JP2019168572A - Toner container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a toner container that can prevent a toner from leaking out from a toner guide port of a toner container attached to an image forming apparatus, and an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A toner container comprises: a first opening 100 that is formed in a bottom part 943 of a first conveyance guide part 94; a supply port member 120 that is supported movably in the vertical direction D1 with respect to the first opening 100; and an elastic member 130 that elastically urges the supply port member 120 downward. In an attachment attitude in which the toner container is attached to an attachment part, the supply port member 120 is brought into pressure contact with a seal member on the periphery of a supply port of a developing device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner container having a toner guide port for passing toner, and an image forming apparatus to which the toner container can be attached.

  An image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a sheet using a developer containing toner is known. This type of image forming apparatus is provided with a detachable toner container for storing toner to be supplied to the developing device. The toner container is provided with an opening / closing member (shutter member) for opening and closing a toner supply port for supplying toner to the outside (see Patent Document 1).

  The opening / closing member is supported by the toner container so as to be movable between a closed position and an open position for closing the toner supply port. The opening / closing member is disposed at the open position in order to replenish toner from the toner supply port to the toner receiving port of the developing device when the toner container is in a mounting posture mounted on the image forming apparatus. Further, when the toner container is removed from the image forming apparatus, the toner container is disposed at the closed position.

JP 2008-170897 A

  By the way, in the mounting posture in which the toner container is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the opening / closing member is disposed at an open position where the toner supply port is opened. In this case, since the toner supply port is connected to the toner receiving port of the developing device, the toner does not leak from the connecting portion between the toner supply port and the toner receiving port. However, when the image forming apparatus is subjected to impact or vibration during transportation or movement, a gap is generated in the connecting portion, and toner may leak from the gap.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a toner container and an image forming apparatus capable of preventing toner from leaking from a toner guide port of a toner container mounted on the image forming apparatus.

  A toner container according to one aspect of the present invention includes a container main body that can store toner, a first opening, a toner guide opening, and an urging member. The first opening is formed in the wall surface of the container body. The toner guide port portion is supported so as to be movable toward and away from the first opening and has a toner guide port for guiding the toner passing through the first opening in the contact and separation direction. The urging member elastically urges the toner guide opening in a direction away from the first opening.

  An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is detachably provided in an apparatus main body, a developing device provided in the apparatus main body and having an inlet for a supplied toner, and a mounting portion provided in the apparatus main body. And a toner container for storing toner to be supplied to the developing device. The toner container includes a container main body that can store toner, a first opening, a toner supply port, and an urging member. The first opening is formed on the wall surface of the container body, and faces the receiving port in a mounting posture in which the toner container is mounted on the mounting portion. The toner supply port portion is supported so as to be movable toward and away from the first opening and has a toner supply port through which toner supplied from the inside of the container body to the outside passes. The urging member elastically urges the toner supply port portion in a direction away from the first opening, and presses the toner supply port portion against the periphery of the receiving port in the mounting posture.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the toner from leaking from the toner guide port of the toner container in a state where it is mounted on the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the image forming unit provided in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention when viewed from the right side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the toner container according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the back side of the toner container according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the first transport unit provided in the toner container according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a main part VIII in FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX-IX in FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration in the vicinity of the toner supply port of the toner container according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection state between the toner supply port and the toner receiving port of the developing device when the toner container according to the embodiment of the present invention is attached to the image forming apparatus. FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a toner container and a mounting portion to which the toner container is mounted according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a toner discharge portion of a toner container according to another embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. Embodiment described below is only an example which actualized this invention, and does not limit the technical scope of this invention. For convenience of explanation, the vertical direction is defined as the vertical direction D1 in the installation state (the state shown in FIG. 1) in which the image forming apparatus 10 can be used. In the installation state, a front-rear direction D2 and a left-right direction D3 are defined.

  The image forming apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention has at least a printing function. The image forming apparatus 10 is, for example, a tandem type color printer.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a housing 11 (an example of an apparatus main body). The housing 11 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. Each component constituting the image forming apparatus 10 is provided inside the housing 11. Note that FIG. 1 shows a state where the cover on the right side surface of the housing 11 is removed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a plurality of image forming units 15 (15Y, 15C, 15M, 15K), an intermediate transfer unit 16, an optical scanning device 17, a primary transfer roller 18, a secondary transfer roller 19, The image forming apparatus includes a fixing device 20, a sheet tray 21, a paper feed cassette 22, a conveyance path 24, and a control board 26 that controls each part of the image forming apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a toner container 3 (an example of a toner container of the present invention) configured to be detachable inside a housing 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming units 15 are arranged side by side along the front-rear direction D <b> 2 inside the housing 11, and form a color image based on a so-called tandem method. Specifically, a yellow toner image is formed in the image forming unit 15Y. In each of the image forming units 15C, 15M, and 15K, a cyan toner image, a magenta toner image, and a black toner image are formed. From the front side to the rear side along the movement direction (arrow D4 direction) of the transfer belt 35 of the intermediate transfer unit 16, the image forming unit 15Y for yellow, the image forming unit 15C for cyan, and the image forming unit for magenta color. The image forming units 15K for 15M and black are arranged in a line in that order.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the central portion of the image forming unit 15. The image forming unit 15 forms a toner image based on an electrophotographic system. As shown in FIG. 3, each image forming unit 15 includes a photosensitive drum 41, a drum cleaning device 42, a charging device 32, a developing device 33, and the like. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 32 and 42 are partially omitted because of space limitations.

  The photosensitive drum 41 holds a toner image developed by the developing device 33 and is a member formed in a cylindrical shape. The photosensitive drum 41 is rotatably supported by the housing 11 or the like.

  In each image forming unit 15, when the photosensitive drum 41 is uniformly charged to a predetermined potential by the charging device 32, the optical scanning device 17 irradiates the surface of each photosensitive drum 41 with laser light based on image data. The Thereby, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum 41. The electrostatic latent image is developed (visualized) as a toner image by the developing device 33. The toner images of the respective colors formed on the photosensitive drum 41 are sequentially transferred onto the transfer belt 35 by the primary transfer rollers 18. Next, the color image on the transfer belt 35 is transferred to the printing paper by the secondary transfer roller 19. The color image transferred to the printing paper is fixed on the printing paper by the fixing device 20 and then discharged from the sheet discharge port 28 to the sheet tray 21.

  The drum cleaning device 42 removes the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 41 after the primary transfer with the cleaning blade 45. The drum cleaning device 42 is provided for each photoconductor drum 41 and is disposed on the rear side of the photoconductor drum 41. The toner (waste toner) removed by the cleaning blade 45 is conveyed by the toner conveying member 46 to one side (right side in this embodiment) of the photosensitive drum 41 in the axial direction (longitudinal direction).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the developing device 33 includes a housing 50, a first stirring member 52, a second stirring member 53, a developing roller 54, and the like. Toner (developer) is accommodated in the bottom of the housing 50, and the toner is conveyed while being stirred by the first stirring member 52 and the second stirring member 53.

  A supply port 56 (an example of a receiving port according to the present invention) is formed in the wall surface 51 of the housing 50 located above the first stirring member 52. The supply port 56 is formed at the right end of the wall surface 51. A seal member 561 is attached to the periphery of the supply port 56 so as to surround the supply port 56. The seal member 561 is made of a soft resin member such as a soft urethane foam. The seal member 561 is soft and has a restoring property. Therefore, when the toner container 3 is mounted on a mounting portion 58 (see FIG. 4) described later, the supply port member 120 of the toner container 3 having the toner supply port 123 (the toner supply port portion of the present invention, the toner guide port portion). One example) and the seal member 561 are in close contact with each other, and the toner supply port 123 and the supply port 56 are connected. The toner supplied from the toner container 3 is supplied into the housing 50 from the supply port 56. Since the seal member 561 is soft and has a restoring property, the close contact between the supply port member 120 and the seal member 561 prevents the toner from leaking from the toner supply port 123.

  The developing roller 54 draws up the toner from the second stirring member 53 by the built-in magnetic pole and holds the toner on the outer peripheral surface. The toner held on the developing roller 54 is attached to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 41 by a potential difference applied between the developing roller 54 and the photosensitive drum 41.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of toner containers 3 (3Y, 3C, 3M, 3K) are attached to the image forming apparatus 10. Specifically, four toner containers 3 are attached to each mounting portion 58 (see FIG. 4) provided inside the right side surface of the housing 11. In the present embodiment, four toner containers 3 are mounted in a state of being aligned along the front-rear direction D2, and the black toner container 3K is disposed at the rearmost position.

  As shown in FIG. 4, four mounting portions 58 for detachably supporting the toner container 3 are provided at the right end portion of the housing 11. Each mounting portion 58 is fixed to a support plate 49 provided at the right end portion of the housing 11. Each mounting portion 58 has a bracket 59 for supporting the toner container 3 inserted in the arrow D10 (see FIG. 5) along the horizontal direction with respect to the mounting portion 58. Each toner container 3 is detachably supported by a corresponding bracket 59.

  As shown in FIG. 1, each toner container 3 includes an upper storage portion 71 (first toner storage portion) and a lower storage portion 72 (second toner storage portion). The upper accommodating portion 71 has an accommodating space in which toner can be accommodated, and unused toner for replenishment is accommodated in this accommodating space. The lower accommodating portion 72 has an accommodating space in which toner can be accommodated, and the waste toner discharged from the drum cleaning device 42 is accommodated in the accommodating space. In a state where the toner container 3 is mounted on the mounting portion 58, the unused toner is replenished into the developing device 33 from the upper storage portion 71 of each toner container 3. Further, the waste toner discharged from each drum cleaning device 42 is guided and stored in the lower storage portion 72 of the toner container 3 through a discharge guide portion (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate transfer unit 16 is provided on the upper side of the four image forming units 15, more specifically, on the upper side of each photosensitive drum 41. The intermediate transfer unit 16 includes an annular transfer belt 35, a driving roller 36, a driven roller 37, and a belt cleaning device 38. The primary transfer roller 18 is supported by a frame (not shown) of the intermediate transfer unit 16.

  The transfer belt 35 holds the toner image primarily transferred from the photosensitive drum 41 on the surface. When the transfer belt 35 is rotationally driven and moves in the direction of the arrow D10, the toner images of the respective colors held on the photosensitive drums 41 are sequentially transferred to the transfer belt 35 so as to overlap each other.

  The belt cleaning device 38 is provided in the vicinity of the fixing device 20. The belt cleaning device 38 removes used toner (waste toner) remaining on the surface of the transfer belt 35 after the secondary transfer, and the removed waste toner is in the width direction of the transfer belt 35 (a direction corresponding to the left-right direction D3). ) On one side (right side in this embodiment). Then, the toner is guided and accommodated in the lower accommodating portion 72 of the toner container 3 </ b> K through the toner discharge path of the black drum cleaning device 42.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the toner container 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 11. Of the four toner containers 3, the toner containers 3Y, 3C, and 3M have the same configuration. The toner container 3K has the same configuration as the toner containers 3Y, 3C, and 3M except that the toner container 3K has a large capacity.

  In each drawing, the vertical direction D1, the front-rear direction D2, and the left-right direction D3 are shown based on the mounting posture when the toner container 3 is mounted on the mounting portion 58 (see FIG. 4). Hereinafter, with respect to the mounted toner container 3, the vertical direction D1 is defined as the height direction D11 of the toner container 3, the front-rear direction D2 is defined as the width direction D12 of the toner container 3, and the left-right direction D3. Is defined as the depth direction D13 of the toner container 3.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the toner container 3 has a container main body 75 (an example of a container main body of the present invention) that can store toner therein. The container body 75 is a resin molded product obtained by injection molding a synthetic resin. The container body 75 is formed in a shape that is long in the height direction D11, and is formed in a shape that is wide in the width direction D12 and shallow in the depth direction D13.

  The container body 75 has an upper case 78 (first housing) formed on the upper side, a lower case 79 (second housing) formed on the lower side, and a lid body 76 (lid member). Yes. That is, an upper case 78 is formed on one side of the container body 75 in the height direction D11 (longitudinal direction), and a lower case 79 is formed on the other side of the container body 75 in the height direction D11 (longitudinal direction). Yes. The upper case 78 and the lower case 79 are separated from each other in the vertical direction D1. The container body 75 is formed integrally with an upper case 78 and a lower case 79. Inside the upper case 78, a storage space for storing the unused toner is defined. In the lower case 79, a storage space for storing the waste toner is defined.

  The lid 76 is a flat resin molded product obtained by injection molding a synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 5, the lid 76 covers the opening on the right side of the upper case 78 and the opening on the right side of the lower case 79. Each opening is closed by a single lid 76, thereby configuring an upper accommodating portion 71 and a lower accommodating portion 72.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a first transport unit 92 for transporting the stored toner toward the developing device 33 is provided inside the upper storage unit 71. The first transport section 92 includes a cylindrical first transport guide section 94 (an example of the guide section of the present invention) that extends outward from the left wall surface 781 (opposing surface) of the upper case 78, and a first transport guide section. 94 has a spiral member 95 (first rotating member, see FIG. 7) provided inside. The first conveyance guide portion 94 extends horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the wall surface 781 in a state where the toner container 3 is attached to the attachment portion 58. The first conveyance guide portion 94 is formed integrally with the upper case 78 and is formed in a cylindrical shape having the same center as the rotation center of the spiral member 95. Here, the wall surface 781 is located on one side of the toner container 3 in the depth direction D13 with respect to the mounting portion 58, and is a surface facing when the toner container 3 is mounted on the mounting portion 58. The depth direction D <b> 13 coincides with the attaching / detaching direction of the toner container 3 with respect to the mounting portion 58.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the spiral member 95 is rotatably provided in the upper housing portion 71 and extends in the depth direction D13. The spiral member 95 is a transport member that transports the unused toner inside the upper storage portion 71 to the mounting portion 58 (see FIG. 4) through the inside of the first transport guide portion 94. The first conveyance guide unit 94 is a guide member that guides the unused toner conveyed by the spiral member 95 to the supply port 56 of the developing device 33.

  The spiral member 95 has a spiral blade 97 around the rotation shaft 96. An end portion 961 (first end portion) on the lid body 76 side of the rotation shaft 96 of the spiral member 95 is rotatably supported by a bearing portion 99 (first bearing portion) formed integrally with the inner surface 762 of the lid body 76. Has been. In addition, the spiral member 95 is inserted into the first conveyance guide portion 94, and a portion on the opposite side of the rotation shaft 96 is rotatably supported by the first conveyance guide portion 94. Specifically, a first input portion 98 (drive input portion) that receives transmission of a rotational driving force input from the outside is attached to an end portion 962 on the opposite side of the rotation shaft 96. Further, a through hole 941 is formed at the tip of the first transport guide portion 94. The end portion 962 is rotatably supported by the through hole 941 in a state where the first input portion 98 protrudes to the outside from the through hole 941. When a rotational driving force is input to the first input unit 98, the spiral member 95 is rotated in a predetermined rotation direction. As a result, the unused toner in the upper storage portion 71 is transported toward the front end portion of the first transport guide portion 94 through the inside of the first transport guide portion 94.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the lid 76 is provided with a gear transmission mechanism 103 (transmission mechanism). The gear transmission mechanism 103 transmits a rotational force from the rotation shaft 96 of the spiral member 95 that is rotationally driven to a stirring member (not shown) provided in the upper housing portion 71. For this reason, when a rotational driving force is input to the first input unit 98, the spiral member 95 and the stirring member rotate in conjunction with each other.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the upper case 78 is formed with a first opening 100 (an example of the first opening of the present invention) for discharging the toner contained therein to the outside. The first opening 100 is formed on the lower outer peripheral surface (hereinafter abbreviated as a lower surface) of the first conveyance guide portion 94, and specifically, a bottom portion constituting the lower surface of the first conveyance guide portion 94. 943 (an example of the wall surface of the container body of the present invention). The bottom 943 is formed in a plate shape extending in the depth direction D13. The first opening 100 is a through-hole that penetrates the bottom portion 943 in the vertical direction, and is formed in a substantially square shape. The first opening 100 is formed in the vicinity of the end on the first input unit 98 side at the bottom 943 of the first conveyance guide unit 94. In a state where the toner container 3 is mounted on the mounting portion 58, the first opening 100 faces the supply port 56 of the developing device 33.

  A shutter member 101 (an example of the opening / closing member of the present invention) for opening and closing the first opening 100 is provided below the first conveyance guide portion 94. The shutter member 101 is provided in the first conveyance guide portion 94 so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction (depth direction D13) of the first conveyance guide portion 94 along the bottom portion 943. The shutter member 101 can move along the bottom portion 943 between a closed position (the position shown in FIG. 7) that closes the first opening 100 and an open position (the position shown in FIG. 8) that opens the first opening 100. It is. The closed position is a position where a through-opening 213, which will be described later, does not overlap the first opening 100 vertically, and the through-opening 213 is arranged on the insertion direction side (left side in FIG. 7) indicated by the arrow D10 with respect to the first opening 100. It is. In addition, the open position is a position separated from the closed position in a direction opposite to the insertion direction, and the through-opening 213 is disposed at a position below the first opening 100, and is located above and below the first opening 100. Overlapping position. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 7 shows a state where the shutter member 101 is arranged at the closed position, and FIG. 8 shows a state where the shutter member 101 is arranged at the open position. .

  The container body 75 is provided with a support plate 102 (an example of the support plate of the present invention). Specifically, the support plate 102 is provided so as to face the bottom portion 943 of the first transport guide portion 94. . The support plate 102 is a member that supports the shutter member 101 so as to be movable in the depth direction D13. The support plate 102 is configured as a separate member from the first conveyance guide portion 94 and is attached to the first conveyance guide portion 94 so as to face the bottom portion 943. The support plate 102 is attached to the bottom 943 with a gap 210 between the support plate 102 and the bottom 943, and the shutter member 101 is movably disposed in the gap 210.

  In the present embodiment, when the toner container 3 is mounted on the mounting portion 58 (see FIG. 4), the shutter member 101 is moved from the closed position to the open position. Specifically, the mounting portion 58 is provided with a protruding piece (not shown), and when the toner container 3 is mounted on the mounting portion 58, the protruding piece is one side in the width direction D12 of the shutter member 101. The locking piece 1011 (see FIG. 6) provided at the end is pressed. When the protruding piece presses the locking piece 1011 of the shutter member 101 in the direction opposite to the mounting direction, the shutter member 101 moves from the closed position to the open position. Further, when the toner container 3 is removed from the mounting portion 58, the protruding piece is hooked on the locking piece 1011 of the shutter member 101 during the detaching operation, and the shutter member 101 is moved from the open position to the closed position. Move to.

  A second opening 211 (an example of the second opening of the present invention) is formed in the support plate 102. The second opening 211 is formed at a position facing the first opening 100 on the support plate 102 and below the first opening 100. The second opening 211 has an opening area larger than that of the first opening 100. That is, the second opening 211 is larger in size than the first opening 100.

  The support plate 102 is provided with a film member 217. The film member 217 is, for example, a microcell polymer sheet composed of a high-functional urethane foam having a high density, an extremely fine and uniform cell structure, and the thickness thereof is, for example, about 0.2 mm to 0.25 mm. It is. Of course, the film member 217 may be made of a material other than the microcell polymer sheet.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the film member 217 is attached to the lower surface (outer surface) of the support plate 102 so as to cover the second opening 211. Specifically, the film member 217 is attached to the lower surface of the support plate 102 with an adhesive or the like. Thereby, the film member 217 is fixed to the support plate 102. The film member 217 is formed with a substantially square third opening 218 at a position corresponding to the first opening 100. The third opening 218 is formed in a size slightly larger than the first opening 100. The first opening 100 and the third opening 218 are disposed at positions facing each other in the height direction D11. When the support plate 102 is viewed from below, the first opening 100 and the third opening 218 are Overlap.

  The shutter member 101 is formed with a through-opening 213 through which the toner moving downward from the first opening 100 passes at the open position. The through opening 213 is formed in a size slightly larger than the first opening 100. In the present embodiment, the through opening 213 is disposed at a position below the first opening 100 in a state where the shutter member 101 is disposed at the open position, and overlaps the first opening 100. Further, in a state where the shutter member 101 is disposed at the closed position, the through opening 213 is disposed at a position separated from the first opening 100 toward the first input unit 98 side (right side in FIG. 8). Will not overlap.

  A seal member 221 is provided in the gap 210 between the bottom 943 and the support plate 102. The seal member 221 is made of a soft resin member such as a soft urethane foam. The seal member 221 is provided on the periphery of the first opening 100 at the bottom 943. The seal member 221 is attached to the lower surface of the bottom portion 943 with an adhesive or the like so as to surround the first opening 100, and the lower end portion thereof is in close contact with the upper surface of the shutter member 101. Since the seal member 221 is soft and has a restoring property, the gap between the first opening 100 and the shutter member 101 does not occur due to the close contact between the seal member 221 and the shutter member 101, and the toner from the first opening 100 can be removed. Leakage is prevented.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX-IX in FIG. 7, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration in the vicinity of the supply port member 120 of the toner container 3. In FIG. 10, the shutter member 101, the seal member 221, and the film member 217 are indicated by dotted lines, and the support plate 102 is not shown.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the toner container 3 includes a supply port member 120 and an elastic member 130 (an example of an urging member of the present invention).

  The supply port member 120 is provided between the film member 217 and the shutter member 101. The supply port member 120 is a part connected to the supply port 56 of the developing device 33. The supply port member 120 is made of, for example, a thermoplastic resin such as polyacetal resin (POM), polypropylene (PP), or vinyl chloride (PVC).

  The supply port member 120 is supported so as to be movable in the approaching / separating direction approaching or separating from the first opening 100, that is, in the height direction D11 (vertical direction D1). The supply port member 120 includes a cylindrical insertion portion 121 that is inserted into the third opening 218 and a rectangular flange portion 122 that is supported by the upper surface of the film member 217. A toner supply port 123 through which the toner passes is formed. The toner supply port 123 is a toner passage that guides the toner passing through the first opening 100 in the vertical direction D1. The insertion part 121 is formed in a square tube shape corresponding to the shape of the third opening 218. The supply port member 120 formed in this way can move in the vertical direction D <b> 1 when the insertion part 121 is inserted through the third opening 218. Further, the first opening 100 and the toner supply port 123 coincide with each other in plan view in a state where the insertion part 121 is inserted into the third opening 218. When the shutter member 101 is disposed at the open position, the first opening 100, the through opening 213, and the toner supply port 123 coincide with each other in plan view, and the toner supply port passes through the through opening 213 from the first opening 100. A toner passage reaching 123 is formed.

  The supply port member 120 is located between a protruding position (first position) protruding downward from the support plate 102 and a retracted position (second position) retracted upward from the protruding position to the first opening 100 side. It is possible to move with. The protruding position is a position shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, and is a position where the flange portion 122 contacts the upper surface of the film member 217. In the protruding position, the insertion portion 121 of the supply port member 120 protrudes downward from the third opening 218. Further, the retracted position is a position shown in FIG. 11 and is a position where the toner container 3 is pushed up by the seal member 561 of the developing device 33 and displaced upward in a state where the toner container 3 is mounted on the mounting portion 58.

  The elastic member 130 elastically biases the supply port member 120 away from the first opening 100, that is, downward in the direction indicated by the arrow D21 (see FIG. 9), and is made of a material having elasticity. . The elastic member 130 is made of the same material as the seal member 221 and the seal member 561, for example, but is made of a resin member such as soft urethane foam having a higher elastic rebound rate than these, and is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Further, when the elastic member 130 is contracted by an upper force received from the developing device 33 when the toner container 3 is mounted on the mounting portion 58, the restoring force (elastic force) of the seal member 561 at the periphery of the replenishing port 56. It is comprised so that a bigger restoring force (elastic force) may be produced. For example, the elastic member 130 is formed larger in thickness than the seal member 221 and the seal member 561. In the mounted state of the toner container 3, the supply port member 120 is held at the protruding position by the elastic member 130 by providing the elastic member 130.

  The elastic member 130 is not limited to a resin member such as a flexible urethane foam, and for example, a spring member such as a leaf spring or a coil spring may be applied as the biasing member of the present invention. In this case, it is preferable to provide four spring members that urge the four corners of the rectangular flange portion 122 to the arrow D21 (see FIG. 9). Further, in order to obtain both effects of sealing performance and elastic force, a composite member in which a spring member is incorporated inside a resin member such as a flexible urethane foam may be applied as the biasing member of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the elastic member 130 is provided outside the width direction D <b> 12 perpendicular to the moving direction of the shutter member 101, rather than the shutter member 101. Elastic members 130 are provided on the outer side of one end of the shutter member 101 in the width direction D12 and the outer side of the other end of the width direction D12. Each elastic member 130 is disposed so as to sandwich the shutter member 101 and the seal member 221 in the width direction D12. Thereby, the shutter member 101 can move smoothly without being obstructed by the elastic member 130.

  In the present embodiment, since the toner container 3 is configured as described above, the toner container 3 is inserted into the arrow D10 along the horizontal direction with respect to the mounting portion 58 (see FIG. 4), and the supply port member 120 is inserted. When the side edge of the distal end surface (lower surface) of the insertion portion 121 contacts the side edge of the upper surface of the seal member 561 and then rides on the side edge of the upper surface of the seal member 561, the supply port member 120 is The force of upper D22 is received from the seal member 561. As a result, the supply port member 120 receives the force and is lifted upward. At this time, the elastic member 130 contracts by receiving the force of the upper D22, and the supply port member 120 is displaced from the protruding position to the retracted position while receiving the elastic force by the elastic member 130. When the supply port member 120 is displaced to the retracted position, as shown in FIG. 11, the upper surface of the flange portion 122 of the supply port member 120 and the lower surface of the shutter member 101 are brought into close contact with each other.

Thereafter, when the toner container 3 is further inserted and attached to the attachment portion 58, the upper surface of the seal member 561 and the distal end surface of the insertion portion 121 of the supply port member 120 are brought into pressure contact as shown in FIG. Further, when the toner container 3 is further inserted, the protruding piece provided on the mounting portion 58 comes into contact with the locking piece 1011 (see FIG. 6) of the shutter member 101, and the shutter member 101 is moved from the closed position to the open position. Press to. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 11, the shutter member 101 is moved to the open position. In this state, toner can be supplied from the first conveyance guide portion 94 to the supply port 56 through the first opening 100, the through opening 213, and the toner supply port 123. At this time, the toner does not leak from the toner supply port 123 due to the sealing effect of the sealing member 561. Further, since the upper surface of the flange portion 122 of the supply port member 120 and the lower surface of the shutter member 101 are in close contact with each other, and the upper surface of the shutter member 101 and the seal member 221 are also in close contact with each other in the vertical direction, The sealing performance is maintained in the toner passage reaching 56, and the toner does not leak from the toner passage.

  On the other hand, in the mounting posture of the toner container 3, the supply port member 120 receives both the push-up force from the seal member 561 and the elastic force by the elastic member 130. In this state, if the toner container 3 receives an impact or vibration when the image forming apparatus 10 is transported or moved, the developing apparatus 33 or the toner container 3 is temporarily displaced in the direction in which the toner container 3 is separated, and is supplied to the seal member 561. A gap is generated between the mouth member 120 and the mouth member 120. Although the seal member 561 is made of a resin member having a restoring force, there are cases where the seal member 561 cannot be immediately returned to its original state due to being pressed by the supply port member 120 for a long time. That is, the seal member 561 may be fixed in a contracted state. In this case, the seal member 561 cannot fill the gap generated instantaneously due to the impact or vibration described above. However, the toner container 3 of the present embodiment is provided with an elastic member 130 that elastically biases the supply port member 120 downward. Therefore, even if the equilibrium state is lost due to the impact or vibration described above, the supply port member 120 can be displaced following the direction in which the gap is generated. As a result, even if the impact or vibration described above is applied, no gap is generated between the supply port member 120 and the seal member 561, and the toner can be prevented from leaking from the toner supply port 123 of the toner container 3. .

[Other Embodiments]
Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. Here, FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the toner container 310 and the mounting portion 301 to which the toner container 310 is mounted. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the toner discharge portion of the toner container 310. In the following description, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the present exemplary embodiment, an arrow D31 extends along the horizontal direction with respect to the mounting unit 301 (an example of the mounting unit of the present invention) including the support rail 302 that supports the toner container 310 so as to be slidable along the horizontal direction. This is applied to the toner container 310 that is inserted and mounted in the direction.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the toner container 310 is in contact with and away from the first opening 100 formed in the bottom 312 of the container body 311 (an example of the wall surface of the container body of the present invention). The supply port member 120 is supported so as to be movable, and the elastic member 131 elastically biases the supply port member 120 downward. The elastic member 131 has the same role and function as the elastic member 130 of the above-described embodiment, but its shape is formed in a cylindrical shape, and its inner hole extends from the first opening 100 to the supply port member 120. The difference is that a toner passage reaching the toner supply port 123 is formed. Even in such a configuration, the supply port member 120 can be brought into pressure contact with the seal member 561 at the periphery of the replenishment port 56 of the developing device 33 in the mounting posture in which the toner container 310 is mounted on the mounting unit 301.

  In each of the above embodiments, the toner is supplied from the toner container to the replenishing port of the developing device. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a waste toner container that receives waste toner removed from the drum cleaning device 42 or the belt cleaning device 38 and stores it inside.

3, 310: Toner container 10: Image forming device 11: Housing 15: Image forming unit 33: Developing device 38: Belt cleaning device 41: Photoconductor drum 42: Drum cleaning device 56: Supply port 58: Mounting portion 59: Bracket 71: Upper housing portion 72: Lower housing portion 75: Container body 76: Cover body 78: Upper case 79: Lower case 92: First transport portion 94: First transport guide portion 100: First opening 101: Shutter member 102 : Support plate 120: supply port member 121: insertion part 122: flange part 123: toner supply port 130: elastic member 131: elastic member 210: gap 211: second opening 213: through opening 217: film member 218: third opening 221: Seal member 561: Seal member 943: Bottom

Claims (6)

A container body capable of containing toner;
A first opening formed in the wall surface of the container body;
A toner guide port portion that is supported so as to be movable toward and away from the first opening and that guides toner passing through the first opening in the contact and separation direction;
And a biasing member that resiliently biases the toner guide port portion in a direction away from the first opening. A support plate provided in the container body, disposed opposite to the wall surface, and having a second opening formed at a position facing the first opening;
An opening / closing member provided between the wall surface and the support plate and supported movably along the wall surface between a closed position that closes the first opening and an open position that opens the first opening; With
The toner guide port portion is supported movably between a first position protruding outward from the support plate and a second position retracted from the first position to the first opening side. The toner container according to 1. A film member attached to an outer surface of the support plate so as to cover the second opening and having a third opening formed at a position corresponding to the first opening;
The toner container according to claim 2, wherein the toner guide opening projects outward from the third opening at the first position.   4. The toner container according to claim 2, wherein the biasing member is provided outside the opening / closing member in a width direction orthogonal to a moving direction of the opening / closing member. The toner container is inserted in a horizontal direction when mounted on a mounting portion provided in the image forming apparatus,
The container main body further includes a guide portion that extends in the horizontal direction in a mounting posture in which the toner container is mounted on the mounting portion, and guides toner in the container main body in the extending direction.
The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the first opening is formed on a lower surface of the guide portion. The device body;
A developing device provided in the apparatus main body and having an inlet for toner to be supplied;
A toner container that is detachably provided in a mounting portion provided in the apparatus main body and contains toner to be supplied to the developing device;
The toner container includes:
A container body capable of containing toner;
A first opening that is formed on a wall surface of the container body and faces the receiving port in a mounting posture in which the toner container is mounted on the mounting portion;
A toner supply port portion having a toner supply port that is supported so as to be movable toward and away from the first opening and through which toner supplied from the inside of the container main body passes;
An urging member that elastically urges the toner supply port portion in a direction away from the first opening and presses the toner supply port portion against a periphery of the receiving port in the mounting posture. Forming equipment.

Images