JP7497478B2 - Developer supply container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a developer supply container which is detachable from a developer receiving device.

Conventionally, electrophotographic image forming devices such as copying machines use developers such as fine powder toner. In such image forming devices, the developer consumed during image formation is replenished from a developer supply container.

For example, a configuration has been proposed in which the developer supply container is detachably attached to a developer receiving device provided in an image forming device, and the developer receiving portion of the developer receiving device is displaced toward the discharge port of the developer supply container in conjunction with the attachment operation of the developer supply container (Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-015826 A

An object of the present invention is to provide a developer supply container that can improve operability by reducing the operating force required when mounting the developer supply container.

The developer supply container of the present invention is detachable from a developer receiving device having a developer receiving portion formed with a receiving port for receiving developer and an engaged portion displaceable integrally with the developer receiving portion, and is provided with: a rotatable developer storage portion for storing developer; a discharge portion that communicates with the developer storage portion and has a discharge port formed on its bottom surface for discharging the developer stored in the developer storage portion; and a rotating portion that is rotatable relative to the discharge portion about a rotation axis extending in a direction intersecting with the rotation axis direction of the developer storage portion, the rotating portion having an engaging portion with which the engaged portion engages, the rotating part rotates relative to the discharging part such that, when the image forming agent supply container is mounted on the developer receiving device, the engaged part engages with the engaging part, and when the engaged part is engaged with the engaging part, the rotating part rotates relative to the discharging part such that the developer receiving part is displaced towards the developer supply container, the rotating part has an arm-like shape and is provided with a first rotation stopper part that stops the rotation of the rotating part in a first rotation direction, a second rotation stopper part that stops the rotation of the rotating part in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction, and an elastic member that biases the rotating part against the first rotation stopper part.
In addition, the developer supply container of the present invention is a developer supply container that is detachable from a developer receiving device and has a developer receiving portion formed with a receiving port for receiving developer and an engaged portion that can be displaced integrally with the developer receiving portion, and is characterized in that it comprises a rotatable developer accommodating portion that accommodates developer, a discharge portion that communicates with the developer accommodating portion and has a discharge port formed on its bottom surface for discharging the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion, and a rotating portion that is rotatable relative to the discharge portion around a rotation axis extending in a direction intersecting the rotation axis direction of the developer accommodating portion, the rotating portion has an engaging portion with which the engaged portion engages, and when the developer supply container is attached to the developer receiving device, the engaged portion engages with the engaging portion, and when the engaged portion is engaged with the engaging portion, the rotating portion rotates relative to the discharge portion so that the developer receiving portion is displaced toward the developer supply container, and the rotating portion has a gear-like shape having a plurality of the engaging portions.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the operating force required when installing the developer supply container, thereby improving operability.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. 1A is a perspective view of a developer receiving device according to a first embodiment, and FIG. 1A is a partially enlarged perspective view of a developer receiving device according to a first embodiment, FIG. 1B is a partially enlarged sectional view, and FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a part of a developer supply container according to a first embodiment, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of a flange portion and its periphery, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container body of the developer supply container according to the first embodiment. 3A and 3B are a perspective view and a bottom view, respectively, of a flange portion according to the first embodiment; FIG. 11A is a side view of the engagement portion according to the first embodiment when insertion of the developer supply container begins, and FIG. 11B is a side view of the engagement portion when the developer supply container is inserted and the engaged portion is held by the holding portion. FIG. 11A is a side view of the engaging portion according to the first embodiment when the engaging portion is located at a second position, and FIG. 11B is a side view of the engaged portion when the engaged portion is located at an extension portion after the developer supply container has been completely attached. 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams for explaining a force acting on a developer receiving portion during an installation operation of a developer supply container, where FIG. 5A is a comparative example, and FIG. 5B is a first embodiment. 1A is a graph showing the relationship between the inclination angle and the coefficient A in the comparative example; FIG. 1B is a graph showing the relationship between the horizontal movement distance and the operating force F; and FIG. 1C is a graph showing the relationship between the inclination angle and the coefficient A in the first embodiment. 1A and 1B are a top view and a perspective view, respectively, of a shutter according to a first embodiment. 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a side view, respectively, of a pump according to a first embodiment. 1A is a perspective view of a reciprocating member according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the reciprocating member as viewed from the opposite side to FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a cover according to a first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the cover as viewed from the opposite side to FIG. 13A and 13B are a perspective view and a bottom view, respectively, of a flange portion according to a second embodiment. 13A is a side view of the engagement portion according to the second embodiment, when insertion of the developer supply container begins; FIG. 13B is a side view of the engagement portion when the developer supply container is inserted and the engaged portion is held by the holding portion; FIG. 11A is a side view of the engaging portion according to the second embodiment when the engaged portion is positioned at the top of the engaging portion, and FIG. 11B is a side view of the engaging portion when the engaged portion is positioned at the extension portion after the developer supply container has been completely installed. 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams for explaining a force acting on a developer receiving portion when a developer supply container is attached, where FIG. 5A is a comparative example, and FIG. 5B is a second embodiment. 1 is a graph showing the relationship between angles θ and α and coefficients A and B.

First Embodiment
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 15B. First, a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

[Image forming apparatus]
In FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 has an original reading device 103 on the upper part of the apparatus main body 100a. An original 101 is placed on an original table glass 102. Then, an electrostatic latent image is formed by forming an optical image corresponding to the image information of the original 101 on a photosensitive drum 104, which is a cylindrical photosensitive body serving as an image carrier, by a plurality of mirrors M and lenses Ln of the original reading device 103. This electrostatic latent image is visualized by a dry developing device (one-component developing device) 201 using toner (one-component magnetic toner) as a developer (dry powder). In this embodiment, an example in which one-component magnetic toner is used as a developer to be replenished from a developer supply container 1 (also called a toner cartridge) will be described, but this is not the only example, and the configuration described below may be used.

Specifically, when using a single-component developer that uses a single-component non-magnetic toner for development, the single-component non-magnetic toner is replenished as the developer. When using a two-component developer that uses a two-component developer that is a mixture of a magnetic carrier and a non-magnetic toner for development, the non-magnetic toner is replenished as the developer. In this case, it is also possible to use a configuration in which the magnetic carrier is replenished together with the non-magnetic toner as the developer.

As described above, the developing device 201 shown in FIG. 1 develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 104 based on the image information of the original 101, using toner as a developer. In addition, the developing device 201 is connected to a developer supply system 200, which has a developer supply container 1 and a developer receiving device 8 to which the developer supply container 1 can be attached and detached. The developer supply system 200 will be described later.

In addition to the developer hopper 201a, the developing device 201 is provided with a developing roller 201f. The developer hopper 201a is provided with an agitating member 201c for agitating the developer supplied from the developer supply container 1. The developer agitated by the agitating member 201c is sent to the conveying member 201e side by the conveying member 201d. The developer conveyed in sequence by the conveying members 201e and 201b is carried by the developing roller 201f and is finally supplied to the developing section with the photosensitive drum 104. In this embodiment, since a one-component developer is used, the toner as the developer is supplied from the developer supply container 1 to the developing device 201. However, when a two-component developer is used, the toner and carrier as the developer may be supplied from the developer supply container 1.

Each of the cassettes 105-108 contains a recording material S such as a sheet. During image formation, one of the cassettes 105-108 containing the optimum recording material S is selected based on the information input by the operator (user) via the operation unit 100d (see FIG. 2) of the image forming apparatus 100 or the size of the original 101. The recording material S is not limited to paper, and can be appropriately used and selected, for example, an OHP sheet. Then, one sheet of recording material S transported by the feeding/separating devices 105A-108A is transported to the registration roller 110 via the transport unit 109, and transported by synchronizing the rotation of the photosensitive drum 104 with the scanning timing of the original reading device 103.

At the downstream side of the registration roller 110 in the recording material conveying direction and facing the photosensitive drum 104, a transfer charger 111 and a separation charger 112 are provided. The transfer charger 111 transfers the image (toner image) formed by the developer on the photosensitive drum 104 onto the recording material S conveyed by the registration roller 110. The recording material S onto which the toner image has been transferred is then separated from the photosensitive drum 104 by the separation charger 112. After this, the recording material S conveyed by the conveying section 113 is subjected to heat and pressure in the fixing section 114, and the toner image is fixed onto the recording material. After that, in the case of one-sided copying, the recording material S with the fixed toner image passes through the discharge reversal section 115 and is discharged to the discharge tray 117 by the discharge roller 116.

On the other hand, in the case of double-sided copying, the recording material S passes through the discharge reversal section 115, and a portion of it is discharged outside the device by the discharge rollers 116. Then, when the trailing end of the recording material S passes through the switching member 118 and is still clamped by the discharge rollers 116, the position of the switching member 118 is switched and the discharge rollers 116 are rotated in the reverse direction, so that the recording material S is transported back into the device. After that, the recording material S is transported to the registration rollers 110 via the re-feed conveying sections 119 and 120, and is then discharged to the discharge tray 117 following the same path as in the case of single-sided copying.

In the image forming apparatus 100 configured as above, image forming process devices such as a developing unit 201, a cleaner unit 202, and a primary charger 203 are installed around the photosensitive drum 104. The developing unit 201 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 104 based on image information of the original 101 read by the original reading device 103 by attaching a developer to the electrostatic latent image. The primary charger 203 is for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 104 to form a desired electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 104. The cleaner unit 202 is for removing developer remaining on the photosensitive drum 104.

As shown in FIG. 2, when an operator opens the replacement cover 40, which is a part of the exterior cover of the main body 100a of the image forming apparatus 100, a part of the developer receiving device 8, which will be described later, appears. Then, by inserting the developer supply container 1 into the developer receiving device 8, the developer supply container 1 is mounted in a state in which developer can be supplied to the developer receiving device 8. On the other hand, when the operator replaces the developer supply container 1, the operator performs the reverse operation of the mounting operation to remove the developer supply container 1 from the developer receiving device 8, and then mounts a new developer supply container 1. The replacement cover 40 is a dedicated cover for attaching and detaching (replacing) the developer supply container 1, and is opened and closed only to attach and detach the developer supply container 1. On the other hand, maintenance of the image forming apparatus 100 is performed by opening and closing the front cover 100c. Here, the replacement cover 40 and the front cover 100c may be integrated, in which case replacement of the developer supply container 1 and maintenance of the image forming apparatus 100 are performed by opening and closing the integrated cover (not shown).

[Developer Receiving Device]
Next, the developer receiving device 8 constituting the developer supply system 200 will be described with reference to Figures 3(a) to 4(c). As shown in Figure 3(a), the developer receiving device 8 is provided with a mounting portion (mounting space) 8f in which the developer supply container 1 is detachably mounted. The mounting portion 8f is provided with an insertion guide 8e for guiding the developer supply container 1 in the mounting and removal direction. In the case of this embodiment, the developer supply container 1 is configured such that the removal direction B of the developer supply container 1 is opposite to the mounting direction A of the developer supply container 1 by the insertion guide 8e.

As shown in Figures 3(a) to 4(a), the developer receiving device 8 has a drive gear 9 that functions as a drive mechanism for driving the developer supply container 1. This drive gear 9 has a function of transmitting a rotational drive force from the drive motor 500 via a drive gear train (not shown) and applying the rotational drive force to the developer supply container 1 that is attached to the attachment portion 8f. The operation of the drive motor 500 is controlled by the control device 600.

The control device 600 controls the drive motor 500 and also controls the entire image forming apparatus 100. Such a control device 600 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU controls each part while reading a program corresponding to the control procedure stored in the ROM. In addition, working data and input data are stored in the RAM, and the CPU performs control by referring to the data stored in the RAM based on the aforementioned programs, etc.

The mounting portion 8f of the developer receiving device 8 is provided with a developer receiving section 11 for receiving the developer discharged from the developer supply container 1. The developer receiving section 11 is connected to the container discharge port 3a4 of the developer supply container 1 when the developer supply container 1 is mounted, and has a receiving port 11a for receiving the developer discharged from the container discharge port 3a4. The developer receiving section 11 is mounted so as to be movable (displaceable) in a direction in which the receiving port 11a moves toward and away from the container discharge port 3a4, in this embodiment, in a direction intersecting the mounting direction A of the developer supply container 1 (specifically, a vertical direction with respect to the developer receiving device 8). The developer receiving section 11 is mounted so as to be movable (displaceable) in a vertical direction along the wall surface 8h of the developer receiving device 8 with respect to the developer receiving device 8 (see Figures 8(a) to 9(b)). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, the developer receiving portion 11 is biased by a biasing member 12 made of, for example, a compression coil spring in a direction in which the receiving port 11a moves away from the container discharge port 3a4 (vertically downward, opposite to the displacement direction). Therefore, when the developer receiving portion 11 moves in a direction in which the receiving port 11a moves closer to the container discharge port 3a4 (vertically upward), the developer receiving portion 11 moves against the biasing force of the biasing member 12. In this specification, the direction in which the developer receiving portion 11 is displaced in association with the mounting operation of the developer supply container 1 is the vertically upward direction, and this direction is referred to as the upward direction (displacement direction, vertically upward) U, and the opposite vertically downward direction is referred to as the downward direction D.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the mounting portion 8f of the developer receiving device 8 is provided with a first shutter stopper portion 8a and a second shutter stopper portion 8b upstream of the developer receiving portion 11 in the mounting direction A. The first and second shutter stopper portions 8a and 8b restrict the relative movement of only the shutter 4 (see FIG. 5(b)) described below with respect to the developer supply container 1 during attachment/detachment, which moves relative to the developer receiving device 8. In this case, the shutter 4 moves relative to a part of the developer supply container 1 other than the shutter 4, such as the container body 2 described below.

As shown in Figures 3(b) and 4(b), below D in the developer receiving device 8, a sub-hopper 8c is provided to temporarily store the developer supplied from the developer supply container 1. Inside this sub-hopper 8c, a transport screw 14 is provided to transport the developer to the developer hopper section 201a (see Figure 1), which is part of the developing device 201, and an opening 8d is provided that communicates with the developer hopper section 201a.

As shown in FIG. 4(c), the developer receiving section 11 is provided with a body seal 13 formed to surround the receiving port 11a. The body seal 13 is made of an elastic material, a foam material, or the like. When the developer supply container 1 is attached, the body seal 13 is in close contact with the opening seal 3a5 surrounding the container discharge port 3a4 of the developer supply container 1, sandwiching the shutter 4 described later. This prevents the developer discharged from the container discharge port 3a4 of the developer supply container 1 through the shutter opening (discharge port) 4j of the shutter 4 to the receiving port 11a from the container discharge port 3a4 of the developer supply container 1 to the receiving port 11a from outside the receiving port 11a, which is the developer transport path. That is, the body seal 13 is provided around the receiving port 11a, and elastically deforms to seal between the receiving port 11a and the shutter opening 4j when the receiving port 11a and the shutter opening 4j are connected.

The diameter of the receiving port 11a is preferably approximately the same diameter as or slightly larger than the diameter of the shutter opening 4j of the shutter 4 to prevent the inside of the mounting portion 8f from being soiled by the developer. This is because if the diameter of the receiving port 11a is smaller than the diameter of the shutter opening 4j, the developer discharged from the shutter opening 4j is likely to adhere to the upper surface of the main body seal 13. The adhered developer adheres to the lower surface of the developer supply container 1 when the developer supply container 1 is attached or detached, which contributes to developer contamination. In view of this, it is preferable that the diameter of the receiving port 11a is approximately the same diameter as or approximately 2 mm larger than the diameter of the shutter opening 4j. For example, if the diameter of the shutter opening 4j of the shutter 4 is a fine opening (pinhole) of approximately 2 mm, the diameter of the receiving port 11a is preferably set to approximately 3 mm.

As shown in FIG. 4(c), the developer receiving portion 11 has an engaged portion 11b on the side that protrudes toward the center. In this embodiment, this engaged portion 11b directly engages with and is guided by an engaging portion 30 (see FIG. 7(a)) provided on the developer supply container 1, which will be described later, so that the developer receiving portion 11 is lifted in the upward direction U toward the developer supply container 1.

[Developer Supply Container]
Next, the developer supply container 1 constituting the developer supply system 200 will be described with reference to Figs. 5(a) to 15(b). First, the overall configuration of the developer supply container 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 5(a) and 5(b). The developer supply container 1 mainly has a container body 2, a flange portion 3, a shutter 4, a pump portion 5, a reciprocating member 6, and a cover 7. The container body 2 rotates in the direction of arrow R around a rotation axis P shown in Fig. 5(a) in the developer receiving device 8, thereby supplying developer to the developer receiving device 8. Each element constituting the developer supply container 1 will be described in detail below.

[Container body]
The container body 2 mainly has a developer storage section 2c that stores developer therein, as shown in FIG. 6. The container body 2 also has a spirally formed transport groove 2a (transport section) that transports the developer in the developer storage section 2c by the container body 2 rotating in the direction of the arrow R with respect to the rotation axis P. A cam groove 2b and a drive receiving section (gear) 2d that receives drive from the main body side are integrally formed over the entire circumference of the outer circumferential surface on one end face side of the container body 2. In this embodiment, the cam groove 2b and the drive receiving section 2d are integrally formed with the container body 2, but the cam groove 2b or the drive receiving section 2d may be formed as separate bodies and integrally attached to the container body 2. In this embodiment, for example, a toner having a volume average particle size of 5 μm to 6 μm is stored in the developer storage section 2c as the developer. In this embodiment, the developer storage section 2c is not only the container body 2, but also the container body 2 and the internal space of the flange section 3 and the pump section 5 described later.

[Flange]
Next, the flange portion 3 will be described with reference to Figures 5(a), 5(b), 7(a), and 7(b). The flange portion 3 is attached to the container body 2 so as to be rotatable relative to the rotation axis P. When the developer supply container 1 is attached to the developer receiving device 8, the flange portion 3 is held so as not to rotate in the direction of arrow R relative to the attachment portion 8f (see Figure 3(a)). In addition, as shown in Figure 7(b), a container discharge port 3a4 is provided in a part of the flange portion 3, and an opening seal 3a5 is attached around the container discharge port 3a4. As shown in Figure 5(b), a pump portion 5, a reciprocating member 6, a shutter 4, and a cover 7 are attached to the flange portion 3.

First, the pump section 5 is screwed to one end side (mounting direction A) of the flange section 3, and the container body 2 is joined to the other end side (detachment direction B) via a seal member (not shown). The reciprocating member 6 is arranged so as to sandwich the pump section 5, and the engagement protrusion 6b (see Figures 14(a) and 14(b)) provided on the reciprocating member 6 is fitted into the cam groove 2b (see Figure 6) of the container body 2. Furthermore, the shutter 4 is incorporated into the flange section 3. In this embodiment, the flange section 3 and the shutter 4 constitute the discharge section 300 that discharges the developer contained in the developer containing section 2c. The surface on which the shutter 4 is provided is the bottom surface of the flange section 3, that is, the upper surface of the bottom section 3d. In order to improve the appearance and to protect the reciprocating member 6 and the pump section 5, a cover 7 is integrally assembled so as to cover the entire flange section 3, the shutter 4, the pump section 5, and the reciprocating member 6, and is configured as shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b).

As shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b), the flange portion 3 has a flat bottom portion 3d provided horizontally at the bottom, and an opening portion 3e formed in the approximate center of the bottom portion 3d and penetrating in the vertical direction. As shown in Figure 5(b), the bottom portion 3d supports the shutter 4 so that it can slide from below. The main body seal 13 and receiving port 11a of the developer receiving portion 11 penetrate the opening portion 3e when displaced in the upward direction U.

As shown in FIG. 7(a), in the width direction perpendicular to the insertion/removal direction and the up-down direction of the flange portion 3, a rotating shaft 41 is provided on each of the two wall portions of the flange portion 3, protruding outward in the width direction. In addition, on each of the two wall portions of the flange portion 3, a first positioning portion 42 is provided on the side of the mounting direction A of the rotating shaft 41, and a second positioning portion 43 is provided on the side of the removal direction B of the rotating shaft 41. An engaging portion 30 is rotatably supported on the rotating shaft 41, and the engaging portion 30 is fixed by a snap fit (not shown) to prevent it from coming off.

[Engagement part]
As shown in FIG. 7A, the flange portion 3 has an engaging portion 30 that can engage with the engaged portion 11b (see FIG. 3A) of the developer receiving portion 11. The engaging portion 30 engages with the engaged portion 11b as the developer supply container 1 is mounted, and displaces the developer receiving portion 11 in the upward direction U so that the receiving port 11a communicates with the shutter opening 4j. At this time, the developer supply container 1 and the developer receiving portion 11 are in a connected state with each other so that developer can be replenished from the developer supply container 1 to the developer receiving portion 11. The engaging portion 30 guides the developer receiving portion 11 to be displaced in the downward direction D away from the developer supply container 1 so that the connection between the developer supply container 1 and the developer receiving portion 11 is broken as the developer supply container 1 is removed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the engagement portions 30 are provided on both sides of the flange portion 3 in the width direction perpendicular to the insertion/removal direction and the up-down direction.

As shown in FIG. 7(a) and FIG. 8(a) to FIG. 9(b), the engaging portion 30 is provided so as to be rotatable around the rotating shaft 41 and has a holding portion 31. FIG. 5(c) is a front view of the developer supply container 1. As shown in FIG. 5(c), the engaging portion 30 is disposed below a plane H including the rotating axis P. Furthermore, the plane H including the rotating axis P is a horizontal plane, and the engaging portion 30 is disposed below this horizontal plane. The engaging portion 30 has a center of rotation of the rotating shaft 41 at the base end 30a, and is an arm shape having only one holding portion 31 at the tip end 30b. A through hole is provided at the base end 30a, and the engaging portion 30 is rotatably supported by being fitted to the rotating shaft 41. The holding portion 31 has a semicircular curved surface that is open on the side opposite to the rotating shaft 41, and can hold the engaged portion 11b. The holding portion 31 fits into the engaged portion 11b to hold the engaged portion 11b. In this embodiment, the holding portion 31 can be held in the rotational direction around the rotation axis 41 and in the radial direction toward the rotation axis 41.

The engaging portion 30 is provided so as to be rotatable between a first position shown in FIG. 8(a) and (b) and a second position shown in FIG. 9(a) and (b). As shown in FIG. 8(a) and (b), the first position is a position where the holding portion 31 starts holding the engaged portion 11b in association with the mounting operation of the developer supply container 1 to the device main body 100a. In the first position, the position of the holding portion 31 is set to be in the upward direction U from the center of the rotation shaft 41. As shown in FIG. 9(a) and (b), the second position is a position where the developer receiving portion 11 is displaced to a position where the receiving port 11a communicates with the container discharge port 3a4. Then, the engaging portion 30 rotates in association with the mounting operation of the developer supply container 1 to the device main body 100a, and rotates and moves the engaged portion 11b held by the holding portion 31 around the rotation shaft 41 so as to face the upward direction U (see FIG. 8(a) to FIG. 9(b)).

As shown in FIG. 9(b), the engaging portion 30 is provided on the upstream side of the holding portion 31 in the mounting direction A, and includes an extension portion 32 capable of engaging the engaged portion 11b that has detached from the holding portion 31 to the upstream side. In this embodiment, the extension portion 32 is formed from the same material as the engaging portion 30, and is formed so as to be parallel to the mounting direction A when the engaging portion 30 is located in the second position.

The first positioning portion 42 formed on the flange portion 3 positions the engaging portion 30 at the first position by abutting against the side surface of the engaging portion 30 on the mounting direction A side, as shown in Figs. 8(a) and (b). The second positioning portion 43 positions the engaging portion 30 at the second position by abutting against the side surface of the engaging portion 30 on the removal direction B side, as shown in Figs. 9(a) and (b). The engaging portion 30 is biased to abut against the first positioning portion 42 by, for example, a torsion coil spring 44. Therefore, when the developer supply container 1 is inserted into the image forming device 100, the engaging portion 30 abuts against the first positioning portion 42. As a result, even if the developer supply container 1 is subjected to vibrations, impacts, etc. during transportation, the engaging portion 30 is held at the first position. The engaging portion 30 is positioned in the width direction relative to the rotating shaft 41 by a snap fit so as not to come off from the rotating shaft 41.

[Shutter]
Next, the shutter 4 will be described with reference to Figures 12(a) and (b). The shutter 4 is provided so as to slide on the upper surface of the bottom 3d (see Figure 7(a)) of the flange portion 3, and is movable relative to a part (flange portion 3) of the developer supply container 1. The shutter 4 has a shutter opening 4j as a discharge port, and opens and closes the container discharge port 3a4 (see Figure 7(b)) of the developer supply container 1 in association with the mounting operation of the developer supply container 1. That is, the shutter 4 moves relative to the developer supply container 1 in association with the mounting operation of the developer supply container 1, so that the receiving port 11a of the developer receiving portion 11 communicates with the shutter opening 4j, and further the container discharge port 3a4 communicates with it. This allows the developer inside the developer supply container 1 to be discharged to the receiving port 11a. That is, the flange portion 3 and the shutter 4 constitute a discharge portion 300 (see FIG. 5B) for discharging the developer, and the shutter 4 of the discharge portion 300 is formed with a shutter opening 4j as a discharge port for discharging the developer.

The shutter 4 also has a connecting surface 4k that connects to the developer receiving portion 11 on the sliding surface 4i that faces the bottom portion 3d so as to surround the shutter opening 4j. The connecting surface 4k has a larger diameter than the shutter opening 4j and is formed parallel to the sliding surface 4i. After the developer supply container 1 is attached, the upper end surface of the body seal 13 is in close contact with the connecting surface 4k.

On the other hand, as shown in Figs. 12(a) and (b), a developer sealing portion 4a is provided at a position away from the shutter opening 4j of the shutter 4. The developer sealing portion 4a blocks the container discharge port 3a4 when the shutter 4 moves relative to the developer supply container 1 as the developer supply container 1 is removed. The developer sealing portion 4a also prevents developer leakage from the container discharge port 3a4 when the developer supply container 1 is not attached to the mounting portion 8f (see Fig. 3(a)) of the developer receiving device 8. A sliding surface 4i that slides on the upper surface of the bottom portion 3d of the flange portion 3 is provided on the back side (developer receiving portion 11 side) of the developer sealing portion 4a. The shutter 4 engages with the flange portion 3 with the developer sealing portion 4a facing upward.

The shutter 4 has a first stopper portion 4b and a second stopper portion 4c that are held by the first and second shutter stopper portions 8a, 8b (see FIG. 4(a)) of the developer receiving device 8 so that the developer supply container 1 can move relative to the shutter 4. The shutter 4 also has a support portion 4d that supports the first and second stopper portions 4b, 4c so that they can be displaced. The support portions 4d are elastically deformable and extend from one end to the other end of both sides of the developer sealing portion 4a. The first stopper portion 4b and the second stopper portion 4c are provided at the tip of the support portion 4d. This allows the first and second stopper portions 4b, 4c to be displaced by the elasticity of the support portion 4d.

The first stopper portion 4b is inclined so that the angle α formed by the first stopper portion 4b and the support portion 4d is an acute angle. In contrast, the second stopper portion 4c is inclined so that the angle β formed by the second stopper portion 4c and the support portion 4d is an obtuse angle.

When the developer supply container 1 is attached, the first stopper portion 4b engages with the guide portion 8g of the developer receiving device 8 and displaces, passing through the second shutter stopper portion 8b and engaging with the first shutter stopper portion 8a. The engagement of the first stopper portion 4b with the first shutter stopper portion 8a fixes the position of the shutter 4 relative to the developer receiving device 8. When the developer supply container 1 is removed, the second stopper portion 4c engages with the second shutter stopper portion 8b of the developer receiving device 8 and displaces the first stopper portion 4b so that it is disengaged from the first shutter stopper portion 8a. This causes the shutter 4 to disengage from the developer receiving device 8.

[Pump section]
The pump unit 5 will be described with reference to Figures 13(a) and (b). The pump unit 5 operates so that the internal pressure of the developer accommodating unit 2c is alternately and repeatedly switched between a state lower than atmospheric pressure and a state higher than atmospheric pressure by the driving force received by the drive receiving portion 2d of the container body 2 (see Figure 6). In this embodiment, the pump unit 5 is provided in a part of the developer supply container 1 in order to stably discharge the developer from the small container discharge port 3a4 as described above. The pump unit 5 is a volume-variable pump whose volume can be changed. Specifically, the pump unit 5 is configured of a bellows-like expandable member that can expand and contract.

The expansion and contraction of the pump section 5 changes the pressure inside the developer supply container 1, and this pressure is used to discharge the developer. Specifically, when the pump section 5 is contracted, the inside of the developer supply container 1 is pressurized, and the developer is pushed out by this pressure and discharged from the container discharge port 3a4 of the developer supply container 1. When the pump section 5 is extended, the inside of the developer supply container 1 is depressurized, and air is taken in from the outside through the container discharge port 3a4. This taken in air loosens the developer near the container discharge port 3a4 and the storage section 3a3 (see Figure 7(a)) that stores the developer transported from the container body 2 of the flange section 3, allowing the next discharge to be carried out smoothly.

That is, in this way, developer in the developer supply container 1 may gather near the container discharge port 3a4 and storage section 3a3 of the developer supply container 1 due to vibrations during transportation of the developer supply container 1, and the developer may harden in this area. Therefore, by taking in air through the container discharge port 3a4 as described above, it is possible to loosen the hardened developer. Also, in a normal developer discharge operation, taking in air in this way mixes the air with the powdered developer, improving the fluidity of the developer and making it less likely to become clogged. The developer is discharged by repeating the above-mentioned expansion and contraction operations.

As shown in FIG. 13(a), the pump section 5 has a joint 5b on the opening end side (detachment direction B side) so that it can be joined to the flange section 3. Here, a configuration in which a screw is formed as the joint 5b is shown as an example. Also, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the pump section 5 has a reciprocating member engagement part 5c on the other end side (attachment direction A side) opposite the opening end that engages with the reciprocating member 6 (see FIG. 14(a) and (b)) to displace in synchronization with the reciprocating member 6 described below.

The pump section 5 also has a bellows-like expandable section (bellows section, expandable member) 5a in which mountain folds and valley folds are alternately and periodically formed. The expandable section 5a can be folded by moving the reciprocating member engaging section 5c in the removal direction B relative to the joint section 5b along the folds (using the folds as the base point), or can be expanded by moving it in the installation direction A. Therefore, when a bellows-like pump section 5 as in this embodiment is used, the variation in the amount of volume change relative to the amount of expansion and contraction can be reduced, making it possible to perform stable volume changes.

In this embodiment, polypropylene resin is used as the material for the pump portion 5, but this is not limited to this. Any material that exhibits an elastic function and can change the internal pressure of the developer storage portion by changing the volume can be used for the material of the pump portion 5. For example, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer), polystyrene, polyester, polyethylene, etc. may be used. Alternatively, rubber or other elastic materials may be used.

[Reciprocating member]
The reciprocating member 6 will be described with reference to Figures 14(a) and 14(b). The reciprocating member 6 has a pump engaging portion 6a that engages with the reciprocating member engaging portion 5c (see Figure 13(b)) provided on the pump portion 5 in order to change the volume of the pump portion 5. The reciprocating member 6 also has an engaging protrusion 6b that is fitted into the cam groove 2b (see Figure 6) described above during assembly. The engaging protrusion 6b is provided at the tip of an arm 6c that extends in the attachment/detachment direction from the vicinity of the pump engaging portion 6a. The reciprocating member 6 is also restricted in its rotational displacement about the rotation axis P (see Figure 5(a)) of the arm 6c by a reciprocating member holding portion 7b (see Figure 15(b)) of the cover 7 described later. Therefore, when the container body 2 receives drive from the drive receiving portion 2d by the drive gear 9 and the cam groove 2b rotates together, the reciprocating member 6 reciprocates in the directions A and B due to the action of the engaging protrusion 6b fitted into the cam groove 2b and the reciprocating member holding portion 7b of the cover 7. Accordingly, the pump portion 5 engaged with the pump engaging portion 6a of the reciprocating member 6 via the reciprocating member engaging portion 5c expands and contracts in the mounting direction A and the removal direction B.

[cover]
The cover 7 will be described with reference to Figures 15(a) and 15(b). As described above, the cover 7 is provided as shown in Figure 5(b) for the purpose of improving the appearance of the developer supply container 1 and protecting the reciprocating member 6 and the pump unit 5. More specifically, the cover 7 is provided so as to cover the entire flange unit 3, the pump unit 5, and the reciprocating member 6. As shown in Figure 15(a), the cover 7 is provided with a guide groove 7a that is guided by an insertion guide 8e (see Figure 3(a)) of the developer receiving device 8. Also, as shown in Figure 15(b), the cover 7 is provided with a reciprocating member holding portion 7b that regulates the rotational displacement of the reciprocating member 6 about the rotation axis P (see Figure 5(a)).

[Mounting Operation of Developer Supply Container]
The mounting operation of the developer supply container 1 to the developer receiving device 8 will be described with reference to Figures 8(a) to 9(b). Figure 8(a) shows the state before the engaged portion 11b is held by the holding portion 31 when the developer supply container 1 is inserted, and Figure 8(b) shows the state when the engaged portion 11b is held by the holding portion 31 as the developer supply container 1 is inserted, and the engaging portion 30 is both located at the first position. Figure 9(a) shows the state when the engaging portion 30 has moved to the second position as the developer supply container 1 is inserted, and Figure 9(b) shows the state when the engaged portion 11b is located at the extension portion 32 as the mounting of the developer supply container 1 is completed.

The developer supply container 1 is inserted into the image forming apparatus 100, and as shown in FIG. 8(a), the developer supply container 1 is moved in the mounting direction A. At this time, the holding portion 31 and the engaged portion 11b are not yet engaged. Up to this point, the positions of the flange portion 3 and the shutter 4 have not been displaced relative to each other, and the container discharge port 3a4 is sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the stopper portions 4b and 4c of the shutter 4 engage with the shutter stopper portions 8a and 8b of the developer receiving device 8, and the position of the shutter 4 in the mounting direction A is fixed relative to the developer receiving device 8. Therefore, even if the developer supply container 1 is moved in the mounting direction A after this, the shutter 4 moves relative to the developer supply container 1 excluding the shutter 4 in the mounting direction A, but does not move relative to the developer receiving portion 11 in the insertion/removal direction.

When the developer supply container 1 is further moved in the mounting direction A, the engaged portion 11b comes into contact with and is held by the holding portion 31, as shown in FIG. 8(b). Here, in the engagement portion 30 located at the first position, the position of the holding portion 31 is set to be located in the upward direction U from the center of the rotation shaft 41. Also, the engaged portion 11b is set to match the position (height) of the holding portion 31 of the engagement portion 30 located at the first position. As a result, the engaged portion 11b is held by the holding portion 31 and moves in the upward direction U as the developer supply container 1 is mounted. Note that if the positions of the holding portion 31 and the engaged portion 11b were located in the downward direction D from the center of the rotation shaft 41, the engagement portion 30 would receive a force in the opposite direction to the rotation direction described later and would not operate properly. Also, at this point, the positions of the shutter 4 and the flange portion 3 are displaced relative to each other, but the position of the receiving port 11a remains in the initial position and is not in contact with the shutter 4.

When the developer supply container 1 is further moved in the mounting direction A, the engaging portion 30 is pushed by the engaged portion 11b in the holding portion 31. This generates a rotational moment in the direction R1 shown in FIG. 8B, and the engaging portion 30 rotates. As a result, the developer receiving portion 11 is displaced in the upward direction U along the wall surface 8h of the developer receiving device 8. Then, as shown in FIG. 9A, the engaging portion 30 abuts against the second positioning portion 43 and stops rotating. The engaging portion 30 completes its movement to the second position. The developer receiving portion 11 is lifted in the upward direction U from the initial position, and the receiving port 11a is in contact with the shutter opening 4j of the shutter 4. In this state, the shutter opening 4j and the container discharge port 3a4 are not in communication, so the developer contained in the developer supply container 1 is not discharged to the developer receiving device 8.

When the developer supply container 1 is further moved in the mounting direction A and pushed in to the mounting completion position, as shown in FIG. 9B, the rotation of the engagement portion 30 is stopped and the engaged portion 11b rides on the extension portion 32 from the holding portion 31. This maintains the position of the developer receiving portion 11 in the vertical direction. Since the developer receiving portion 11 is biased in the downward direction D by the biasing member 12, the holding portion 31 does not separate from the engaged portion 11b during the rotation. In addition, the receiving port 11a moves relative to the flange portion 3 while remaining in contact with the shutter opening 4j, and communicates with the container discharge port 3a4. In this state, the container discharge port 3a4 is in communication with the shutter opening 4j and the receiving port 11a, so that the developer can be supplied from the developer supply container 1 to the developer receiving device 8. In this process, the container discharge port 3a4 and the shutter opening 4j are in communication with each other, and the container discharge port 3a4, the shutter opening 4j, and the developer receiving port 11a are in communication with each other. At this time, the extension portion 32 is parallel to the mounting direction A of the developer supply container 1. Therefore, the developer receiving portion 11 having the engaged portion 11b is not raised above the state where it is in contact with the shutter 4, and excessive force is not applied to the engaged portion 11b, etc. Here, as shown in FIG. 9B, the positional relationship between the container discharge port 3a4 and the extension portion 32 is such that a plane L that passes through the container discharge port 3a4 and is perpendicular to the rotation axis P passes through the extension portion 32. In addition, the plane including the extension portion 32 is in a positional relationship in which it is disposed between the rotation axis P and the container discharge port 3a4.

On the other hand, when removing the developer supply container 1 attached to the device main body 100a, the developer supply container 1 is displaced in the removal direction B from the state shown in FIG. 9(b). The engaged portion 11b on the extension portion 32 moves relatively to engage with the holding portion 31, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 9(a). Thereafter, the developer receiving portion 11 moves in the downward direction D while the engaging portion 30 rotates, and the engaging portion 30 abuts against the first positioning portion 42, stopping the rotation, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 8(b). At this time, the developer receiving portion 11 is biased in the downward direction D by the biasing member 12, so that the engaging portion 30 rotates without separating the holding portion 31 and the engaged portion 11b, as in the case of attachment, and transitions to the state shown in FIG. 8(a). In addition, when removing the developer supply container 1, the developer receiving portion 11 is biased in the downward direction D by the biasing member 12, so that the developer supply container 1 is biased in the removal direction B via the engagement portion 30, making it possible to reduce the operating force. As a result, the user can replace the developer supply container 1 by simply removing the old developer supply container 1 in the removal direction B and inserting the new developer supply container 1 in the mounting direction A, which automatically displaces the engagement portion 30, making the replacement work easier.

Next, the effect of the configuration using the engaging portion 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 8(a) to FIG. 11(c). FIG. 10(a) is an explanatory diagram of the force relationship of the developer receiving portion 11 in the configuration of the comparative example. The engaged portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 abuts against the inclined portion 3f of a certain angle θ, and moves along the wall surface 8h. The force (operating force) for inserting the developer supply container 1 (flange portion 3) is F, the normal force that the engaged portion 11b receives from the inclined portion 3f is N1, the normal force that the engaged portion receives from the wall surface 8h is N2, and the force (resistance) required to lift the developer receiving portion 11 in the upward direction U is T. At this time, the force relationship is as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 10(a). If each force is applied to the engaged portion 11b, the force relationship is as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 10(a). In addition, the engaged portion 11b is circular and has a radius r. At this time, the following balance equation is established.
F = N1 sinθ
T = N1 · cosθ
F=N2

By rearranging the above three equations with respect to the operating force F, the following equation is obtained.
F = tan θ × T = A × T

FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram of the force relationship of the developer receiving portion 11 in the first embodiment. The engaged portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 is held by the holding portion 31, and the developer receiving portion 11 moves along the wall surface 8h as the engaging portion 30 rotates. At this time, the force (operating force) for inserting the developer supply container 1 (flange portion 3) is F, the normal force that the engaging portion 30 receives from the rotating shaft 41 is N1, and the normal force that the developer receiving portion 11 receives from the wall surface 8h is N2. In addition, if the force (resistance) required to lift the developer receiving portion 11 in the upward direction U is T, and the angle that the straight line connecting the rotating shaft 41 of the engaging portion 30 and the engaged portion 11b forms with the horizontal direction is θ, the force relationship is as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 10B. If each force is applied to the engaged portion 11b, the force relationship is as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 10B. Furthermore, the distance between the center points of the rotation shaft 41 and the engaged portion 11b is defined as L. In this case, the following balance equation holds.
F=N2
N1=T
L × (F sin θ − N1 cos θ) = 0

By rearranging the above three equations with respect to the operating force F, the following equation is obtained.
F = T / tan θ = A · T

From the above relationships, the relationship between θ and A was obtained for each of the comparative example and the first embodiment. In addition, the relationship between the horizontal movement distance of the developer supply container 1 when lifting the developer receiving portion 11 in the upward direction U and the operating force F was obtained for each of the comparative example and the first embodiment.

11(a) shows the relationship between the inclination angle θ of the inclined portion 3f in the configuration of the comparative example and the coefficient A, and FIG. 11(b) shows the relationship between the horizontal movement distance and the operating force F when the engaged portion 11b moves on the inclined portion 3f after contacting the inclined portion 3f. As shown in FIG. 11(a), in the comparative example, the smaller the inclination angle θ, the smaller the value of the coefficient A. However, since the movement distance of the developer receiving portion 11 in the upward direction U relative to the insertion distance of the developer supply container 1 becomes smaller when the inclination angle θ is made smaller, it is necessary to set a certain inclination angle in design taking into account space, etc. If the inclination angle of the comparative example is set to 45 degrees, the coefficient A becomes 1. Also, assuming that T=1N (constant value) is applied, plotting the operating force F against the insertion distance, as shown in FIG. 11(b), the operating force F becomes a constant force of 1N when the engaged portion 11b moves on the inclined portion 3f.

Next, FIG. 11(c) shows the relationship between the rotation angle θ of the engaging portion 30 and the coefficient A in the configuration of the first embodiment, and FIG. 11(b) shows the relationship between the horizontal movement distance when the developer receiving portion 11 is lifted after the engaged portion 11b comes into contact with the holding portion 31 and the operating force F. As shown in FIG. 11(c), the coefficient A decreases as the rotation angle θ of the engaging portion 30 increases. Also, in the configuration of the first embodiment, the rotation angle θ of the engaging portion 30 increases according to the horizontal movement distance of the developer supply container 1, so that as shown in FIG. 11(b), the operating force F decreases with respect to the horizontal movement distance when the developer receiving portion 11 is lifted.

As a result, in the comparative example, when a certain inclination angle is set, a constant operating force F is applied regardless of the horizontal movement distance when the developer receiving portion 11 is lifted. In contrast, in the configuration of the first embodiment, the operating force decreases with respect to the horizontal movement distance of the developer receiving portion 11. By setting the angle θ at the first position (FIG. 8(a)) to an angle at which the coefficient A is smaller than the coefficient A set in the configuration of the comparative example using the relationship shown in FIG. 11(c), the operating force F with respect to the horizontal movement distance can be reduced compared to the configuration of the comparative example. For example, FIG. 11(b) shows the transition of the operating force F when the angle θ at the first position is set to 50°, compared to the result of 1N in the comparative example described above. As can be seen from this result, in the configuration of the first embodiment, the operating force F for lifting the developer receiving portion 11 can be reduced compared to the fixed guide in the comparative example.

As described above, according to the developer supply container 1 of this embodiment, the operating force required when attaching and detaching the developer supply container 1 to the image forming device 100 is reduced, making operability smoother and improving operability.

In the above embodiment, the shutter opening 4j is a small discharge port with a diameter of 2 mm in order to minimize contamination during insertion and removal of the developer supply container 1. Also, in order to ensure that the developer is discharged from the small shutter opening 4j, a pump unit 5 is provided, and the developer is discharged by the pressure generated by changing the volume of the developer storage unit 2c. However, this is not limited to this, and the shutter opening 4j may be larger and the pump unit 5 may not be provided. The present invention has a characteristic configuration in the engagement unit 30, and the presence of this engagement unit 30 provides the effect of improving operability during insertion and removal as described above.

In the above embodiment, as shown in Figs. 9(a) and (b), when the engaging portion 30 is in the second position, the extension portion 32 is parallel to the mounting direction A, but this is not limited to this. For example, the extension portion 32 may be provided so as to be inclined with respect to the mounting direction A. In this case, a retraction device is provided for the developer receiving device 8. As a result, the developer supply container 1 is fixed at a predetermined mounting position while being retracted in the mounting direction by the retraction device, so the developer supply container 1 will not move in the removal direction unless an operator or the like applies force to remove it. Therefore, even if the extension portion 32 is not parallel, the engaged portion 11b will not inadvertently move in the removal direction B.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the discharge port with which the receiving port 11a of the developer receiving portion 11 communicates is the shutter opening 4j of the shutter 4, but this is not limited to this. For example, without providing a shutter, the receiving port of the developer receiving portion may be directly abutted against the container discharge port of the developer supply container 1 to communicate with it. In this case, the container discharge port corresponds to the discharge port that communicates with the receiving port.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figures 16(a) to 20. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the engaging portion 130 has a plurality of holding portions 131, and that the engaging portion 130 and the extension portion 142 are separate members. However, other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, so the same reference numerals are used and detailed description will be omitted.

[Flange]
The flange portion 3 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 16(a) and 16(b). As shown in Figure 16(a), in the width direction perpendicular to the insertion/removal direction and the up-down direction of the flange portion 3, both wall portions of the flange portion 3 are provided with a rotating shaft 141 that protrudes outward in the width direction. In addition, on both wall portions of the flange portion 3, an extension portion 142 is provided on the removal direction B side of the rotating shaft 141. An engaging portion 130 is rotatably supported on the rotating shaft 141, and the engaging portion 130 is fixed by a snap fit (not shown) to prevent it from coming off. The other configurations of the flange portion 3 are the same as those of the first embodiment, so the same reference numerals are used and detailed description is omitted.

[Engagement part]
As shown in FIG. 16A, the flange portion 3 has an engaging portion 130 that can engage with the engaged portion 11b (see FIG. 3A) of the developer receiving portion 11. The engaging portion 130 engages with the engaged portion 11b as the developer supply container 1 is mounted, and displaces the developer receiving portion 11 in the upward direction U so that the receiving port 11a communicates with the shutter opening 4j. At this time, the developer supply container 1 and the developer receiving portion 11 are in a connected state with each other so that developer can be replenished from the developer supply container 1 to the developer receiving portion 11. The engaging portion 130 guides the developer receiving portion 11 to be displaced in the downward direction D away from the developer supply container 1 so that the connection between the developer supply container 1 and the developer receiving portion 11 is broken as the developer supply container 1 is removed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, the engagement portions 130 are provided on both sides of the flange portion 3 in the width direction perpendicular to the insertion/removal direction and the up-down direction.

As shown in Fig. 16(a) and Fig. 17(a) to Fig. 18(b), the engagement part 130 is provided rotatably around the rotating shaft 141 and has a holding part 131. The engagement part 130 has a plurality of holding parts 131 arranged on one imaginary circle (shown by a dashed line in Fig. 17(a)) centered on the rotating shaft 141. These holding parts 131 are arranged around the entire circumference of the engagement part 130, and the engagement part 130 has a gear shape in which the holding parts 131 are arranged at the tooth base between a plurality of teeth 132. In this embodiment, the holding parts 131 are arranged at equal intervals. A through hole is provided in the center of the engagement part 130, and the engagement part 130 is rotatably supported by being fitted to the rotating shaft 141. The holding part 131 fits into the engaged part 11b to hold the engaged part 11b. In this embodiment, the holding portion 131 is formed in a concave shape and can hold the engaged portion 11b in the rotation direction around the rotation shaft 141 and in the radial direction toward the rotation shaft 141. The engaging portion 130 rotates with the mounting operation of the developer supply container 1 to the device main body 100a, and rotates the engaged portion 11b held by the holding portion 131 around the rotation shaft 141 in the upward direction U (see Figures 17(a) to 18(b)). The circumferential length of the tooth tip surface of the tooth 132 is set to be sufficiently shorter than the diameter of the engaged portion 11b. Therefore, as described later, even if the engaged portion 11b does not momentarily mesh with the holding portion 131 by abutting the tooth tip surface of the tooth 132 immediately before being held by the holding portion 131 with the mounting of the developer supply container 1, the engaging portion 130 easily rotates and the engaged portion 11b is held by the holding portion 131.

As shown in FIG. 17(a) and other figures, the extension 142 is provided upstream of the holding portion 131 in the mounting direction A, and is capable of engaging the engaged portion 11b that has detached from the holding portion 31 upstream. In this embodiment, the extension 142 is a separate member from the engaging portion 130, is relatively movable, and is formed to be parallel to the mounting direction A. In this embodiment, the extension 142 is configured to be approximately parallel to the mounting direction A, but is not limited to this and may be configured to be inclined.

[Mounting Operation of Developer Supply Container]
The mounting operation of the developer supply container 1 to the developer receiving device 8 will be described with reference to Figures 17(a) to 18(b). Here, Figure 17(a) shows the state before the engaged portion 11b is held by the holding portion 131 when the developer supply container 1 is inserted, and Figure 17(b) shows the state when the engaged portion 11b is held by the holding portion 131 as the developer supply container 1 is inserted. Also, Figure 18(a) shows the state when the engaged portion 11b is positioned above the engaging portion 130 as the developer supply container 1 is inserted, and Figure 18(b) shows the state when the engaged portion 11b is positioned at the extension portion 142 as the mounting of the developer supply container 1 is completed.

The developer supply container 1 is inserted into the image forming apparatus 100, and as shown in FIG. 17(a), the developer supply container 1 is moved in the mounting direction A. At this time, the holding portion 131 and the engaged portion 11b are not yet engaged. Up to this point, the positions of the flange portion 3 and the shutter 4 have not been displaced relative to each other, and the container discharge port 3a4 is sealed by the developer sealing portion 4a of the shutter 4. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the stopper portions 4b and 4c of the shutter 4 engage with the shutter stopper portions 8a and 8b of the developer receiving device 8, and the position of the shutter 4 in the mounting direction A is fixed relative to the developer receiving device 8. Therefore, even if the developer supply container 1 is moved in the mounting direction A after this, the shutter 4 moves relative to the developer supply container 1 excluding the shutter 4 in the mounting direction A, but does not move relative to the developer receiving portion 11 in the insertion/removal direction.

When the developer supply container 1 is further moved in the mounting direction A, the engaged portion 11b comes into contact with and is held by the holding portion 131, as shown in FIG. 17(b). Here, the position of the engaged portion 11b is set so as to be located in the upward direction U from the center of the rotation shaft 141. As a result, the engaged portion 11b is held by the holding portion 131 and displaces in the upward direction U as the developer supply container 1 is mounted. At this point, the positions of the shutter 4 and the flange portion 3 have displaced relative to each other, but the position of the receiving port 11a remains in the initial position and is not in contact with the shutter 4.

Here, the circumferential length of the tooth tip surface of the tooth 132 is set to be sufficiently shorter than the diameter of the engaged portion 11b. Therefore, even if the engaged portion 11b abuts against the tooth tip surface of the tooth 132 just before being held by the holding portion 131 when the developer supply container 1 is attached and does not mesh with the holding portion 131 for a moment, the engaging portion 130 easily rotates and the engaged portion 11b is held by the holding portion 131. In addition, the teeth 132 are provided at regular intervals around the engaging portion 130. Therefore, no matter what phase the engaging portion 130 is in, the holding portion 131 and the engaged portion 11b engage with each other, so there is no need for a configuration to regulate the position of the engaging portion 130.

When the developer supply container 1 is further moved in the mounting direction A, the engaging portion 130 is pushed by the engaged portion 11b at the holding portion 131. This generates a rotational moment in the direction R shown in FIG. 17(b), and the engaging portion 130 rotates. As a result, the developer receiving portion 11 is displaced in the upward direction U along the wall surface 8h of the developer receiving device 8. Then, as shown in FIG. 18(a), the engaged portion 11b is lifted up to the top of the engaging portion 130. At this time, the developer receiving portion 11 is lifted in the upward direction U from the initial position, and the receiving port 11a is in contact with the shutter opening 4j of the shutter 4. In this state, the shutter opening 4j and the container discharge port 3a4 are not in communication, so the developer contained in the developer supply container 1 is not discharged to the developer receiving device 8.

When the developer supply container 1 is further moved in the mounting direction A and pushed in to the mounting completion position, as shown in FIG. 18(b), the engaging portion 130 rotates, and the engaged portion 11b rides on the extension portion 142 from the holding portion 131. This maintains the position of the developer receiving portion 11 in the vertical direction. Since the developer receiving portion 11 is biased in the downward direction D by the biasing member 12, the holding portion 131 does not separate from the engaged portion 11b during the rotation. In addition, the receiving port 11a moves relative to the flange portion 3 while remaining in contact with the shutter opening 4j, and communicates with the container discharge port 3a4. In this state, the container discharge port 3a4 is in communication with the shutter opening 4j and the receiving port 11a, so that the developer can be supplied from the developer supply container 1 to the developer receiving device 8. In this process, the container discharge port 3a4 and the shutter opening 4j are in communication with each other, and the container discharge port 3a4, the shutter opening 4j, and the developer receiving port 11a are in communication with each other. At this time, the extension 142 is parallel to the mounting direction A of the developer supply container 1. Therefore, the developer receiving portion 11 having the engaged portion 11b is not raised above the state where it is in contact with the shutter 4, and excessive force is not applied to the engaged portion 11b, etc. Here, as shown in FIG. 18(b), the positional relationship between the container discharge port 3a4 and the extension 142 is such that a plane L that passes through the container discharge port 3a4 and is perpendicular to the rotation axis P passes through the extension 142. In addition, the plane including the extension 142 is in a positional relationship in which it is disposed between the rotation axis P and the container discharge port 3a4.

On the other hand, when removing the developer supply container 1 attached to the device main body 100a, the developer supply container 1 is displaced in the removal direction B from the state shown in FIG. 18(b). The engaged portion 11b on the extension portion 142 moves relatively to engage with the holding portion 131, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 18(a). Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 17(b), the developer receiving portion 11 moves in the downward direction D while the engaging portion 130 rotates, and descends with the rotation of the engaging portion 130 to a position where it can be moved. At this time, since the developer receiving portion 11 is biased in the downward direction D by the biasing member 12, the engaging portion 130 rotates without separating the holding portion 131 and the engaged portion 11b, as in the case of attachment, and transitions to the state shown in FIG. 17(a). In addition, when removing the developer supply container 1, the developer receiving portion 11 is biased in the downward direction D by the biasing member 12, so that the developer supply container 1 is biased in the removal direction B via the engagement portion 130, making it possible to reduce the operating force. As a result, the user can replace the developer supply container 1 by simply removing the old developer supply container 1 in the removal direction B and inserting the new developer supply container 1 in the mounting direction A, which automatically displaces the engagement portion 130, making the replacement work easier.

Next, the effect of the configuration using the engaging portion 130 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 17(a) to FIG. 19(b). FIG. 19(a) is an explanatory diagram of the force relationship of the developer receiving portion 11 in the configuration of the comparative example. The engaged portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 abuts against the inclined portion 3f of a certain angle θ, and moves along the wall surface 8h. The force (operating force) for inserting the developer supply container 1 (flange portion 3) is F, the normal force that the engaged portion 11b receives from the inclined portion 3f is N1, the normal force that the engaged portion receives from the wall surface 8h is N2, and the force (resistance) required to lift the developer receiving portion 11 in the upward direction U is T. In this case, as already described (see FIG. 10(a)), the following formula is established by rearranging the operating force F.
F = tan θ × T = A × T

FIG. 19B is an explanatory diagram of the force relationship of the developer receiving portion 11 in the second embodiment. The engaged portion 11b of the developer receiving portion 11 abuts against the holding portion 131, and the engaging portion 130 rotates, so that the developer receiving portion 11 moves along the wall surface 8h. At this time, the force (operating force) for inserting the developer supply container 1 (flange portion 3) is F, the normal force that the engaging portion 130 receives from the rotating shaft 141 is N1, and the normal force that the developer receiving portion 11 receives from the wall surface 8h is N2. In addition, if the force (resistance) required to lift the developer receiving portion 11 in the upward direction U is T, and the phase formed by the engaging portion 130 and the engaged portion 11b is α, the force relationship is as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 19B. Since the developer receiving portion 11 and the engaged portion 11b are an integral rigid body, the resistance T is considered to be applied to the engaged portion 11b. Furthermore, since the flange portion 3 and the rotating shaft 141 are an integral rigid body, the operating force F is considered to be applied to the rotating shaft 141. Also, since the engaged portion 11b moves integrally with the holding portion 131, if an engaging portion 130A is defined in which the engaged portion 11b and the holding portion 131 are considered to be integral, the force relationship in the engaging portion 130A will be as shown in the right diagram of Fig. 19(b) . In this case, if the linear distance between the rotating shaft 141 and the engaged portion 11b is defined as L, the following formula is established because L is larger than the diameters of the rotating shaft 141 and the engaged portion 11b.
F=N2
N1=T
T cosα = N2 sinα

By rearranging the above three equations with respect to the operating force F, the following equation is obtained.
F = T / tan α = B·T

From the above relationships, the relationship between θ and coefficient A for the comparative example and the relationship between θ and coefficient B for the second embodiment were determined, and the results are shown in Figure 20. As shown in Figure 20, in the configuration of the comparative example, as the tilt angle θ increases, the operating force F also increases. In contrast, in the configuration of the second embodiment, as the rotation proceeds, F increases once (reaching an inflection point), and then the operating force F decreases as the rotation proceeds. Therefore, by setting the initial phase of the second embodiment to α1 or more relative to the angle θ1 of the tilted portion 3f in the comparative example, it is possible to reduce the operating force F.

As described above, the developer supply container 1 of this embodiment also reduces the operating force required when attaching and detaching the developer supply container 1 to the image forming device 100, making operability smoother and improving operability.

In the first embodiment described above, the engaging portion 30 is an arm shape having one holding portion 31, and in the second embodiment, the engaging portion 130 is a gear shape having multiple holding portions 131, but the relationship between the number of holding portions and the shape is not limited to these. For example, it may be an arm shape having multiple holding portions, or a disk shape having one holding portion on the circumference. As for the shape, any appropriate shape such as an elliptical shape or a polygonal shape may be applied.

1...developer supply container, 2c...developer storage section, 4j...shutter opening (discharge port), 8...developer receiving device, 11...developer receiving section, 11a...receiving port, 11b...engaged section, 30...engaging section, 30a...base end, 30b...tip end, 31...holding section, 32...extension, 41...rotating shaft, 130...engaging section, 131...holding section, 141...rotating shaft, 142...extension, 200...developer supply system, 300...discharge section, A...mounting direction, U...upward direction (displacement direction).

Claims (4)

A developer supply container detachably attached to a developer receiving device, the developer supply container having a developer receiving portion having a receiving opening for receiving developer and an engaged portion displaceable integrally with the developer receiving portion,
a developer container that is rotatable and that contains a developer;
a discharge section that is in communication with the developer accommodating section and has a discharge port formed on a bottom surface thereof for discharging the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating section;
a rotating portion rotatable relative to the discharging portion about a rotation axis extending in a direction intersecting with a rotation axis direction of the developer accommodating portion,
the rotating portion has an engaging portion with which the engaged portion engages,
the engaged portion engages with the engaging portion in association with an attachment operation of the developer supply container to the developer receiving device, and the rotating portion rotates relative to the discharging portion such that the developer receiving portion is displaced toward the developer supply container in a state in which the engaged portion is engaged with the engaging portion ;
The rotating portion is shaped like an arm,
a first rotation stopper portion that stops rotation of the rotating portion in a first rotation direction;
a second rotation stopper portion that stops rotation of the rotating portion in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction;
and an elastic member that biases the rotating portion against the first rotation stop portion.
A developer supply container comprising: When the developer supply container is not attached to the developer receiving device, the rotating portion receives a biasing force from the elastic member and comes into contact with the first rotation stopper portion,
when the developer supply container is attached to the developer receiving device and the discharge port and the receiving port are in communication with each other, the rotating portion receives a biasing force from the engaged portion against a biasing force from the elastic member and comes into contact with the second rotation stopper portion.
2. The developer supply container according to claim 1, A developer supply container detachably attached to a developer receiving device, the developer supply container having a developer receiving portion having a receiving opening for receiving developer and an engaged portion displaceable integrally with the developer receiving portion,
a developer container that is rotatable and that contains a developer;
a discharge section that is in communication with the developer accommodating section and has a discharge port formed on a bottom surface thereof for discharging the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating section;
a rotating portion rotatable relative to the discharging portion about a rotation axis extending in a direction intersecting with a rotation axis direction of the developer accommodating portion,
the rotating portion has an engaging portion with which the engaged portion engages,
the engaged portion engages with the engaging portion in association with an attachment operation of the developer supply container to the developer receiving device, and the rotating portion rotates relative to the discharging portion such that the developer receiving portion is displaced toward the developer supply container in a state in which the engaged portion is engaged with the engaging portion;
The rotating portion is shaped like a gear having a plurality of the engaging portions.
A developer supply container comprising: the rotating portion is disposed on both sides of the discharge portion in a width direction intersecting a rotation axis direction of the developer accommodating portion and a vertical direction;
4. The developer supply container according to claim 1, wherein the developer supply container is a container for supplying a developer to a developer container.

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