JP4353189B2 - Toner cartridge and imaging cartridge - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to various cartridges that can be attached to and detached from an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. More particularly, it relates to an imaging cartridge comprising a toner cartridge containing toner, and a contact and toner cartridge and a process cartridge.

  Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier is developed with toner by a developing device to form an image. In some cases, the toner accommodating portion in which the toner is accommodated and the process portion including the developing device are separately unitized. In this case, the toner storage unit and the process unit are detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. In general, in a state where both are attached to the apparatus main body and image formation is possible, the toner is conveyed through a toner conveyance tube or the like that connects the toner storage unit and the process unit.

  In such an image forming apparatus, when the toner storage unit or the process unit is removed, it is necessary to prevent the toner from spilling into the apparatus. For this reason, generally, a toner conveying tube or the like that connects between them is retracted or closed. On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus in which a toner transport tube is divided at a midway position. According to the device described in this document, both divided end portions are fixed to each unit. The transport pipe is also coupled or separated as the unit is attached or detached. Further, there is also disclosed one in which a shutter that opens and closes in conjunction with the attachment and detachment of the unit is provided at the connection portion of the transport pipe.

Patent Document 2 discloses an image forming apparatus in which a slide shutter is provided on the bottom surface of a toner cartridge. In the apparatus described in this document, the toner cartridge and the toner hopper are engaged by a lock member. Then, the lock member is unlocked by closing the slide shutter. This prevents the toner cartridge from being removed unless the slide shutter is closed.
JP 2000-98713 A JP 7-152239 A

  However, the conventional image forming apparatus described above has the following problems. In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the shutter opens and closes in conjunction with the attachment and detachment of the unit, the shutter is also in a half-open state during the attachment and detachment operation. For this reason, if the attachment / detachment operation is performed again or smooth attachment / detachment cannot be performed, toner may spill out from the half-open shutter portion.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2, image formation cannot be performed unless the slide shutter is opened after the toner cartridge is attached. Further, since there is no shutter on the toner hopper side, there is a risk that the toner may scatter during the attaching / detaching operation. In other words, each conventional image forming apparatus requires careful and smooth attachment / detachment so that the toner and the hands are not soiled by the toner when the unit is attached / detached. However, it was not easy for users who rarely do this.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the conventional image forming apparatus described above. That is, the problem is that the toner cartridge is prevented from leaking out of both the toner container and the process unit, and even an inexperienced user can securely install each unit without contaminating the surroundings. is to provide a contact and imaging cartridge.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A toner cartridge according to the present invention for solving this problem is a toner cartridge that contains toner to be used for image formation, is attached to an image forming apparatus, and supplies toner from a toner outlet. A shutter that slides in a range including a closed position that closes the toner outlet and an open position that opens the toner outlet by the toner passage hole, and a toner passage hole that is positioned upstream of the toner flow from the shutter. A cylindrical shutter that rotates over an angular range including a closed position that closes the toner flow path and an open position that opens the toner flow path through the toner passage hole, a gear that rotates together with the cylindrical shutter, and a shutter A rack that slides and is parallel to the sliding direction and meshed with the gear Has a shutter and a cylindrical shutter, both turned open position, also those which both the closed position.

  According to the toner cartridge of the present invention, the toner outlet is opened or closed by the sliding shutter and the rotating cylindrical shutter. Further, since the gear and the rack portion are provided, the cylindrical shutter is rotated by rotating the gear by sliding the rack portion. Here, since the gear and the rack portion are engaged with each other and the rack portion is slid and moved together with the shutter, the cylindrical shutter is opened and closed together with the opening and closing of the shutter. Therefore, toner leakage is prevented by the shutter and the cylindrical shutter, and even an inexperienced user can be surely installed without polluting the surroundings.

The imaging cartridge of the present invention includes a toner cartridge that stores toner to be used for image formation and supplies toner from a toner outlet, and a process cartridge that has a process unit that receives toner supply from a toner inlet and forms an image. An imaging cartridge that is divided and used by being attached to an image forming apparatus. The toner cartridge has a toner passage hole, and the toner outlet is opened by a closed position that closes the toner outlet and the toner passage hole. An upper shutter that slides in a range including an open position, and a toner passage hole is formed upstream of the upper shutter from the upper shutter, and a toner flow is formed by a closed position that closes the toner flow path and the toner passage hole. A cylindrical shutter that rotates over an angular range including an open position that opens a path Has a gear that rotates together with the cylindrical shutter, provided in parallel with the sliding direction while sliding with the upper shutter, a rack portion which is engaged with the gear, and an engagement portion provided on the rack unit, Both the upper shutter and the cylindrical shutter are in the open position and both are in the closed position. The process cartridge fixes the toner cartridge and meshes with the engaging portion when the toner cartridge is fixed. And a fixed lever that slides together.

  According to the imaging cartridge of the present invention, the toner cartridge is provided with the upper shutter and the cylindrical shutter, and both are opened and closed. Further, the toner cartridge is provided with an engaging portion, and the process cartridge is provided with a fixing lever, which are engaged with each other and slid together with the upper shutter. Therefore, since it can be opened and closed by one slide movement, even an unfamiliar user can be surely attached without polluting the surroundings.

Further, in the imaging cartridge of the present invention, the toner cartridge has a positioning engaging portion on that provided in the upper shutter, the process cartridge, the toner passage holes are formed, a closed position for closing the toner inlet and toner A lower shutter that slides in a range including an open position where the toner inlet is opened by the passage hole; and a lower positioning engagement portion that is provided on the lower shutter and engages with the upper positioning engagement portion. The joint portion and the lower positioning engagement portion are engaged with each other at a position where the toner passage holes of the upper shutter and the lower shutter overlap with each other, and the upper positioning engagement portion and the lower positioning engagement portion are engaged with each other. In the state, it is desirable that both the upper shutter and the lower shutter are in the open position and are in the closed position.

  According to the imaging cartridge of the present invention, since the upper positioning engagement portion is provided in the toner cartridge and the lower positioning engagement portion is provided in the process cartridge, the toner communication holes of the upper and lower shutters are engaged with each other. . Then, the upper and lower shutters are slid together in the engaged state. Therefore, there is no possibility that the toner communication holes are shifted from each other and the toner leaks from the gaps.

The toner cartridge of the present invention, according to our and imaging cartridge, toner leakage is prevented from any of the toner accommodating portion and a process portion, even an inexperienced user mounted securely units without contaminating the surroundings can do.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the best mode for embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a color printer in which a toner storage unit and a process unit are unitized.

  The color printer 10 of this embodiment is an image forming apparatus that forms a color image using four colors of toner of YMCK as schematically shown in FIG. The color printer 10 includes toner storage units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K for four colors and process units 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K. As shown in FIG. 1, the units are arranged side by side so that the longitudinal direction thereof is the depth direction. The toner storage units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K all have the same configuration, and hence the YMCK suffix is omitted and referred to as the toner storage unit 11. Since the process units 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K have the same configuration, the YMCK subscript is omitted and referred to as the process unit 12 below.

  The color printer 10 has a door that can be opened and closed on the front side of the portion shown in FIG. For example, the upper half of the front surface of the hand is an open door that opens from the upper side to the lower side toward the front. When this door is opened, the front end of each toner storage unit 11 and each process unit 12 can be seen. As shown in FIG. 1, the color printer 10 further has various configurations for image formation, such as a paper transport device 13, an image forming system 14, and a fixing unit 15. The image forming operation is the same as the conventional one, and the description thereof is omitted here.

  Each toner storage unit 11 and each process unit 12 are detachable from the main body of the color printer 10. Then, in the state of being mounted on the color printer 10, as shown in FIG. 2, the toner storage unit 11 and the process unit 12 are connected to each other for each color. FIG. 2 shows a state seen from the right front side in FIG. When the front door of the color printer 10 is opened, a total of four units of each color as shown in FIG. 2 are arranged. In a state where the toner storage unit 11 and the process unit 12 are completely connected, the toner stored in the toner storage unit 11 can be supplied to the process unit 12. In the following description, the upper, lower, left, and right directions will be described with reference to the directions shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the toner storage unit 11 is provided with a toner storage portion 21 and a connection portion 22 on the front side thereof. Further, the process unit 12 is provided with a process unit 30 and a connection unit 31 on the front side thereof. The toner storage unit 11 and the process unit 12 are connected by the connection unit 22 and the connection unit 31. FIG. 2 shows a state in the middle until both units are vertically stacked and completely connected.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, various communication paths for circulating toner are formed in the connection portion between the connection portion 22 and the connection portion 31. 3 is a cross-sectional view seen from the left front side in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view seen from the left back side in FIG. Both represent the state during connection. Moreover, in these figures, only the connection part of the connection part 22 and the connection part 31 is shown.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a communication path 23 is formed in the connecting portion 22 of the toner containing unit 11 to flow the toner in the toner containing portion 21 to the process unit. A shutter 24 that slides in the left-right direction is attached to the lower surface of the connecting portion 22. A seal member 25 having a certain degree of elasticity is bonded to the upper surface of the shutter 24. In the shutter 24 and the seal member 25, a communication hole 26 having the same shape is formed at a position where the shutter 24 and the seal member 25 overlap vertically. The communication hole 26 has substantially the same shape and size as the opening of the communication path 23 (lower side in FIG. 3). Therefore, if the shutter 24 is slid leftward in FIG. 3, the communication path 23 and the communication hole 26 can be communicated with each other. FIG. 3 shows a state where the communication path 23 is closed by the shutter 24.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the toner storage unit 11 has a cylindrical shutter 27 inside the communication path 23. The cylindrical shutter 27 is a cylindrical member having a communication hole 28 formed in a part thereof. The cylindrical shutter 27 is disposed upstream of the toner flow from the shutter 24 and is rotatably fitted to the inner surface of the communication path 23. That is, by the rotation of the cylindrical shutter 27, the communication hole 28 is overlapped with the communication hole 26 of the shutter 24, and the toner flow path is opened.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the right end portion of the cylindrical shutter 27 in the figure is sealed, and a gear 29 is formed on the outer periphery thereof. The gear 29 is provided so as to protrude rightward in the drawing from the communication path 23. As shown in FIG. 3, a rack portion 24 a extending from the shutter 24 meshes with the gear 29. The rack portion 24 a is moved along with the sliding movement of the shutter 24, and the cylindrical shutter 27 is rotated via the gear 29 by this movement. That is, both the arrangement of the rack portion 24 a and the moving direction thereof are provided in parallel with the sliding direction of the shutter 24. When the shutter 24 is slid leftward in FIG. 3 until the communication passage 23 and the communication hole 26 are communicated with each other, the communication hole 28 of the cylindrical shutter 27 is disposed at a position overlapping the communication hole 26 of the shutter 24. . For these reasons, both the shutter 24 and the cylindrical shutter 27 are in the open position, and both are in the closed position.

  On the other hand, a communication path 33 for receiving toner from the toner storage unit 11 is formed in the connection portion 31 of the process unit 12 as shown in FIG. A shutter 34 that slides in the left-right direction is attached to the upper surface of the connection portion 31. A seal member 35 having a certain degree of elasticity is bonded to the lower surface of the shutter 34. Further, a packing 36 that is thicker and more elastic than the seal member 35 is bonded to the upper surface of the shutter 34. The packing 36 may be bonded to the lower surface of the shutter 24 of the toner storage unit 11.

  The shutter 34, the seal member 35, and the packing 36 are provided with communication holes 37 having substantially the same shape at positions that overlap each other. The communication hole 37 has substantially the same shape and size as the opening of the communication path 33 (upper side in FIG. 3). Therefore, if the shutter 34 is slid leftward in FIG. 3, the communication path 33 and the communication hole 37 can be communicated with each other. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the communication path 33 is closed by the shutter 34.

  Further, a fixing lever 32 is attached to the connection portion 31 of the process unit 12 on the right side in FIG. The fixed lever 32 is a substantially plate-like member that rotates around the lever support shaft 41. The lever support shaft 41 is provided on the upper side portion of the connection portion 31. Further, the fixing lever 32 is formed with an engaging portion 32a and a groove 32b at the tip portion on the inner surface (the right side surface in FIG. 4).

  The fixing lever 32 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 4 from the bottom to the top by the user when both units are mounted. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the fixing lever 32 is lifted upward and fitted into the toner storage unit 11. Further, when disconnecting these units, the fixing lever 32 is rotated clockwise from top to bottom in FIG. That is, the toner storage unit 11 and the process unit 12 are connected or released by the vertical movement of the fixing lever 32.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a truncated cone-shaped convex portion 24 b that protrudes downward is formed on the lower surface of the shutter 24 of the toner storage unit 11 at a location different from the communication hole 26. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a fitting portion 34 a is formed on the upper surface of the shutter 34 of the process unit 12 at a location other than the communication hole 37 and the outer shape is substantially a truncated cone and the inside is a mortar shape. Has been. In these, as shown in FIG. 7, the convex part 24b just fits inside the fitting part 34a. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the shutter 34 is provided with a convex portion 34 b that passes through a long hole in the sliding direction formed in the front surface of the connection portion 31 and protrudes to the right front side in the drawing. .

  When the fixing lever 32 is raised as described above, even if the toner storage unit 11 and the process unit 12 are slightly displaced from each other, if the projection 24b is partially inserted into the fitting portion 34a, the press contact is performed. Are centered on each other. Accordingly, the shutter 24 and the shutter 34 are accurately positioned by the fitting portion 34a and the convex portion 24b. Further, in such a positioned state, both the shutter 24 and the shutter 34 are in the open position, and both are in the closed position.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the lever support shaft 41 of the fixed lever 32 is supported by fulcrums 42 and 43 formed on the front face of the connection portion 31. In FIG. 8, the fixing lever 32 itself is omitted. A locking portion 44 that is a prismatic convex portion is formed at a position between the fulcrums 42 and 43 on the front surface of the connection portion 31. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, the fixing lever 32 is formed with a recess 45 on the front surface of the hand in the downward state. The recess 45 is formed on a surface facing outward when the fixing lever 32 is lowered. FIG. 9 and the next FIG. 10 show a simplified relationship between the locking portion 44 and the concave portion 45 when viewed from the left side of FIG.

  In the state of FIG. 9, at least a part of the fixed lever 32 is attached to the lever support shaft 41 on the back side in the drawing from the locking portion 44. For this reason, the locking portion 44 and the fixed lever 32 come into contact with each other, and the fixed lever 32 cannot be moved forward in the figure in this state. That is, the leftward slide in FIG. 8 along the lever support shaft 41 of the fixed lever 32 is restricted. Therefore, when the fixed lever 32 is rotated around the lever support shaft 41 from the state of FIG. 9 and lifted as shown in FIG. 10, the concave portion 45 faces the connection portion 31. If it does in this way, since the recessed part 45 of the fixing lever 32 will face the latching | locking part 44 of the connection part 31, the restriction | limiting of a slide will be cancelled | released. FIG. 2 shows this state. In this state, the fixed lever 32 can be slid along the lever support shaft 41.

  Furthermore, a convex portion 46 is formed on the upper side of the connecting portion 22 as shown in FIG. The convex portion 46 is a rod-like member that is formed in a range other than the portion where the tip portion passes when the fixing lever 32 is lifted, and is parallel to the lever support shaft 41. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, a groove 32 b that meshes with the convex portion 46 is formed at the distal end portion of the fixing lever 32. Therefore, when the fixing lever 32 is slid leftward in the drawing from the state shown in FIG. 2, the convex portion 46 passes through the groove 32b as shown in FIG. For this reason, the fixing lever 32 can be raised and lowered only within a range where the convex portion 46 is not formed. This is because the periphery of the groove 32b of the fixing lever 32 is restricted by the convex portion 46 at the portion where the convex portion 46 is formed.

  Accordingly, the rotation and slide of the fixing lever 32 are slid to the left after rotating upward from the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 (the state where the connection lever 31 is tilted to the near side) to the position shown in FIG. Is allowed only in the order of Further, in the reverse procedure, it can be rotated downward only after first sliding rightward to the position shown in FIG. The slide in the fallen state is regulated by the locking portion 44. Further, downward rotation at the upper left position is restricted by the convex portion 46 or by the locking portion 44 and the concave portion 45. As shown in FIG. 8, a recess 24 c is formed on the upper surface of the rack portion 24 a of the shutter 24 so as to be surely engaged with the engaging portion 32 a of the fixing lever 32. As a result, the shutter 24 is reliably slid by the sliding of the fixing lever 32. In this state, the fixing lever 32 is further engaged with the convex portion 34b (see FIG. 6), and the shutter 34 is also slid by the sliding movement of the fixing lever 32.

  Next, a procedure for mounting the toner storage unit 11 and the process unit 12 to the color printer 10 will be described. These units are inserted from the front side in FIG. First, when both units are inserted into predetermined positions of the main body, as shown in FIG. 3, the communication path 23 and the communication path 33 overlap with each other at substantially the same position. Further, the communication hole 26 and the communication hole 37 overlap in the vertical direction. In this state, the fixing lever 32 is not slid, and can be raised upward by rotating the fixing lever 32 about the lever support shaft 41 as shown by the arrow in FIG.

  Here, FIGS. 3 and 4 show a state when the toner containing unit 11 and the process unit 12 are simply inserted into the main body of the color printer 10 respectively. The fixing lever 32 is not yet raised, and the toner storage unit 11 and the process unit 12 are not securely connected. In this state, both the toner storage unit 11 and the process unit 12 can be moved slightly up and down, left and right and back and forth. However, since the communication paths 23 and 33 are both closed by the shutters 24 and 34 as described above, there is no possibility that the toner will spill outside. It is further preferable to prevent the shutters 24 and 34 from being inadvertently opened by a locking claw or the like.

  Therefore, the user then compresses the packing 36 so that the toner storage unit 11 and the process unit 12 are brought close to each other, and the fixing lever 32 appears on the front surface of the connecting portion 22 of the toner storage unit 11 (in front of FIG. 2). To the surface). As shown in FIG. 4, the inner surface of the fixing lever 32 is formed in accordance with the outer surface shape of the connection portion 22. For this reason, the connecting portion 22 is sandwiched between the fixed lever 32 and the vicinity of the lever support shaft 41. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the packing 36 is compressed, and the connecting portion 22 and the connecting portion 31 are fixed at a slightly closer position than in the state of FIGS. At the same time, positioning by the fitting portion 34a and the convex portion 24b is also performed. In this state, all of the shutter 24, the shutter 34, and the cylindrical shutter 27 are closed. This state is the state shown in FIG.

  In this state, the fixing lever 32 is engaged with the concave portion 24c (see FIG. 8) of the rack portion 24a and the convex portion 34b (see FIG. 6) of the shutter 34, and the shutter 24 and the shutter 34 are the convex portion 24b and the fitting portion. 34a is engaged (see FIG. 5). For this reason, the fixed lever 32, the shutter 24, and the shutter 34 are in a state in which they can slide integrally. Therefore, next, the user slides them together to the left in FIG. In this state, since the three are fixed so as to move together, the user only has to hold the fixing lever 32 and slide it. Therefore, the user slides the fixed lever 32 along the lever support shaft 41.

  As a result, the arrangement is as shown in FIG. Here, since the lever support shaft 41 is fixed to the connection portion 31 of the process unit 12, the rigidity is high. For this reason, a stable slide is possible. For example, the fixing lever 32 can be attached to the shutter 34 and slid together, but in order to obtain sufficient rigidity with such a configuration, it is necessary to use a material having high strength for the shutter 34 and the like.

  That is, since the shutter 24 and the shutter 34 are slid leftward in FIG. 12, the rack portion 24a is also slid leftward. Thus, the cylindrical shutter 27 is rotated by the gear 29, and the communication hole 28 of the cylindrical shutter 27 is overlapped with the communication path 23 of the toner containing unit 11. Here, since the rack portion 24a meshes with the gear 29 from the beginning, the gear 29 does not move freely. For example, the rack portion may be formed on the fixed lever 32 so that when the fixed lever 32 is raised, the rack 29 can be engaged with the gear 29. However, in this case, the gear 29 is somewhat affected by the contact at the time of engagement. There is a risk of rotating.

  Accordingly, when the toner storage unit 11 and the process unit 12 are respectively inserted into the main body of the color printer 10 and the fixing lever 32 is raised and slid leftward, the communication state shown in FIG. 13 is obtained. That is, the communication path 23 of the toner storage unit 11 communicates with the communication path 33 of the process unit 12 via the communication hole 28 of the cylindrical shutter 27, the communication hole 26 of the shutter 24, and the communication hole 37 of the shutter 34. There is no possibility that the toner is leaked because there is no part that is open to the outside at any stage during the mounting of the toner.

  Next, a procedure for removing the toner storage unit 11 or the process unit 12 from the color printer 10 will be described. As described above, the fixing lever 32 cannot be rotated downward from the communication state of FIG. 13 and lowered downward. Accordingly, none of the units can be removed in the state shown in FIG. In addition, they cannot be taken out together.

  Therefore, first, the fixing lever 32 is slid rightward from the position in the communication state. At this time, as in the case of mounting, the fixed lever 32, the shutter 24, and the shutter 34 are slid integrally. Thus, the state shown in FIG. 12 is obtained, and the communication paths 23 and 33 are closed by the shutters 24 and 34. As a result, the regulation is removed, and the fixing lever 32 can be lowered. Therefore, there is no possibility that the toner storage unit 11 and the process unit 12 are removed while the communication paths 23 and 33 are opened.

  As described above in detail, according to the color printer 10 of the present embodiment, the toner accommodating unit 11 is provided with the shutter 24, and the process unit 12 is provided with the shutter 34. Therefore, no toner spills from any individual state. When these units are mounted on the main body, the shutter 24 and the shutter 34 are moved together by the fixing lever 32. Therefore, there is no possibility that any unit will be displaced during the mounting operation or the joint of each shutter will be opened. Even when mounting is performed again, it cannot be removed unless the shutters 24 and 34 are completely closed. Therefore, the toner is prevented from leaking out of both the toner storage unit and the process unit, and the color printer 10 can be installed with certain units without being contaminated even by an inexperienced user.

In addition, this form is only a mere illustration and does not limit this invention at all. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof.
For example, the present invention is applicable not only to a color printer but also to an image forming apparatus such as a copier or a FAX.

It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the color printer which concerns on a 1st form. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a state in which a toner storage unit and a process unit are combined. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a connection portion between a toner storage unit and a process unit. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a connection portion between a toner storage unit and a process unit. It is sectional drawing which shows the connection part of shutters. It is an external view which shows the shutter of a process unit. It is an external view which shows the connection part of shutters. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a connection portion between a toner storage unit and a process unit. It is a schematic side view which shows a motion of a fixing lever. It is a schematic side view which shows a motion of a fixing lever. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a connection portion between a toner storage unit and a process unit. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a connection portion between a toner storage unit and a process unit. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a connection portion between a toner storage unit and a process unit.

Explanation of symbols

11 Toner storage unit (toner cartridge)
12 Process unit (process cartridge)
24 Shutter (Upper shutter)
24a Rack part 24b Convex part (upper positioning engagement part)
24c Concave portion (first engaging portion)
27 Cylindrical shutter 29 Gear 32 Fixed lever 32a Engaging portion (third engaging portion)
32b groove (fourth engaging portion)
34 Shutter (lower shutter)
34a Fitting part (lower positioning engagement part)
41 Lever support shaft 44 Locking part (slide regulating member)
45 Concave part (regulation release part)
46 Convex part (second engaging part)

Claims (3)

In a toner cartridge that contains toner to be used for image formation, is attached to an image forming apparatus, and supplies toner from a toner outlet.
A shutter in which a toner passage hole is formed and slidingly moved in a range including a closed position for closing the toner outlet and an open position for opening the toner outlet by the toner passage hole;
The toner passage hole is formed upstream of the shutter and has a toner passage hole, and rotates over an angular range including a closed position where the toner passage is closed and an open position where the toner passage is opened by the toner passage hole. A cylindrical shutter;
A gear that rotates with the cylindrical shutter;
A rack that slides with the shutter and is provided in parallel with the sliding direction and meshed with the gear;
Both the shutter and the cylindrical shutter are in an open position, and both are in a closed position. The image forming apparatus is divided into a toner cartridge that stores toner to be used for image formation and supplies toner from a toner outlet, and a process cartridge having a process unit that receives toner supplied from the toner inlet and forms an image. In the imaging cartridge used by attaching to the
The toner cartridge is
An upper shutter that slides in a range including a closed position in which a toner passage hole is formed and the toner outlet is closed and an open position in which the toner outlet is opened by the toner passage hole ;
Located upstream of toner flow than before SL on the shutter, the toner passage hole is formed, over an angular range including an open position for opening the toner passage by the closed position and the toner passage hole to block the toner passage A rotating cylindrical shutter;
A gear that rotates with the cylindrical shutter;
A rack portion that slides with the upper shutter and is provided in parallel with the sliding direction and meshed with the gear ;
An engaging portion provided in the rack portion ,
The upper shutter and the cylindrical shutter are both in the open position, and both are in the closed position.
The process cartridge is
An imaging cartridge comprising: a fixing lever that fixes the toner cartridge and that engages with the engaging portion when the toner cartridge is fixed and slides together with the upper shutter. The imaging cartridge according to claim 2,
The toner cartridge,
It has a positioning engaging portion on that provided in front SL on the shutter,
The process cartridge is
A lower shutter in which a toner passage hole is formed and slidingly moves in a range including a closed position where the toner inlet is closed and an open position where the toner inlet is opened by the toner passage hole;
A lower positioning engagement portion provided on the lower shutter and engaged with the upper positioning engagement portion;
The upper positioning engagement portion and the lower positioning engagement portion are engaged with each other at a position where toner passing holes of the upper shutter and the lower shutter overlap with each other,
In a state where the upper positioning engagement portion and the lower positioning engagement portion are engaged, both the upper shutter and the lower shutter are in an open position, and both are in a closed position. Imaging cartridge.

Images