JP3017525B2 - Developer container and developer supply device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a developing device for replenishing a developer receiving container attached to a developing device of an image forming apparatus without scattering the developer to the outside. The present invention relates to a developer container and a developer supply device.

(Prior Art) Since the developer in a developer receiving container attached to the developing device of the image forming apparatus is consumed as the image forming process proceeds, it is necessary to replenish the developer in a timely manner.
Generally, replenishment of the developer is performed by transferring the developer from the developer storage container to the developer receiving container on the image forming apparatus side.

By the way, the developer is easily scattered because it is an ultrafine particle having a high fluidity, and the developer is removed from the developer receiving container during the transfer of the developer from the developer receiving container to the developer receiving container. Immediately thereafter, the developer scatters, and the scattered developer often contaminates the surroundings.

Therefore, a developer replenisher is provided in which a developer is delivered in a sealed environment by attaching a slide-type lid to each of the developer receiving container and the developer containing container, and making one of the lids driven by the other lid. An apparatus has been proposed (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-38673).

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, since the conventional developer supply device uses a slide-type lid, a sealing material such as a packing is required between the lid and the developer accommodating container. There is a problem that perfect sealing cannot be expected even with the sealing material, and the developer flows out.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-36943 discloses a technique in which a film-like sheet is interposed between a slide lid and a developer storage container. The developer is transferred to the lid of the agent receiving container, and the developer does not scatter at the time of replenishment, but there is a disadvantage that the surroundings are eventually contaminated by the developer.

Since the developer is easily scattered as described above, the developer adheres to the hands and clothes of the replenishing worker, causing contamination to reach other objects, and soiling the floor around the image forming apparatus. Further, when the developer enters the inside of the image forming apparatus, the influence of the developer is large, such as deterioration of the quality of a formed image.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to prevent leakage and scattering of a developer during replenishment of a developer and to prevent contamination of a worker's clothes and surroundings by the developer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a developer container and a developer replenishing device.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an accommodating container main body for accommodating a developer, comprising an opening for transferring a developer to a developer receiving container, and the opening. A sheet member fixed to the storage container main body so as to cover, and an opening / closing lid having a cavity slidable between a first position covering the opening and a second position opening the opening. A developer container that extends a portion of the sheet member that is not fixed to the storage container body and turns the sheet member through the hollow portion of the opening / closing lid, and pulls the sheet member to open the opening. Moving the open / close lid from the first position to the second position while unsealing the sheet member covering the sheet member, wherein when the open / close lid is moved from the first position to the second position, Opening lid in front The front and back surfaces of the area of the sheet member that covered the opening when in the first position are placed in the hollow portion of the open / close lid so as to be wrapped without being exposed, and the open / close lid is When the sheet member is moved from the second position to the first position, the sheet member is returned to a position covering the opening before the sheet member is opened.

(Operation) According to the present invention, when the sheet member is opened and the opening / closing lid is opened to transfer the developer from the opening of the developer accommodating container to the developer receiving container, the developer of the sheet member is previously attached. Because it was put in the cavity of the opening and closing lid so that the front and back of the area that was
It is possible to prevent leakage and scattering of developer while replenishing developer,
Developer contamination on the lid of the developer receiving container can also be prevented.

Reference Example Hereinafter, a reference example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a developer supply device according to a reference example, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1, and FIGS.
(B), (c) is an operation explanatory view of the developer supply device.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a developer receiving container provided on the image forming apparatus side, and an upper opening of the developer receiving container is covered with a sliding-type opening / closing lid 2. A guide 1a is formed on the upper part of the developer receiving container 1. The upper surface of the opening / closing lid 2 is provided with an engaging slit 21 which is long in the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG.

On the other hand, reference numeral 3 denotes a developer accommodating container constituting a developer replenishing device, in which a proper amount of replenishing developer is accommodated in a main body 3a, and an opening thereof is covered with a slide-type opening / closing lid 4. ing. The opening / closing lid 4 is provided with a projection 41 to be engaged with the slit 21 formed in the opening / closing lid 2, and holes 42 and 43 are formed at both ends in the sliding direction.

A film-like sheet 5 is peelable from the periphery of the opening at the lower surface of the container body 3a, and is fixed by, for example, thermal welding with sufficient strength to prevent leakage of the developer. The total length of the sheet 5 is set to be at least twice the length of one side of the opening of the container body 3a in the direction in which the sheet 5 is peeled off, and the sheet 5 is fixed to the opening of the container body 3a. The remaining part which is not folded is folded and then passed through the holes 42 and 43 formed in the opening / closing lid 4 as shown in FIG.
It is extended outside. The length of the end portion 52 of the sheet 5 protruding outside the container main body 3a is set so that an operator can grasp and pull it, and before the developer container 3 is used, The end 52 is temporarily fixed to the container main body 3a or the like with a tape or the like.

By the way, as shown in FIG.
It is desirable that the fixing position 51 of the seal 3a to the opening is slightly inside the end of the seal 5 in order to prevent leakage of the developer attached to the inner surface of the sheet 5.

Further, the opening / closing lid 4 slides in close contact with the opening surface of the container body 3a at both end portions 44, and the portion facing the sheet 5 has such a size that the sheet 5 is not pressed so as to smooth the operation of the sheet 5. 5 has a gap δ.

Next, the operation of the developer supply device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 (a), 3 (b) and 3 (c).

When replenishing the developer to the developer receiving container 1,
First, as shown in FIG. 3A, the developer accommodating container 3 is mounted on a predetermined position of the developer receiving container 1 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Then, the projection 41 of the opening / closing lid 4 is
With the slit 21. When the user pulls the sheet 5 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3A while holding the end 52 of the sheet 5 from this state, the portion of the sheet 5 fixed to the opening of the container body 3a is folded back. As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the folded position of the sheet 5 moves in the pulling-out direction, and the open / close lids 2, 4 engaged with each other are integrally formed in the same direction. Moving. Then, the opening of the developer container 3 is gradually opened, and the container body 3a is opened.
The developer contained therein is supplied to the developer receiving container 1.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3 (c), the opening of the developer container 3 is fully opened and all the developer has dropped into the developer receiving container 1, ie, the sheet 5 is pulled out. Even in the cut state, since the surface 5a of the sheet 5 to which the developer is attached is facing the opening / closing lid 4 between the holes 42 and 43 of the opening / closing lid 4, the worker may adhere to the sheet 5 The developer does not come into contact with the developer, and the hands, clothes and surroundings of the worker are not contaminated by the developer. Further, since the developer adhering to the sheet 5 is scraped off, a cleaning pad is not required, and the size and cost of the developer supply device can be reduced.

After the developer has been replenished as described above, when one of the open / close lids 2 and 4 is pushed and closed, the other is pushed and closed following it, and the open / close lid 4 is pulled out of the container body 3a. 5 is closed while pulling in. And both open / close lids
When the sheets 2 and 4 are completely closed, the sheet 5 is returned to the original state shown in FIG. Thereafter, the developer supply container 3 is removed from the developer receiving container 1 to complete the developer supply operation.

(Example) Next, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the developer supply device according to the present invention. The developer supply device includes a developer storage container 3 for storing a supply developer, and a main body 3a of the developer storage container 3. Has an opening for transferring the developer to a developer receiving container (not shown). The opening of the housing container body 3a is covered with a sheet 5 fixed to the peripheral edge thereof.

The developer container 3 is provided with a tubular opening / closing lid 4 slidable between a first position covering the opening and a second position opening the opening. The portion of the sheet 5 that is not fixed to the container main body 3a is extended and folded, and the folded portion is passed through the inside (hollow portion) of the opening / closing lid 4 as shown in the figure.

By pulling the end of the portion of the sheet 5 extending from the opening / closing lid 4 to the right in FIG. 4 when supplying the developer to the developer receiving container (not shown), the opening of the container main body 3a is opened. The cover 5 is opened, and the opening / closing lid 4 moves from the first position covering the opening to the second position opening the opening in conjunction with this operation. The portion to which is adhered is put inside the opening / closing lid 4 (hollow portion) so that the front and back surfaces are wrapped without being exposed.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, since the surface of the sheet 5 on which the developer is adhered is not merely made to face the opening / closing lid 4, it is completely wrapped, so that even if any impact is applied, the developer is And the lid 4 is prevented from flowing out of the gap, so that the surroundings can be more completely prevented from being contaminated by the developer.

(Effects of the Invention) As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, when the sheet member is opened and the opening / closing lid is opened to transfer the developer from the opening of the developer container to the developer receiving container. Since the front and back surfaces of the area of the sheet member where the developer has been previously attached are not exposed, they are inserted into the cavity of the opening / closing lid and wrapped around, so that leakage and scattering of the developer during replenishment of the developer can be prevented. Thus, the effect of preventing the developer from being stained on the lid of the developer receiving container can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a developer supply device according to a reference example of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1, FIG.
(B), (c) is an operation explanatory view of the developer supply device,
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the developer supply device according to the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Developer receiving container, 2, 4 ... Opening / closing lid, 3 ... Developer container, 3a ... Container main body, 5 ... Sheet (sheet member), 42, 43 ... Hole.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An opening for transferring the developer to a developer receiving container, the housing container housing the developer, a sheet member fixed to the housing container so as to cover the opening, An opening / closing lid having a hollow portion slidable between a first position covering the opening and a second position opening the opening, and being fixed to the storage container body of the sheet member. In the developer container that is extended and folded back to pass through the hollow portion of the open / close lid, by pulling the sheet member, the sheet member covering the opening is opened and the open / close lid is closed. 1 from the first position to the second position, when the open / close lid is moved from the first position to the second position, when the open / close lid is at the first position, Said that was covering The front and back surfaces of the area of the sheet member are put into the hollow portion of the opening / closing lid so as to be wrapped without being exposed, and the opening / closing lid is moved from the second position to the first position.
Wherein the sheet member is returned to the position covering the opening before the sheet member is opened. 2. The developer accommodating container according to claim 1, an opening for transferring the developer from the opening of the developer accommodating container, and a slidable lid for covering the opening. A developer supply container comprising: a developer supply container having the opening and closing portion of the developer reception container in conjunction with moving the open / close lid from the first position to the second position. A developer supply device, wherein the opening / closing lid covering the cover is moved to an open position.