JP3326582B2 - Developer supply device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developer replenishing device for replenishing toner as a developer to a developing device mounted on an image forming machine such as an electrostatic copying machine or a laser printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an image generator is configured to replenish toner consumed when an image is generated. When the toner stored in the developer storage case for storing the developer to be supplied to the developing device is consumed, the cover of the developer storage case is opened, and the cap of the replenishment developer storage container storing the replenishment toner is removed. The toner stored in the replenishment developer container is replenished to the developer container. If the cover of the developer housing is open at the time of toner supply,
The toner injected into the developer housing from the supply developer housing rises and scatters around. Proposals for preventing toner scattering at the time of toner replenishment are disclosed in, for example, JP-A-60-91371 and JP-A-61-55672. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-91371 discloses a technique in which a fastener as a shielding member is attached to an opening of a developer accommodating housing, and a mouth and neck of a replenishment developer accommodating container accommodating the replenishment toner in the fastener. A movable plate provided with an injection port for fitting the portion is sandwiched, and the developer storage container is moved while the replenishment developer storage container is moved by inserting the mouth and neck of the developer storage container into the injection port provided in the movable plate. The toner is injected into the inside. Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-5 / 1986
The technique disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5672 discloses a technique in which two seal members made of an elastic material such as rubber are attached to an opening of a developer accommodating housing, and a replenishment developer accommodating container is provided at a portion where the two seal members are joined to each other. The toner is injected into the developer accommodating housing while the replenishing developer accommodating container is moved through the mouth and neck of the developer container.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned publications, when the mouth and neck of the replenishment developer container is inserted into the inlet or the sealing member, the replenishment developer container is not used. There is a problem that the toner overflows from the spout and scatters on the seal member. Further, when the mouth and neck of the replenishment developer container is pulled out from the inlet or the sealing member at the end of the toner replenishment, if the toner remains in the replenishment developer container, the remaining toner is removed by the fastener or There is a problem that the sealing member overflows.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its main technical problem is that a cap is attached to a pouring portion of a replenishment developer container until the cap is fitted to a predetermined position of the developer container. The cap is detached by moving the replenishment developer container in a predetermined direction, and when the toner replenishment is completed, the cap is attached to the spout portion of the replenishment developer container, and then the replenishment developer is stored. An object of the present invention is to provide a developer replenishing device that can prevent toner overflow when setting and extracting the replenishment developer container by structuring the container to be removed.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a developer accommodating housing for accommodating a developer to be supplied to a developing device, and a developer accommodating housing for accommodating the developer accommodating the developer. A replenishment developer container that contains a replenishment developer to be replenished, a mounting portion detachably mounted on the mouth and neck of the replenishment developer storage container, and a developer formed by being connected to the mounting portion and discharging the developer. An adapter having a spout having a spout, and a temporary cap removably attached to the spout of the adapter to close the spout, wherein the developer accommodating casing covers an upper portion. A plate formed at one end of the shielding plate, the cap being fitted to the temporary cap, and communicating with the cap fitting, and being formed to be smaller than the outer surface width of the temporary cap. An adapter guide portion having a width dimension through which the spout portion can be inserted. A guide hole provided in the adapter, the adapter including first and second flanges formed at predetermined intervals above and below at positions facing the outer surface of the spout, respectively; When the guide hole moves along the adapter guide portion, the edge of the shielding plate forming the adapter guide portion is fitted between the first and second flanges, and The cap has a top wall and a skirt wall formed by hanging from an outer peripheral edge of the top wall. The skirt wall is formed by both side walls and a rear wall, and the outlet of the adapter is inserted into a front portion. A sealing means is provided on the upper surface of the shielding plate, the sealing means being configured to cover the adapter guide portion of the guide hole and to be elastically opened by the adapter moving along the adapter guide portion. Developer supply device There is provided.

According to the present invention, the sealing means is made of two elastically bendable synthetic resin thin plates,
The two plastic thin plates are arranged side by side such that their inner edges facing each other are located on the adapter guide portion, and the outer peripheral portions of the two synthetic resin thin plates are fixed to the shielding plate. An apparatus is provided. Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a developer replenishing apparatus in which two thin synthetic resin plates constituting the above-mentioned sealing means are provided with a plurality of slits each reaching an end edge at an opposing inner edge. Further, according to the present invention, the sealing means comprises two sealing members made of an elastically bendable thin plate material respectively disposed on the upper surface of the two synthetic resin thin plates provided with the plurality of slits. Wherein the outer edges of the two seal members are fixed to each other to provide a developer supply device.

[0007]

Further, according to the present invention, the adapter comprises:
There is provided a developer replenishing device having a guide projection on an end face of the spout facing the opening side in a state where the spout is attached to the temporary cap.

[0009]

In the developer supply device of the present invention, when the toner stored in the developer storage case is consumed and the supply toner is supplied to the developer storage case, the mouth and neck portion of the supply developer storage container is used. Attach an adapter with a temporary cap attached in advance. Next, the replenishment developer accommodating container with the adapter is turned upside down, and the toner ejection section of the adapter and the temporary cap attached to the toner ejection section are guided to the guide holes provided in the shield plate of the developer accommodating housing. From above. When the replenishment developer container and the adapter are slid toward the adapter guide portion from this state, the temporary cap abuts on the shoulder between the cap fitting portion and the adapter guide portion to restrict its movement, and the replenishment developer container And the adapter moves, and the adapter comes off the temporary cap. In this state, the replenishment developer storage container and the adapter are moved along the adapter guide portion of the guide hole provided with the shielding plate, so that the replenishment toner stored in the replenishment developer storage container is transferred to the toner discharge portion of the adapter. The toner can be supplied to the developer housing from a toner outlet formed at the tip. When the replenishment toner contained in the replenishment developer container is discharged to the developer container, the replenishment developer container and the adapter are moved to the cap fitting portion, and the toner discharge portion of the adapter is fitted with the cap fitting portion. Attach the temporary cap fitted to. When the temporary cap is again attached to the toner discharge section of the adapter, the toner supply operation is completed by pulling up the supply developer container and the adapter upward. When the replenishment developer container and the adapter are moving along the adapter guide, the seal means disposed over the adapter guide is elastically opened upward by the adapter. Therefore, the portion where the adapter is not located returns to the original state by the elastic force, and the sealing function is effectively exhibited.

[0010]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a developer supply device according to the present invention;
Further details will be described.

FIGS. 1 to 8 show an embodiment of a developer replenishing apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a part of a developer accommodating housing constituting the developer replenishing apparatus by cutting away. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a replenishment developer accommodating container constituting the developer replenishing device and an adapter mounted on the replenishment developer accommodating container. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a temporary cap constituting the developer replenishing device. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the temporary cap shown in FIG. 3 is attached to the adapter, and FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a positional relationship between a guide hole formed in a shield plate of the developer housing and the adapter and the temporary cap. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 5, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the developer supply device showing a toner supply state. The developer housing 2 shown in FIG. 1 includes a housing 21 formed integrally with a developing housing of a developing device mounted on an image generator (not shown) or formed of a synthetic resin mounted on the developing housing. I have it. At the lower end of the housing 21, a toner supply port 211 is provided. A toner supply roller 22 is provided in the housing 21 above the toner supply port 211.
Is driven by an appropriate driving unit (not shown), so that the toner stored in the housing 21 is supplied to a developing device (not shown).

A shielding plate 23 made of sheet metal is mounted on the upper end opening of the housing 21. The shield plate 23 is formed with a guide hole 230 extending in the longitudinal direction of the housing 21. The guide hole 230 has a cap fitting portion 231 provided at one end of the shielding plate 23 in the illustrated embodiment, and an adapter guide portion 232 formed to communicate with the cap fitting portion 231. ing. The cap fitting portion 231 is formed to have a width dimension (L1) into which a temporary cap described later can be fitted, and the adapter guide portion 232 is smaller than the width of the cap fitting portion 231 so that a toner discharging portion of an adapter described later can be inserted therethrough. It is formed in the width dimension (L2). On the upper surface of the shielding plate 23, a sealing means 24 for covering the adapter guide portion 232 of the guide hole 230 is provided. The sealing means 24 is composed of two elastically bendable synthetic resin thin plates 241 and 242 such as a polyethylene terephthalate (PETP) resin film in the illustrated embodiment. The two synthetic resin thin plates 241 and 242 are arranged side by side so that the inner edges facing each other along the adapter guide portion 232 are located on the adapter guide portion, and the outer edges are respectively formed by an adhesive or a double-sided adhesive tape. It is fixed to the shielding plate 23. In the illustrated embodiment, two synthetic resin thin plates 241 and 24 are used.
A plurality of slits 241a and 242a reaching the edge are provided at equal intervals and at positions facing each other at the inner edges facing each other. The inner edges of the two synthetic resin thin plates 241 and 242 facing each other are configured to overlap each other.

The replenishing developer container 3 shown in FIG. 2 is a toner bottle formed of a commonly used synthetic resin, and has a male screw thread formed at its mouth and neck 31.
During storage, a cap (not shown) is attached to the mouth and neck 31. The adapter 4 shown in FIG. 2 is attached to the mouth and neck 31 after removing the cap attached to the mouth and neck 31 of the replenishment developer container 3 at the time of toner supply. The adapter 4 is integrally formed of a synthetic resin. One end of the adapter 4 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a female screw thread to be screwed with the male screw thread formed on the mouth and neck portion 31 is formed on the inner surface thereof. A part 41 is formed. The other end of the adapter 4 is formed in an elliptical cylindrical shape and forms a toner discharging section 42. The toner discharging section 42 and the mounting section 41 are connected by a connecting section 43. Outer surface width (L3) of the toner discharge section 42
Is slightly smaller than the width (L2) of the adapter guide portion 232. In addition, first flanges 421, 421 are formed on the outer surface of the toner discharge section 42 at opposing positions at the front end, respectively, and are spaced apart from the first flanges 421, 421 by a predetermined distance. And second
Are formed, respectively. The first and second flanges 421, 421 and the second flange 422, which are formed on the outer surface of the toner discharging section 42 in the vertical direction in this manner,
The distance from the shield plate 422 is larger than the thickness of the shielding plate 23. The first flanges 421, 42
Outer surface width (L) of the first and second flanges 422, 422
4) is larger than the width (L2) of the adapter guide 232.

The temporary cap 5 shown in FIG.
And a skirt wall 5 hanging from the top wall 51.
And are integrally formed of a synthetic resin. The skirt wall 52 includes two side walls 521 and 522 and a rear wall 523.
And has an opening 524 at the front.
The planar shape of the temporary cap 5 is configured to correspond to the cap fitting portion 231 of the guide hole 230 provided in the shielding plate 23. Side walls 52 constituting skirt wall 52
The inner side surface width (L5) of the first and second flanges 421, 4
21 and the second flanges 422 and 422 are slightly larger than the outer surface width (L4). Both side walls 521, 5 constituting the top wall 51 and the skirt wall 52
The inclined guide surface 51a and the inclined guide surfaces 521a and 521 extending from the inner surface to the outer surface
2a are respectively formed. Side walls 5 of skirt wall 52
21 and 522, an engagement projection 52 which engages with the second flanges 422 and 422
5, 525 are provided respectively. This engagement projection 52
The inner surface widths (L6) of the adapters 5 and 525 are slightly larger than the outer surface width (L3) of the toner discharging portion 42 of the adapter 4. Slant guide surfaces 525a and 525a are formed on the top wall 51 side and the opening 524 side of the engagement protrusions 525 and 525, respectively. The temporary cap 5 configured as described above is attached to the toner discharging section 42 of the adapter 4. When mounting the temporary cap 5 on the toner discharging section 42, the temporary cap 5 is turned upside down from the state of FIG. I do. At this time, the inclined guide surface 51a formed on the top wall 51 and the inclined guide surfaces 521 formed on both side walls 521 and 522 constituting the skirt wall 52.
a and 522a guide the sliding, and the inclined projection surfaces 525a, 525a,
25a guides the engagement between the second flanges 422, 422 and the engagement protrusions 525, 525. Then, in the state shown in FIG. 4 in which the temporary cap 5 is attached to the toner discharging section 42, the temporary cap 5 is formed by engagement of the second flanges 422, 422 with the engagement protrusions 525, 525. A packing member 527 such as a sponge mounted on the inner surface of the top wall 51 is pressed against the end surface of the toner discharging section 42 to close the outlet 420 of the toner discharging section 42. Note that the temporary cap 5 is previously attached to the toner discharging section 42 of the adapter 4. Both side walls 52 of the skirt wall 52
Locking ridges 526 and 526 as stoppers are provided on the outer surfaces of the distal end portions of the first and second 522, respectively.
The outer surface width (L7) of the locking projections 526, 526 is formed to be larger than the width dimension (L1) of the cap fitting portion 231 of the guide hole 230 formed in the shielding plate 23. Therefore, when the temporary cap 5 is fitted to the cap fitting portion 231 of the guide hole 230 with the top surface wall 51 side down, the locking ridges 526 and 526 contact the upper surface of the shielding plate 23 and Is regulated. The top wall 5
The height (H1) from the outer surface of the first mounting member 1 to the contact surface of the locking ridges 526, 526 is such that the temporary cap 5 is mounted on the toner discharging portion 42 of the adapter 4 and the cap fitting portion 2 of the guide hole 230 is formed.
In a state where the shield plate 23 is fitted to the first flange 31, the shield plate 23 is located between the first flanges 421, 421 and the second flanges 422, 422 provided on the toner discharging portion 42 of the adapter 4. It is configured as follows.

The developer supply device according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 is constructed as described above, and its operation will be described below. When the toner accommodated in the developer accommodating housing 21 is consumed and toner for replenishment is supplied to the developer accommodating housing 21, the cap attached to the mouth and neck portion 31 of the replenishing developer accommodating container 3 is removed. Then, the adapter 4 to which the temporary cap 5 is previously attached as described above is attached to the mouth and neck part 31. The mounting of the adapter 4 can be achieved by screwing a female screw thread formed on the mounting portion 41 of the adapter 4 to a male screw thread formed on the mouth and neck portion 31 of the replenishment developer container 3.
In this manner, the replenishment developer container 3 with the adapter 4 attached is turned upside down, and the toner discharging section 4 of the adapter 4 is turned upside down.
2 and a temporary cap 5 attached to the toner discharge section 42
5 is fitted from above into a cap fitting portion 231 of a guide hole 230 provided in the shielding plate 23 of the developer accommodating case 2 as shown in FIG. At this time, the opening 52 of the temporary cap 5
4 is fitted with the adapter guide 232 side. This state is as shown in FIG.
As described above, when the toner discharging portion 42 and the temporary cap 5 of the adapter 4 are fitted to the cap fitting portion 231 of the guide hole 230 provided in the shielding plate 23, the locking ridges 52 are provided.
6 and 526 are in contact with the upper surface of the shielding plate 23 and the temporary cap 5
Of the shield plate 23 forming the cap fitting portion 231 is positioned opposite to the edge of the shield plate 23. Then, a position between the first flanges 421, 421 and the second flanges 422, 422 provided on the toner discharging portion 42 of the adapter 4 is positioned at a position facing the shielding plate 23. When the replenishment developer container 3 and the adapter 4 are slid rightward in FIG. 5 from this state, the temporary cap 5 comes into contact with the shoulder 233 of the cap fitting portion 231 and the adapter guide portion 232, and the movement is performed. As a result, the supply developer container 3 and the adapter 4 move rightward in FIG. At this time, the first flanges 421 and 421 and the second flanges 422 and 42 provided on the toner discharging portion 42 of the adapter 4 are provided.
An edge forming the adapter guide portion 232 of the shielding plate 23 is fitted between the two. Accordingly, the replenishment developer container 3 and the adapter 4 are moved along the edge forming the adapter guide portion 232 of the shielding plate 23 while the movement in the vertical direction is restricted. Then, the adapter 4 is detached from the temporary cap 5 at the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. This state is as shown in FIG.

As described above, when the adapter 4 is detached from the temporary cap 5, the supply developer container 3 and the adapter 4 are moved along the adapter guide portion 232 of the guide hole 230 provided in the shielding plate 23, The replenishment toner stored in the replenishment developer container 3 can be supplied to the developer container 2 from a toner outlet 420 formed at the tip of the toner discharge part 42 of the adapter 4. When the supply developer container 3 and the adapter 4 are moved, the adapter guide portion 2 of the guide hole 230 provided with the shielding plate 23 is moved.
The two thin synthetic resin plates 241 and 242 constituting the sealing means 24 covering the opening 32 are opened while being pushed up by the toner discharge section 42 of the adapter 4 moving the adapter guide section 232 as shown in FIGS. , The inner end of which contacts the connecting portion 43 of the adapter 4. In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of slits 2 reaching the edges are provided at the inner edges of the two synthetic resin thin plates 241 and 242.
Since each of the slits 41a and 242a is provided, only the slit where the adapter 4 is located is elastically deformed and expanded, and the other parts are returned to the original state, so that the opening is made as small as possible. Can be. Therefore, the scattering of the toner that has fallen and sowed into the developer housing 2 can be suppressed as much as possible. Further, 2 constituting the sealing means 24
Since the thin plates 241 and 242 are made of synthetic resin and have a small coefficient of friction, the frictional resistance when the replenishment developer container 3 and the adapter 4 are moved is small. The adapter 4 can be moved smoothly.

As described above, the supply developer container 3
When the replenished toner stored in the container is discharged into the developer housing 2, the replenished developer container 3 and the adapter 4 are moved to the position shown in FIG.
, The temporary cap 5 fitted to the cap fitting portion 231 is attached to the toner discharging portion 42 of the adapter 4. When the temporary cap 5 is attached again to the toner discharging section 42 of the adapter 4, the toner supply operation is completed by lifting the supply developer container 3 and the adapter 4 upward. Thus, the supply developer container 3
The adapter 4 cannot be pulled up above the shielding plate 23 except for the cap fitting portion 231 of the guide hole 230. When the adapter 4 is returned to the cap fitting portion 231, Since the temporary cap 5 is attached, there is no fear that the residual toner overflows on the shielding plate 23 even if the residual toner is present in the replenishment developer container 3. Although the cap fitting portion 231 constituting the guide hole 230 provided in the shielding plate 23 is not provided with a sealing means, the provisional cap 5 is fitted at the time of toner replenishment. The toner dropped into the housing 2 and sowed up does not scatter through the cap fitting portion 231.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show another embodiment of the developer supply device constructed according to the present invention. In this embodiment, two sealing members 61 and 62 made of elastically bendable thin plates are mounted above the synthetic resin thin plates 241 and 242 in the embodiment of FIGS. The seal members 61 and 62 may be made of a synthetic resin thin plate such as the same polyethylene terephthalate (PETP) resin film as the synthetic resin thin plates 241 and 242, or may be made of a rubber material. The seal members 61 and 62 are formed to have substantially the same size as the synthetic resin thin plates 241 and 242, and their outer edges are fixed to the upper surfaces of the synthetic resin thin plates 241 and 242 by an adhesive or a double-sided adhesive tape. Since the synthetic resin thin plates 241 and 242 are provided with the plurality of slits 241a and 242a, the toner easily adheres to the slits and the portions where they are overlapped with each other. Smear clothing. However, in this embodiment, the synthetic resin thin plate 2
Since seal members 61 and 62 are provided on the upper surfaces of 41 and 242, synthetic resin thin plates 241 and 242
Since the toner or the clothing of the toner replenisher does not touch the toner attached to the slits 241a and 242a formed in the toner, the contamination by the toner can be prevented.

FIGS. 11 to 13 show still another embodiment of the developer supply device constructed according to the present invention. The present embodiment is different from the above embodiments in that the temporary cap 5 is attached to the spout 42 of the adapter 4 in the opening 524.
A guide projection 423 having an inclined surface that converges forward is provided on the end face facing the side. Further, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the two synthetic resin thin plates 241 and 242 constituting the sealing means 24 are not provided with slits. As described above, the adapter 4 according to the present embodiment has the guide projection 42 on the end face of the spouting part 42 facing the opening 524 in a state where the temporary cap 5 is attached to the spouting part 42.
When the adapter 4 moves from the state where the adapter 4 is positioned in the cap fitting portion 231 of the guide hole 230 formed in the shielding plate 23 to the adapter guide portion 232, the guide protrusion 423 causes the sealing means 24 to move. The constituent two synthetic resin thin plates 241 and 242 can be easily pushed out, and the movement of the supply developer container 3 and the adapter 4 can be smoothly performed.

[0020]

The developer replenishing apparatus according to the present invention is constructed as described above, and a temporary cap is mounted on the spout of the adapter mounted on the mouth and neck of the replenishment developer container. The replenishment developer container with the attached is turned upside down, and the toner ejection section of the adapter and the temporary cap attached to the toner ejection section are fitted into the cap of the guide hole provided in the shield plate of the developer accommodation case. When the replenishment developer container and the adapter are slid toward the adapter guide from this state, the temporary cap abuts the shoulder between the cap fitting portion and the adapter guide, and the temporary cap moves. Regulated,
Further, when the replenishment developer container and the adapter move, the adapter is detached from the temporary cap, so that it is possible to prevent toner overflow when the replenishment developer container is set. A sealing means is provided on the upper surface of the shielding plate so as to cover the adapter guide portion of the guide hole and to be elastically opened by the adapter moving along the adapter guide portion. In this case, it is possible to prevent toner from scattering from the adapter guide section. In addition, although a sealing means is not provided in a cap fitting portion constituting a guide hole provided in the shielding plate, a temporary cap is fitted when toner is supplied, so that the temporary cap is dropped into the developer accommodating housing when toner is supplied. The so-toned toner does not scatter through the cap fitting portion. Further, if the replenishment developer container and the adapter are returned to the cap fitting portion at the end of the toner replenishment, a temporary cap is attached to the toner discharge portion of the adapter. When removing the toner from the container, there is no fear that the residual toner overflows on the shielding plate even if the residual toner exists in the replenishment developer container.

Further, according to the present invention, since the two thin plates constituting the sealing means are made of a synthetic resin and have a small coefficient of friction, the friction when moving the replenishment developer container and the adapter is reduced. The resistance is small, so that the replenishment developer container 3 and the adapter 4 can be moved smoothly. Furthermore, since a plurality of slits reaching the edges are provided at the inner edges of the two synthetic resin thin plates, only the slits where the adapter is located are elastically deformed and pushed apart, and other portions are expanded. Is returned to the original state, so that the opening can be made as small as possible. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the scattering of the toner that has fallen and sowed into the developer accommodating housing. Further, according to the present invention, the sealing means comprises two sealing members made of an elastically bendable thin plate material respectively disposed on the upper surface of the two synthetic resin thin plates provided with the plurality of slits. Therefore, since the toner or the clothes of the toner replenisher do not touch the toner attached to the slit formed in the thin synthetic resin sheet, it is possible to prevent the toner from being stained beforehand.

Further, according to the present invention, the adapter includes:
First and second flanges formed at predetermined intervals vertically above and below the outer surface of the spouting portion, and the spouting portion extends along the adapter guide portion of the guide hole. Since the edge of the shield plate forming the adapter guide portion when moving is fitted between the first and second flanges, the replenishment developer container and the adapter are provided with the guide at the time of toner supply. The portion other than the cap fitting portion of the hole cannot be pulled up above the shielding plate. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the toner from being scattered due to slipping out of the replenishment developer container and the adapter guide hole during toner replenishment.

According to the present invention, the adapter is
The spout has a guide projection on the end face of the spout facing the opening side in a state where the spout is attached to the temporary cap, so that the adapter can be inserted into the cap fitting portion of the guide hole formed in the shielding plate. When moving from the positioned state to the adapter guide section, the guide projection can easily push and spread the sealing means, and the movement of the replenishment developer container 3 and the adapter can be facilitated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a developer accommodating housing constituting a developer supply device according to the present invention, with a part thereof cut away.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a replenishment developer accommodating container constituting the developer replenishing device according to the present invention and an adapter mounted on the replenishment developer accommodating container.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a temporary cap constituting the developer supply device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a state where the temporary cap shown in FIG. 3 is attached to the adapter shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a positional relationship between a guide hole formed in a developer accommodating housing shielding plate shown in FIG. 1, an adapter, and a temporary cap.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 5;

8 is a perspective view illustrating a toner supply state of a developer supply device including the developer storage case of FIG. 1, the supply developer storage container and the adapter of FIG. 2, and the temporary cap of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the developer supply device according to the present invention, showing a toner supply state.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a main part of the developer supply device of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the developer supply device according to the present invention, and showing a toner supply state.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a toner supply state of the developer supply device of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of a main part of the developer supply device of FIG. 11;

[Explanation of symbols]

 2: developer housing 3: supply developer storage container 4: adapter 5: temporary cap 21: storage housing 22: toner supply roller 23: shielding plate 24: sealing means 31: mouth and neck of the supply developer storage container 41 : Adapter mounting part 42: Adapter toner discharging part 43: Adapter connecting part 51: Temporary cap top wall 52: Temporary cap skirt wall 53: Temporary cap rear wall 54: Temporary cap opening 61: Seal member 62: Seal member 211: Toner supply port 241: Synthetic resin thin plate 242: Synthetic resin thin plate 241a: Slit 242a: Slit 230: Guide hole 231: Cap fitting portion 232: Adapter guide portion 420: Toner outlet 421 : First flange 422: second flange 525: engaging projection 526: locking projection 527: packing member

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-3-180874 (JP, A) JP-A-60-91371 (JP, A) JP-A-60-151669 (JP, A) JP-A-61-55672 (JP) , A) Japanese Utility Model Showa 60-49557 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 15/08

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A container for storing a developer to be supplied to a developing device.
And a replenisher for replenishing the developer container.
A replenishment developer storage container containing a developer, and the replenishment developer
A mounting part detachably mounted on the mouth and neck of the storage container and the mounting part
Has a spout that is formed connected to the attachment part and discharges the developer
An adapter provided with a discharging portion,
A temporary cap that is detachably mounted and closes the spout.
The developer accommodating housing comprises a shielding plate for covering an upper part thereof;
Has a cap formed at one end to which the temporary cap fits
The temporary cap is formed in communication with the fitting portion and the cap fitting portion.
The outlet of the adapter is smaller than the outer surface width of the
Guide hole with an adapter guide part
Is provided,The adapter is located at a position opposite to the outer surface of the spout.
First and second formed at predetermined intervals above and below
A flange, wherein the spout is provided in the guide hole of the adapter guide.
Forming the adapter guide when moving along the
An edge of the shield fits between the first and second flanges
It is configured to  The temporary cap is suspended from the top wall and the outer peripheral edge of the top wall.
Formed skirt wall, the skirt wall comprising side walls
And a rear wall formed at the front part of the adapter
Is provided with an opening through which the adapter guide portion of the guide hole can be covered on the upper surface of the shielding plate.
The adapter that moves along the adapter guide
A sealing means configured to be sexually open
A developer replenishing device. 2. The sealing means comprises an elastically bendable two-piece.
Two synthetic resin thin plates, the two synthetic resin thin plates are arranged side by side such that their inner edges facing each other are located on the adapter guide portion, and the outer edges of the two synthetic resin thin plates are each formed of the shielding plate. The developer supply device according to claim 1, wherein the developer supply device is fixed to the developer supply device. 3. The developer replenishing device according to claim 2, wherein the two synthetic resin thin plates constituting the sealing means are provided with a plurality of slits each reaching an end edge at an opposing inner edge. 4. The sealing means comprises two sealing members made of a resiliently bendable thin plate material respectively provided on the upper surfaces of the two synthetic resin thin plates, and wherein the two sealing members are provided. The developer replenishing device according to claim 3, wherein each of the outer peripheral portions is fixed. 5. The developer according to claim 1, wherein the adapter is provided with a guide projection on an end face of the spout facing the opening when the adapter is attached to the spout. Replenishment device.