devices 12 of the image forming units 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K by a toner supply device (not shown). .
These toner containing containers 31Y, 31M, 31C, 31K are detached from the apparatus main body 1 independently of the image forming units 8Y, 8M, 8C, 8K.

Next, FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 10 are diagrams illustrating the configuration of the cap portion 40 of the toner-containing container 31 as a storage container according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 7, the toner containing container 31 is provided with a container main body 33 and a cylindrical cap portion 40 that is rotatable relative to the container main body 33 on the tip side.
A spiral groove 36 is provided on the outer peripheral side surface of the container body 33 to convey the toner stored by the rotation of the container body itself to the tip side.
Further, the cap portion 40 has a toner supply port 44 at a lower portion of the peripheral surface thereof, and a holder portion 42 for mounting the cap portion 40 to the container main body 33.
And the nail | claw part 43 provided in the cap part 40 is latched by the convex part 50 of the container main body 33, and the cap part 40 and the container main body 33 are comprised rotatably.
It should be noted that a seal 45 is interposed at the joint between the container main body 33 and the cap part 40 to prevent toner leakage from the part.
The holder portion 42 of the cap portion 40 is provided with a grip portion 46 and a shutter 47. In addition, a bottle gear 34 that is an input gear used as an input unit integrally formed with the container main body 33 is provided in the vicinity of the container main body 33 where the cap portion 40 is attached.

When attaching the toner containing container 31 to the apparatus main body 1, first, the cover 32 shown in FIG. 4 is opened upward to expose the containing stack portion 30.
Then, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, after the toner containing container 31 is placed on the storage stack portion 30, the grip portion 46 is rotated.
By this rotation, the cap unit 40 configured integrally with the grip unit 46 rotates, and the shutter 47 moves in the circumferential direction of the cap unit 40 to open and the toner supply port 44 is opened. The stack part 30 is connected and fixed.

The container 31 containing toner set in the storage stack portion 30 is drivingly connected with the bottle gear 34 meshing with a driving gear (not shown) provided on the apparatus main body 1 side.
On the other hand, in order to remove the toner containing container 31 from the apparatus main body 1, the grip portion 46 is rotated in the reverse direction to release the connection between the cap portion 40 and the storage stack portion 30, and at the same time, the shutter 47 is closed to supply the toner. The mouth 44 is closed.
Then, the toner containing container 31 can be taken out from the apparatus main body 1 while holding the grip 46 as it is.
As described above, since the toner containing container 31 can be placed and detached from the upper side of the apparatus main body 1, the replacement work of the toner containing container 31 is easy to understand and can be easily performed.

Moreover, since the grip part 46 is formed in the cap part 40, the cap part 40 can be rotated and fixed to the accommodation stack part 30 easily.
When the toner containing container 31 is removed from the apparatus main body 1, the shutter 47 is not opened even if the gripping portion 46 of the cap portion 40 is rotated.
Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the toner 47 from being accidentally opened due to the shutter 47 being opened by mistake when the toner containing container 31 is replaced.
By the way, although the toner can be prevented from spilling when the toner container 31 is normally removed, the problem that the toner leaks when the toner container 31 is dropped occurs.
Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to narrow the gap between the restriction member of the cap part 40 and the flange part of the container body 33, the restriction rib 48 (other than the tip of the claw part 43) is provided on the cap part 40 as the restriction member.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the cap portion 40 of the present embodiment is perpendicular to the length direction of the container body when the cap portion is fitted to the container body. A regulating rib 48 as a regulating member that regulates the movable range is provided between the claw portions 43. 8 and 9, six regulating ribs 48 are provided. Also, six claw portions 43 are provided.
In addition, the number of the regulation ribs 48 and the claw portions 43 is not limited to six and the number is arbitrary. Moreover, although the installation position of the regulation rib 48 and the nail | claw part 43 is also arbitrary, it is preferable that it is equally provided in the circumferential direction along the internal peripheral surface of a cap part.
FIG. 10 schematically shows the positional relationship among the claw portion 43, the restriction rib 48 as a restriction member, the flange portion 51, the convex portion 50, and the opening 53.
The convex portion 50 is provided between a flange portion 51 provided around the opening 53 of the container body and the opening end 52.
The convex part 50 of the said container main body and the nail | claw part 43 of the said cap part latch, and the said cap part and the said container main body are connected.
The gap G2 between the restricting rib 48 and the flange portion 51 is provided to be smaller than the gap G1 between the claw portion 43 and the flange portion 51.
In FIG. 10, the gap G1 between the claw portion 43 and the flange portion 51 is 0.7 mm. The gap G2 between the regulating rib 48 and the flange portion 51 is 0.3 mm because there arises a problem that when the regulating rib 48 and the flange portion 51 interfere with each other, the sliding torque of the toner-containing container 31 increases.
The difference (G1-G2) between the gap G1 between the claw portion 43 and the flange portion 51 and the gap G2 between the regulating rib 48 and the flange portion 51 is 0.4 mm.

  Thus, the movable range in the vertical direction of the cap portion with respect to the length direction of the container body in a state where the cap portion is fitted and attached to the container body evenly between the claw portions 43 of the cap portion 40. By providing the regulating rib 48 as a regulating member for regulating, it is possible to prevent the toner from leaking against a large impact caused by the drop of the toner container from all directions. Further, by installing so that the gap G2 between the regulating rib 48 and the flange portion 51 is smaller than the gap G1 between the claw portion 43 and the flange portion 51, an impact when the toner-containing container is dropped is applied to the claw portion 43. Since it is not transmitted directly, it is possible to prevent the cap portion 40 from being detached due to a large impact caused by dropping of the toner-containing container.

<Experiment>
As shown in Table 1 below, the toner container shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 10 has a gap G1 between the claw portion and the flange portion, and a gap G2 between the regulating member and the flange portion. The difference (G1-G2) was adjusted to produce each.
A drop test was performed on the produced toner containers as follows.
[Drop test]
Each toner container was filled with 400 g of toner, and dropped onto the concrete from a height of 100 cm in a state of entering the individual packaging box 54. As shown by the arrows in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the toner container is dropped under the disadvantageous condition that the cap portion 40 and the container main body 33 move most at the time of dropping, and is stored by the impact when dropped. The presence or absence of toner leakage and whether or not the cap part was detached from the container body were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 1. The test was performed using three toner containers for each condition, and the worst results were shown.

From the results of Table 1, it was found that if the gap G2 is 0.4 mm or less, there is no toner leakage, and if the difference (G1-G2) is 0.3 mm or more, the cap part is not detached from the container body.

  The storage container, the toner container, and the image forming apparatus of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. .

As an aspect of this invention, it is as follows, for example.
<1> A container body having an opening at one end, and a cap portion that fits into the container body and seals the opening,
Further, either the cap part or the container main body regulates a movable range in the vertical direction of the cap part with respect to the length direction of the container main body in a state where the cap part is fitted and attached to the container main body. A regulating member for
The movable container is regulated by interference between the regulating member and any of the cap part and the container main body.
<2> The container body has a flange portion around the opening, and a convex portion between the flange portion and the opening end,
The cap part has the restriction member and a claw part that can be locked to the convex part, and the cap part is fitted to the container main body by locking the convex part and the claw part. It is a storage container as described in said <1> attached.
<3> The storage container according to <2>, wherein a gap between the claw portion and the flange portion is larger than a gap between the restriction member and the flange portion.
<4> The storage container according to any one of <2> to <3>, wherein a plurality of the regulating member and the claw portion are provided along the inner peripheral surface of the cap portion.
<5> The storage container according to any one of <2> to <4>, wherein the restriction member is provided evenly between adjacent claw portions.
<6> A difference (G1-G2) between a gap G1 between the claw part and the flange part and a gap G2 between the restricting member and the flange part is 0.3 mm or more. > It is a storage container in any one of.
<7> The storage container according to <6>, wherein a gap G2 between the restriction member and the flange portion is 0.4 mm or less.
<8> The storage container according to any one of <1> to <7>, wherein a spiral groove is provided on an outer peripheral side surface of the container body.
<9> The cap part is fixedly attached to the apparatus main body using the stored item, and the container stored in the container main body is transported to the cap unit side by rotating the container main body. <1> To <8>.
<10> A toner-containing container, wherein toner is stored in the storage container according to any one of <1> to <9>.
<11> an electrostatic latent image carrier, and electrostatic latent image forming means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic latent image carrier;
The toner-containing container according to <10>,
Developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image using toner supplied from the toner-containing container to form a visible image;
Transfer means for transferring the visible image to a recording medium;
Fixing means for fixing the transferred image transferred to the recording medium;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Device main body 10 Photosensitive drum 11 Charging device 12 Developing device 14 Transfer device 31, 31Y, 31C, 31M, 31K Container with toner 33 Container main body 36 Spiral groove 40 Cap portion 43 Claw portion 48 Regulating rib 50 Protruding portion 51 Flange Part 52 opening end part 53 opening 100 image forming apparatus

JP 2006-208574 A

Claims (10)

A container body having an opening at one end, and a cap portion that fits into the container body and seals the opening;
Further, either the cap part or the container main body regulates a movable range in the vertical direction of the cap part with respect to the length direction of the container main body in a state where the cap part is fitted and attached to the container main body. A regulating member for
The storage container is characterized in that the movable range is regulated by interference between the regulating member and any of the cap part and the container body. The container body has a flange portion around the opening, and a convex portion between the flange portion and the opening end,
The cap part has the restriction member and a claw part that can be locked to the convex part, and the cap part is fitted to the container main body by locking the convex part and the claw part. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein   The storage container according to claim 2, wherein a gap between the claw portion and the flange portion is larger than a gap between the restriction member and the flange portion.   The storage container according to any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein a plurality of the regulating member and the claw portion are provided along the inner peripheral surface of the cap portion.   The storage container according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the regulating member is provided evenly between the claw portions adjacent to each other.   The difference (G1-G2) between the gap G1 between the claw part and the flange part and the gap G2 between the restricting member and the flange part is 0.3 mm or more. Storage container.   The storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a spiral groove is provided on an outer peripheral side surface of the container body.   8. The storage device accommodated in the container main body is transported to the cap portion side by fixing and mounting the cap portion on the apparatus main body that uses the stored items and rotating the container main body. Crab storage container.   A toner-containing container in which toner is stored in the storage container according to claim 1. An electrostatic latent image carrier, and electrostatic latent image forming means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic latent image carrier;
A toner container according to claim 9;
Developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image using toner supplied from the toner-containing container to form a visible image;
Transfer means for transferring the visible image to a recording medium;
Fixing means for fixing the transferred image transferred to the recording medium;
An image forming apparatus comprising: