JP4265635B2 - Image forming apparatus and toner collection bottle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus provided with a mechanism for conveying toner, developer, and the like.

  As a conventional image forming apparatus, an image carrier (for example, a photosensitive drum), a developing unit that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum to form a toner image, and a photosensitive drum are arranged opposite to each other. An intermediate transfer member (intermediate transfer belt), a primary transfer device for transferring a toner image carried on a photosensitive drum onto the intermediate transfer belt, and a toner image on the intermediate transfer belt to a recording medium (for example, paper). There are those equipped with a secondary transfer device. In such an image forming apparatus, since toner remains on the photosensitive drum after the primary transfer, the remaining toner is cleaned and removed by a drum cleaner, and then the next toner image is formed. Further, since toner remains on the intermediate transfer belt after the secondary transfer, the next toner image is transferred after the residual toner is cleaned and removed by a belt cleaner. The residual toner (waste toner) collected by these drum cleaners and belt cleaners is sequentially transported and collected in a collection container (waste toner bottle) by a so-called trickle system using a waste toner transport screw, for example. Is done.

  As a method for collecting waste toner, conventionally, a cleaner container having a waste toner conveying screw is configured to be connectable to a waste toner bottle, and the collected waste toner is discharged from a connecting portion between the cleaner container and the waste toner bottle. There is a technique for dropping it onto the surface (for example, see Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a shutter, which is a means for preventing waste toner from easily spilling from the connecting portion when the waste toner bottle is removed from the main body, is provided. This shutter is urged to the attachment port by a spring. When the pipe of the cleaner container is inserted into the waste toner bottle, the shutter is pushed in and opened. When the waste toner bottle is removed from the main body, the shutter is closed. It is configured. As another conventional technique, there is a technique in which a shutter including a special rotation mechanism is provided at a joint portion to prevent toner scattering (see, for example, Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3). Furthermore, there is a technology for forming a cut in the seal member that extends only in the vertical direction through the center of the pipe and an opening having a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the pipe so that the toner is less likely to scatter from the waste toner container. (For example, refer to Patent Document 4).

JP 2002-196644 A (see page 4-5, FIG. 17) JP 2002-72655 A (see page 3-4, FIGS. 3 and 4) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-59282 (see page 4-5, FIG. 6) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-169439 (see FIGS. 7 and 8)

  Here, in recent years, there has been a further increase in demand for downsizing and low cost for the image processing apparatus, and these demands have been most strongly expressed for the waste toner collecting apparatus that collects waste toner. However, in the shutter configurations shown in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the mechanism is complicated, a large space is required, and the recent requirements are not satisfied in terms of cost. Further, in the seal shape of Patent Document 1, a gap is easily formed between the pipe of the cleaner container and the opening of the waste toner bottle and the toner is likely to leak. Furthermore, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, the opening of the pipe is covered with a shutter member, so that it is difficult to collect toner during toner collection, and toner clogging and leakage are likely to occur.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a member for sealing a collection box or the like when transporting toner, developer, or the like. Even in that case, it is to reduce the space and cost of the apparatus.
Another object is to prevent leakage of toner and developer at the joint when transporting the toner and developer, such as when joining the toner collection pipe and the toner collection bottle and when removing the toner collection bottle. It is to improve the function.
Still another object is to enhance the toner and developer transport function while maintaining the sealing function.

For this purpose, in the present invention, a shutter member as a seal member is provided in an opening provided in a box such as a toner recovery bottle, and the shutter member is made of an elastic member such as polyurethane, and the opening of the box is provided. A slit is formed in accordance with the shape of the pipe inserted into the pipe. The shape of the slit is devised in accordance with, for example, the position of an opening for discharging waste toner or waste developer conveyed by a pipe. That is, an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied has a box body such as a toner recovery bottle having a predetermined opening by transporting toner or developer by a transport unit, dropping the transported toner or developer from an opening. In the receiving means, the toner or developer conveyed from the conveying means is received by inserting a portion having the opening of the conveying means into the opening, and the slit provided in the opening in the receiving means With the shutter means composed of an elastic body having, in the state where the conveying means is inserted or in the state where the conveying means is not inserted, the toner or developer from the receiving means is suppressed, and the shutter means in regions where the bottom when the conveying means is inserted, extends in a substantially horizontal direction, so as to avoid the opening when the transport means is inserted It is characterized by having a bottom slit that spread in the transverse direction. Alternatively, this shutter means is characterized by having a chord-like slit having a predetermined length in the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion of the region that is in the downward direction when provided in the opening.

Here, the conveying means is a pipe having a curved portion, further provided with an opening at the bottom, and when inserted into the receiving means, the toner or developer is dropped from the opening to the receiving means. In addition, the shutter means is provided with a bottom slit for deformation so as not to block the opening in the conveying means when the conveying means is inserted into the receiving means. . Further, a bottom slit is provided so that the opening is deformed in a state where the opening is not blocked when the conveying means is inserted. Furthermore, the shape of the slit of this shutter means is determined so that a gap generated in the vicinity of the bottom becomes small when a conveying means made of a pipe having a curved portion is inserted. The shutter means includes a vertical slit extending in a vertical direction from a slit central portion of the bottom slit, and has a bottom slit in a center portion of a predetermined dimension from the outermost peripheral portion of the vertical slit.

  On the other hand, the present invention has a conveying means for conveying toner or developer and dropping the toner or developer conveyed from a predetermined opening, and a predetermined opening, and the opening of the conveying means is provided in this opening. By inserting the portion, the receiving means for receiving the toner or developer conveyed from the conveying means, and an opening provided in the receiving means, which is composed of an elastic body having a slit, has a sealing effect in the receiving means, for example, And shutter means that is a sealing member made of polyurethane, and the shutter means is deformed so as not to block the opening in the transport means when the transport means is inserted into the receiving means. More specifically, when a pipe having a curvature is inserted, the elastic body portion near the bottom is deformed so as to be opened to the side. Here, the opening in the receiving means is formed in a state opened in a substantially horizontal direction, and the conveying means is inserted into the opening from a substantially horizontal direction.

The present invention is attached to the image forming apparatus, a toner recovery bottle incorporating the waste toner or developer from the image forming apparatus, an opening pipe member is inserted, it is provided in this opening, this pipe member scattering from the opening of the toner or the developer is conveyed can be grasped by those with a shutter member inhibits Te. This shutter member is provided with an elastic portion that is deformed by insertion or removal of the pipe member, and an upper portion and a bottom portion of the pipe member when the pipe member is inserted. Including a slit portion. Here, if the slit portion is characterized in that when the pipe member is inserted, the elastic portion is deformed so as not to block the opening provided in the bottom portion of the pipe member, toner or developer It is preferable in that it does not adversely affect the conveyance. Moreover, it has an adhesion part which affixes an elastic part with respect to opening, This slit part is provided in the elastic part in which an adhesion part does not exist, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

The present invention also provides a toner recovery bottle that is attached to an image forming apparatus and takes in waste toner or developer from the image forming apparatus, and includes an opening into which a pipe member is inserted from a substantially horizontal direction. A shutter member that suppresses scattering of toner or developer conveyed by the pipe member from the opening, and the shutter member is formed in the elastic portion that is deformed by insertion or removal of the pipe member. And a slit portion having different slit shapes in the upward direction and the downward direction when provided in the opening. More specifically, the slit shape of the slit portion is determined so as to open the elastic portion to the side when the pipe member is inserted in the downward direction.

From another point of view, the toner collection bottle is provided at the opening of the box, and allows insertion of a pipe having a curved portion around it, and before the pipe is inserted and before the pipe is inserted. In this case, a shutter member having a sealing effect on the box body is provided, and this shutter member has an elastic portion that is deformed by the insertion of the tube material and a slit portion formed in the elastic portion, and the tube portion is inserted into the slit portion. For a part of the curvature portion at the time of being formed, a chordal slit having a predetermined length is provided in the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion. Here, if this slit portion is characterized by dividing the chordal slit by a slit extending from the central portion when the tube material is inserted, the slit portion can be separated from the divided portion by inserting the tube material having a curvature portion. It is excellent in that it can be spread in the horizontal direction. The chord-shaped slit is conscious of the chord with respect to the arc of the circle, but is not necessarily a straight line and may have a predetermined curved portion.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to enhance the sealing function and the transport function of toner, developer, and the like at a joint portion such as a pipe and a bottle that transports toner, developer, and the like.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a printer main body 1 and a base 2 on which the printer main body 1 is placed. The printer main body 1 includes waste toner and waste developer discharged from the printer main body 1. A recovery device 100 as an accommodating means for recovering the battery is externally attached. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the front door 1a of the printer main body 1 is opened.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the printer main body 1. The printer main body 1 is connected to and received by an image process system 10 that forms an image corresponding to gradation data of each color and a sheet conveyance system 40 that conveys recording paper (sheets), such as a personal computer or an image reading device. An IPS (Image Processing System) 50, which is an image processing system for performing predetermined image processing on the obtained image data, is provided.

  The image processing system 10 includes four image forming units 11Y, 11M, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) that are arranged in parallel at regular intervals in the horizontal direction. 11C, 11K, a transfer unit 20 for transferring the color toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 12 of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K onto the intermediate transfer belt 21, and image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C. , 11K is provided with a ROS (Raster Output System) 30, which is an optical system unit for irradiating laser light to 11K. Further, the printer main body 1 includes a fixing device 29 that fixes the toner image on the recording paper secondarily transferred by the transfer unit 20 to the recording paper using heat and pressure. Further, toner cartridges 19Y, 19M, 19C, and 19K for supplying toner of each color to the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are provided above the transfer unit 20.

  The transfer unit 20 includes a drive roll 22 that drives an intermediate transfer belt 21 that is an intermediate transfer member, a tension roll 23 that applies a constant tension to the intermediate transfer belt 21, and a secondary transfer of the superimposed toner images of each color onto a recording sheet. A backup roll 24 for carrying out the process and a belt cleaner (cleaning means) 25 for removing residual toner and the like existing on the intermediate transfer belt 21 are provided. The intermediate transfer belt 21 is stretched between the drive roll 22, the tension roll 23, and the backup roll 24 with a constant tension, and is driven by a dedicated motor (not shown) having excellent constant speed. The drive roll 22 is driven to circulate at a predetermined speed in the direction of the arrow. As the intermediate transfer belt 21, for example, a belt whose resistance is adjusted with a belt material (rubber or resin) that does not cause charge-up is used. The belt cleaner 25 includes a cleaning brush 25a and a cleaning blade 25b disposed in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21. Residual toner and paper dust are transferred from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after the secondary transfer process of the toner image is completed. , Talc and the like are removed to prepare for the next image forming process. Under the belt cleaner 25, residual toner (waste toner), paper powder, and the like removed by the cleaning brush 25 a and the cleaning blade 25 b are placed on the belt cleaner 25 along a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21. An auger 25c that conveys to the outside is provided.

  The ROS 30 includes a polygon mirror 31 that deflects and scans laser light (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) emitted from the laser diode, in addition to a laser diode and a modulator (not shown). In the example shown in FIG. 2, since the ROS 30 is provided below the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K, there is a risk of contamination due to dropping of toner or the like. Therefore, the ROS 30 is provided with a rectangular parallelepiped frame 32 for sealing each constituent member, and a glass window 33 through which laser light (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) passes. Is provided above the frame 32 to enhance the shielding effect together with the scanning exposure.

  The sheet conveying system 40 includes a sheet feeding device 41 that stacks and supplies recording sheets on which images are recorded, a nudger roll 42 that picks up and supplies recording sheets from the sheet feeding device 41, and a recording that is supplied from the nudger roll 42. A feed roll 43 that separates and conveys the sheets one by one and a conveyance path 44 that conveys the recording sheets separated one by one by the feed roll 43 toward the image transfer unit are provided. In addition, a registration roll 45 that conveys the recording sheet conveyed through the conveyance path 44 in a timely manner toward the secondary transfer position, and is pressed against the backup roll 24 via the recording sheet provided at the secondary transfer position. Then, a secondary transfer roll 46 for secondary transfer of the image onto the recording paper is provided. Further, a discharge roll 47 for discharging the recording paper on which the image is fixed by the fixing device 29 to the outside of the printer main body 1 and a discharge tray 48 for stacking the recording paper discharged by the discharge roll 47 are provided. In addition, a double-sided transport unit 49 is provided that enables double-sided recording by reversing the recording paper on which the image is fixed by the fixing device 29.

Next, the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K in the image process system 10 will be described in detail.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K. Here, the yellow (Y) image forming unit 11Y and the magenta (M) image forming unit 11M are illustrated. It is shown. The other image forming units 11C and 11K are configured similarly.

  The image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are charged by a photosensitive drum 12 as an image carrier for supporting a toner image, a charger 13 that charges the photosensitive drum 12 using a charging roll 13a, and a charger 13. , A developing device 14 for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 12 by a developing roller 14a by laser light (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) from the ROS 30, an intermediate transfer A primary transfer roll 15 is provided to face the photosensitive drum 12 with the belt 21 interposed therebetween, and transfers the toner image developed on the photosensitive drum 12 onto the intermediate transfer belt 21. On the photosensitive drum 12 after the primary transfer, A drum cleaner 16 for removing the remaining toner is provided.

  Here, a two-component developing method using a so-called two-component developer (hereinafter referred to as a developer) having toner and carrier in the developing device 14 is adopted. The developing unit 14 is provided with a pair of augers 14b and 14c that are arranged in parallel along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 12 and stir and convey the developer in opposite directions. In this developing device 14, a trickle system is provided in which toner containing a carrier is newly supplied into the developing device 14 at a predetermined timing, and as a result, the developer remaining in the developing device 14 is discharged to the outside as a waste developer. By adopting, it is possible to remove the carrier that has deteriorated with long-term use. The new developer is supplied from, for example, the upstream side of the auger 14b in the developer transport direction, and the discarded developer is discharged from the downstream side of the auger 14c in the developer transport direction. The drum cleaner 16 includes a cleaning blade 16 a that is disposed in contact with the photosensitive drum 12. In the drum cleaner 16, residual toner removed by the cleaning blade 16 a is disposed in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 12. An auger 16b that conveys the drum cleaner 16 to the outside is provided.

  Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. A color material reflected light image of a document read by a document reading device (not shown) and color material image data formed by a personal computer (not shown) are, for example, R (red), G (green), and B (blue). Each 8-bit reflectance data is input to the IPS 50. In the IPS 50, image processing such as shading correction, position shift correction, brightness / color space correction, gamma correction, frame deletion, color editing, moving editing, and other image editing is performed on the input reflectance data. . The image data subjected to the image processing is output to the ROS 30 as four color material gradation data of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K).

  In the ROS 30, laser light (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) emitted from a laser diode (not shown) is changed to f-θ according to the input color material gradation data. The light is emitted to the polygon mirror 31 through a lens (not shown). In the polygon mirror 31, the incident laser light is modulated in accordance with gradation data of each color, deflected and scanned, and image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K through an imaging lens and a plurality of mirrors (not shown). The photosensitive drum 12 is irradiated. On the photosensitive drums 12 of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K, the charged surface is subjected to scanning exposure to form an electrostatic latent image. The formed electrostatic latent image is developed as a toner image of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) in each of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K. Is done. The toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 12 of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are sequentially transferred onto an intermediate transfer belt 21 that is an intermediate transfer member.

  On the other hand, in the sheet conveyance system 40, the nudger roll 42 rotates in accordance with the timing of image formation, and recording paper of a predetermined size is supplied from the paper feeding device 41. The recording sheets separated one by one by the feed roll 43 are transferred to the registration roll 45 through the conveyance path 44 and are temporarily stopped. Thereafter, the registration roll 45 rotates in accordance with the movement timing of the intermediate transfer belt 21 on which the toner image is formed, and the recording paper is conveyed to the secondary transfer position formed by the backup roll 24 and the secondary transfer roll 46. . On the recording paper transported from the bottom to the top at the secondary transfer position, the toner images onto which the four colors are transferred and transferred are sequentially secondary transferred in the sub-scanning direction using a pressing force and a predetermined electric field. The The recording sheet on which the toner image has been secondarily transferred is subjected to a fixing process by heat and pressure by the fixing device 29 and then discharged to a discharge tray 48 provided on the upper portion of the printer main body 1 by a discharge roll 47. Note that the recording sheet can be reversed by the duplex conveying unit 49 by a switching gate (not shown) without being discharged to the discharge tray 48 as it is. After the reversed recording sheet is conveyed to the registration roll 45, an image can be formed on both sides of the recording sheet by forming an image on the other unprinted side by the same flow as described above. Become.

Next, a process cartridge to which the present embodiment is applied and a toner and developer recovery mechanism will be described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a process cartridge used in each of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K. In the present embodiment, the photosensitive drum 12, the charger 13 and the drum cleaner 16 of each of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are integrated into a process cartridge 60 shown in FIG. Only the process cartridge 60 can be removed, and only the process cartridge 60 can be attached to the printer main body 1 to allow replacement by the user.

  Each process cartridge 60 is equipped with a nonvolatile memory unit 61. For example, the process cartridge 60 is mounted on the nonvolatile memory unit 61 in predetermined image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K such as the number of rotations of the photosensitive drum 12, the high voltage application time, and the number of prints. Each cartridge usage history information is stored. A discharge pipe 62 that houses the auger 16 b (see FIG. 3) of the drum cleaner 16 is disposed on the side of the nonvolatile memory unit 61. A waste toner discharge port 62a is formed below the end of the discharge pipe 62 (upper side in the drawing), and a cap 63 having an opening 63a formed on the side is rotated at the end of the discharge pipe 62. It is attached as possible. The cap 63 is provided with a torsion spring 64 that is wound around and fixed to the discharge pipe 62. When the process cartridge 60 is attached to the printer main body 1, the cap 63 rotates to open the opening 62 a of the discharge pipe 62. And the opening 63a of the cap 63, the waste toner can be discharged to the outside.

Further, the printer main body 1 shown in FIG. 1 is usually provided with a toner collection bottle for taking in waste toner and waste developer that are no longer needed.
FIGS. 5A and 5B are views for explaining the collection bottle 70. FIG. The collection bottle 70 has openings 71 to 79 for taking in waste toner and waste developer that are no longer needed. Among these, the openings 71 to 74 are collected by the drum cleaner 16 (both see FIG. 4) attached to the process cartridge 60 constituting each of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K (see FIG. 1). Waste toner or the like conveyed by the auger 16b (see FIG. 3) is carried in. Further, the waste developer conveyed by the auger 14c (both see FIG. 3) from the developing device 14 of each of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K (see FIG. 1) is carried into the openings 76 to 79. Further, waste toner or the like collected by the belt cleaner 25 and conveyed by the auger 25c (both shown in FIG. 2) is carried into the opening 75. Note that a shutter member that prevents external leakage of waste toner and waste developer to be carried in is attached to each of the openings 71 to 79. The openings 76 to 79 shown in FIG. 5B are formed so as to be opened substantially in the horizontal direction, and are configured so that pipes for carrying the waste developer can be inserted in the substantially horizontal direction by the auger 14c. .

  FIG. 6 is a view showing the collection device 100. A collection apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 6 replaces the above-described collection bottle 70 with a primary collection unit 110 attached to the printer main body 1 (both see FIG. 1), and waste toner and waste developer collected by the primary collection unit 110. A secondary recovery unit 130 that finally accommodates, and a transport unit 150 that transports waste toner and waste developer between the primary recovery unit 110 and the secondary recovery unit 130 are provided. When the collection device 100 is attached, the collection bottle 70 described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B is removed, and the primary collection unit 110 is attached to the removed portion.

  FIG. 7 is a front view of the primary recovery unit 110, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state where four process cartridges 60 are mounted on the primary recovery unit 110. The primary recovery unit 110 has a hollow primary recovery container (recovery container) 110a. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the primary collection container 110 a is formed with openings 111 to 119 for taking in unnecessary waste toner and waste developer. Here, the openings 111 to 114 are collected by the drum cleaner 16 (see FIG. 4 together) attached to the process cartridge 60 constituting each of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K (see FIG. 1), and the auger 16b. Waste toner or the like conveyed by (see FIG. 3) is carried in. That is, the openings 111 to 114 have a function as a waste toner carry-in port. In addition, the waste developer conveyed by the auger 14c (both see FIG. 3) from the developing device 14 of each image forming unit 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K (see FIG. 1) is carried into the openings 116 to 119. That is, the openings 116 to 119 function as a waste developer carry-in port. The openings 116 to 119 are formed in a state of being opened in a substantially horizontal direction, and are configured such that a pipe for carrying the waste developer can be inserted in the substantially horizontal direction by the auger 14c. Further, waste toner or the like collected by the belt cleaner 25 (see FIG. 2) and conveyed by the auger 25c (see FIG. 2) is carried into the opening 115. That is, the opening 115 has a function as a waste toner carry-in port. Further, the openings 111 to 119 have a function as dropping means for dropping waste toner or waste developer into the primary collection container 110a. In addition, each opening 111-119 is attached with a seal member for preventing leakage with a predetermined cut.

  A coil auger 120 as a conveying member is disposed along the longitudinal direction at the inner bottom of the primary recovery container 110a. The coil auger 120 is made of hard steel wire, and has an outer diameter of φ16, a wire diameter of φ1, and a pitch of 5 mm. One end of the coil auger 120 is connected to a gear 121 disposed outside the primary collection container 110a, and the other end extends further to the outside from the discharge port 122 provided on the lower side portion of the primary collection container 110a. Specifically, it extends to the downstream end of the transport pipe 151 of the transport unit 150. A gear 121 for driving the coil auger 120 is engaged with a gear 123 formed integrally with the coupling 124, and is driven by a driving device 160 provided on the main body side. As a result, the coil auger 120 can transport the waste toner and the waste developer carried into the primary recovery container 110a toward the transport pipe 151 side. As is apparent from the drawing, the transport pipe 151 is bent, but the coil auger 120 has flexibility, so that the waste toner and the waste developer are sufficiently transported even in the bent transport pipe 151. Is possible.

  Further, the primary collection unit 110 is provided with four openings 125 to 128 in parallel. These openings 125 to 128 are for cleaning the glass window 33 (see FIG. 2) through which the laser light (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) passes. FIG. 6 shows a state in which these openings 125 to 128 are hidden by a plate 129 for attachment to the printer main body 1.

Moreover, the secondary collection | recovery part 130 has the housing | casing cover 131 shown in FIG. 6, and the secondary collection | recovery container 132 shown in FIG. 9 is accommodated in the inside. Here, FIG. 9A is a perspective view showing the main parts of the secondary collection container 132 and the transport unit 150, and FIG. 9B is a side view thereof.
The secondary collection container 132 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a handle 133 is formed on the upper side thereof. Further, an opening 134 for carrying waste toner and waste developer is formed on the upper surface of the secondary collection container 132.
On the other hand, a connector 152 for attaching / detaching the secondary collection container 132 is attached to the end of the transport pipe 151 of the transport unit 150. The connector 152 can carry waste toner and waste developer into the secondary collection container 132 when the secondary collection container 132 is attached, and waste toner and waste development when the secondary collection container 132 is detached. The lid is configured to prevent the agent from leaking. Note that a cover 153 shown in FIG. 6 is attached to the transport pipe 151. The cover 153 is attached to the printer main body 1 (see FIG. 1).

  And in this Embodiment, as shown in FIG.9 (b), the secondary collection | recovery container 132 is attached to the connector 152 in the state inclined only by the predetermined angle. By arranging the secondary collection container 132 in this way, waste toner and waste developer falling in the secondary collection container 132 will slide down the inner side wall of the secondary collection container 132. It is possible to suppress scattering of waste toner and waste developer.

Next, shutter members (seal members) used for the openings 71 to 79 of the collection bottle 70 and the openings 111 to 119 of the collection apparatus 100 will be described in detail.
FIGS. 10A and 10B are views for explaining the shutter member 200 to which the present embodiment is applied, and FIGS. 11A to 11C are openings in which the shutter member 200 is provided. It is a figure for demonstrating the state by which the pipe 250 which has curvature parts, such as a column shape and an ellipse shape, was inserted. On the other hand, FIGS. 12A to 12C are diagrams showing a conventional shutter member 300 to which the present embodiment is not applied. In the present embodiment, pipes 250 serving as toner and developer conveying means are inserted in substantially horizontal directions into these openings provided in substantially vertical directions.

  As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, a shutter member 200 to which the present embodiment is applied includes, as an elastic body (elastic member), a polyurethane 201 having a thickness of about 2 mm, for example, and a figure. As shown in FIG. 10B, a double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 202 attached to one surface of the polyurethane 201 is provided. The double-sided adhesive tape 202 is cut into a circular shape as shown in FIG. 10A, for example, in accordance with the dimensions of the openings 76 to 79 of the collection bottle 70 and the openings 116 to 119 of the collection apparatus 100. . The adhesive portion of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 202 that is not on the polyurethane 201 side is adhered to a housing that forms the openings 76 to 79 of the collection bottle 70 and the openings 116 to 119 of the collection apparatus 100. Accordingly, the polyurethane 201 can be positioned so as to block the opening, and each opening is closed by the polyurethane 201.

  Further, various slits (cuts and cuts) are provided at the center of the polyurethane 201, and the discharge pipe 62 of the process cartridge 60 shown in FIG. 4 and the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K (see FIG. 1), a pipe having a curvature, such as a pipe for carrying in the waste developer conveyed by the auger 14c (both see FIG. 3), can be inserted. This embodiment is characterized in that a slit having a special shape as shown in FIG.

  Specifically, the slits of the shutter member 200 (polyurethane 201) are radial slits 210 extending radially from the central portion, horizontal slits 211 extending radially from the central portion, and vertical slits from the central portion. A vertical slit 212 which is a radially extending slit is provided. Furthermore, a bottom slit 213 that is a slit extending in the horizontal direction from the outermost peripheral portion of the vertical slit 212 (a portion substantially corresponding to the outer periphery when viewed from the shape of the inserted pipe) at a central portion of a predetermined dimension (for example, about 2 mm). Is provided. In other words, a bottom slit 213 that is a chordal slit having a predetermined length is provided in the vicinity of the bottom that is the outer peripheral curvature portion when a pipe that is a pipe material is inserted. The slits (five) extending radially from the center, such as the radial slit 210, the horizontal slit 211, and the vertical slit 212, are formed with a size of about 18 to 19 mm, for example. Further, the bottom slit 213 is formed with a dimension of about 3 mm on one side and about 6 mm on both sides from the vertical slit 212. Each slit such as the bottom slit 213 is not necessarily a straight line, and a predetermined arc or the like may be drawn.

  When a pipe that conveys waste toner, waste developer, toner before use, and the like is inserted through the shutter member 200, the polyurethane 201 portion of the shutter member 200, which is an elastic body, is opened by each slit. The polyurethane 201 is brought into close contact with the surface of a pipe having a cylindrical shape or the like and exhibits a sealing effect (sealing effect). On the other hand, when the pipe is not inserted, the slit portion of the polyurethane 201 which is an elastic body is closed, and the openings 76 to 79 of the collection bottle 70 and the openings 116 to 119 of the collection apparatus 100 are closed. Due to the sealing effect (sealing effect), scattering of toner and developer can be suppressed. In particular, when an opening is formed in a substantially vertical direction (opening opened in a substantially horizontal direction) in a box such as the collection bottle 70 or the collection device 100, the pipe is inserted from the substantially horizontal direction. Thus, the effect in the present embodiment can be most effectively obtained.

  Here, in order to facilitate understanding of the present embodiment, problems of the conventional slit shape will be described. As shown in FIG. 12A, in the conventional shutter member 300, a cross slit 340 having a horizontal direction and a vertical direction is formed in the polyurethane 301 of the shutter member 300. When a pipe 250 having a circular cross section for transporting toner and developer is inserted into the polyurethane 301 portion of the shutter member 300, the state is as shown in FIG. Since the pipe 250 inserted into the cross slit 340 has a curvature, a large gap as shown in FIG. 12B is generated in the outer peripheral portion of the cross slit 340. If such a gap exists, toner and developer leak from the gap and spillage is likely to occur. Further, when the pipe 250 is inserted and removed, there is a problem that the pipe 250 is likely to remain dirty in such a gap, and thus toner spillage is likely to occur.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12C, the pipe 250 is provided with an opening 251 for dropping the conveyed toner and developer. At this time, in the conventional cross slit 340, the end of the polyurethane 301 spreads on both sides from this slit, so the opening 251 formed in the pipe 250 is blocked by the end of the polyurethane 301, and toner or There has also been a problem that the drop performance of the developer is lowered. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10A, a slit is provided, and in particular, the bottom slit 213 is provided near the opening 251 of the pipe 250, thereby solving these problems. is doing.

  FIGS. 11A to 11C are views for explaining a state where the pipe 250 is inserted into the slit portion of the shutter member 200. FIG. When a pipe 250 having a predetermined curvature, such as a cylindrical pipe having a circular cross section, is inserted into each slit as described with reference to FIG. 10A, the polyurethane 201 opens and follows the surface of the pipe 250. To seal. At this time, as shown in FIG. The opening A is obtained by the vertical slit 212 and the bottom slit 213 shown in FIG. The opening B is obtained by the horizontal slit 211 and the vertical slit 212. The opening C is formed by the horizontal slit 211 and the radial slit 210, and the opening D is formed by the two radial slits 210. Further, FIG. 11 (a) shows an enlarged view of the opened state by the slit at the bottom. The opening A illustrated in this enlarged view is a surface that can be seen by the bottom slit 213, and the opening B that is an elastic portion near the bottom is opened laterally (sideward) as viewed from the opening A. According to the opening A and the opening B, a gap as shown in FIG. 12B can be prevented from occurring at the bottom of the pipe 250, and scattering of toner and the like from the bottom can be suppressed.

  FIG. 11B shows a cross section when the cylindrical pipe 250 is inserted, and shows a state of the pipe 250 as seen from the lateral direction of the cross section. The pipe 250 is provided with a conveying screw 252 for conveying toner, waste toner, waste developer, and the like, and this rotates to open an opening 251 provided at the bottom of the pipe 250. Is transported. The opening D formed by the two radial slits 210 overlaps the surface of the pipe 250 with a large area, that is, is sufficiently along the arc shape to enhance the sealing effect. By enhancing this sealing effect, it is possible to prevent the toner and the like carried into the collection bottle 70 and the collection device 100 from spreading and flying up into the machine.

  On the other hand, the opening A obtained by the vertical slit 212 and the bottom slit 213 has a small contact area with the pipe 250, and the bending distance is shortened as shown in FIG. The opening 251 is not blocked. FIG. 11C shows a state where the pipe 250 is viewed from the bottom when the pipe 250 is inserted into the shutter member 200. As shown in FIG. 11C, the opening A of the polyurethane 201 helps spread the polyurethane 201 in the lateral direction and does not block the opening 251. On the other hand, the opening B of the polyurethane 201 is firmly opened in the lateral direction avoiding the opening 251 and a sufficient sealing effect is obtained at this portion. According to the present embodiment, as apparent from the case shown in FIG. 12, when the pipe 250 having a curved shape is inserted, the gap around the bottom of the pipe 250 is reduced and provided at the bottom. A part of the formed opening 251 is not blocked.

  FIG. 13 is a view showing a modification of the shutter member 200 shown in FIG. In the modification shown in FIG. 13, a bottom slit 213 is provided as in FIG. The difference from FIG. 10 is that the vertical slit 220 is formed by extending the vertical slit 212 shown in FIG. 10 upward, and the horizontal slit 222 is a circular center where the double-sided adhesive tape 202 is not stretched. There is a slit in the horizontal direction above the portion. Further, the oblique slits 221 are provided with slits radially from the center so that the upper space formed by the vertical slits 220 and the horizontal slits 222 is substantially bisected.

  Also in the modified example shown in FIG. 13, as in the case shown in FIG. 10, the gap around the bottom of the pipe 250 is reduced, and at the same time a part of the opening 251 provided at the bottom is not blocked, 70 and the inside of the collection device 100 and the pipe 250 can be sealed. In addition to the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the portion cut by the vertical slit 220, the bottom slit 213, and the horizontal slit 222 extends greatly along the pipe 250. The effect can be improved, and the function as a toner conveying device can be further enhanced.

  As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, since a simple shutter member is used for transporting toner, developer, etc., the space and cost can be greatly reduced as compared with the prior art. Can do. Also at this time, the pipe 250 can be inserted, and when it is inserted (at the time of joining), it performs a sealing function that suppresses leakage to the side as much as possible, while the pipe 250 is not inserted ( At the time of removal), the toner (developer) scattering function from the recovery bottle 70, the recovery device 100, etc. is suppressed. That is, when the toner or developer is transported, the transport function can be enhanced and the function of preventing toner (developer) leakage at the joint portion can be enhanced.

  In addition, the shutter member 200 conveys toner before use in addition to the case where it is provided at the connection portion between the pipe and the box when collecting the waste developer or the waste toner as described above. It is also possible to provide it at the pipe to be connected and its connection location.

  In the present embodiment, polyurethane 201 is used as an example of the elastic shutter member 200. However, the elastic body is not limited to this member. For example, a predetermined rubber material or the like can be used. There are advantages of using the polyurethane 201 in view of the low cost and the temporary effect on the chemical deterioration of the toner. Further, the present embodiment is characterized in that a sealing effect (sealing effect) by the shutter member 200 is obtained, but this sealing effect does not mean a completely sealed state. When there is a difference between the internal pressure and the external pressure in a box such as the collection bottle 70 or the collection device 100, the gap of the polyurethane 201 that is a foam can be effectively functioned.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a printer body. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of an image forming unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a process cartridge used in each image forming unit. (a), (b) is a figure for demonstrating a collection | recovery bottle. It is the figure which showed the collection | recovery apparatus. It is the figure which looked at the primary collection | recovery part from the front. It is a perspective view which shows the state which mounted four process cartridges in the primary collection | recovery part. (a), (b) is the perspective view and side view of a main part of a secondary collection container and a conveyance part. (a), (b) is a figure for demonstrating the shutter member to which this Embodiment is applied. (a)-(c) is a figure for demonstrating the state by which the pipe which has curvature parts, such as a column shape and an ellipse shape, was inserted in the opening which has this shutter member. (a)-(c) is the figure which showed the conventional shutter member to which this Embodiment is not applied. It is the figure which showed the modification in the shutter member shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer main body, 10 ... Image process system, 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K ... Image forming unit, 12 ... Photosensitive drum, 14 ... Developing device, 14b, 14c ... Auger, 16 ... Drum cleaner, 16b ... Auger, 60 ... Process cartridge, 62 ... Discharge pipe, 70 ... Collection bottle, 71-79 ... Opening, 100 ... Collection device, 110 ... Primary collection unit, 130 ... Secondary collection unit, 111-119 ... Opening, 200 ... Shutter member, 201 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Polyurethane, 202 ... Double-sided adhesive tape, 210 ... Radial slit, 211 ... Horizontal slit, 212 ... Vertical slit, 213 ... Bottom slit, 220 ... Vertical slit, 221 ... Diagonal slit, 222 ... Horizontal slit, 250 ... pipe, 251 ... opening

Claims (12)

Conveying means for conveying the toner or developer and dropping the conveyed toner or developer from the opening;
A receiving unit that has a predetermined opening and receives the toner or developer transported from the transport unit by inserting a portion having the opening of the transport unit into the opening;
In the state where the conveying means is inserted or the conveying means is not inserted, the elastic member having a slit for inserting or removing the pipe member is provided in the opening of the receiving means. Shutter means for suppressing scattering of toner or developer from the receiving means,
The shutter means is an area that becomes a bottom when the transport means is inserted and has a bottom slit that extends in a substantially horizontal direction and extends laterally to avoid the opening when the transport means is inserted. and, provided with a vertical slit extending in the vertical direction from the bottom slit, the image forming apparatus according to claim <br/> having the bottom slit from the outermost periphery portion to a predetermined size portion of the vertical slit. Conveying means for conveying the toner or developer and dropping the conveyed toner or developer from the opening;
A receiving unit that has a predetermined opening and receives the toner or developer transported from the transport unit by inserting a portion having the opening of the transport unit into the opening;
In the state where the conveying means is inserted or the conveying means is not inserted, the elastic member having a slit for inserting or removing the pipe member is provided in the opening of the receiving means. Shutter means for suppressing scattering of toner or developer from the receiving means,
The shutter means has a chord-shaped slit having a predetermined length in the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion of the region that is in the downward direction when provided in the opening, and the opening is opened when the conveying means is inserted. Ri spread laterally so as to avoid, with a vertical slit extending in the vertical direction from the chordal slits, having the vertical direction the chordal slits from the outermost periphery portion to a predetermined size portion of the slit <br An image forming apparatus characterized by the above. 3. The conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the conveying means is provided with the opening at the bottom, and when inserted into the receiving means, the toner or developer is dropped from the opening to the receiving means. The image forming apparatus described. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the shutter unit is provided with the bottom slit so as to be deformed in a state where the opening is not blocked when the transport unit is inserted. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveying unit is a pipe having a curvature portion. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the pipe having a curvature is inserted, the shutter unit is deformed so that the elastic body portion near the bottom is opened to the side. The toner or developer is conveyed by the conveying means, an image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a waste toner or waste developer. It said shutter means, the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a sealing member made of polyurethane. The opening in the receiving means is formed in an open state in a substantially horizontal direction,
It said conveying means, an image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it is inserted from the substantially horizontal direction with respect to the opening. A toner recovery bottle attached to the image forming apparatus and taking in waste toner or developer from the image forming apparatus,
An opening into which a pipe member that transports toner or developer and drops from the opening is inserted;
A shutter member that is provided in the opening and suppresses scattering of toner or developer conveyed by the pipe member from the opening;
The shutter member is deformed by insertion or removal of the pipe member, and an elastic part having a slit for inserting or removing the pipe member;
A bottom slit formed in the elastic portion and extending in a substantially horizontal direction in a downward direction when provided in the opening and extending in a lateral direction so as to avoid the opening when the pipe member is inserted. It has a door,
The toner recovery bottle , wherein the shutter member includes a vertical slit extending in a vertical direction from the bottom slit, and has the bottom slit in a predetermined dimension from the outermost peripheral portion of the vertical slit. . A toner recovery bottle attached to the image forming apparatus and taking in waste toner or developer from the image forming apparatus,
An opening into which a pipe member that transports toner or developer and drops from the opening is inserted;
A shutter member that is provided in the opening and suppresses scattering of toner or developer conveyed by the pipe member from the opening;
The shutter member is deformed by insertion or removal of the pipe member, and an elastic part having a slit for inserting or removing the pipe member;
It is formed in the elastic part and has a predetermined length in the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion of the region that is downward when provided in the opening, and is lateral so as to avoid the opening when the pipe member is inserted. A string-like slit extending in the direction ,
The shutter member includes a said <br/> having the includes a vertical slit extending in the vertical direction from the chordal slits, the vertical direction the chordal slits from the outermost periphery portion to a predetermined size portion of the slit Toner collection bottle. 12. The toner recovery bottle according to claim 11 , wherein the elastic portion of the shutter member has a slit that extends downward from a substantially central portion when the pipe member is inserted and divides the string-like slit. .

Images