JP2734411B2 - Toner cartridge - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner cartridge and, more particularly, to a toner cartridge for replenishing toner used in a developing means of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 7, a conventional toner cartridge is formed as an integral type including a toner supply unit 100, a developing unit 102, and a cleaning unit 104. Of these, the toner replenishing unit 100 is made of an outer case 10 made of plastic such as ABS resin or styrene resin.
6 and a stirring mechanism 108.

The developing unit 102 includes a supply roller 110,
A developing roller 112 and a photosensitive drum 114 having aluminum as a base tube are provided. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 114 charged by the charger 116 with a laser beam 118 or the like, and the toner from the toner replenishing unit 100 is adhered and developed.

The toner adhered to the photosensitive drum 114 is transferred to a sheet (not shown), and the residual toner is removed by a cleaning unit 104. In addition, the toner cartridge is provided with accessory parts made of resin or metal (not shown).

The toner in the toner replenishing section 100 is consumed by repeating the printing operation.
The toner runs out in the printing operation of about 5,000 pages. Therefore, the cartridge is replaced with a new toner cartridge. In this case, the members constituting the toner cartridge are 40
In the printing of about 00 to 5000 pages, the wear and characteristic deterioration are still small.
Up to about 000 pages can be made reusable.

On the other hand, a user who operates a copying machine, a printer, or the like, has a problem in which toner powder generated at the time of toner supply rises,
In order to avoid stains on the hands and stains on the peripheral operation unit, etc., instead of a toner-only replenishing type, an integrated type with a developing unit as shown in FIG. The cartridge was discarded even though other structural members were still usable.

In this case, since the toner cartridge is made of plastic and two or more types of metal members, this disposal is not easy, and is not preferable in terms of global environment and effective use of resources. In addition, collection and reuse by the manufacturer is required, and the cost for this is becoming enormous.

For this reason, recently, a replacement method using a cylindrical toner cartridge 120 packed only with toner as shown in FIG. 8 instead of an integrated type has been commercialized, and a mounting lever provided in the toner cartridge 120 is provided. There is a method in which an opening 126 between the developing unit 102 and the developing unit 102 is opened by moving the toner cartridge 122 after setting it in the toner cartridge mounting unit 124, and the opening 126 is closed when the toner cartridge 120 is removed.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-298774 discloses an inner container 127 made of incinrable paper or the like and a seal 128 for sealing the toner as shown in FIG.
And a toner cartridge having a structure in which the seal 128 is peeled off at the time of mounting, which is composed of three members of an outer structure 130 for reuse. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 132 denotes a toner supply unit, and 134 denotes a developing roller.

[0010]

However, in the case of the prior art shown in FIG. 8, when the toner runs out, it takes much trouble to remove the toner cartridge 120 from the mounting portion 124. . Further, since the toner adheres to the opening 126 by the opening operation, there is a problem that the hands are soiled at the time of replacement, or the toner powder is scattered and the surroundings are easily stained.

Further, in the prior art shown in FIG. 9 as well, there is a trouble that the seal 128 has to be peeled at the time of mounting, and the problem of contamination at the time of replacement cannot be avoided.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a toner cartridge which can solve the disadvantages of the prior art, can easily perform toner replenishment work, and can solve the problem of work environment such as hand stains due to toner adhesion. And its purpose.

[0013]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner container formed so as to be capable of being decomposed into a tape shape continuously from at least one start end, and a tab for causing the start end. It has a configuration of becoming.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the toner container according to the first aspect of the present invention is integrally formed of a synthetic resin into a thin container having an opening for filling the toner, and the entirety from the tab portion is formed. , And a seal member for sealing the opening.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the toner container according to the first aspect is integrally formed of a synthetic resin into a thin container having an opening for filling the toner.
It has a thread member embedded spirally from the tab portion as a whole, and has a sealing member for sealing the opening, and the starting end of the thread member is pulled out along the above-described tab and adhered to the tab. Has been adopted.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the toner container of the first aspect is formed by winding and joining a tape-shaped material, and an end of the tape-shaped material is used as a tab. I am taking it. This aims to achieve the above-mentioned object.

[0017]

According to the first aspect of the invention, first, when toner supply is necessary, a toner cartridge filled with toner is put into a toner hopper of the apparatus main body, and a tab of the toner cartridge is attached to a winding roller provided in the toner hopper, for example. It is set. When the winding roller is operated in such a state, the toner container is continuously disassembled into a tape shape from the start end by the force generated via the tab, and the toner leaks into the toner hopper. The original shape of the toner container is lost, and only the tape-shaped material remains at a predetermined position in the apparatus main body.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the low-strength portion is torn spirally from the starting end by the moving force of the tab, whereby the toner container is continuously disassembled into a tape shape.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the low-strength portion is generated and torn at the same time when the thread-like member is caused together with the tab, whereby the toner container is spirally torn from the start end, and the toner container is continuously taped. It is disassembled.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the joining portion at the start end is peeled off by the moving force of the tab, whereby the toner container is continuously disassembled into a tape shape.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 shows a toner hopper 2 of the image forming apparatus main body.
The toner hopper 2 includes a toner supply unit 6 connected to a developing unit (not shown), and an opening 8 and a taper unit 9 connected to the toner supply unit 6. The toner supply unit 6 is provided with a mixer 14 for stirring the toner 12.

An opening 16 for receiving the toner cartridge 4 is formed on the upper surface of the cartridge mounting section 10, and the opening 16 is closed by a cover 18. The cartridge mounting section 10 includes a pair of winding rollers 20 for disassembling the toner cartridge 4 and a disposal case 22 for storing dust generated by the disassembly. Opening / closing door 22a for taking out garbage collected in the disposal case 22
Are formed.

The cartridge mounting section 10 is provided with a cover lock mechanism 24 for locking the cover 18 and a detection switch 26 for detecting a closed state of the cover 18. , The winding roller 20 operates.

The toner cartridge 4 shown in this embodiment
As shown in FIG. 2, the toner container 28 has an elliptical container shape.
Is filled with the toner 12. An example of a manufacturing process of the toner cartridge 4 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), similarly to the production of a bottle made of synthetic resin, a thin synthetic resin is integrally formed into a container shape having an opening 30 at one end and a tab 32 for pulling out at the other end. As shown in FIG. 3B, a groove 36 as a low-strength portion is formed in a spiral shape with the laser beam 34 starting from the tab 32 portion.

Next, as shown in FIG.
From 0, the toner 12 is filled into the toner container 28. When the filling of the toner is completed, the opening 30 is sealed with a seal member 38. This is shown in FIG. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3E as viewed from the opening 30 side, the sealing member 38 has a large adhesive strength with the end portion 40 of the groove 36 and a small adhesive strength with the periphery 42 of the opening 30. It is set to be.

Next, an operation of supplying toner by the toner cartridge 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

When the toner supply lamp of the image forming apparatus is turned on, the cover 18 of the cartridge mounting portion 10 is opened, the toner cartridge 4 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 10, and the tab 32 is slightly inserted into the winding roller 20. After that, the cover 18 is closed.

When the cover 18 is closed, the take-up roller 20 operates in response to a signal from the detection switch 26, and the tab 32 is drawn into the waste case 22. When the tab 32 is pulled out, the groove 36 as a low-strength portion is cut and raised from the starting point S shown in FIG. 2, and is continuously torn. As a result, the toner container 28 is disassembled into a tape shape, and the toner 12 in the toner container 28 flows out with the disassembly.

The winding roller 20 is programmed to stop when the trailing end of the wound tape has passed, and the cartridge mounting section 10 has
Only the toner 12 spilled by the disassembly of the toner cartridge 4 remains. Since the cartridge mounting section 10 and the toner supply section 6 are connected by the taper section 9, all the toner 12 spilled into the cartridge mounting section 10 is sent to the toner supply section 6.

As described above, since the toner cartridge 4 is disassembled into a tape shape, the original oval container shape of the toner cartridge 4 is lost, and only the tape-like material remains in the waste case 22. Therefore, the volume of the toner cartridge 4 is substantially reduced substantially, and the toner cartridge 4 remains in the apparatus main body in a state where it can be easily disposed. Note that the disposal process of the toner cartridge 4 is performed by periodically opening the disposal case 22 and taking out the tape-shaped material accumulated inside.

As described above, when the toner supply lamp is turned on, the cover 18 of the cartridge mounting portion 10 is opened, the toner supply is completed simply by inserting the toner cartridge 4, and the cartridge body after the supply is disassembled into a tape shape. Since it is stored in the main body of the apparatus, there is no need to remove used ones as in the related art, and there is no need to worry about dirty hands.

The method of manufacturing the toner cartridge 4 is as described above, but is not limited thereto.
The grooves can also be formed by forming irregularities for forming the grooves in the mold itself used for molding the toner container 28 shown in FIG. 3A, and can be formed by the laser light shown in FIG. The formation of the strength portion does not need to be a groove, and depending on the selection of the material, the portion irradiated with the laser beam undergoes compositional deformation,
A processing method that facilitates tearing may be used.

Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 4, the toner cartridge 4
Numeral 4 comprises a toner container 48 integrally formed of a synthetic resin in a spherical shape having an opening 46, and a tab 50, and a thread-like member 52 is spirally embedded within the thickness of the toner container 48. Have been. Start end 5 of thread member 52
2a is pulled out to the outside along the tab 50 and is adhered to the tab 50. The opening 46 is sealed with a seal member 54 as in the above embodiment.

In this example, when the start end 52a of the thread-like member 52 is caused by the tab 50, the low-strength portion is formed at the same time when the thread-like member 52 is pulled up, and at the same time, tearing occurs. As a result, the toner container 48 is continuously disassembled into a tape shape.

Next, still another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 5, the toner cartridge 5
Reference numeral 6 denotes a toner container 60 formed by winding a tape-like material 58 so as to overlap with a width of about 1/3 to 1/5 and joining the overlapping portions to form a conical shape, and a tab 62. The tab 62 serves as an end of the tape-shaped material 58. The filling of the toner is performed, for example, by filling the toner at the stage where the opening near the completion of the conical shape is present, and by proceeding with the winding to seal the opening.

In the case of this example, when the tab 62 is raised, the joining of the overlapping portions is peeled off, whereby the toner container 60 is disassembled into a tape shape.

The shape of the cartridge is not limited to the elliptical container, the sphere, and the cone in each of the above-described embodiments, but may be a cylindrical toner cartridge 64 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 66 denotes a toner container,
Reference numeral 68 denotes a tab, and 70 denotes a groove similar to that of the first embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the opening 30 for filling the toner is provided on the opposite side of the tab 32, and the opening 3 is provided.
Although the configuration in which the sealing member 38 is adhered to FIG. 0 is shown, the present invention is not limited to this, and the tab portion is formed longer, and the opening portion is sealed using the longer formed tab portion. It is good. In this case, an opening for filling the toner is formed in the tab portion.

The tab portion is formed at the portion having the smallest diameter. However, the position is not limited. The tab portion is formed at the portion having the largest diameter. It is apparent that the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained even if the strong and weak portions are formed by forming a spiral groove in a divided structure.

In the above embodiment, the low-strength portion is formed by forming a groove or the like in a spally manner starting from the tab portion for pulling out. In such a spiral structure, the pulling portion is continuously pulled. In this case, there is a concern that the discarded member disassembled into a tape shape is twisted and a small amount of toner is sent to the discard case side of the apparatus main body. 4 may be rotated according to the rotation of the winding roller 20, or a groove forming structure in which the high-strength portion is folded back at a fixed length.

Further, if tab portions are formed at both ends,
There is an advantage that the setting can be performed without correcting the posture even when the posture of insertion into the cartridge mounting portion 10 is mistaken.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, the structure is such that it can be disassembled by the winding operation in the toner hopper.
It is possible to eliminate the trouble of removing used ones at the time of replacement, and to solve problems in the working environment such as dirty hands.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a use state showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a partially cut-out portion of the toner cartridge.

3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a process of manufacturing a toner cartridge. FIG. 3A is a side view of a toner container, and FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a state where grooves are formed in a spiral shape by laser light. FIG. 3C is a side view showing a state where the toner is filled in the toner container after the grooves are formed, and FIG.
FIG. 3D is a side view showing a state in which the opening is sealed after filling the toner, and FIG. 3E is a bottom view of the toner container as viewed from the opening.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an embodiment in which a thread member is embedded.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an embodiment in which a toner container is formed by winding a tape-shaped material.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another example of the shape.

FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view showing a developing unit integrated type in a conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view showing a conventional separation type.

FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view showing a modification of the conventional separation type.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Toner hopper 12 Toner 28, 48, 60, 66 Toner container 30, 46 Opening 32, 50, 62, 68 Tab 36, 70 Groove (low-strength portion) 38, 54 Seal member 52 Thread member 52a Start point S Start point

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A toner cartridge, comprising: a toner container formed so as to be able to be disassembled into a tape shape continuously from at least one start end; and a tab for causing the start end. 2. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the toner container is integrally formed of a synthetic resin into a thin-walled container having an opening for filling the toner, and has a spiral low-strength portion entirely from the tab portion. 2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a seal member for sealing the opening. 3. The toner container has a thread-like member integrally formed of a synthetic resin into a thin container having an opening for filling the toner with a synthetic resin, and is spirally embedded from the tab portion to the whole. 2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a sealing member for sealing the opening, wherein a starting end of the thread-like member is pulled out along the tab and adhered to the tab. 4. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the toner container is formed by winding and joining a tape material, and an end of the tape material is the tab.