JP2016184145A - Developer container, developing device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a sealing member from being peeled off from the surroundings of an opening while suppressing a fixing strength when a vibration and an impact are applied to a developing device during transportation.SOLUTION: There is provided a developer container comprising: a frame body that includes an opening and stores a developer; a sealing member including a sealing part that is fixed to the frame body so as to surround the opening; and an opening member including a fixing part that has the sealing member adhered or welded thereto, where the opening member moves to peel off the sealing member from the frame body, and thereby the opening is opened. The outermost end on the outside in the longitudinal direction of the fixing part is located on the outside in the longitudinal direction of the outermost end on the outside in the longitudinal direction of the sealing part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer container, a developing device, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus.

  Here, the developer container is a container for storing the developer, and is a container for storing the developer used in the image forming apparatus.

  The developing device is a developing device that has at least a developer container and a developer carrier and visualizes an electrostatic latent image with a developer.

  The process cartridge is configured such that at least a developer container, a developer carrying member, and an image carrying member are integrally formed and detachable from the image forming apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus includes the developer container and forms an image on a recording medium such as recording paper using an image forming method. Examples of the image forming apparatus include a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile apparatus, and a multifunction machine (multifunction printer).

  A configuration has been proposed in which an opening provided in a container containing a developer is sealed with a sealing member, and the opening is opened by peeling the sealing member with an opening shaft (Patent Document 1). The opening of the sealing member at the start of use of the developing device is performed by attaching one end of the sealing member to the opening shaft and winding the sealing member with the start of rotation of the opening shaft. After opening of the sealing member, the sealing member continues to rotate in the container integrally with the opening shaft. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the developer from leaking due to vibration and impact during distribution of the process cartridge. Further, since the sealing member stays in the process cartridge, it is not necessary for the user to remove the sealing member before use, and usability is improved.

JP 2014-112206 A

  In the above prior art, one end of the opening member is fixed to the wall around the opening of the container by the sealing portion, and the other end is fixed to the fixing portion of the opening shaft. The opening shaft is rotatably supported by a support portion in the container, and a gap is provided between the opening shaft and the support portion in the axial direction of the opening shaft. Without this gap, the opening shaft rubs against the support portion during rotation, and the load during rotation of the opening shaft increases. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a gap between the support portion in the container and the opening shaft.

  However, by providing the gap, the unsealing shaft moves in the axial direction within the container when the developing device is subjected to vibration or shock during distribution. When the opening shaft moves in the axial direction, the sealing member fixed to the opening shaft also moves. As the sealing member moves, a load is applied to the sealing portion of the sealing member. For this reason, conventionally, the sealing portion is not peeled off by increasing the strength of fixing the sealing portion to the container so that the sealing portion does not peel off even when a load is applied during distribution. On the other hand, it is desirable to reduce the above-mentioned fixing strength because it increases the load when opening the sealing member at the start of use of the developing device.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to reduce the peeling of the sealing member from the periphery of the opening when the developing device is subjected to vibration or shock during distribution, while suppressing the fixing strength.

  In order to achieve the above object, a typical configuration of the present invention includes a frame body having an opening and containing a developer, and a sealing member having a sealing portion fixed to the frame body so as to surround the opening. An opening member having a fixing portion to which the sealing member is bonded or welded, and the developer member is peeled off from the frame body by the movement of the opening member and the opening is opened And the outermost end part in the longitudinal direction of the fixed part is located outside in the longitudinal direction from the outermost end part in the longitudinal direction of the sealing part.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a frame, a flexible container having an opening and containing a developer, a sealing member having a sealing portion fixed to the frame so as to surround the opening, An opening member having a fixing portion to which the sealing member is bonded or welded, and the developer that peels the sealing member from the flexible container by the movement of the opening member and opens the opening The container is characterized in that the outermost end portion in the longitudinal direction of the fixed portion is located outside in the longitudinal direction from the outermost end portion in the longitudinal direction of the sealing portion.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce that the sealing member is peeled off from the periphery of the opening when subjected to vibration or impact during distribution in a state where the fixing strength of the sealing portion with respect to the frame body is suppressed.

It is a top view which shows the positional relationship of the sealing part of the sealing member which concerns on Example 1, and the fixing | fixed part to the opening shaft. 1 is a main cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a main cross-sectional view of a process cartridge according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an entire process cartridge according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an entire developing device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the unsealing shaft and the developer storage chamber are attached according to the first embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the state which fixed the sealing member which concerns on Example 1 to opening. It is an enlarged view which shows the force concerning a sealing part at the time of the movement of the opening shaft which concerns on Example 1. FIG. It is a main sectional view of a process cartridge according to another embodiment.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in the following embodiments should be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions. Therefore, unless specifically stated otherwise, the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited thereto.

[Example 1]
Hereinafter, a process cartridge according to the present embodiment and an image forming apparatus using the same will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Overall configuration of image forming apparatus)
First, the overall configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “image forming apparatus”) 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 in which the process cartridge 70 of the present embodiment is mounted. Here, the overall configuration of a full-color laser beam printer as an example of an image forming apparatus is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 2, four detachable process cartridges 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, 70K) are detachably mounted by mounting members (not shown). Further, the upstream side in the mounting direction of the process cartridge 70 to the image forming apparatus 100 is defined as the front side surface, and the downstream side in the mounting direction is defined as the back side surface side. In FIG. 2, the process cartridge 70 is provided in the image forming apparatus 100 so as to be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

  In each process cartridge 70, a photosensitive drum 1 (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) as an image carrier for carrying a developer image and process means acting on the photosensitive drum are integrally disposed. Here, the charging roller 2 (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d), the developing roller 25 (25a, 25b, 25c, 25d) and the cleaning member 6 (6a, 6b, 6c, 6d) are integrated as process means. And arranged around the photosensitive drum 1.

  The charging roller 2 is a charging unit that uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. The developing roller 25 is a developer carrying member that constitutes a developing device that develops the latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 with toner to form a visible image. The cleaning member 6 is a cleaning unit that removes toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 1 after the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred to a recording medium.

  A scanner unit 3 for selectively exposing the photosensitive drum 1 based on image information and forming a latent image on the photosensitive drum 1 is provided below the process cartridge 70.

  A cassette 17 containing a recording medium S is attached to the lower part of the image forming apparatus 100. A recording medium transport unit is provided so that the recording medium S is transported upward through the secondary transfer roller 69 and the fixing unit 74. That is, the feeding roller 54 for separating and feeding the recording medium S in the cassette 17 one by one, the conveying roller pair 76 for feeding the fed recording medium S, and the latent image and the recording medium formed on the photosensitive drum 1. A registration roller pair 55 for synchronizing with S is provided.

  Further, an intermediate transfer unit serving as an intermediate transfer unit for transferring a toner image formed on each photosensitive drum 1 (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) above the process cartridge 70 (70a, 70b, 70c, 70d). A unit 5 is provided. The intermediate transfer unit 5 faces the driving roller 56, the driven roller 57, the primary transfer roller 58 (58a, 58b, 58c, 58d) at the position facing the photosensitive drum 1 of each color, and the position facing the secondary transfer roller 69. A roller 59 is provided. In the intermediate transfer unit 5, a transfer belt (intermediate transfer belt) 9 is stretched around these rollers.

  The transfer belt 9 circulates and moves so as to face and be in contact with all the photosensitive drums 1, and the voltage is applied to the primary transfer rollers 58 (58 a, 58 b, 58 c, 58 d), so Primary transfer is performed on the transfer belt 9. Then, the toner on the transfer belt 9 is transferred to the recording medium S by applying a voltage to the opposing roller 59 and the secondary transfer roller 69 arranged in the transfer belt 9.

  When forming an image, each photosensitive drum 1 is rotated, and the photosensitive drum 1 uniformly charged by the charging roller 2 is selectively exposed from the scanner unit 3. Thereby, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 1. The latent image is developed by the developing roller 25. As a result, each color toner image is formed on each photosensitive drum 1. In synchronization with this image formation, the registration roller pair 55 conveys the recording medium S to the secondary transfer position where the opposing roller 59 and the secondary transfer roller 69 are in contact with each other with the transfer belt 9 interposed therebetween.

  Then, by applying a transfer bias voltage to the secondary transfer roller 69, each color toner image on the transfer belt is secondarily transferred to the recording medium S. As a result, a color image is formed on the recording medium S. The recording medium S on which the color image is formed is heated and pressed by the fixing unit 74 to fix the toner image. Thereafter, the recording medium S is discharged to the discharge unit 75 by the discharge roller 72. The fixing unit 74 is disposed on the upper part of the image forming apparatus 100.

(Process cartridge configuration)
Next, the process cartridge according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 shows a main cross-sectional view of the process cartridge 70. FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the entire process cartridge 70. Here, a configuration having four process cartridges 70a, 70b, 70c, and 70d is illustrated. The process cartridge 70a is a process cartridge containing a yellow (Y) developer 30. The process cartridge 70b is a process cartridge in which the magenta (M) developer 30 is stored. The process cartridge 70c is a process cartridge containing the cyan (C) developer 30. The process cartridge 70d is a process cartridge in which the black (Bk) developer 30 is stored. Since these process cartridges 70a, 70b, 70c, and 70d have the same configuration except for the color of the stored developer, they will be described as the process cartridge 70.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the process cartridge 70 according to this embodiment is divided into a drum unit 26 and a developing device 4.

  In the drum unit 26, a charging roller 2, a flexible sheet member 28, and a cleaning member 6 are provided on the periphery of the photosensitive drum 1 as an image carrier. The charging roller 7 is a primary charging unit that uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. The flexible sheet member 28 is a member that seals a residual transfer developer from between the photosensitive drum 1 and the cleaning frame 27, that is, so-called waste developer leakage. The cleaning member 6 is a cleaning unit that removes the waste developer remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. The waste developer removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by the cleaning member 6 is accommodated in a waste developer chamber 27 a provided in the cleaning frame 27.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the entire developing device 4 in the process cartridge. The container support structure of the developing device 4 is a structure that is rotatably supported with respect to the drum unit 26. That is, the coupling holes 12 provided at both ends of the developing device 4 and the support holes 13 provided at both ends of the cleaning frame body 27 of the drum unit 26 are aligned, and the pins 14 are inserted from both ends of the drum unit 26. Further, in the developing device 4, the developing roller 25 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 by being always biased by the pressure spring 38 to rotate around the support hole 13.

  The developing device 4 includes a developing frame 31 composed of frames 21 and 22, a developing roller 25 that contacts the photosensitive drum 1 and rotates in the direction of arrow B, and a developer 30 accommodated in a developer accommodating chamber 31a. Is provided to the developer supply chamber 31b. The transport unit 36 includes a transport sheet 36a as a transport unit and an opening shaft 36b. The opening shaft 36b is an opening member that is rotatably provided. By rotating the unsealing shaft 36b in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 3, the developer stored in the developer storage chamber 31a by the transport sheet 36a passes through the opening 31c and is transported to the developer supply chamber 31b. The developer frame 31 includes a developer storage chamber 31a in which the transport unit 36 is provided to store the developer, and a developer supply chamber (development chamber) in which the developing roller 25 is provided and disposed above the developer storage chamber 31a. ) 31b. The developer storage chamber 31a and the developer supply chamber 31b are partitioned by a wall 31d. The wall 31d is provided with an opening 31c for communicating the developer storage chamber 31a and the developer supply chamber 31b.

  A supply roller 34 that rotates in contact with the developing roller 25 and a developing blade 35 for thinning the developer 30 are disposed on the circumference of the developing roller 25. Further, a blowout prevention sheet 20 as a development contact sheet for preventing the developer from leaking from the development frame body 31 in contact with the development roller 25 is disposed.

  As the developing roller 25 rotates, the developer 30 applied on the developing roller 25 is conveyed to a developing unit where the photosensitive drum 1 and the developing roller 25 face each other. In the developing unit, the developer 30 on the developing roller 25 is attached to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by a developing bias applied from a power source (not shown). Thereby, the electrostatic latent image is developed and visualized. Here, the developer 30 remaining on the surface of the developing roller 25 without contributing to the development of the electrostatic latent image is returned to the developer supply chamber 31b as the developing roller 25 rotates and is collected.

  The developing device 4 is configured to be rotatably supported with respect to the drum unit 26. Specifically, the coupling holes 12 provided in the developing frame 31 at both ends in the axial direction of the developing roller 25 and the support holes 13 provided in the cleaning frame 27 at both ends in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1 are overlapped. . Then, the pins 14 are inserted from both ends of the drum unit 26. With such a configuration, the developing device 4 is rotatable with respect to the drum unit 26 around the support hole 13 (pin 14). As shown in FIG. 3, the developing device 4 is biased by a pressure spring 38, and the developing roller 25 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 1 by the biasing force.

  The conveyance unit 36 includes an opening shaft 36b and a sheet-shaped conveyance sheet 36a as a conveyance unit attached to the opening shaft 36b. As the opening shaft 36b rotates, the transport sheet 36a rotates in the direction of arrow E, and the developer in the developer storage chamber 31a is transported to the developer supply chamber 31b. At one end in the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the unsealing shaft 36b, a drive connecting portion 36c that connects to a drive portion (not shown) is provided. The unsealing shaft 36b rotates when the drive unit and the drive coupling unit 36c are coupled and the driving force from the drive unit is transmitted to the drive coupling unit 36c.

  In the present embodiment, a sealing member 37 as a sealing member for sealing the opening 31c is attached to the opening shaft 36b. The opening shaft 36b is moved (rotated) to peel the seal member 37 from the wall 31d and open the opening 31c. As shown in FIG. 3, the unsealing shaft 36 b has a fixing portion 39 a to which a seal member 37 is bonded or welded. The seal member 37 is bonded or welded to the fixed portion 39a of the opening shaft 36b. For this reason, the seal member 37 is fixed to the opening shaft 36b more strongly than the structure in which the seal member 37 is hooked and fixed in the hole. In addition, a portion of the seal member 37 that is attached to the wall 31d of the developing frame 31 so as to surround the opening is referred to as a sealing portion 39b. The seal member 37 is attached to the wall 31d so as to surround the opening 31c by the sealing portion 39b. More specifically, the sealing portion 39 has a first sealing portion 39b1 and is attached to the first fixing portion 31d1 of the upper wall 31d of the opening 31c, and the second sealing portion 39b2 via the opening 31c. Attached to the second fixed portion 31d2 of the lower wall 31d of the opening 31c. Thus, the seal member 37 is folded back above the opening 31c (the side farther from the opening shaft) and extends below the opening 31c (the side closer to the opening shaft) via the opening 31c. It is attached to the wall 31d so as to surround the periphery and close the opening 31c. Attachment is performed by adhesion or welding.

  A rotational driving force is transmitted from a motor which is a driving source (not shown), and the unsealing shaft 36b rotates in the direction of arrow E in FIG. As a result, the seal member 37 fixed to the fixing portion 39a of the opening shaft 36b is pulled in the opening direction indicated by the arrow H in FIG. 3, and the first fixing portion 31d1 and the first sealing portion 39b1 are peeled off. Further, the fixed portion on the side of the wall 31d on the end portion side in the longitudinal direction of the opening 31c and the sealing portion on the side of the sealing portion 39b are peeled off continuously. Furthermore, the 2nd fixing | fixed part 31d2 and the 2nd sealing part 39b2 peel continuously. In this way, at the start of use of the developing device 4, the seal member 37 is peeled off from the wall 31d and wound around the opening shaft 36b. By removing the seal member 37, the opening 31c is opened, and the developer 30 can be supplied from the developer storage chamber 31a to the developer supply chamber 31b through the opening 31c.

  FIG. 6A is an explanatory view showing a state in which the opening shaft 36b is mounted in the developer accommodating chamber 31a, and FIGS. 6B and 6C are enlarged views of the support portions 31f on both sides. The unsealing shaft 36b is attached with the end portions on both sides in the longitudinal direction (axial direction) supported by the support portions 31f on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the developer storage chamber 31a. The drive coupling portion 36c, which is one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the unsealing shaft 36b, the other end portion 36e, which is the other end portion, and the side wall 31g of the support portion 31f are disposed on the drive coupling portion 36c side in the axial direction of the unsealing shaft 36b. The gap D1 is attached to the other end 36e side with a gap D2.

<Positional relationship between sealing part and fixing part>
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the sealing portion 39b side of the sealing member 37 fixed to the opening shaft 36b is folded and fixed to the wall 31d of the developer accommodating chamber 31a. FIG. 1 shows a plan view in which a folded portion of the sealing member 37 is developed and projected onto a plane in order to show the positional relationship between the sealing portion 39b of the sealing member 37 and the fixing portion 39a of the opening shaft 36b.

  In the axial direction of the unsealing shaft 36b, the outermost end portion on the drive connecting portion 36c side of the fixed portion 39a is defined as a fixed portion drive side 39a1, and the outermost end portion on the other end portion 36e side is defined as a fixed portion other end side 39a2. In the sealing portion driving side 39b3 on the one side in the longitudinal direction of the sealing portion 39b and the fixing portion driving side 39a1, the fixing portion driving side 39a1 is located outside in the axial direction of the opening shaft 36b, and the difference is C1. On the other hand, the other end side 39b4 of the sealing portion on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the sealing portion and the other end side 39a2 of the fixing portion are located on the outer side in the axial direction of the opening shaft 36b. Let C2.

  The unsealing shaft 36b is attached in the axial direction of the unsealing shaft 36b with a clearance D1 on the side of the side wall 31g of the developer storage chamber 31a and the drive connecting portion 36c and a clearance D2 on the other end 36e side. Accordingly, when vibration and impact during distribution are applied to the developing device 4, the unsealing shaft 36b moves in the axial direction of the unsealing shaft 36b within the developer accommodating chamber 31a by the distance between the clearance D1 and the clearance D2. When the unsealing shaft 36b moves in the axial direction, the sealing member 37 is also moved in the axial direction because the sealing member 37 is fixed to the fixing portion 39a of the unsealing shaft 36b. When the seal member 37 moves, a force F that peels off the sealing portion 39b attached to the wall 31d is generated.

  FIG. 8 shows an enlarged view of the vicinity of the sealing portion drive side 39b3 when the seal member 37 is folded and attached to the wall 31d when viewed from the normal direction to the plane of the wall 31d. An arrow F in FIG. 8 indicates the direction of the force applied when the unsealing shaft 36b moves when the fixed portion drive side 39a1 is located outside the sealing portion drive side 39b3. An arrow G in FIG. 8 indicates the direction of force applied when the unsealing shaft 36b is moved when the fixed portion drive side 39a1 is inside the sealing portion drive side 39b3. The direction of the arrow F is outward with respect to the sealing portion 39b and receives a force at the first sealing portion 39b1, so that the region receiving the force is wide and the sealing portion 39b is difficult to open. On the other hand, the arrow G direction is inward of the sealing portion 39b and receives a force at the sealing portion corner portion 39b5 where the first sealing portion 39b1 and the sealing portion drive side 39b3 intersect. It is narrow and the sealing part 39b is easy to open. Here, the vicinity of the sealing portion driving side 39b3 on one side in the longitudinal direction has been described, but the same applies to the sealing portion other end side 39b4 on the other end side in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, by using the configuration of the present embodiment, the wall 31d of the sealing portion 39b indicates that the seal member 37 is peeled off from the wall 31d around the opening 31c when the developing device 4 is subjected to vibration or shock during distribution. Can be prevented in a state in which the fixing strength against is suppressed.

  Here, the gaps D1 and D2 between the unsealing shaft 36b and the side wall 31g shown in FIG. 6 are smaller than the longitudinal differences C1 and C2 between the fixed portion 39a and the endmost portion of the sealing portion 39b shown in FIG. desirable. By doing so, when the unsealing shaft 36b moves by the distance of the gaps D1 and D2 during physical distribution, the outermost end of the fixing portion 39a is surely more outward than the outermost end of the sealing portion 39b in the axial direction of the unsealing shaft 36b. To position. Thereby, even when the unsealing shaft 36b moves the maximum amount in the axial direction due to vibration and shock during physical distribution, the force applied to the sealing portion 39b is in the direction of arrow F, and the outward direction (in FIG. 8) Force is applied in the direction of arrow F). Therefore, even when the unsealing shaft 36b moves, it is possible to reliably prevent the seal member 37 from peeling off.

[Other Examples]
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the developer is accommodated in the frame (the developer accommodating chamber 31a of the developing frame 31) is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 9, the present invention is effective even in a configuration having a developing frame 31 and a flexible container 32 that contains a developer. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a process cartridge to which this configuration is applied.

  The process cartridge shown in FIG. 9 has a flexible container 32 containing developer in the developing frame 31 constituting the developing device 4, and a part of the flexible container 32 is fixed to the developing frame 31. It has become a state. The opening 31 c of the flexible container 32 is sealed by a seal member 37 fixed to an opening shaft 36 b that forms the transport unit 36. Then, the opening 31c is peeled off from the flexible container 32 by the rotation of the opening shaft 36b, whereby the opening 31c is opened and the developer can be supplied. In addition, since the other structure is substantially the same as the embodiment described above, the members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description is incorporated herein. Description is omitted.

  Even in the configuration having such a flexible container for containing the developer, the same effect can be obtained by applying the present invention in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.

  In the above-described embodiment, the embodiment of the present invention has been described using the process cartridge 70 integrally including the photosensitive drum 1 and the developing device 4, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a developer container that integrally includes a developing frame 31 that contains a developer and a transport unit 36 may be used. Alternatively, a developing device having the developer container and the developing roller 25 integrally may be used. The same effect can be obtained even if the present invention is applied not only to the process cartridge described above but also to these developer containers or developing devices.

  In the embodiment described above, four process cartridges are used. However, the number used is not limited, and may be set as necessary.

  In the above-described embodiments, the printer is exemplified as the image forming apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the image forming apparatus may be another image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile machine, or another image forming apparatus such as a multi-function machine combining these functions. In addition, an image forming apparatus is illustrated in which an intermediate transfer member is used, toner images of respective colors are sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer member, and the toner images carried on the intermediate transfer member are collectively transferred to a recording medium. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an image forming apparatus that uses a recording medium carrier and sequentially superimposes and transfers the toner images of the respective colors onto the recording medium carried on the recording medium carrier. The same effect can be obtained by applying the present invention to the developer container, the developing device, or the process cartridge included in these image forming apparatuses.

C1, C2 ... difference D1, D2 ... gap 1 ... photosensitive drum 4 ... developing device 25 ... developing roller 31 ... developing frame 31a ... developer accommodating chamber 31b ... developer supply chamber 31c ... opening 31d ... wall 31f ... support portion 31 g ... Side wall 32 ... Flexible container 36 ... Conveying unit 36a ... Conveying sheet 36b ... Unsealing shaft 36c ... Drive connecting part 36e ... Other end 36g1, 36g2 ... Spacing 37 ... Seal member 39a ... Fixed part 39a1 ... 39a2 ... fixed part other end side 39b ... sealing part 39b1 ... first sealing part 39b2 ... second sealing part 39b3 ... sealing part drive side 39b4 ... sealing part other end side 70 ... process cartridge 100 ... electrophotographic image Forming equipment

Claims (11)

A frame having an opening and containing a developer;
A sealing member having a sealing portion to be fixed to the frame so as to surround the opening;
An opening member having a fixing part that adheres or welds the sealing member,
A developer container in which the sealing member is peeled off the frame body by the movement of the opening member and the opening is opened;
A developer container, wherein an outermost end portion in the longitudinal direction of the fixed portion is located on an outer side in the longitudinal direction from an outermost end portion in the longitudinal direction of the sealing portion. A frame,
A flexible container having an opening and containing a developer;
A sealing member having a sealing portion to be fixed to the frame so as to surround the opening;
An opening member having a fixing part that adheres or welds the sealing member,
A developer container in which the sealing member is peeled off from the flexible container by the movement of the opening member and the opening is opened;
A developer container, wherein an outermost end portion in the longitudinal direction of the fixed portion is located on an outer side in the longitudinal direction from an outermost end portion in the longitudinal direction of the sealing portion.   The longitudinal gap between the longitudinal end of the unsealing member and the frame supporting the end of the unsealing member is the outermost end of the fixing portion in the longitudinal direction and the sealing end. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the developer container is smaller than a difference in the longitudinal direction from an outermost end portion in the longitudinal direction of the stop portion.   4. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the unsealing member includes a transport unit for transporting the stored developer. 5.   The end portion of the sealing member is folded back on a side farther than the opening member with respect to the opening and extends to a side closer to the opening member to seal the opening. 5. The developer container according to any one of 4 above.   The said opening member is an opening shaft provided rotatably, The said sealing member is peeled from the said frame body by rotation, and the said opening is opened, The any one of Claim 1 thru | or 5 characterized by the above-mentioned. The developer container according to 1.   A developing device comprising: the developer container according to claim 1; and a developer carrying member that carries the developer.   The developing device according to claim 7, wherein the developer carrying member is disposed above the opening member.   The frame body is provided with a storage chamber in which the opening member is provided to store the developer, a development chamber in which the developer carrier is provided and disposed above the storage chamber through a wall provided with the opening, The developing device according to claim 7, further comprising:   A developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and any one of the developing devices according to any one of claims 7 to 9, and a developer image. A process cartridge comprising: an image carrier;   The developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the developing device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, and the process cartridge according to claim 10. And forming an image on a recording medium using a developer.

Images