JP3868146B2 - Toner cartridge - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a toner cartridge used in an electrophotographic dry copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and the like, and more particularly to a toner cartridge provided with a cap having a toner replenishing port at a bottle mouth portion at the tip of a toner bottle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In an electrostatic image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic dry copying machine, an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive member is visualized by toner supplied from a developing device, transferred to a recording paper, and a fixing process. After that, it becomes a recorded material and is discharged out of the apparatus. Since the toner is consumed with such development, the consumed amount is replenished by the toner replenishing device.
As a toner replenishing device for such an electrophotographic dry copying machine, a developing device is provided while a cylindrical toner bottle having a spiral projection provided on the inner peripheral surface is horizontally placed and rotated to sequentially move the toner in the outlet direction. Many are used to replenish.
[0003]
FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration of the toner replenishing device. This replenishing device includes a toner bottle 1, a bottle cap outside 2, a bottle cap inside 3, and a bottle seal 4 as main components.
[0004]
The toner bottle 1 in this example has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a bottle mouth portion 1a having a slightly smaller diameter than the cylindrical portion is formed on one end surface thereof. The bottle mouth portion 1a is open at the entire end wall, and a protrusion or groove that engages with the outside 2 of the bottle cap is formed at the tip portion. A spiral protrusion 1b is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion to convey the toner contained therein to the bottle mouth portion 1a side by the rotation of the toner bottle 1. The opposite side of the bottle mouth 1a is closed with a bottom surface, and a bottle driving rib 1c for rotating the bottle 1 is formed outside the bottom surface.
[0005]
The toner in the toner bottle 1 of this toner replenishing device is conveyed to the outlet side by the spiral protrusion 1b provided on the toner bottle 1 and the rotation of the toner bottle 1. There is a possibility that the toner stays on the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth portion 1a to become the residual toner 10 and all the toner does not come out of the toner bottle 1 and becomes uneconomical. Further, the residual toner 10 may become industrial waste and destroy the environment.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of residual toner remaining in the toner bottle, to reduce running costs and to improve economy, It is an object of the present invention to provide a toner cartridge that reduces environmental destruction by reducing residual toner to be discarded.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is a toner cartridge comprising a cap having a toner replenishing port at a bottle mouth part at a tip of a toner bottle, wherein the toner bottle has a spiral shape on an inner peripheral surface. Protrusions are provided and have the function of conveying toner contained therein by rotating in the direction of the bottle mouth, the base end being fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth, and the bottle A discharge fin having a protruding portion protruding from the mouth toward the cap is provided, and the cap covers the bolt mouth in a state where the discharge fin protrudes, and the bottle is rotated and conveyed to the bottle mouth. The discharged toner is discharged to the cap.
In this toner cartridge, the toner transported to the bottle mouth by the spiral protrusion by rotation can be transported near the replenishing mouth of the cap by the discharge fin. As a result, the toner staying at the bottle mouth portion can be reduced, and the residual toner can be reduced.
Further, since the discharge fin has a protruding portion protruding from the bottle mouth portion toward the cap side, the toner slides down from the tip portion of the protruding portion protruding toward the cap side of the discharge fin. It can be conveyed to a position closer to the replenishing port.
[0008]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge of the first aspect, the discharge fin is provided with an inclination on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the toner bottle and on the cap side. .
In this toner cartridge, when the toner bottle rotates, the toner on the discharge fin smoothly slides near the supply port of the cap along the inclination of the discharge fin, and the toner is reliably transported without waste. can do.
[0009]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge according to the first or second aspect, the discharge fin is erected in a direction normal to the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth and toward the rotation axis of the toner bottle. It is characterized by having made it.
In this toner cartridge, since the discharge fin is in the normal direction of the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth and is upright toward the rotation axis of the toner bottle, the toner on the discharge fin is transferred to the toner bottle. It is possible to prevent spilling by moving to the rotational axis direction side due to the rotation of the rotation and reliably transporting to the cap side.
[0010]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge of the first, second, or third aspect, at least two discharge fins are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth portion.
In this toner cartridge, by providing at least two discharge fins on the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth portion, it is possible to transport toner more efficiently than when only one discharge fin is provided.
[0011]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the toner cartridge according to the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, the height of the discharge fin is greater than the height of the spiral protrusion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the toner bottle. It is also characterized by the fact that it has been raised.
In this toner bottle, by increasing the height of the discharge fin, it is possible to increase the area of the discharge fin transporting portion, increase the toner transporting capability of the discharge fin, and transport the toner efficiently.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a toner cartridge according to the present invention will be described using the same reference numerals for members that are substantially the same as or correspond to those of the conventional example, based on the drawings.
[0014]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the entire toner cartridge. The main configuration of the toner cartridge according to the present embodiment includes a toner bottle 1, a bottle cap outside 2, a bottle cap inside 3, a bottle seal 4, and discharge fins 5.
[0015]
The toner bottle 1 in this example has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a bottle mouth portion 1a having a slightly smaller diameter than the cylindrical portion is formed on one end surface thereof. The bottle mouth portion 1a is open at the entire end wall, and a protrusion or groove that engages with the outside 2 of the bottle cap is formed at the tip portion. A spiral protrusion 1b is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion to convey the toner contained therein to the bottle mouth portion 1a side by the rotation of the toner bottle 1. The opposite side of the bottle mouth 1a is closed with a bottom surface, and a bottle driving rib 1c for rotating the bottle 1 is formed outside the bottom surface.
[0016]
Further, the outside 2 of the bottle cap has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a projection or groove that engages with the bottle mouth portion 1a of the toner bottle 1 is formed on one end face thereof. Further, the bottle cap inner 3 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and one end face is closed by the bottom face. The bottle cap outer 2 and the bottle cap inner 3 are fitted so that the bottle cap inner 3 enters the inside of the bottle cap outer 2. A toner replenishing port 6 is provided on the outside 2 of the bottle cap and the inside 3 of the bottle cap.
[0017]
As a toner replenishing method, a bottle drive coupling (not shown) of the apparatus main body is engaged with the bottle drive rib 1c, and the toner bottle 1 is thereby rotated. When the toner bottle 1 rotates, the toner is conveyed to the right side in FIG. 1 by the conveying spiral protrusion 1b provided on the inner peripheral surface of the toner bottle 1. Here, the bottle cap outer 2 and the bottle cap inner 3 are fixed to an apparatus body such as an electrophotographic dry copying machine (not shown), and the toner bottle 1 is slid and sealed by a bottle seal 4. The toner conveyed by the rotation of the toner bottle 1 is discharged from the bottle opening 1 a at the tip of the toner bottle 1 over the bottle seal 4 and into the bottle cap 3. Then, the toner is supplied from a toner supply port 6 provided outside the bottle cap 2 and inside the bottle cap 3 to a developing unit (not shown).
[0018]
In the present invention, the discharge fins 5 are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth portion 1a to prevent toner retention and reduce residual toner.
FIG. 2A is a top view of the discharge fin 5 according to the present embodiment. Moreover, FIG.2 (b) is the side view seen from the opening part side of the bottle mouth part 1a.
[0019]
The discharge fin 5 is composed of a transport fin portion 5a and a base portion 5b.
The transport fin portion 5a is inclined θ with respect to the toner bottle rotation axis 1s on the downstream side in the rotation direction D of the toner bottle 1 and on the toner supply port side (lower side in FIG. 2A). It is formed to tilt only. Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, the transport fin portion 5a is in the normal direction H of the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth portion 1a and is in the rotation direction D with respect to the rotation axis direction of the toner bottle. It is formed to be slightly inclined toward the downstream side. Moreover, since the base part 5b has a curvature substantially the same as the curvature of the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth part 1a shown with the dashed-dotted line in FIG.2 (b), it adheres closely to the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth part 1a. It is designed to be held securely.
[0020]
3A is a cross-sectional view in the vicinity of the bottle mouth portion 1a, and FIG. 3B is a side view of the toner bottle 1 as seen from the bottle mouth portion 1a side. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the bottle mouth portion 1a when the toner bottle 1 is rotated about 90 degrees in the rotation direction from the state of FIG. 3A, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the toner bottle 1 as viewed from the side 1a.
[0021]
As shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the discharge fin 5 is arranged on the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth 1a and in proximity to the spiral protrusion 1b, for example, with a double-sided tape or an adhesive. It is the composition to install. When the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 1 decreases, toner accumulates in the groove where the spiral protrusion 1b is not formed, and when the toner bottle 1 further rotates in the rotation direction D, the toner is discharged from the groove to the discharge fin 5. The toner moves, the toner slides on the discharge fin 5, is discharged from the bottle opening 1a, and is conveyed to the vicinity of the toner supply opening 6 (see FIG. 1).
[0022]
In addition, as shown to Fig.4 (a), the conveyance fin part 5a protrudes like an A dimension from the edge part (exit) of the bottle mouth part 1a. As a result, when the toner bottle 1 rotates in the rotation direction D, the toner slides down from the tip end portion of the transport fin portion 5a protruding A from the end portion (exit) of the bottle mouth portion 1a. It can be transported near the supply port 6.
[0023]
Moreover, as shown in FIG.4 (b), the conveyance fin part 5a is high only B dimension rather than the helical protrusion part 1b. As a result, the area of the transport fin portion 5a can be increased, the toner transport capability can be improved, and the toner transported from the spiral protrusion 1b can be transported efficiently to the replenishing port 6 side.
[0024]
With the configuration and operation as described above, the amount of toner staying in the bottle opening 1a between the spiral protrusion 1b and the toner supply opening 6 can be reduced, and the residual toner can be reduced.
Although the discharge fin 5 is configured as a member different from the toner bottle 1, the discharge fin 5 may be formed integrally with the toner bottle 1.
Further, by providing at least two discharge fins 5 on the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth portion 1a, the toner can be more efficiently conveyed and the residual toner can be reduced.
[0025]
[Modification 1]
In the first embodiment, the discharge fin has a configuration in which the transport fin portion of the discharge fin is slightly inclined downstream in the rotation direction with respect to the rotation axis direction of the toner bottle that is the normal direction of the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth portion Although the fin has been described, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the transport fin portion is erected in the direction of the rotation axis of the toner bottle.
FIG. 5A is a top view of the discharge fin 20 according to this modification. Moreover, FIG.5 (b) is the side view seen from the opening part side of the bottle mouth part 1a.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 5B, the discharge fin 20 is composed of a transport fin portion 20a and a base portion 20b. The transport fin portion 20a is formed so as to stand upright toward the rotation axis 1s of the toner bottle 1 in the normal direction H of the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth portion 1a.
In this way, by adopting a configuration in which the conveyance fin portion 20a is set upright toward the rotation axis 1s, the toner moves on the conveyance fin portion 20a in the direction of the rotation axis 1s by the rotation of the toner bottle, and the rotation direction D Can be prevented from spilling into the bottle mouth portion 1a on the downstream side. Thereby, the toner placed on the transport fin portion 20a can be transported to the toner supply port side (lower side in FIG. 5A) more reliably.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, the toner conveyed to the bottle opening can be conveyed near the replenishing opening of the cap by the discharge fin. This fact reduces the residual toner remaining in the bottle mouth, thereby improving the economic efficiency by reducing the running cost, it is capable ing which reduces the residual toner discarding reducing environmental destruction. Further, since the discharge fin has a protruding portion protruding from the end of the bottle mouth portion toward the replenishing port side of the cap, an excellent effect that the toner can be conveyed to a portion close to the replenishing port. There is.
[0028]
In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the discharge fin is provided with an inclination on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the toner bottle and on the cap side. There is an excellent effect that the toner on the discharge fin slides smoothly near the supply port of the cap along the inclination of the discharge fin, and the toner can be reliably transported without waste.
[0029]
In particular, according to the invention of claim 3, since the discharge fin is erected in the normal direction of the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth and toward the rotational axis of the toner bottle, the discharge fin There is an excellent effect that it is possible to prevent the toner on the upper side from being moved and spilled by the rotation of the toner bottle.
[0030]
In particular, according to the invention of claim 4, since at least two discharge fins are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth portion, there is an excellent effect that the toner can be efficiently conveyed.
[0031]
In particular, according to the invention of claim 5, since the area of the conveying portion of the discharge fin is increased, there is an excellent effect that the toner conveying capability can be enhanced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a toner cartridge according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2A is a top view of a discharge fin. (B) is a side view of the discharge fin.
FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a bottle mouth portion. FIG. 5B is a side view of the toner bottle viewed from the bottle mouth side.
4A is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the bottle mouth when the toner bottle is rotated about 90 degrees in the rotation direction from the state of FIG. FIG. 5B is a side view of the toner bottle as viewed from the bottle mouth side.
FIG. 5A is a top view of a discharge fin according to a modification. (B) is a side view of the discharge fin.
FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a conventional toner cartridge.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Toner bottle 1a Bottle opening part 1b Spiral protrusion 1c Bottle drive rib 1s Toner bottle rotation axis 2 Outside bottle cap 3 Inside bottle cap 4 Bottle seal 5 Discharge fin 5a Conveying fin part 5b Base part 6 Toner supply opening 10 Residual toner 20 Discharge fin 20a Conveying fin portion 20b Base portion A Projection dimension B Difference in height between spiral projection and conveying fin portion D Rotation direction of toner bottle H Normal direction of inner peripheral surface of bottle mouth portion θ Conveying fin portion Slope of

Claims (5)

A toner cartridge including a cap having a toner replenishing port at a bottle mouth portion at a tip of the toner bottle,
The toner bottle is provided with a spiral protrusion on the inner peripheral surface, and has a function of transporting the toner contained therein by rotating to the bottle mouth portion direction,
A discharge fin having a protruding portion that is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth portion and that protrudes from the bottle mouth portion toward the cap is provided.
The cap covers the bolt opening with the discharge fin protruding,
Toner cartridge, characterized in that discharging the toner conveyed to the bottle mouth to the cap by the bottle rotates. The toner cartridge according to claim 1.
A toner cartridge, wherein the discharge fin is provided with an inclination on a downstream side in the rotation direction of the toner bottle and on the cap side. The toner cartridge according to claim 1 or 2,
2. A toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the discharge fin is erected in a direction normal to the inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth and toward the rotation axis of the toner bottle. The toner cartridge of claim 1, 2, or 3,
A toner cartridge comprising at least two discharge fins provided on an inner peripheral surface of the bottle mouth portion. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4.
A toner cartridge, wherein the height of the discharge fin is higher than the height of a spiral protrusion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the toner bottle.

Images