JP6670371B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus including a cartridge storage unit installed in an image forming apparatus main body and a toner cartridge configured to be inserted into and removed from the cartridge storage unit.

In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a charging device charges a surface of an electrostatic latent image carrier (for example, a photoconductor), and an exposure device exposes the charged area according to image information to form an electrostatic latent image. Then, the developing device develops the electrostatic latent image with toner.
Toner is supplied from the toner cartridge to the developing device, and it is desirable to use up the toner in the toner cartridge in order to reduce waste of toner. Therefore, for example, Patent Literatures 1 to 3 disclose a technology capable of unlocking a cover of an image forming apparatus main body containing a toner cartridge on an operation screen when the absence of toner in a toner cartridge (toner container) is detected. It has been disclosed.

JP 2011-8142 A JP 2010-256557 A JP 2011-59296 A

  However, in the techniques of Patent Documents 1 to 3, since the cover of the image forming apparatus main body is locked, if the cover of the image forming apparatus main body can be unlocked on the operation screen, When the cover can be opened, there is a problem that the toner cartridge can be removed from the image forming apparatus main body.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can prevent removal of a toner cartridge from an image forming apparatus main body without using a lock mechanism for a cover. .

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a first technical means of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including a cartridge accommodating portion installed in an image forming apparatus main body, and a toner cartridge configured to be insertable into and removable from the cartridge accommodating portion. An apparatus, wherein the cartridge accommodating portion has a regulating member provided at an end of the toner cartridge for preventing gripping by a handle, and a solenoid for switching an operation of the regulating member. A toner comprising: a blindfold that covers a handle; a shaft that can rotate the blindfold; a stopper that connects the blindfold via the shaft; and a claw provided on an upper surface of the stopper. comprising a cartridge gripper prevention device, the toner cartridge has a rib on the bottom of the toner cartridge, inserting the toner cartridge into the cartridge receiving section Once the pawl portion that contacts the rib, the blindfold portion rotates about the shaft portion, in which is characterized in that obscures the handle.

  According to a second technical means, in the first technical means, the regulating member of the toner cartridge gripping prevention device is a cover member for covering a front surface of the handle.

  A fourth technical means is the third technical means, wherein the solenoid has a plunger sucked into the solenoid.

A fifth technical means is the fourth technical means, wherein the plunger has a lever portion engageable with the stopper portion .

  A seventh technical means is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth technical means, wherein the restricting member of the toner cartridge grip preventing device releases the grip of the grip by the restricting member by the operation of the solenoid. It is characterized by doing.

An eighth technical means is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh technical means, wherein the image forming apparatus includes a toner detecting device for detecting a remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge, and an operation for the image forming device. It further includes an operation unit that accepts,
When the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge is detected to be zero, the toner cartridge holding prevention device displays a message urging replacement of the toner cartridge on the operation unit.

A ninth technical means is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh technical means, wherein the image forming apparatus includes a toner detecting device for detecting a remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge, and an operation for the image forming device. It further includes an operation unit that accepts,
The toner cartridge gripping prevention device may display a plurality of step-by-step warning messages indicating that the toner cartridge is still usable until a toner end indicating that the usable toner is completely exhausted is detected. The information is displayed on the operation unit.

  A tenth technical means is the electronic device according to any one of the first to ninth technical means, wherein the toner cartridge is inserted into the cartridge accommodating portion so that the regulating member prevents the handle from being gripped by the handle. It is characterized in that the mounting of the toner cartridge into the cartridge storage section is completed.

  According to the present invention, when the toner cartridge is mounted, the user cannot grip the handle because the cartridge storage section prevents the end of the toner cartridge from being gripped by the handle so that the end cannot be accessed. Therefore, the removal of the toner cartridge from the image forming apparatus main body can be prevented without using the lock mechanism for the cover.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the toner cartridge of the present invention and a drive unit are mounted. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the toner cartridge. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cartridge storage unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the grip prevention device of FIG. It is a figure explaining operation of a grip prevention device. It is a figure explaining operation of a grip prevention device. It is a figure explaining a grasp prevention device of a 2nd embodiment. It is a figure explaining a grasp prevention device of a 3rd embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus of the present invention.
The image forming apparatus 1 can perform predetermined image processing on image data transmitted from an external device via a network, and print a color image or a monochrome image on paper. Although an example of a printer is described in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus of the present invention performs predetermined image processing on image data read by a scanner or the like to copy a color image or a monochrome image onto paper. Machine, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine having these functions.

The image forming apparatus 1 includes, for example, a supply unit 10, an image forming unit 20, a transport unit 30, and a fixing unit 40 inside a box-shaped image forming apparatus main body 2. The supply unit 10 supplies a sheet to the image forming unit 20 at a predetermined timing, and the image forming unit 20 forms a toner image on the sheet.
More specifically, the supply unit 10 includes a paper feed tray 11 and a manual feed tray 12, and the sheets on the paper feed tray 11 and the manual feed tray 126 are sent to the image forming unit 20 via the pickup roller 13 and the transport roller 14.

The image forming unit 20 is, for example, of a tandem type, and has four stations 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20B for a yellow image, a magenta image, a cyan image, and a black image.
The yellow image station 20Y is located near the belt cleaning device 34, and the black image station 20B is located near the fixing unit 40. A station 20Y, a station 20M for a magenta image, a station 20C for a cyan image, and a station 20B for a black image are arranged in this order.

  Each station 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20B has substantially identical components. For this reason, in FIG. 1, the components of the yellow image station 20Y are denoted by reference numerals, and the reference numerals of the components of the other stations 20M, 20C, and 20B are omitted. In addition to the above four colors, for example, light cyan (LC) or light magenta (LM) having the same hue as cyan and magenta and low density may be added.

The station 20Y for yellow image will be described as an example. The station 20Y has a photoconductor 21, and a charging device 22, an exposure device 23, and a developing device are provided around the photoconductor 21 in the rotation direction thereof. 24, a transfer roller 25, and a photoconductor cleaning device 26 are arranged in this order.
The photoconductor 21 has a cylindrical shape, and its surface is formed of, for example, an OPC (organic photoconductor) or the like, and can be rotated in a predetermined direction by a driving device (not shown).

The charging device 22 has, for example, a roller that comes into contact with the surface of the photoconductor 21 and uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor 21 with a predetermined polarity (for example, minus). In addition, a charging device such as a brush system or an ion emission system may be used instead of the contact roller system.
The exposure device 23 irradiates the surface of the charged photoconductor 21 with a laser beam based on the image data, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 21. Note that, in addition to a laser scanning device (LSU) having a laser irradiation unit and a reflection mirror, an exposure device such as a writing head in which light-emitting elements such as LEDs are arranged in an array may be used.

  The developing device 24 develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 21 with toner to form a visible image (also referred to as a toner image). The toner is supplied from a toner cartridge 28 connected to the developing device 24, and is charged with the same polarity (for example, minus) as the surface potential of the photoconductor 21. An intermediate hopper 27 for temporarily storing toner is provided between the toner cartridge 28 and the developing device 24. The toner cartridge 28 may contain only toner or a mixture of carriers.

The transfer roller 25 faces the photoconductor 21 with the transport belt 33 interposed therebetween. When a bias voltage having a polarity (for example, a positive polarity) opposite to the charging polarity of the toner is applied to the transfer roller 25, the toner image on the photoconductor 21 is transferred to a sheet on the transport belt 33.
The photoreceptor cleaning device 26 removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 21 after the transfer to the paper, and the toner removed from the photoreceptor 21 is collected inside the photoreceptor cleaning device 26, for example.

  The transport unit 30 includes a driving roller 31, a driven roller 32, and a transport belt 33. For example, the driving roller 31 is disposed near the fixing unit 40 and the driven roller 32 is disposed near the belt cleaning device 34, and the transport belt 33 is looped between the driving roller 31 and the driven roller 32. In the case of printing a color image, when the transport belt 33 moves in the direction of arrow Z, the toner images of each color from the stations 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20B are sequentially transferred to the transport belt 33, and then, from the transport belt 33 to paper. Transcribed.

  The fixing unit 40 includes a heating roller 41 and a pressure roller 42, and fixes the toner image transferred onto the sheet at the nip. When printing is performed on only the front side of the sheet, the sheet sent from the fixing unit 40 is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 50.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a mounted state of the toner cartridge of the present invention and a drive unit, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the toner cartridge.
As shown in FIG. 2, the toner cartridge 28 includes a container body 60 that is formed to be elongated along the horizontal direction. The toner cartridges 28 are provided for each color. In the example described with reference to FIG. 1, a total of four toner cartridges 28 are arranged in the image forming apparatus main body 2.

In the image forming apparatus main body 2, a total of four cartridge storage units 80, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 4 and the like, corresponding to the respective color toner cartridges 28 are installed. Each is installed.
The front cover 64 is located at the rear end with respect to the insertion direction of the toner cartridge 28, and the front side opposite to the front cover 64 is set at the front, and the toner cartridge 28 is advanced in the cartridge accommodating section 80 along its longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 2, when the toner cartridge 28 is connected to the drive unit 29 located on the inner side of the cartridge storage unit 80, the toner in the container main body 60 is stirred and transported by the driving force of the motor 70 of the drive unit 29. it can. On the other hand, when the front cover 64 is at the top and the toner cartridge 28 is retracted with respect to the drive unit 29, the toner cartridge 28 can be pulled out of the cartridge storage section 80. The front cover 64 corresponds to an end of the toner cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. For example, a toner conveying member 61 and a stirring member 62 are provided in parallel in a container main body 60 of the toner cartridge 28.
The toner conveying member 61 has a rotation shaft 61b, a screw 61a provided around the rotation shaft 61b, and a drive transmission member 61c provided at a tip of the rotation shaft 61b. The toner conveying member 61 is connected to a motor 70 of the drive unit 29 via a drive transmitting member 61c outside the container main body 60, and is rotatable in a predetermined direction by the driving force of the motor 70.

  The stirring member 62 has a sheet 62a made of, for example, PET, a rotating shaft 62b, and a drive transmission member 62c. The sheet 62a is formed in a flexible thin plate shape that can contact the inner surface of the container body 60, for example. Have been. The agitating member 62 is connected to the motor 70 of the drive unit 29 via a drive transmission member 62c outside the container main body 60, like the toner conveying member 61, and is rotatable in a predetermined direction by the driving force of the motor 70.

  A partition wall 63 is provided between the toner conveying member 61 and the stirring member 62, and the toner stirred by the stirring member 62 reaches the periphery of the toner conveying member 61 over the partition wall 63. The toner collected around the toner conveying member 61 is conveyed by the toner conveying member 61 and travels to the intermediate hopper 27 described with reference to FIG.

(1st Embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cartridge storage unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the grip prevention device of FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the cartridge storage section 80 has a storage opening 81 formed in, for example, a rectangular shape, and is formed elongated toward the drive unit 29 described with reference to FIG. 2 and the like, and can receive the toner cartridge 28. it can.

  Specifically, the toner cartridge 28 is advanced along the longitudinal direction with the side opposite to the front cover 64 described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 being inserted into the cartridge storage section 80 from the storage opening 81 shown in FIG. I do. The cartridge storage section 80 has a toner cartridge grip prevention device 82. When the toner cartridge 28 is advanced until it is connected to the drive unit 29, the grip prevention device 82 can cover the handle 64 a of the front cover 64.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the grip prevention device 82 includes a cover member 83 and a solenoid 90. Note that the cover member 83 corresponds to the regulating member of the present invention.
The cover member 83 has, for example, an L-shaped blindfold portion 83a, a shaft portion 83b, a stopper portion 83c, a claw portion 83d, and the like, and one end of the blindfold portion 83a is connected to the stopper portion 83c via the shaft portion 83b. The cover member 83 is rotatable about a shaft portion 83b. Further, for example, a spring (for example, a torsion coil spring, not shown) is provided on the shaft portion 83b, and urges the blind portion 83a to rotate counterclockwise as viewed in FIG.

The claw portion 83d is provided on the upper surface of the stopper portion 83c, and can be bent by contacting, for example, a rib 60a formed on the bottom surface of the container body 60 inside the cartridge accommodating portion 80 as described later. . The blindfold portion 83a is rotatable clockwise as viewed in FIG. 5 by a force for pushing down the stopper portion 83c generated by the contact between the rib 60a and the claw portion 83d.
The solenoid 90 has a plunger 90a that is installed near the stopper 83c and is sucked into the solenoid 90 when the solenoid 90 is turned on.

At the tip of the plunger 90a, a lever 90b that can be engaged with the upper surface of the stopper 83c is provided. In addition, for example, a spring (for example, a compression coil spring, not shown) is installed on the plunger 90a, and urges the lever 90b in a direction (leftward in FIG. 5) to approach the stopper portion 83c.
According to the first embodiment, when the toner cartridge 28 is attached to the cartridge storage section 80, the handle 64a is hidden so that the front side of the front cover 64 (the side facing the user) cannot access the front cover 64. Therefore, the user cannot insert a finger into the handle 64a. Therefore, the removal of the toner cartridge from the image forming apparatus main body can be prevented without using the lock mechanism for the cover.

6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating the operation of the grip prevention device. In the present embodiment, the operation of the grip prevention device 82 shown in FIG. 5 is switched based on, for example, a detection signal of a toner detection device (not shown). For example, a piezoelectric sensor can be used to detect the remaining amount of toner, but when there is a carrier other than toner, the remaining amount of toner can be detected using, for example, a magnetic permeability sensor. Note that, in FIG. 6 and subsequent figures, illustration of the vicinity of the storage opening 81 described with reference to FIGS.
More specifically, when there is a remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 28, for example, after the toner cartridge 28 is connected to the driving unit 29 until the remaining amount of toner is detected to be zero, the driving unit 29 described in FIG. The motor 70 rotates forward, and the toner conveying member 61 and the stirring member 62 shown in FIG. 3 rotate to convey and stir the toner.

  When the motor 70 rotates forward, the solenoid 90 is turned off. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the lever 90b projects toward the stopper 83c by the urging force of the spring provided on the plunger 90a and engages with the upper surface of the stopper 83c. The front of the handle 64a (the rear end face with respect to the insertion direction of the toner cartridge 28) is hidden.

On the other hand, when the remaining toner amount in the toner cartridge 28 is detected to be zero, for example, the solenoid 90 is turned on by power from a drive unit different from the drive unit 29, and the cover member 83 is rotated to handle the handle. Show 64a.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, the plunger 90a is sucked into the solenoid 90 by the ON operation of the solenoid 90, so that the engagement between the lever 90b and the stopper portion 83c is released. Thus, the blind portion 83a is rotated counterclockwise by the urging force of the spring provided on the shaft portion 83b, and the prevention of the grip on the handle 64a is released, so that the handle 64a can be accessed from the front side of the front cover 64. Become. Therefore, the user can insert his / her finger into the handle 64a, and can pull out the toner cartridge 28 from the cartridge storage unit 80.

When the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 28 is detected to be zero, a warning message indicating that the toner cartridge should be replaced is provided, for example, near the paper output tray 50 in FIG. The information may be displayed on the operation unit 51 that receives the operation. Voice guidance can also be provided. A pop-up display may be performed.
Further, until the toner detection device in the intermediate hopper 27 described with reference to FIG. 1 detects a toner end indicating that the usable toner is completely exhausted, a step-by-step plurality indicating that the toner cartridge can still be used. A type of alert message may be displayed on the operation unit 51. Specifically, when the toner detecting device in the toner cartridge 28 detects the near end of the toner indicating that the toner in the toner cartridge 28 is completely exhausted, a warning message that the toner cartridge can be replaced is issued. It is displayed on the operation unit 51. Next, when the toner detection device in the intermediate hopper 27 detects the near-near end of the toner indicating that the usable toner is low, a warning message indicating that the toner cartridge needs to be replaced is sent to the operation unit 51. Then, when a toner end indicating that the usable toner is full is detected, a warning message indicating that the toner cartridge should be replaced is displayed on the operation unit 51. Voice guidance or pop-up display may be performed.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the prevention of the grip on the handle 64a is released by the on operation of the solenoid 90, the solenoid 90 is quickly turned off (FIG. 6B). As described above, if the ON operation time of the solenoid is shortened, protection of the solenoid and reduction of power consumption can be achieved.
As shown in FIG. 6B, when the solenoid 90 is turned off, the plunger 90a and the lever 90b protrude toward the stopper portion 83c by the urging force of the spring provided on the plunger 90a, and the lever 90b is turned off. The leading end goes under the stopper 83c.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, when the toner cartridge 28 is pulled out, the claw 83d comes into contact with the rib 60a, so that the claw 83d has a force to push down the stopper 83c. Reference numeral 60a is a horizontal surface, which comes into contact with the claw portion 83d, and the claw portion 83d is also in a posture in which the claw portion 83d can escape downward. The blind portion 83a is urged to rotate counterclockwise by a spring provided on the shaft portion 83b. Therefore, the blindfold 83a does not rotate clockwise, and the handle 64a remains visible. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6D, when the toner cartridge 28 is further pulled out, the claw portion 83d separates from the rib 60a, rises, and returns to the original posture.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7A, when another toner cartridge 28 is inserted, the claw 83d comes into contact with the rib 60a, and a force is generated on the claw 83d to push down the stopper 83c. In this case, the rib 60a comes into contact with the claw portion 83d on a vertical surface, and the claw portion 83d is also in a posture in which it is difficult to escape downward. Therefore, the blind portion 83a rotates clockwise from the posture shown in FIG. 7A against the urging force of the spring provided on the shaft portion 83b due to the force pressing down the stopper portion 83c.

  Subsequently, when another toner cartridge 28 is further inserted, the claw portion 83d keeps in contact with the rib 60a. In this case, the rib 60a comes into contact with the claw portion 83d at the corner between the horizontal surface and the vertical surface, and the claw portion 83d is also in such a position that it is difficult to escape downward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7B, the blindfold portion 83a further rotates clockwise, and the tip of the stopper portion 83c pushes the lever 90b urged by the spring installed on the plunger 90a rightward to move the lever 90b. Dive below.

Then, when this other toner cartridge 28 is connected to the drive unit 29, as shown in FIG. 7C, the lever 90b projects toward the stopper 83c by the urging force of the spring provided on the plunger 90a. The blindfold 83a hides the handle 64a of the front cover 64.
The cover member can be driven by a motor instead of the plunger. In the first embodiment, the cover member 83 rotates to cover and hide the handle 64a of the front cover 64. However, you may slide and cover the handle.

(2nd Embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a grip prevention device according to the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the cover member 83 is rotated to cover and hide the handle 64a of the front cover 64, but may be slid to cover and hide the handle. The grip prevention device 82 according to the second embodiment includes a cover member 83 movable in the up-down direction and a cover motor 91. The cover member 83 has, for example, a plate-shaped blind portion 83a, and a rack (not shown) is formed on the back surface of the blind portion 83a. Further, the cover motor 91 is disposed on the back surface of the blind portion 83a, and a gear (not shown) that meshes with the rack is provided on the peripheral surface of the shaft portion 91a.

Then, when there is a residual amount of toner in the toner cartridge 28, as shown in FIG. 8A, the blindfold portion 83a hides the front of the handle 64a of the front cover 64. Therefore, also in this case, the handle 64a cannot be grasped from the front side of the front cover.
On the other hand, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 28 is detected to be zero, for example, when the cover motor 91 is turned on by power from a drive unit different from the drive unit 29, FIG. As shown in (5), the blindfold 83a moves, for example, downward with the counterclockwise rotation of the shaft 91a, so that the user can access the handle 64a.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a grip prevention device according to the third embodiment. In the first embodiment, the cover member 83 is rotated to cover and hide the handle 64a of the front cover 64, but may be slid and cover the handle as in the second embodiment. The grip prevention device 82 of the third embodiment includes a cover member 83 movable in the left-right direction and a cover motor (not shown). The cover member 83 has, for example, a plate-shaped blind portion 83a, and a rack (not shown) is formed on the back surface of the blind portion 83a. Then, when there is a residual amount of toner in the toner cartridge 28, as shown in FIG. 9A, the blindfold portion 83a hides the front of the handle 64a of the front cover 64, so that the user cannot grasp the handle 64a. On the other hand, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 28 is detected to be zero, as shown in FIG. 9B, the blindfold 83a moves to the right, for example, so that the user can access the handle 64a.

By the way, in each of the above-described embodiments, an example has been described in which the prevention of grip on the grip is released based on the remaining amount of toner. However, in the present invention, when a trouble occurs in the toner cartridge, or when the removal of the toner cartridge is set by the operation unit 51 shown in FIG.
More specifically, for example, when an operation abnormality due to the toner conveying member 61 or the stirring member 62 described with reference to FIG. 3 is detected, the trouble may be displayed on the operation unit 51 and the handle may be shown. Voice guidance or pop-up display may be performed. In this case, it is difficult to replace the toner cartridge until a trouble occurs in the toner cartridge.

  Alternatively, the handle may be shown when the removal of the toner cartridge is set, for example, when the “remove toner cartridge” button is pressed on the operation unit 51. In this case, it is difficult to replace the toner cartridge until the operation unit sets the removal of the toner cartridge.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 2 ... Image forming apparatus main body, 10 ... Supply part, 11 ... Paper feed tray, 12 ... Manual feed tray, 13 ... Pickup roller, 14 ... Transport roller, 20 ... Image forming part, 20Y, 20M, 20C , 20B: Station, 21: Photoconductor, 22: Charging device, 23: Exposure device, 24: Developing device, 25: Transfer roller, 26: Photoconductor cleaning device, 27: Intermediate hopper, 28: Toner cartridge, 29: Drive Unit, 30: transport unit, 31: drive roller, 32: driven roller, 33: transport belt, 34: belt cleaning device, 40: fixing unit, 41: heating roller, 42: pressure roller, 50: paper ejection tray, Reference numeral 51 denotes an operation unit, 60 denotes a container body, 60a denotes a rib, 61 denotes a toner conveying member, 61a denotes a screw, 61b denotes a shaft portion, and 61c denotes a drive transmission member. ... Agitating member, 62a ... Sheet, 62b ... Rotating shaft, 62c ... Drive transmission member, 63 ... Partition wall, 64 ... Front cover, 64a ... Handle, 70 ... Motor, 80 ... Cartridge storage section, 81 ... Storage opening, 82 ... Toner cartridge grip prevention device, 83 ... cover member, 83a ... blindfold portion, 83b ... shaft portion, 83c ... stopper portion, 83d ... claw portion, 90 ... solenoid, 90a ... plunger, 90b ... lever, 91 ... cover motor, 91a ... shaft.

Claims (8)

An image forming apparatus comprising: a cartridge accommodating section installed in an image forming apparatus main body; and a toner cartridge configured to be insertable into and removable from the cartridge accommodating section.
The cartridge accommodating portion includes a regulating member provided at an end of the toner cartridge for preventing a grip on a handle, and a solenoid for switching an operation of the regulating member, wherein the regulating member is a blindfold covering the handle. And a shaft portion rotatable with respect to the blindfold portion, a stopper portion to which the blindfold portion is connected via the shaft portion, and a claw portion provided on the upper surface of the stopper portion. Prepared ,
The toner cartridge has a rib on a bottom surface of the toner cartridge,
When the toner cartridge is inserted into the cartridge accommodating portion, the claw portion comes into contact with the rib, so that the blindfold portion rotates around the shaft portion and covers the handle. Forming equipment. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the regulating member of the toner cartridge gripping prevention device is a cover member that covers a front surface of the handle. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
The image forming apparatus, wherein the solenoid has a plunger sucked into the solenoid. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein:
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plunger has a lever portion engageable with the stopper portion . An image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the restricting member of the toner cartridge grip preventing device releases the grip of the grip by the restricting member by the operation of the solenoid. An image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The image forming apparatus further includes a toner detection device that detects a remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge, and an operation unit that receives an operation performed on the image forming device.
The image forming apparatus, wherein when the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge is detected to be zero, the toner cartridge holding prevention device displays a message urging replacement of the toner cartridge on the operation unit. An image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The image forming apparatus further includes a toner detection device that detects a remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge, and an operation unit that receives an operation performed on the image forming device.
The toner cartridge gripping prevention device may display a plurality of step-by-step warning messages indicating that the toner cartridge is still usable until a toner end indicating that the usable toner is completely exhausted is detected. An image forming apparatus, wherein the image is displayed on the operation unit. An image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
By inserting the toner cartridge into the cartridge storage section, the regulating member prevents the handle from being held by the handle, and the mounting of the toner cartridge into the cartridge storage section is completed. Image forming apparatus.

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