JP3658077B2 - Toner supply container, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a toner supply container, a process cartridge to which toner is supplied from the toner supply container, and an image forming apparatus to which the process cartridge can be attached and detached.
[0002]
Examples of the image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, an LED printer, a laser beam printer, etc.), an electrophotographic facsimile apparatus, and an electrophotographic word processor.
[0003]
Further, as the process cartridge, a charging unit, a developing unit or a cleaning unit and an electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body, and a charging unit, At least one of the developing means and the cleaning means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrated into a cartridge so as to be detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and at least the developing means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrated. A cartridge that is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus.
[0004]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image forming process, the electrophotographic photosensitive member and the process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. The process cartridge method is adopted. According to this process cartridge, since the user can perform maintenance of the apparatus by himself / herself without depending on the service person, the operability can be remarkably improved. Therefore, this process cartridge system is widely used in image forming apparatuses.
[0005]
On the other hand, in this process cartridge system, a process cartridge capable of supplying toner is known (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 03-56474, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 02-186375, etc.).
[0006]
Japanese Patent Publication No. 03-56474 describes a process cartridge that allows an operator to recognize the number of toner replenishments.
[0007]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 02-186375 discloses a process cartridge in which a plurality of toner supply containers can be inserted into the space of the process cartridge.
[0008]
There has also been proposed a method for replenishing toner by placing a bag containing toner in a toner hopper of a process cartridge (US Pat. Nos. 5,337,126 and 5,392,963).
[0009]
Any of the above-described conventional techniques is very effective in a process cartridge that can supply toner.
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention is a further development of the aforementioned prior art.
[0011]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a toner replenishing container in which a toner replenishing container can be easily attached and detached and a plurality of toner replenishing containers can be compactly mounted in a process cartridge for replenishing toner from a plurality of toner replenishing containers. And a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus including the process cartridge.
[0012]
Another object of the present invention is a process cartridge for replenishing toner from a plurality of toner replenishing containers, wherein the toner replenishing container is a toner replenishing container with good opening and toner discharging properties of a bag body containing toner, And a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus including the process cartridge.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  The above object is achieved by a toner supply container, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus including the process cartridge according to the present invention. In summary, the present inventionRemovable to the image forming deviceProcess cartridgeOn the other hand, the process cartridge is inserted into a predetermined position in the process cartridge.In a toner supply container for supplying toner to the toner storage portion of
  An opening member for discharging the toner is provided,A bag body for storing toner;
  Two guide plates are arranged opposite to each other so that the distance on the other end side is larger than the distance on one end side between the guide plates, and the opening portion provided with the opening member is located on the other end side. A guide plate unit for holding the bag body,
Have
  After replenishing tonerAs the new toner supply container is inserted into the predetermined position, the toner supply container that has already been replenished with toner is placed in the toner storage section with the bag body compressed.A toner supply container that is held.
[0014]
  The bag body is made of film and placed inside itSaidA toner supply container for tearing and opening the bag body by pulling an opening member, wherein the tear opening portion of the bag body is at the bottom of the bag body, and after opening, the bottom is fully opened. . The opening member is preferably a thread or a tape.
[0015]
The film preferably has at least one uniaxially stretched layer, and the stretching direction is the same as the tearing and unsealing direction by the unsealing member. According to another aspect, the tear opening portion of the film is preferably subjected to a laser cut processing. According to another aspect, it is preferable that the bottom portion of the bag body is substantially rectangular.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a process cartridge, and a toner supply container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
  First, figure15~ Figure22An embodiment of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus to which a process cartridge constructed according to the present invention can be attached will be described.
[0018]
As an order of description, the schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus and the process cartridge will be described, and then the housing of the process cartridge will be described.
[0019]
  {overall structure}
  This image forming apparatus A is15And figure16As shown in FIG. 1, the optical unit 1 has an optical unit 1 that scans the light from the laser light source emitted according to the image information with the rotating polygon mirror 1a and irradiates the light through the lens 1b and the reflecting mirror 1c. Then, a light image based on the image information is irradiated to form a latent image on the photosensitive drum 7 which is an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and the toner is developed by the developing means 9 to form a toner image.
[0020]
In synchronization with the formation of the toner image, the recording medium 2 is reversed and conveyed from the paper feed cassette 3a by the conveying means 3 including the pickup roller 3b, the conveying roller pairs 3c and 3d, the registration roller pair 3e, and the like, and the process cartridge B is a cartridge. In the converted image forming unit, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 7 is transferred to the recording medium 2 by applying a voltage to the transfer roller 4 as a transfer unit.
[0021]
Further, the recording medium 2 after transferring the toner image is guided to a fixing member 5 including a fixing roller 5b having a built-in heater 5a and a driving roller 5c that presses and conveys the recording medium 2 to the roller 5b while guiding the recording medium 2 with a guide member 3f. Then, the transferred toner image is fixed on the recording medium 2. The recording medium 2 is conveyed by the discharge roller pairs 3g, 3h, and 3i, and discharged to the discharge unit 6 through the reverse path 3j. With respect to the discharge, it is also possible to operate the swingable flapper 3k and discharge directly by the discharge roller pair 3m without going through the reverse conveyance path 3j.
[0022]
  On the other hand, the process cartridge B constituting the image forming unit is17And figure18As shown in FIG. 1, the photosensitive drum 7 having the photosensitive layer is rotated, and the surface thereof is uniformly charged by applying a voltage to the charging roller 8 as a charging unit, and the optical image from the optical unit 1 is passed through the exposure unit. Then, the photosensitive drum 7 is exposed to form a latent image and developed by the developing means 9.
[0023]
The developing means 9 feeds the toner in the toner storage portion 9a by the toner feeding member 9b, rotates the developing roller 9c with a built-in fixed magnet, and also applies the toner layer to which the triboelectric charge is applied by the developing blade 9d to the developing roller 9c. A toner image is formed on the surface and transferred to the photosensitive drum 7 in accordance with the latent image to form a visible image.
[0024]
After the toner image is transferred to the recording medium 2 by applying a voltage having a reverse polarity to the toner image to the transfer roller 4, the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 7 is scraped off by the cleaning blade 10a and collected in the waste toner reservoir 10b. Residual toner on the photosensitive drum 7 is removed by the cleaning means 10 to prepare for the next step.
[0025]
Each component such as the photoconductive drum 7 is housed in a housing in which the toner container 11 and the developing frame 12 are coupled, and the cleaning frame 13 is coupled to the toner container 11. Is detachably mounted on a cartridge mounting means provided in the apparatus main body 14.
[0026]
  When the opening / closing member 15 is opened, the cartridge mounting means19And figure20As shown in FIG. 3, a cartridge mounting space is provided, and a cartridge mounting member 16 is attached to the left and right inner surfaces of the apparatus main body 14, and a guide portion 16 a for inserting the process cartridge B is opposed to the left and right guide members 16. It is provided. The process cartridge B is inserted into the image forming apparatus A by inserting the process cartridge B along the guide portion 16 a and closing the opening / closing member 15.
[0027]
{Housing configuration}
As described above, the process cartridge B according to this embodiment forms a housing by combining the toner container 11, the developing device frame 12, and the cleaning frame 13, and the configuration will be described next.
[0028]
  Figure17As shown, the toner container 11 is provided with a toner storage portion 9a and a toner feeding member 9b. Further, a developing roller 9c and a developing blade 9d are attached to the developing frame 12, and a stirring member 9e for circulating toner in the developing chamber is rotatably attached in the vicinity of the developing roller 9c. The toner container 11 and the developing frame 12 are welded to form an integral developing unit.
[0029]
The cleaning frame 13 is provided with members of the photosensitive drum 7, the charging roller 8 and the cleaning means 10. Further, when the process cartridge B is removed from the apparatus main body 14, the photosensitive drum 7 is covered and protected. A shutter member 18 is attached to constitute a cleaning unit.
[0030]
  Then, the process cartridge B is configured by coupling the developing unit and the cleaning unit. For this purpose, a cover member (not shown) for rotatably supporting both ends of the developing roller 9c is attached to both sides in the longitudinal direction of the developing frame 12, and at the tip of the arm portion 19 formed on the cover member, Figure21, 22As shown in FIG.21, 22Is only shown on one side).
[0031]
On the other hand, at two locations on both sides of the cleaning frame 13 in the longitudinal direction, recesses 21 for positioning and locking the rotation shaft 20 are provided. By inserting the rotation shaft 20 into the recess 21 and screwing the coupling member 22 having the projection 22 a to the cleaning frame 13, the developing unit and the cleaning unit are coupled so as to be rotatable around the rotation shaft 20. Then, the developing roller 9c is pressed against the photosensitive drum 7 by the weight of the developing unit.
[0032]
At this time, the developing frame 12 is urged downward by the compression spring 22 b attached to the coupling member 22, thereby reliably pressing the developing roller 9 c against the photosensitive drum 7. Accordingly, spacer rings (not shown) are attached to both ends of the developing roller 9c in the longitudinal direction, whereby the rings are pressed against the photosensitive drum 7, and the photosensitive drum 7 and the developing roller 9c face each other at a constant interval.
[0033]
  The figure18As shown in FIG. 4, the process cartridge B is provided with a lid member 44 for opening and closing the opening, and the lid member 44 is provided with a gripping portion 50 for facilitating the opening and closing operation at a substantially central portion. Yes.
[0034]
In addition, a locking means 52 for locking the lid member 44 is provided in the vicinity of the grip portion 50 when the lid member 44 is closed, and the lock is released by rotating diagonally upward to the right in the figure. This allows the lid member 44 to be opened.
[0035]
Further, guides 54 and 56 for mounting on the image forming apparatus main body are provided on the side of the process cartridge B.
[0036]
Example 1
Next, Embodiment 1 of the toner supply container C attached to the process cartridge B according to the present invention will be described.
[0037]
As shown in FIG. 1, the toner replenishing container C includes a film 23 that forms a bag body that contains toner, a thread 24 as an opening member of the bag body, an upper guide plate 25a that is a holding means for the bag body, A guide plate unit 25 including a guide plate 25b is provided.
[0038]
Next, the procedure for assembling the toner supply container of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the rectangular film 23 is folded in half, and the straight bent portion is used as a tearing portion 26, and the opening thread 24 is sandwiched between the films 23.
[0039]
And as shown in FIG. 4, the both ends orthogonal to the bending part of the film 23 are heat-welded, the heat-welding part 27 is formed, and it seals. At this time, the opening thread 24 is also welded together so that the toner does not leak from the periphery of the thread. Incidentally, the width of the heat welding part 27 was set to W = 5 mm. As the material of the film 23, stretched foamed polypropylene and EVA sealant were used, and the stretched direction of the stretched foamed polypropylene layer was the same as the straight portion of the tearing portion 26 in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
[0040]
This film 23 forms the bag body 28, has a strength sufficient for satisfying physical distribution, environmental tests, etc. as a container, and has a tearing performance for realizing good ease of opening. is required. In this example, in order to provide this tearing performance, a stretched foamed polypropylene layer was provided on the film 23 to realize good ease of opening.
[0041]
In addition, the sealant layer, which is the inner layer when forming the bag body, is welded by heat welding, and it is necessary to maintain the sealing performance as a bag. However, since the sealant layers are heat-sealed, high sealing performance can be expected. .
[0042]
For the yarn 24 as the opening member, φ0.2 mm nylon yarn was used. Since the opening member is heat-welded together with the film 23 and strength sufficient not to be cut or stretched at the time of opening, heat resistance is necessary. In addition, the material of the film 23 and the opening thread 24 used in the present embodiment may be anything as long as the above-described conditions are satisfied. In particular, in this embodiment, a thread is used as the opening member, but the same applies to the thickness and width of the thread. Further, in addition to the thread, a tape-shaped member having a width may be used.
[0043]
Next, the toner is filled from the opening 23a of the bag main body 28, which is the opposite portion of the bent portion 26, and sealed by heat welding. As shown in FIG. 1, the bag body 28 is attached and fixed to a guide plate unit 25 having a substantially triangular cross section to obtain a toner supply container C having a substantially triangular prism shape as shown in FIG. The purpose of the guide plate unit 25 is to protect the bag body 28, attach it to the process cartridge B, move it within the process cartridge B, and further perform compression.
[0044]
Therefore, it is necessary to have rigidity to enable the bag body protection, movement in the process cartridge, and compression to be performed smoothly. As materials, polystyrene, polycarbonate, ABS and other plastic resins, aluminum and other metals, Although a wooden board etc. can be considered, in the present Example, polystyrene was used. A description of the mechanism for moving and compressing the guide plate unit is omitted.
[0045]
Next, the toner replenishing operation to the process cartridge by the toner replenishing container configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0046]
As shown in FIG. 5, the opening located at the upper part of the toner storage portion 9a of the process cartridge B can be opened and closed by a lid member 44 as an opening / closing member. This opening is normally sealed by a lid member 44 and is opened when toner is replenished.
[0047]
At the time of toner replenishment, as shown in FIG. 6, the lid member 44 is opened, and a substantially triangular prism-shaped toner supply container C is loaded in the vicinity of the inlet of the toner storage portion 9a so as to draw an arc centering on the apex P thereof. At this time, the guide plate unit 25 of the toner replenishing container C and a guide (not shown) in the process cartridge B restrict the movement of the toner replenishing container C and perform sealing to suppress toner scattering.
[0048]
Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the toner supply container C is moved to a predetermined position by closing the lid member 44. At this time, the extension free end of the unsealing thread 24 is folded back and taken out of the process cartridge B in advance. Next, the toner supply container C is opened. The opening operation is as follows.
[0049]
When the extension free end of the opening thread 24 that has been taken out of the process cartridge in advance is pulled, the film 23 of the tear opening part 26 is torn linearly, and an opening is formed at the bottom of the bag body. Then, the toner is discharged from the bag body 28 and replenished to the toner storage portion 9a.
[0050]
The opening yarn 24 is taken out of the process cartridge B after tearing the film 23, but it is necessary that the end of the yarn 24 is fixed at the welding portion 27 during opening. Otherwise, only the thread 24 will come off and the film 23 cannot be torn. If securely fixed, as shown in FIG. 7, after the opening with the yarn is completed, the bottom of the bag body 28 is fully opened, and the toner in the bag body 28 is surely discharged completely. Become. What is important here is that the angle α between the opening, that is, the folding portion 26 and the heat welding portion 27 is set to 90 ° or less as shown in FIG. 4 in order to ensure toner discharge. This is because when the angle α is 90 ° or more, there is a possibility that a dead space is formed in the opening and the toner is caught and collected. In this embodiment, α = 90 °.
[0051]
Next, after the toner replenished in the first toner replenishing container C is consumed, an operation for replenishing toner in the next toner replenishing container will be described.
[0052]
A new toner supply container D is loaded into the toner storage portion 9a of the process cartridge 9 in exactly the same procedure as the first toner supply container C.
[0053]
At the time of loading, as shown in FIG. 8, the used toner supply container C is pushed by the second toner supply container D so that the surfaces of the guide plates 25a and 25b of the guide plate unit 25 are aligned. While being compressed, the toner is transported and held behind the toner storage portion 9a. At this time, the bag body 28 sandwiched between the guide plate units 25 is compressed with almost no resistance, and is folded to a state that is almost the thickness of the guide plates 25a and 25b. The toner replenishing container D is also opened in the same manner as the toner replenishing container C mounted earlier, and a toner replenishing operation is performed.
[0054]
Thereafter, in the same manner, new toner replenishing containers E and F were mounted to perform toner replenishment, and a maximum of four can be mounted as shown in FIG.
[0055]
According to this embodiment, since it is not necessary to discard the toner supply container when supplying the toner, there is almost no contamination due to scattering of the toner, and the operability is good.
[0056]
In this embodiment, the shape of the container itself is a substantially triangular prism, and the process cartridge is mounted and moved so as to draw an arc. However, on the assumption that operability is maintained and improved, the form of the present invention is The present invention is not limited to the examples.
[0057]
Further, when 500 g of toner was filled in the toner replenishing container of this example and toner was replenished, the strength at the time of opening was about 1 to 2 kgf, and the toner could be easily opened and replenished. Further, it is not necessary to take out the toner replenishing container after replenishing the toner simply by attaching the toner replenishing container, and therefore, there is no contamination with toner. Further, according to the use of toner, the second, third, and fourth toner replenishing containers were attached and the toner was replenished. However, no abnormality was observed. In addition, 1000 containers were manufactured and subjected to physical distribution and environmental tests, but no abnormality was found.
[0058]
Example 2
Next, a second embodiment of the toner supply container according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The toner supply container of this example is almost the same as that of Example 1 except that a film subjected to laser cutting processing is used.
[0059]
In this embodiment, for the purpose of improving the tearability of the film 23A, a half-cut process using a laser is performed in advance on the linear tearing portion. Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG.₁ Aluminum layer 23A₂ , Polyester 23A_Three , Sealant 23A_Four Polyester A using a film having a layer structure of_Three And sealant layer 23A_Four Laser processing was performed to provide a V-shaped groove 16A. Incidentally, in this embodiment, a carbon dioxide laser was used.
[0060]
The V-shaped groove 16A, which is the laser machined portion in the figure, is drawn polypropylene 23A.₁ Aluminum layer 23A₂ Therefore, it can be easily torn and opened with an opening thread.
[0061]
Except for forming the bag body using the above film, the assembly, unsealing, replenishment, etc. are all the same as in Example 1.
[0062]
The toner replenishing container of this example was also subjected to an opening and replenishment test. As in Example 1, the strength at the time of opening was about 1 to 2 kgf, and no abnormality was observed. Four toner supply containers were attached to the process cartridge, but there was no particular problem. In addition, logistics and environmental tests were conducted, but there were no problems.
[0063]
Example 3
Next, a third embodiment of the toner supply container according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The toner supply container of the present embodiment is characterized in that it has a box shape in which the bottom portion of the bag body is formed in a substantially square shape in order to increase the effective volume of toner storage compared to the first embodiment.
[0064]
A procedure for assembling the toner supply container of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 12, the film 23 used in Example 1 is sealed with a heat-welded portion 27 to form a loop, and central portions 23a corresponding to both side surfaces of the bag main body 28A are woven inward. The bottom 23b is sealed by heat welding, and then folded back and fixed. At this time, the opening yarn 24 is arranged in the folded portion 23c. Further, the film is stretched in the direction indicated by the arrow in the drawing, and is assembled so as to be the same as the opening direction by the yarn.
[0065]
The heat welding of the container bottom portion 23b is firmly welded to prevent toner leakage, and the folded portion 23c only needs to be fixed to the extent that the unsealing thread 24 does not come off at the time of opening. Fixed with adhesive tape. It is also necessary to fix the end 24b of the unsealing thread 24 so that only the thread does not come off during unsealing.
[0066]
Then, the folded portions 23a on both sides are extended so as to widen the bag body 28A to form a box-shaped container having a substantially rectangular bottom surface, and after the toner is filled from the remaining upper opening 23d, heat welding is performed. Seal with. It is a so-called square bottom gusset bag shape.
[0067]
As described above, the toner supply container of the present embodiment forms a box shape having a substantially square bottom surface and side surfaces, and can increase the effective volume for containing toner.
[0068]
As shown in FIG. 11, the bag main body 28A is mounted and fixed to a guide plate unit 25 having a substantially triangular cross section made up of guide plates 25a and 25b, thereby obtaining a toner supply container G having a substantially triangular prism shape. As shown in FIG. 13, the bag body 28 </ b> A in the toner supply container G can have a shape that matches the triangular shape of the guide plate unit 25. Therefore, the toner filling amount can be increased.
[0069]
Further, when the film 23 is torn by pulling the opening thread 24 at the time of opening, the folded portion 23c at the bottom is opened and stretched, and the bottom of the bag body 28A is fully opened as shown in FIG. It is.
[0070]
The rest of the process cartridge mounting, unsealing, replenishment operation, and the like are substantially the same as in the first embodiment.
[0071]
The toner replenishing container of this example was filled with 500 g of toner and subjected to an opening and replenishment test. The result was the same as that of Example 1. The results for logistics and environmental tests were the same, and there were no abnormalities.
[0079]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, in the process cartridge for replenishing toner from a plurality of toner replenishing containers, it is easy to mount the toner replenishing container, and compact mounting of a large number of toner replenishing containers is possible. And a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus including the process cartridge can be provided.
[0080]
Further, in a process cartridge for replenishing toner from a plurality of toner replenishing containers, a toner replenishing container, a toner replenishing container having good unsealing property and toner discharging property of a bag body containing toner, and a process cartridge, and the process cartridge Can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of a toner supply container according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the toner supply container of FIG.
3 is an explanatory diagram of an assembling procedure of the toner supply container of FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an assembly procedure subsequent to FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a process cartridge to which the toner supply container of FIG. 1 is attached.
6 is an explanatory view showing a state where the toner supply container of FIG. 1 is loaded into a process cartridge. FIG.
7 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which toner is supplied from a toner supply container in FIG. 1 to a process cartridge.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a second toner supply container is mounted on a process cartridge.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which a fourth toner supply container is mounted on a process cartridge.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a film of a toner supply container according to a second exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a toner supply container according to a third exemplary embodiment.
12 is an explanatory view showing a procedure for assembling the bag body of the toner supply container of FIG.
13 is a cross-sectional view of the toner supply container of FIG.
14 is an explanatory view showing a state in which toner is supplied from the toner supply container of FIG. 11 to the process cartridge.
[Figure15FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus to which a process cartridge according to the present invention is mounted.
[Figure16] Figure15FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus as viewed from the outside.
[Figure17] Figure152 is a configuration diagram showing a process cartridge mounted on the image forming apparatus of FIG.
[Figure18] Figure17FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the process cartridge as viewed from the outside.
[Figure19] Figure182 is a perspective view showing a mounting portion of an image forming apparatus main body on which the process cartridge is mounted. FIG.
[Figure20] Figure18Figure shows the mounting part of the main body of the image forming apparatus to which the process cartridge is mounted19It is the perspective view seen from a different direction.
[Figure21] Figure18It is explanatory drawing which shows the mounting member of this process cartridge.
[Figure22] Figure21It is sectional drawing which shows the mounting member.
[Explanation of symbols]
  9a Toner storage
  16A tearing part
  23, 23A film
  24 Yarn for opening (member for opening)
  25 Guide plate unit
  28, 28A Bag body
  44 Lid member (opening / closing member)
  A Image forming apparatus
  B Process cartridge
  C, D, E, F, G Toner supply container

Claims (19)

In a toner replenishing container that replenishes toner in a toner storage portion of the process cartridge by inserting the process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body into a predetermined position in the process cartridge .
An opening member for discharging the toner, and a bag body for storing the toner;
Two guide plates are arranged opposite to each other so that the distance on the other end side is larger than the distance on one end side between the guide plates, and the opening portion provided with the opening member is located on the other end side. A guide plate unit for holding the bag body,
Have
After toner replenishment, the toner replenishment container that has already been replenished with the operation of inserting a new toner replenishment container into the predetermined position is held in the toner storage portion with the bag body compressed. A toner supply container. Said bag body is produced by the film, by pulling the unsealing member disposed therein, a toner supply container for unsealing tearing the bag body, the tear-open portion of the bag body of the bag body The toner replenishing container according to claim 1, wherein the toner replenishing container is at the bottom and is fully opened after opening.   3. The toner supply container according to claim 2, wherein the opening member is a thread or a tape.   3. The toner supply container according to claim 2, wherein the film has at least one uniaxially stretched layer, and the stretching direction is the same as the tearing and unsealing direction by the unsealing member.   3. The toner replenishing container according to claim 2, wherein the tear opening portion of the film is subjected to a laser cutting process.   The toner replenishing container according to claim 2, wherein the bottom of the bag body is substantially square. In a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body and can supply toner by inserting a toner supply container into a predetermined position in the process cartridge,
An electrophotographic photosensitive member; process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member; toner containing means for containing toner used to develop a latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member; and the toner containing means An openable / closable member that is open to supply toner to the toner storage means.
The toner supply container is
An opening member for discharging the toner, and a bag body for storing the toner;
Two guide plates are arranged opposite to each other so that the distance on the other end side is larger than the distance on one end side between the guide plates, and the opening portion provided with the opening member is located on the other end side. A guide plate unit for holding the bag body,
The toner replenishing container that has already been replenished with the operation of inserting a new toner replenishing container into the predetermined position after toner replenishment is stored in the toner storage means with the bag body compressed. process cartridge characterized in that it is held in. Said bag body is produced by the film, by pulling the unsealing member disposed therein, a toner supply container for unsealing tearing the bag body, the tear-open portion of the bag body of the bag body 8. The process cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the process cartridge is located at the bottom and is fully opened after opening.   9. The process cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the opening member is a thread or a tape.   9. The process cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the film has at least one uniaxially stretched layer, and the stretching direction is the same as the tearing and unsealing direction by the unsealing member.   9. The process cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the tear opening portion of the film is subjected to a laser cutting process.   9. The process cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the bottom of the bag body is substantially square.   The process cartridge is a cartridge in which a charging unit, a developing unit or a cleaning unit as the process unit and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. The process cartridge according to any one of claims 7 to 12.   The process cartridge is a cartridge in which at least one of charging means, developing means, and cleaning means as the process means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. The process cartridge according to any one of claims 7 to 12.   13. The process cartridge is one in which a developing means as the process means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. One of the process cartridges. In an image forming apparatus for detaching a process cartridge capable of supplying toner by inserting a toner supply container into a predetermined position inside and forming an image on a recording medium,
(A) an electrophotographic photosensitive member, process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member, toner storage means for storing toner used for developing a latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and An openable / closable member provided in the toner storage means that can be opened to supply toner to the toner storage means, and the toner supply container mounted in the toner storage means includes a toner discharge opening member. A bag body provided with toner, and an unsealing portion provided with the unsealing member provided by opposingly arranging two guide plates so that a distance on the other end side is larger than a distance on one end side between the guide plates. And a guide plate unit that holds the bag body so as to be positioned on the other end side, and after replenishing toner, toner replenishment has already been completed as the new toner replenishing container is inserted into the predetermined position. The A toner replenishing container, a mounting means for detachably mounting a process cartridge held in the toner storage means in a state where the bag body is compressed ;
(B) conveying means for conveying the recording medium;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The bag body is made of a film, and is a toner supply container that tears and opens the opening portion of the bag body by pulling the opening member disposed inside the bag body, wherein the tear opening portion of the bag body is The image forming apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the image forming apparatus is located at the bottom of the bag body and is fully opened after opening. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16 or 17 , wherein the image forming apparatus is an electrophotographic copying machine. Wherein the image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that an electrophotographic printer.

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