JP2019066877A - Image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image formation apparatus which can prevent detachment of a toner cartridge with respect to an image formation apparatus body without using a lock mechanism to a cover.SOLUTION: An image formation apparatus includes: a cartridge storage part 80 which is installed in an image formation apparatus body; and a toner cartridge 28 which is configured to be inserted/withdrawn to/from the cartridge storage part. The cartridge storage part 80 includes: a regulation member which prevents gripping 64a to a grip provided on an end 64 of the toner cartridge 28; and a solenoid 90 which switches operation of the regulation member. The regulation member includes a toner cartridge gripping prevention device 82 which has a cover portion 83a for covering the grip, a shaft portion 83b capable of rotating the cover portion, a stopper portion 83c connected with the cover portion through the shaft portion, and a pawl portion 83d provided in the stopper portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus including a cartridge storage unit installed in an image forming apparatus main body and a toner cartridge configured to be removable from the cartridge storage unit.

In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a charging device charges the surface of an electrostatic latent image carrier (for example, a photosensitive member), and an exposure device exposes the charged area according to image information to form an electrostatic latent image. A developing device develops the electrostatic latent image with toner.
Although the toner from the toner cartridge is supplied to the developing device, it is desirable to use up the toner in the toner cartridge in order to reduce the waste of the toner. Therefore, for example, in Patent Documents 1 to 3, there is a technology capable of releasing the lock of the cover of the image forming apparatus main body containing the toner cartridge on the operation screen when the absence of toner in the toner cartridge (toner container) is detected. It is disclosed.

JP, 2011-8142, A JP, 2010-256557, A JP, 2011-59296, A

  However, in the techniques of Patent Documents 1 to 3 described above, the cover of the image forming apparatus main body is locked, so that the cover of the image forming apparatus main body can be unlocked temporarily on the operation screen, or When the cover can be opened, there is a problem that the toner cartridge can be removed from the image forming apparatus main body.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of preventing removal of a toner cartridge from an image forming apparatus main body without using a lock mechanism to a cover. .

  In order to solve the above problems, according to a first technical means of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising a cartridge storage portion installed in an image forming apparatus main body, and a toner cartridge configured to be insertable into and removable from the cartridge storage portion. In the apparatus, the cartridge storage portion includes a regulating member that prevents gripping of a grip provided at an end of the toner cartridge, and a solenoid that switches the operation of the regulating member. A toner cartridge grip comprising: a blindfold for covering a handle; a shaft capable of rotating the blindfold; a stopper to which the blindfold is connected via the shaft; and a claw provided on the stopper It is characterized by having a prevention device.

  A second technical means is characterized in that, in the first technical means, the regulating member of the toner cartridge gripping prevention device is a cover member which covers the front of the handle.

  A third technical means is characterized in that, in the first or second technical means, the toner cartridge has a rib on the bottom surface.

  A fourth technical means is characterized in that in the third technical means, the solenoid has a plunger to be sucked into the solenoid.

  According to a fifth technical means, in the fourth technical means, the plunger has a lever portion engageable with the stopper.

  A sixth technical means is characterized in that, in any one of the first to fifth technical means, the regulating member prevents the grip on the handle by inserting the toner cartridge into the cartridge storage portion. The

  A seventh technical means according to any one of the first to sixth technical means, wherein the restriction member of the toner cartridge holding prevention device cancels the holding prevention to the grip by the restriction member by the operation of the solenoid. It is characterized by

An eighth technical means according to any one of the first to the seventh technical means, wherein the image forming apparatus detects a toner remaining amount in the toner cartridge, and an operation on the image forming apparatus. It further comprises an operation unit to receive
The toner cartridge gripping prevention device is characterized in that when the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge is detected as zero, a message prompting replacement of the toner cartridge is displayed on the operation unit.

A ninth technical means relates to any one of the first to the seventh technical means, wherein the image forming apparatus detects a toner remaining amount in the toner cartridge, and an operation on the image forming apparatus. It further comprises an operation unit to receive
The toner cartridge gripping prevention device displays a message prompting a plurality of stepwise warnings indicating that the toner cartridge can still be used until a toner end indicating that the usable toner is completely exhausted is detected. It is characterized by displaying on the said operation part.

  A tenth technical means according to any one of the first to ninth technical means, wherein the restriction member prevents the grip on the handle by inserting the toner cartridge into the cartridge storage portion. The mounting of the toner cartridge in the cartridge storage portion is completed.

  According to the present invention, when the toner cartridge is attached, the user can not grasp the grip of the end of the toner cartridge because the cartridge storage unit prevents the grip of the end of the toner cartridge from being accessed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the toner cartridge from being removed from the image forming apparatus main body without using the lock mechanism for the cover.

1 is a schematic view of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a mounting state of the toner cartridge of the present invention and a drive unit. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a toner cartridge. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cartridge storage unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the holding | grip prevention apparatus of FIG. It is a figure explaining operation of a grasping prevention device. It is a figure explaining operation of a grasping prevention device. It is a figure explaining the holding | grip prevention apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the holding | grip prevention apparatus of 3rd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an image forming apparatus of the present invention.
The image forming apparatus 1 can perform predetermined image processing on image data transmitted from an external device via a network, and print a color image or a monochrome image on a sheet. Although the example of the printer is described with reference to FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is capable of performing predetermined image processing on image data read by a scanner or the like and printing a color image or a monochrome image on a sheet. It may be a machine, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine provided with these functions.

The image forming apparatus 1 includes, for example, a supply unit 10, an image forming unit 20, a conveyance unit 30, and a fixing unit 40 inside a box-shaped image forming apparatus main body 2. The supply unit 10 supplies the sheet to the image forming unit 20 at a predetermined timing, and the image forming unit 20 forms a toner image on the sheet.
Specifically, the supply unit 10 includes a sheet feeding tray 11 and a manual feeding tray 12, and the sheets of the sheet feeding tray 11 and the manual feeding tray 126 are fed to the image forming unit 20 through the pickup roller 13 and the conveyance roller 14.

The image forming unit 20 is, for example, a tandem system, and includes four stations 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20B for yellow image, magenta image, cyan image, and black image.
Stations 20 Y for yellow image and stations 20 B for black image are arranged in the vicinity of the belt cleaning device 34 and the fixing unit 40, respectively. The station 20Y, the station 20M for magenta image, the station 20C for cyan image, and the station 20B for black image are arranged in this order.

  Each station 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20B has substantially the same components. Therefore, in FIG. 1, the components of the station 20Y for the yellow image are denoted by reference numerals, and the symbols of the components of the other stations 20M, 20C, and 20B are omitted. In addition to the above four colors, for example, light cyan (LC) or light magenta (LM) having the same hue as cyan or magenta and low density may be added.

Taking the station 20Y for yellow image as an example, the station 20Y has a photosensitive member 21, and around the photosensitive member 21, the charging device 22, the exposure device 23, and the developing device are seen from the rotational direction thereof. 24, the transfer roller 25, and the photosensitive member cleaning device 26 are arranged in this order.
The photosensitive member 21 has a cylindrical shape, and the surface thereof is formed of, for example, an OPC (organic photoconductor) or the like, and can be rotated in a predetermined direction by a driving device (not shown).

The charging device 22 has, for example, a roller in contact with the surface of the photosensitive member 21 and uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive member 21 with a predetermined polarity (for example, minus). In addition to the contact type roller method, a charging device such as a brush method or an ion discharge method may be used.
The exposure device 23 irradiates the charged surface of the photosensitive member 21 with laser light based on the image data, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the surface of the photosensitive member 21. Note that, in addition to the laser scanning device (LSU) including the laser irradiation unit and the reflection mirror, an exposure device such as a writing head in which light emitting elements such as LEDs are arrayed may be used.

  The developing device 24 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive member 21 with toner to form a visible image (also referred to as a toner image). The toner is supplied from a toner cartridge 28 connected to the developing device 24 and is charged with the same polarity (for example, minus) as the surface potential of the photosensitive member 21. Between the toner cartridge 28 and the developing device 24, an intermediate hopper 27 for temporarily storing toner is provided. The toner cartridge 28 may contain only toner, or may mix and contain a carrier.

The transfer roller 25 faces the photosensitive member 21 with the conveyance belt 33 interposed therebetween. When a bias voltage having a reverse polarity (for example, positive) to the charging polarity of the toner is applied to the transfer roller 25, the toner image on the photosensitive member 21 is transferred onto the sheet on the conveyance belt 33.
The photoreceptor cleaning device 26 removes toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 21 after transfer to a sheet, and the toner removed from the photoreceptor 21 is collected, for example, inside the photoreceptor cleaning device 26.

  The conveyance unit 30 includes a drive roller 31, a driven roller 32 and a conveyance belt 33. For example, the driving roller 31 is disposed in the vicinity of the fixing unit 40 and the driven roller 32 is disposed in the vicinity of the belt cleaning device 34, and the conveyance belt 33 is wound around the driving roller 31 and the driven roller 32. When printing a color image, when the transport belt 33 moves in the direction of arrow Z, the toner images of the respective colors from the stations 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20B are sequentially transferred onto the transport belt 33, and then from the transport belt 33 to the sheet Transcribed.

  The fixing unit 40 includes a heating roller 41 and a pressure roller 42, and fixes the toner image transferred onto the sheet at the nip portion. Then, when printing only the front surface of the sheet, the sheet sent from the fixing unit 40 is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 50.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a mounting state of the toner cartridge of the present invention and a drive unit, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge.
As shown in FIG. 2, the toner cartridge 28 includes a container body 60 which is elongated along the lateral direction. The toner cartridges 28 are provided for each color, and in the example described in FIG. 1, a total of four toner cartridges 28 are disposed in the image forming apparatus main body 2.

In the image forming apparatus main body 2, a total of four cartridge storage units 80 described later with reference to FIG. 4 and the like corresponding to the toner cartridges 28 of the respective colors are installed. Each is installed.
The front cover 64 is positioned at the rear end with respect to the insertion direction of the toner cartridge 28, and with the side opposite to the front cover 64 at the top, the toner cartridge 28 is advanced in the cartridge storage portion 80 along its longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 2, when the toner cartridge 28 is connected to the drive unit 29 located on the back side of the cartridge storage unit 80, the driving force of the motor 70 of the drive unit 29 agitates and transports the toner in the container main body 60. it can. On the other hand, when the front cover 64 is at the top and the toner cartridge 28 is retracted with respect to the drive unit 29, the toner cartridge 28 can be removed from the cartridge storage unit 80. The front cover 64 corresponds to the end of the toner cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2. In the container main body 60 of the toner cartridge 28, for example, a toner conveyance member 61 and a stirring member 62 are juxtaposed.
The toner conveyance member 61 has a rotation shaft 61b, a screw 61a provided around the rotation shaft 61b, and a drive transmission member 61c provided at the tip of the rotation shaft 61b. The toner conveyance member 61 is connected to the motor 70 of the drive unit 29 via the drive transmission member 61 c outside the container main body 60, and can be rotated in a predetermined direction by the driving force of the motor 70.

  The stirring member 62 has a sheet 62a made of, for example, PET or the like, a rotary shaft 62b and a drive transmission member 62c, and the sheet 62a is formed in a flexible thin plate that can contact the inner surface of the container body 60, for example. It is done. The stirring member 62 is connected to the motor 70 of the drive unit 29 via the drive transmission member 62 c outside the container main body 60 similarly to the toner conveyance member 61, and can be rotated in a predetermined direction by the driving force of the motor 70.

  A partition wall 63 is provided upright between the toner conveyance member 61 and the stirring member 62, and the toner stirred by the stirring member 62 reaches the periphery of the toner conveyance member 61 over the partition wall 63. The toner collected around the toner conveyance member 61 is conveyed by the toner conveyance member 61 to the intermediate hopper 27 described in FIG. 1.

First Embodiment
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cartridge storage unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the gripping prevention device of FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the cartridge storage portion 80 has a storage opening 81 formed in, for example, a rectangular shape, and is elongated toward the drive unit 29 described with reference to FIG. it can.

  Specifically, the toner cartridge 28 is advanced along the longitudinal direction with the side opposite to the front cover 64 described in FIGS. 2 and 3 at the top, and inserted into the cartridge storage portion 80 from the storage opening 81 shown in FIG. Do. The cartridge storage portion 80 has a toner cartridge gripping prevention device 82. When the toner cartridge 28 is advanced until it is connected to the drive unit 29, the gripping prevention device 82 can cover the handle 64a of the front cover 64.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the gripping prevention device 82 is composed of a cover member 83 and a solenoid 90. The cover member 83 corresponds to the restricting member of the present invention.
The cover member 83 has, for example, an L-shaped blind portion 83a, a shaft 83b, a stopper 83c, and a claw 83d, and one end of the blind 83a is connected to the stopper 83c via the shaft 83b. The cover member 83 is rotatable about the shaft 83b. Further, for example, a spring (for example, a torsion coil spring, not shown) is installed on the shaft portion 83b, and the blind portion 83a is urged to rotate counterclockwise as viewed in FIG.

The claw portion 83d is provided on the upper surface of the stopper portion 83c, and can be bent in contact with the inside of the cartridge storage portion 80 with, for example, a rib 60a formed on the bottom surface of the container main body 60 as described later. . The blind portion 83a can be rotated clockwise as viewed in FIG. 5 by a force to push down the stopper portion 83c generated by the contact between the rib 60a and the claw portion 83d.
The solenoid 90 is disposed in the vicinity of the stopper portion 83 c and has a plunger 90 a which is attracted into the solenoid 90 by the on operation of the solenoid 90.

A lever 90 b engageable with the upper surface of the stopper portion 83 c is provided at the tip of the plunger 90 a. Further, for example, a spring (for example, a compression coil spring, not shown) is installed on the plunger 90a, and biases the lever 90b in a direction (left direction as viewed in FIG. 5) approaching the stopper portion 83c.
According to the first embodiment, when the toner cartridge 28 is attached to the cartridge storage portion 80, the handle 64a is concealed so that the front cover 64 can not be accessed from the front surface side (surface side facing the user) of the front cover 64. Therefore, the user can not insert a finger into this handle 64a. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the toner cartridge from being removed from the image forming apparatus main body without using the lock mechanism for the cover.

6 and 7 illustrate the operation of the gripping prevention device. In the present embodiment, the operation of the gripping prevention device 82 shown in FIG. 5 is switched based on, for example, a detection signal of a toner detection device (not shown). For example, a piezoelectric sensor can be used to detect the remaining amount of toner, but if there is a carrier other than toner, the remaining amount of toner can be detected using, for example, a magnetic permeability sensor. In FIG. 6 and the subsequent figures, in order to clarify the operation of the gripping prevention device 82, illustration of the periphery of the storage opening 81 described in FIGS. 4 and 5 is omitted.
More specifically, when there is a remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 28, for example, after connecting the toner cartridge 28 to the drive unit 29, until the remaining amount of toner is detected as zero, the operation of the drive unit 29 described in FIG. The motor 70 rotates forward, and the toner conveying member 61 and the agitating member 62 shown in FIG. 3 rotate to convey and agitate the toner.

  When the motor 70 rotates forward, the solenoid 90 is turned off. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, the lever 90b protrudes toward the stopper portion 83c by the biasing force of the spring installed on the plunger 90a and engages with the upper surface of the stopper portion 83c, and the blindfold portion 83a is a front cover The front of the 64 handles 64a (rear end face with respect to the insertion direction of the toner cartridge 28) is hidden.

On the other hand, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 28 is detected as zero, for example, the solenoid 90 is turned on by the power from the drive unit different from the drive unit 29, and the cover member 83 is rotated and the handle is gripped. Show 64a.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, the plunger 90a is attracted into the solenoid 90 by the on operation of the solenoid 90, so that the lever 90b and the stopper portion 83c are disengaged. As a result, the blinding portion 83a is rotated counterclockwise by the biasing force of the spring installed on the shaft portion 83b, so that the grip on the handle 64a is not prevented from being gripped and the handle 64a can be accessed from the front surface side Become. Thus, the user can insert a finger into the handle 64 a and the toner cartridge 28 can be pulled out of the cartridge storage unit 80.

When the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 28 is detected as zero, a warning message to replace the toner cartridge is provided, for example, in the vicinity of the discharge tray 50 in FIG. You may display on the operation part 51 which receives operation. It is also possible to implement voice guidance. Pop-up display may be performed.
In addition, until the toner end indicating that the usable toner is completely exhausted is detected by the toner detection device in the intermediate hopper 27 described with reference to FIG. A type of alerting message may be displayed on the operation unit 51. Specifically, when the toner detection device in the toner cartridge 28 detects that the toner near-end indicating that the toner in the toner cartridge 28 is completely exhausted, a warning message that the toner cartridge can be replaced is displayed. It is displayed on the operation unit 51. Next, when the toner detection device in the intermediate hopper 27 detects that the toner near-near end indicating that the usable toner is low, a warning message is displayed on the operation unit 51 that the toner cartridge needs to be replaced. Thereafter, when a toner end indicating that the usable toner is full is detected, a warning message to replace the toner cartridge is displayed on the operation unit 51. Voice guidance or pop-up display may be implemented.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6 (A), when the grip prevention to the handle 64a is released by the on operation of the solenoid 90, the solenoid 90 is promptly turned off (FIG. 6 (B)). As described above, by shortening the on-operation time of the solenoid, protection of the solenoid and reduction of power consumption can be achieved.
Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the solenoid 90 is turned off, the plunger 90a and the lever 90b project toward the stopper portion 83c by the biasing force of the spring installed on the plunger 90a, and the lever 90b The front end dips below the stopper portion 83c.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, when the toner cartridge 28 is pulled out, the claw 83d comes in contact with the rib 60a, so that a force to push down the stopper 83c is generated in the claw 83d. Since 60a is in contact with the claws 83d in the horizontal plane, and the claws 83d are also in a position to be escaped downward, the force that pushes down the stoppers 83c is absorbed by the bending of the claws 83d. Further, the blind portion 83a is urged to rotate counterclockwise by a spring installed on the shaft 83b. Therefore, the blindfold portion 83a does not rotate clockwise, and the handle 64a remains visible. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6D, when the toner cartridge 28 is further pulled out, the claws 83d separate from the ribs 60a, rise up, and return to the original posture.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7A, when another toner cartridge 28 is inserted, the claw portion 83d contacts the rib 60a, and a force that pushes down the stopper portion 83c is generated in the claw portion 83d. The rib 60a in this case is in contact with the claws 83d on the vertical surface, and the claws 83d are also less likely to escape downward. Therefore, by the pressing force of the stopper portion 83c, the blind portion 83a rotates clockwise from the posture shown in FIG. 7A against the biasing force of the spring provided on the shaft portion 83b.

  Subsequently, when the additional toner cartridge 28 is further inserted, the claws 83d keep in contact with the rib 60a. In this case, the rib 60a contacts the claw portion 83d at the corner portion between the horizontal surface and the vertical surface, and the claw portion 83d is also in a position in which it is difficult to escape downward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7B, the blindfold portion 83a is further rotated clockwise, and the tip of the stopper portion 83c pushes the lever 90b biased by the spring installed on the plunger 90a to the right to move the lever 90b. Dives below.

Then, when this other toner cartridge 28 is connected to the drive unit 29, as shown in FIG. 7C, the lever 90b protrudes toward the stopper portion 83c by the biasing force of the spring installed on the plunger 90a, The blindfold 83a hides the handle 64a of the front cover 64.
The cover member can be driven by a motor instead of the plunger. In the first embodiment, the cover member 83 is rotated to cover and hide the handle 64 a of the front cover 64. However, it may slide and hide the handle.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 8 is a view for explaining the gripping prevention device of the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the cover member 83 is rotated to cover and hide the handle 64a of the front cover 64. However, it may be slid to cover and cover the handle. The grip prevention device 82 according to the second embodiment includes a cover member 83 movable in the vertical direction and a cover motor 91. The cover member 83 has, for example, a plate-like blind portion 83a, and a rack (not shown) is formed on the back surface of the blind portion 83a. Further, the cover motor 91 is disposed on the back surface of the blind portion 83a, and a gear (not shown) engaged with the rack is provided on the circumferential surface of the shaft 91a.

Then, when there is a toner remaining amount in the toner cartridge 28, as shown in FIG. 8A, the blindfold portion 83a hides the front of the handle 64a of the front cover 64. Therefore, also in this case, the handle 64a can not be grasped from the front surface side of the front cover.
On the other hand, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 28 is detected as zero, for example, when the cover motor 91 is turned on by the power from the drive unit different from the drive unit 29, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6B, since the blindfold portion 83a moves, for example, downward with the counterclockwise rotation of the shaft portion 91a, the user can access the handle 64a.

Third Embodiment
FIG. 9 is a view for explaining the gripping prevention device of the third embodiment. In the first embodiment, the cover member 83 is rotated to cover and hide the handle 64a of the front cover 64. However, as in the second embodiment, the cover may be slid to cover and cover the handle. The grip prevention device 82 according to the third embodiment includes a cover member 83 movable in the left-right direction and a cover motor (not shown). The cover member 83 has, for example, a plate-like blind portion 83a, and a rack (not shown) is formed on the back surface of the blind portion 83a. Then, when there is a remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 28, as shown in FIG. 9A, since the blindfold portion 83a hides the front of the handle 64a of the front cover 64, the user can not grasp the handle 64a. On the other hand, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 28 is detected as zero, as shown in FIG. 9B, the blind portion 83a moves, for example, to the right, and the user can access the handle 64a.

By the way, in each of the above-described embodiments, the example in which the grip prevention to the handle is released based on the toner remaining amount has been described. However, the present invention may release the grip prevention on the handle when a trouble occurs in the toner cartridge or when the removal of the toner cartridge is set by the operation unit 51 shown in FIG. 1, for example.
Specifically, for example, when an abnormality in the operation by the toner conveyance member 61 or the stirring member 62 described in FIG. 3 is detected, the trouble content may be displayed on the operation unit 51 and the handle may be shown. Voice guidance or pop-up display may be implemented. In this case, replacement of the toner cartridge can be made difficult until a trouble occurs in the toner cartridge.

  Alternatively, for example, as in the case where the “remove toner cartridge” button is pressed on the operation unit 51, when the removal of the toner cartridge is set, the handle may be shown. In this case, replacement of the toner cartridge can be made difficult until removal of the toner cartridge is set in the operation unit.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... image forming apparatus, 2 ... image forming apparatus main body, 10 ... supply part, 11 ... paper feed tray, 12 ... manual feed tray, 13 ... pickup roller, 14 ... conveyance roller, 20 ... image forming part, 20Y, 20M, 20C , 20B: station, 21: photoconductor, 22: charging device, 23: exposure device, 24: developing device, 25: transfer roller, 26: photoconductor cleaning device, 27: intermediate hopper, 28: toner cartridge, 29: driving Unit 30 30 Transport unit 31 Drive roller 32 Drive roller 33 Transport belt 34 Belt cleaning device 40 Fixing unit 41 Heating roller 42 Pressure roller 50 Discharge tray DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 51 ... Operation part, 60 ... Container main body, 60a ... Rib, 61 ... Toner conveyance member, 61a ... Screw, 61b ... Shaft part, 61c ... Drive transmission member, 6 ... Stirring member, 62a ... sheet, 62b ... rotation shaft, 62c ... drive transmission member, 63 ... partition wall, 64 ... front cover, 64a ... handle, 70 ... motor, 80 ... cartridge storage part, 81 ... storage opening, 82 ... ... Toner cartridge gripping prevention device 83: cover member 83a: blind portion 83b: shaft portion 83c: stopper portion 83d: claw portion 90: solenoid, 90a: plunger, 90b: lever, 91: motor for cover, 91a ... shaft part.

Claims (10)

An image forming apparatus comprising: a cartridge storage portion installed in an image forming apparatus main body; and a toner cartridge configured to be insertable into and removable from the cartridge storage portion,
The cartridge storage portion includes a restricting member for preventing gripping of a handle provided at an end of the toner cartridge, and a solenoid for switching the operation of the restricting member. The restricting member is a blindfold for covering the handle. A toner cartridge gripping prevention device comprising: a shaft portion capable of rotating the blind portion; a stopper portion in which the blind portion is connected via the shaft portion; and a claw portion provided on the stopper portion An image forming apparatus characterized by The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the regulating member of the toner cartridge gripping prevention device is a cover member that covers the front of the handle. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the toner cartridge has a rib on the bottom surface. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the solenoid includes a plunger that is drawn into the solenoid. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the plunger has a lever portion engageable with the stopper. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein
The image forming apparatus, wherein the regulating member prevents the grip on the handle by inserting the toner cartridge into the cartridge storage unit. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the regulating member of the toner cartridge gripping prevention device releases the gripping prevention to the handle by the regulating member by the operation of the solenoid. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein
The image forming apparatus further includes a toner detection device that detects a remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge, and an operation unit that receives an operation on the image forming device.
The image forming apparatus, wherein the toner cartridge gripping prevention device displays a message prompting replacement of the toner cartridge when the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge is detected as zero. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein
The image forming apparatus further includes a toner detection device that detects a remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge, and an operation unit that receives an operation on the image forming device.
The toner cartridge gripping prevention device displays a message prompting a plurality of stepwise warnings indicating that the toner cartridge can still be used until a toner end indicating that the usable toner is completely exhausted is detected. An image forming apparatus characterized by displaying on the operation unit. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein
By inserting the toner cartridge into the cartridge storage unit, the restriction member is configured to prevent the grip on the handle and complete attachment of the toner cartridge to the cartridge storage unit. Image forming device.

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