JPH0470779A - Toner replenishing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily replenish toner with a simple operation by automatically releasing first and second shatters blocking a toner cartridge when the toner cartridge in which the toner is filled is inserted into a developing device and supplying the toner to the developing device. CONSTITUTION:When the toner cartridge 35 is inserted into a developing device main body 27, first and second levers 41 and 51 provided on the toner cartridge 35 are abutted on first and second engaging pins 61 and 63 provided on the developing device main body 27, respectively. When the toner cartridge 35 is further inserted in this state, the first shutter 39 is turned inward, and obtains a releasing position, and simultaneously, the second shutter 45 is turned counterclockwise, and moves to the lower part of a toner supplying port 37, to open it. At this time, a sealing member 55 provided on the second shutter 45 blocks the gap of the developing device main body 27 and the toner cartridge 35. Thus, the toner can be replenished to a thin type developing device with the simple operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to, for example, a toner replenishment device, and more specifically, to a color laser printer using an electrophotographic process;
The present invention relates to an improvement in a device for replenishing toner as a developer in a rolling developing device used in a color image forming device such as a color copying device or a color facsimile device.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, such a developing device (a device for replenishing toner) is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-62085. , a toner cartridge filled with toner is provided, and the toner cartridge has an axial toner supply port formed in a part of its outer periphery, and a toner supply port formed in the upper part of the developing device; A toner cartridge accommodating part is provided connected to this toner replenishment port into which a toner cartridge can be inserted, and after inserting the toner cartridge into this toner cartridge accommodating part with the toner supply port facing toward F, By rotating the toner cartridge 180 degrees so that the supply port faces downward, the toner supply port is aligned with the toner supply port, and the toner is supplied to the developing device by its own weight.

Further, after toner is replenished, the toner cartridge is rotated 180 degrees so that the toner supply port faces upward again, and then the toner cartridge is pulled out from the storage portion.

By the way, in color laser printers and color copying machines, at least yellow (Y), magenta (M),
A developing device is required for each of the three colors of cyan (C), and if you add the developing device for black (B), four developing devices are required. It becomes necessary to make it thinner.

Such a developing device is configured to be unitized and detachable from the main body of the device.

However, in the thin developing devices used in such conventional color laser printers, it is not possible to provide a toner cartridge storage section in each developing device due to the need for miniaturization, and it is difficult to use up the toner in the device. When this occurs, it is necessary to replace the individual developing units themselves (DT
M), there is a problem of high running costs.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made focusing on the above-mentioned problem, and it is possible to replenish toner to a thin developing device with a simple operation.
An object of the present invention is to provide a toner replenishing device that can reduce running costs.

(Structure of the Invention) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a toner replenishing device for replenishing toner to a developing device used in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process, the present invention being directed to a toner replenishing device that replenishes toner from a horizontal direction with respect to the developing device. A toner cartridge which is removable and which is filled with toner is inserted, and the toner cartridge includes a toner supply port that is opened in the developing device, and a first shutter that covers the toner supply port. A second shutter further covers between the first shutter and the toner supply port.
a shutter, an agitating member for agitating the toner, and a link member interlocking with the first and second shutters, and the developing device is provided with a link member that moves when the toner cartridge is inserted into the developing device. (In addition to providing an engaging portion for engaging and opening the first and second shutters)
This invention is characterized in that the toner cartridge is provided with a biasing member that biases the first and second shutters to return to their initial states when the toner cartridge is removed from the developing device.

Also, a toner replenishing device replenishes toner to a developing device removably installed in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process, the toner cartridge being removably installed in the developing device and filled with toner. Equipped with
This toner cartridge has a toner supply port that abuts against the toner supply port formed in the developing device, and a toner supply port that can be closed before being installed in the developing device and removed after being installed in the developing device. A sealing member is provided, and the developing device includes a shutter member that is movable between a closed position that closes the toner supply port and an open position that opens the toner supply port, and a shutter member that is biased in the closing direction. and a biasing member for preventing toner leakage, and by opening the shutter member against the biasing force of the biasing member without abutting the end of the toner cartridge. The present invention is characterized in that an engaging portion for replenishing toner to the developing device is provided upright on the shutter member.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 fa), (bl, (cl) shows a toner replenishing device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and this toner replenishing device is applied to a color laser printer that uses a plurality of thin developing devices. Figure 2 shows an example of a color laser printer, where the laser printer l is yellow (Y
), Magenta (~1), Gian (C), Black (B)
developing devices 3Y and 3M.

3C, 3B, and respective developing devices 3Y, 3M, 3
C and 3B are removable from the printer body 5.

The laser printer l includes a charger 9 that charges the photoreceptor drum 7 to a predetermined potential, and a light beam that exposes and writes image information on the photoreceptor drum 7 in the order of rotational direction indicated by an arrow on the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor drum 7. The writing unit 11, the developing devices 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3B that attach toner of each color as a developer to the exposed image on the photosensitive drum 7, the transfer charger I5 that transfers the developed image to the transfer paper I3, and the transfer A separation charger 17 that separates the paper 13 from the photoreceptor drum 7 and a cleaning unit I9 that cleans toner remaining on the photoreceptor drum 7 after transfer are arranged.

A paper feed cassette 21 for stacking transfer papers 13 is provided on one side of the printer main body 5, and the transfer papers 13, 13 in the paper feed cassette 21 are separated and sent out one by one by paper feed rollers 23. After that, the paper is fed to the transfer charger 15 at a timing that is aligned with the image formed on the photosensitive drum 7 by a pair of registration rollers 25 .

The printer main body 5 also includes a fixing unit 26 that fixes the developed image on the transfer paper 13 separated from the photoreceptor drum 7 by the separation charger 17, a paper discharge roller 28 that discharges the fixed transfer paper 13, and a paper discharge roller 28 that discharges the fixed transfer paper 13. It is provided with a paper discharge tray 30 on which transferred paper 13 is deposited.

Each developing device i! L3 is a developing roller 2 that faces the photosensitive drum 7 in a developing device main body 27 that is a thin hollow rectangular parallelepiped.
9 and a thin layer blade (not shown) that regulates the thickness of the toner on the developing roller 29, and the developing roller 29 is rotatable around a rotating shaft 29a pivotally supported by the developing device main body 27. . The toner replenishing device includes a toner cartridge 35 in the form of a thin hollow rectangular parallelepiped filled with toner and capable of being inserted into and removed from the rear opening 33 of the developing device main body 27 from the horizontal direction.

At the tip of the toner cartridge 35: Well, the developing device main body 2
a longitudinally extending toner supply port 3 opened in 7;
7 is formed, and a first shutter 39 that covers the toner supply port 37 is rotatably provided around a support shaft 39a provided above the toner supply port 37.

The first shutter 39 is in a closed position covering the toner supply port 37 and in a position τ inside the toner cartridge 35.
and an open position in which the toner supply port 37 is opened. A downward first lever 41 is connected as a link member to one end (left end in FIG. 1) of the support shaft 39a on which the first shutter 39 is supported. It will be linked to. The first lever 41 is biased in the direction of closing the first shutter 39 by a first torsion spring (biasing member) 43 . Note that the first shutter 39 is connected to the toner cartridge cartridge 35 at the free end of the first shutter 39.
A stopper 39b is formed to prevent rotation outward.

Further outside the first shutter 39, a second shutter 45 extending in the longitudinal direction is provided to further cover the space between the first shutter 39 and the toner supply port 37. Second
A fan-shaped rotating plate 47. is provided at both axial ends of the shutter 45.
47 is fixed, and the rotary plate 47.47 is rotatable about a support shaft 49.49 provided on the side plate 35a of the toner cartridge 35. One rotating plate 47 (first
A downward second lever 51 is connected to the right side in the figure as a link member rotatable around a support shaft 49,
Therefore, the second shutter 45 and the second lever 51 are interlocked. Such a second lever 51
The second shutter 45 is biased in the closing direction by a torsion spring (biasing member) 53 of 6. Furthermore, a sealing member 55 such as flocked hair or sponge is pasted on the outer surface of the second shutter 45. There is. This sealing member 55 prevents toner from falling into the gap between the developing device main body 27 and the toner cartridge 35 when the second shutter 45 is in the open position, and prevents toner from falling into the developing device main body 27 over time. This is provided to prevent accumulation.

Further, the toner cartridge 35 is rotatably provided with a stirring member (not shown) for stirring the toner inside, and a rotating shaft 57 of the stirring member protrudes from the side plate 35 a of the toner cartridge 35 . Side plates 27a and 27ai of the developing device main body 27: There are notches 59.5 so that the rotating shaft 57 of the stirring member does not interfere with the developing device main body 27 when the toner cartridge 35 is inserted into the developing device main body 27.
9 is formed. When the toner cartridge 35 is inserted into the main body 27 of the developer bag 2, the rotating shaft 57 of the stirring member is connected to a drive mechanism (not shown) and driven to rotate.

On the other hand, the developing device main body 27 includes a toner cartridge 35.
is inserted into the developing device main body 27, the first and second
First and second engaging pins 61.63 (engaging portions) are provided for engaging the free ends of the levers 41.51 to open the first and second shutters 39.45. There is. 1st
When the toner cartridge 35 is inserted into the developing device main body 27, the second one flange 41, 51 and the first and second engagement bins 6I, 63 first close the first shutter 39.
The positional relationship is set in advance so that the toner supply port 37 is opened, and then the second shutter 45 is opened and the toner supply port 37 is opened.

Incidentally, the upper and lower plates 27b, 27b of the developing device main body 27 are formed with notches 65.65 for inserting a finger that communicate with the opening 33. This can be done easily by inserting the

Next, the action will be explained.

In the above configuration, toner can be supplied to the developing device main body 27 by inserting the toner cartridge 35 into the developing device main body 27. When the toner cartridge 35 is inserted into the developing device main body 27, the toner cartridge 3
The first and second levers 41 and 51 provided on the developing device main body 27
, 63 (see FIG. 3), and when the toner cartridge 35 is further inserted in this state, the first shutter 39 rotates inward (counterclockwise in the figure) and assumes an open position. The second shutter 45 rotates counterclockwise in the figure and moves below the toner supply port 37, opening the toner supply port 37 (see FIG. 1 [c)]. A seal member 55 provided on the shutter 45 connects the developing device main body 27 and the toner cartridge 3.
5 can be closed to prevent toner from falling into this gap.

In this state, when the stirring member is rotated by a drive mechanism (not shown), the toner in the toner cartridge 35 is supplied to the developing device main body 27. When toner is supplied to the developing device main body 27, the latent image on the photosensitive drum 7 can be developed by the developing roller 29, thereby realizing an electrophotographic process.

That is, toner of each color is sequentially attached to the electrostatic latent image formed by the optical writing unit 11 on the photosensitive drum 7 by the developing devices 3Y, 313C, and 3B to form a toner image, and this toner image is transferred to the transfer charger 15. Transfer paper 13
transcribed into. Transfer paper 13 after transfer is transferred to separate charger I
After the paper is separated from the photoreceptor drum 7 by 7, it is transported to the fixing unit 26 and the toner image is fixed thereon, and then the paper is ejected onto the paper ejection tray 30 by the paper ejection roller 28, and the photoreceptor drum after transfer. The toner remaining on the toner 7 is cleaned by the cleaning unit 19, and preparation for the next image forming process is the same as in the conventional method.

When the toner in the developing device main body 27 is used up, toner can be replenished into the developing device main body 27 as follows. First, insert your finger into the notch 65.65 of the developing device main body 27 and pull out the toner cartridge 35.
The second lever 41.51 is disengaged from the first and second engagement pins 61.63, and the first and second shafts 3 are moved by the biasing forces of the first and second torsion springs 43.53.
9.45 is in the closed position and the toner supply port 37 is closed. Since the toner supply port 37 is reliably closed by the two shutters 39 and 45, residual toner from the used toner cartridge 35 will not leak from the toner supply port 37. Thereafter, by inserting a new toner cartridge 35 into the developing device main body 27, toner can be easily replenished in the same way as described above.

As mentioned above, conventionally, when the toner in the developing device was used up, the developing unit itself was replaced, but in this embodiment, the toner cartridge 35 can be simply inserted and removed from the developing device main body 27. Toner can be replenished with simple operations, significantly reducing running costs. In addition, since the sealing member 55 is attached to the outer surface of the second shutter 45, toner does not leak into the developing device main body 27 from the gap between the toner cartridge 35 and the surrounding area when replacing the toner cartridge 35. Therefore, there is no problem that toner accumulates over time, making it difficult to insert and remove the toner cartridge 35, and as a result, further toner accumulates.

4 and 5 (a) and (bl) show other embodiments. The toner supply device of this embodiment has a toner supply 067 formed in the upper part of the developing device main body 66, and a toner supply device 067. A shutter member 69 is movable in the horizontal direction between a closed position in which the supply port 67 is closed and an open position in which the toner supply port 67 is opened, and the shutter member 69 is biased in the closed direction to prevent toner leakage. A compression spring (one biasing member) 71 is provided for this purpose.

Toner cartridge 721, toner supply lower 3 at the bottom
The toner supply lower 3 is closed by a removable seal member 79.

A cartridge body 75 is attached to the shutter member 69.
The two jack members act as an engaging portion for replenishing toner into the developing device main body 66 by abutting the flange portions 77 of the two jack members against each other and then moving the six jack members against the biasing force of the spring 71 to open the toner replenishment port 67. The opposite! --shaped hooks 8], 81 are erected.

In the above configuration, the flange portion 77 of the toner cartridge 72 is abutted against the hook 81.81 (see FIG. 5(a)), and the shutter member 6 resists the biasing force of the spring 71.
9 to open the toner supply port 67, the toner supply port 67 and the toner supply lower 3 are aligned (see FIG. 5(b)).
)reference). By removing the seal member 79 in this state, the toner in the toner cart 1 notch 72 falls into the developing device main body 66 by nm. After all the toner has fallen into the developing device main body 66, the toner cartridge 72
When the toner is removed from the developing device main body 66, the shutter member 69 automatically closes the toner supply port 67 by the biasing force of the spring 7I, so that toner does not leak to the outside.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to replenish toner to the developing device main body 66 with a simple operation, and moreover, the toner cartridge 72 can be easily removed after toner replenishment, thereby saving space in the printer main body 5. I can do it.

FIG. 6 shows yet another embodiment. In this embodiment, the toner cartridge 83 can be attached to a toner replenishment port 87 formed in the upper part of the developing device main body 85, and has a bellows shape that can be expanded and contracted. The opening 89 is closed by a removable seal member 91. The toner cartridge 83 is made of, for example, a polyester film or paper having a thickness of 0.5 mm.

Now, when the toner cartridge 83 is mounted on the developing device main body 85 and the sealing member 91 is removed, the toner falls into the developing device main body 85 due to its own weight. The toner cartridge 83 in which the toner has fallen can be folded as shown by the arrow without detaching from the developing device main body 85, so it is possible to save space in the printer main body 5 without performing detachment work. This effect can be obtained.

(Effect of the invention) As explained above, according to the first claim of the present invention,
When a toner cartridge filled with toner is inserted into the developing device, the first and second shutters that close the toner cartridge are automatically opened to supply toner to the developing device, so the developing device is thin. However, it is possible to easily replenish toner with a simple operation and to reduce running costs, which is a remarkable effect.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the shutter member can be opened while the end of the toner cartridge is hooked on the engaging portion, the toner cartridge can be transferred to the developing device simply by installing the toner cartridge in the developing device. When the toner cartridge is removed, the shutter is automatically closed by the biasing force of the biasing member, so that the entire apparatus can be miniaturized while the operation is easy.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 (al is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the toner replenishing device according to the present invention, FIG. 1 (bl is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. 1(a), and FIG. 1 fc) is FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of main parts when the toner cartridge has been inserted into the developing device; FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a laser printer as an image forming apparatus to which the toner replenishing device of FIG. 1 is applied; Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation when the toner cartridge shown in Fig. 1 is inserted into the developing device, the fourth bacterium is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment, and Figs. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A showing the operation; FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing another embodiment;

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A toner replenishing device that replenishes toner to a developing device used in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process, the toner cartridge being capable of being inserted into and removed from the developing device from the horizontal direction and filled with toner. The toner cartridge includes a toner supply port that opens toward the inside of the developing device, a first shutter that covers the toner supply port, and a second shutter that further covers between the first shutter and the toner supply port. The developing device is provided with a second shutter, a stirring member that stirs the toner, and a link member that interlocks with the first and second shutters, and when the toner cartridge is inserted into the developing device, the link member The toner cartridge is provided with an engaging portion for engaging to open the first and second shutters, and the first and second shutters are in an initial state when the toner cartridge is removed from the developing device. 1. A toner replenishing device characterized by comprising a biasing member that biases the toner to return to normal state. (2) A toner replenishing device that replenishes toner to a developing device that is removably installed in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process, the toner being removably installed in the developing device and filled with toner. The toner cartridge includes a toner supply port that abuts against a toner supply port formed in the developing device, and a toner supply port that closes the toner supply port before being installed in the developing device, and a toner supply port that is closed after being installed in the developing device. A removable seal member is provided, and the developing device includes a shutter member that is movable between a closed position that closes the toner supply port and an open position that opens the toner supply port, and the shutter member is moved in the closed direction. A biasing member for biasing the toner cartridge to prevent leakage of toner is provided, and the shutter member is moved against the biasing force of the biasing member so as to abut the end of the toner cartridge to open the toner supply port. 1. A toner replenishing device characterized in that an engaging portion for replenishing toner to a developing device by opening the shutter member is provided upright on a shutter member.