JPH05224525A - Toner cartridge for electrophotographc device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a toner cartridge for use in an electro-photographic device capable of preventing the generation useless space in the electrophotographic device, in the toner cartridge where the electrophotographic device operates with the cartridge fitted therein. CONSTITUTION:The toner cartridge 1 of the electrophotographic device, which is attached to the supply port in the electrophotographic device, supplies toner 2, and is also used as a cover body for the supply port, is composed of a toner storage part 3 which holds the toner 2 therein and is formed from a deformable member; an opening frame body 5 in the form of a frame which is connected to the opening-edge 4 of the toner storage part 3 in order to keep the opening- edge 4 of the toner storage part 3 in the prescribed shape and forms an attachment part attached to the supply port; and a sealing member 6 which seals the opening of the frame body 5 in such a manner that it can be opened.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner cartridge for an electrophotographic apparatus used for supplying toner to a toner storage unit in the electrophotographic apparatus such as a copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional toner cartridge for an electrophotographic apparatus, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-76360, an opening of a container whose one surface is open is hermetically sealed by a seal member. Further, a grip portion for peeling off the seal member is provided, and the toner is stored in the container.

The surface of the toner container sealed by the seal member is attached to the supply port of the toner storage unit provided in the developing device of the electrophotographic apparatus, and the handle is pulled to seal the opening member. The toner cartridge is peeled off, and the toner in the container is dropped into the toner storage unit to supply the toner.
It is attached to the supply port of the toner storage unit and is used as a lid for preventing the toner from scattering outside the toner storage unit and preventing foreign substances from entering the toner storage unit by closing the supply port. ..

The electrophotographic apparatus equipped with the toner cartridge as described above is composed of, for example, two separable main bodies, an upper apparatus main body and a lower apparatus main body, and one end side of the upper apparatus main body is rotated to the lower apparatus main body. The main body of the upper device can be opened and closed by pivoting as much as possible.When supplying toner, the main body of the upper device is opened and the components above the toner storage unit are moved together with the main unit of the upper device to retract from above the toner storage unit. Thus, the upper part of the toner storage section is opened.

With such a structure, it is possible to mount the toner cartridge on the supply port of the toner storage section.

Then, the toner cartridge is attached to the supply port while being kept sealed by the seal member, and then the seal member is peeled off to supply the toner to the toner storage portion, and after the supply, the toner cartridge remains the cover of the supply port. As a result, the toner hardly scatters around when the toner is supplied, and an effect that the periphery of the developing device and the hands of the supply operator are not soiled can be obtained.

[0007]

The conventional toner cartridge has the above-mentioned effects.
After the toner is supplied, the toner cartridge only needs to function as a cover of the supply port of the developing device, but the toner cartridge needs an occupied volume to accommodate the toner. When it is used as a body, other constituent members cannot be arranged above the developing device of the electrophotographic apparatus, and the space occupied by the toner cartridge becomes a wasteful space in the electrophotographic apparatus.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide a toner cartridge for an electrophotographic apparatus capable of preventing a wasteful space in the electrophotographic apparatus.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention is an electrophotographic apparatus in which the electrophotographic apparatus is mounted in a supply port in the electrophotographic apparatus to supply toner and also serves as a lid for the supply port, and the electrophotographic apparatus operates in the mounted state. In the toner cartridge of No. 3, the toner containing portion containing the toner inside and formed of a flexible material, and the opening edge of the toner containing portion coupled to the opening edge of the toner containing portion are held in a predetermined shape, It is characterized by comprising a frame-shaped mouth frame body that forms a mounting portion to be mounted, and a seal member that seals the opening of the mouth frame body and is opened in a state of being mounted in the supply port. is there.

[0010]

In the present invention, since the toner containing portion is made of a deformable material, it is possible to reduce the occupied volume after the toner inside the toner containing portion falls into the supply port.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A toner cartridge for an electrophotographic apparatus, which is an embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a toner cartridge. The toner cartridge 1 has a toner containing portion 3 for containing the toner 2, an opening frame body 5 and an opening frame body connected to an opening edge 4 of the toner containing portion 3. The seal member 6 is configured to seal the opening of the opening 5 so that the opening can be opened. The seal member 6 is formed by folding back an extension of one end toward the other end and projecting the tip thereof to the outside of the mouth frame body 5 to form a grip portion 7. is doing.

The toner accommodating portion 3 is formed of a sheet-like member made of a deformable material in the shape of a box having a rectangular opening on one surface. The toner accommodating portion 3 is made of a dense material that does not allow toner particles (10 microns) to pass through. Nari dust mask filters are suitable, for example, commercially available ones include Tremicron (registered trademark of Toray). The mouth frame 5 to which the opening edge 4 of the toner storage portion 3 is coupled is formed of synthetic resin or the like as a material and has a frame shape matching the shape of the opening edge 4.

The mouth frame 5 has an L-shaped cross section at its side, and is composed of a flange portion 8 and a cylindrical portion 9 provided upright from the inner peripheral edge of the flange portion 8. To L
The shape of the character gives rigidity to the mouth frame. Further, the opening edge 4 of the toner containing portion 3 is joined to the tubular portion 9 with an adhesive or a double-sided tape.

A mounting portion 10 for mounting the toner cartridge 1 on the electrophotographic apparatus described later is formed on the flange portion 8. Further, a seal member 6 for sealing the opening of the mouth frame body 5 is adhered to the grip portion 7 of the seal member 6 by using an adhesive that can be peeled off all around the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 8.
The seal member 6 is peeled from the mouth frame body 5 by pulling while holding.

Next, an electrophotographic apparatus using the toner cartridge 1 will be described. FIG. 2 shows an electrophotographic apparatus 1.
1 shows the main part of the electrophotographic apparatus 11 and the electrophotographic apparatus 11 includes
And a lower device body 13 and an upper device body 12
The optical unit 14 is disposed inside, and the lower device body 1
A developing device 15 is provided on the surface 3. The upper device body 12 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the lower device body 13 with the shaft 16 as a fulcrum, and the upper part of the electrophotographic apparatus 11 can be opened by rotating the upper device body 12 upward.

A supply port 18 is opened upward in the toner storage unit 17 of the developing device 15, and a peripheral portion of the supply port 18 is located outside a portion corresponding to the adhesive portion of the seal member 6. A sponge-like packing 19 is provided on the entire circumference thereof, and the mounting portion 10 of the mouth frame body 5 of the toner cartridge 1 is locked to a locking portion (not shown) of the developing device 15 through the packing 19 and the supply port 18 is provided. Is joined to. Further, a developing roller 21 is provided below the developing device 15 to rotate the toner 2 on a peripheral surface thereof in a predetermined direction and supply the toner 2 to the photosensitive drum 20.

With such a structure, when the toner 2 is supplied, the optical unit 13 disposed on the upper device body 12 is rotated by rotating the upper device body 12 of the electrophotographic apparatus 11 upward with the shaft 16 as a fulcrum. It is retracted from above the supply port 18. Then, after mounting the toner cartridge 1, the grip portion 7 of the seal member 6 is pulled to separate the seal member 6 from the flange portion 8, and the toner 2 in the toner storage portion 3 is dropped into the toner storage portion 17 to complete the supply. 2, the upper device body 12 is closed and the position of the optical unit 13 is returned to the original position above the supply port 18. At this time, the toner containing portion 3 shown by the phantom line in the drawing releases the toner 2 and the occupied volume can be reduced, so that the toner containing portion 3 is pressed by abutting against its own weight or the optical unit 14, and as shown by the solid line in the drawing. Occupied volume is reduced.

In FIG. 2, the occupied volume of the toner collecting portion 3 before reduction shown by the phantom line interferes with the optical unit 13, so that the conventional toner cartridge 1 cannot arrange the optical unit 13 at the illustrated position. , Electrophotographic device 11
Cannot be miniaturized.

When the toner cartridge 1 of the present invention is mounted, the components arranged above the supply port 18 of the developing device 15, such as the optical unit 14, are retracted from above the supply port 18 in the above-described embodiment. As a device main body structure that can be opened and closed as described above, the constituent members above the supply port 18 are arranged in the upper device main body 12 to open and open the upper device main body 12, and the constituent members are detachable and slidable. You may evacuate. Further, the developing device 15 is detached from the apparatus main body by an appropriate means, the toner cartridge 1 is mounted, the supply of the toner 2 is terminated, the volume of the toner containing portion 3 is reduced, and then the developing device 15 is mounted on the apparatus main body again. It is also possible to attach.

[0020]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the toner cartridge, which is mounted in the supply port of the electrophotographic apparatus and supplies the toner, contains the toner inside and is formed of a deformable member. An accommodating portion, a frame-shaped mouth frame member that is coupled to an opening edge of the toner accommodating portion, forms a mounting portion that holds the opening edge of the toner accommodating portion in a predetermined shape, and is attached to the supply port, and the mouth frame body. Since it is composed of a seal member that seals the opening of the toner cartridge and is opened while being attached to the supply port, the volume occupied by the toner can be reduced after the toner is supplied. Other constituent members can be arranged above the inner supply port, so that the space above the supply port is not wasted, and the electrophotographic apparatus can be downsized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a toner cartridge showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a main part inside by cutting out a part of an upper apparatus main body of an electrophotographic apparatus in which the toner cartridge of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Toner Cartridge 2 Toner 3 Toner Housing 4 Opening Edge 5 Port Frame 6 Sealing Member 18 Supply Port

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A toner cartridge for an electrophotographic apparatus, which is attached to a supply port in an electrophotographic apparatus to supply toner and serves as a lid for the supply port, in which the electrophotographic apparatus is operated in a mounted state. A toner accommodating portion that accommodates toner and is formed of a deformable material, and is attached to the supply port while being coupled to an opening edge of the toner accommodating portion and holding the opening edge of the toner accommodating portion in a predetermined shape. An electrophotographic apparatus comprising: a frame-shaped mouth frame body that forms a mounting portion; and a seal member that seals an opening of the mouth frame body and is opened in a state of being mounted in the supply port. Toner cartridge.