JPH05289501A - Toner replenishing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To operate an opening/closing lever only at the time of replenishing toner by a toner bottle. CONSTITUTION:When the toner bottle 32 is positioned on a toner hopper 31 a changeover piece 32c presses an opening/closing body A lever 35c is changed over from a posture where it is housed in the toner hopper 31 to a posture where it is projected from the toner hopper 31. When the toner bottle 32 is removed from the toner hopper 31, the lever 35c is housed in the toner hopper 31 and can not be operated. Thus, the damage of a device caused by the forcible misoperation of the lever 35c, can be prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner replenishing device for replenishing toner used in a copying machine or the like from a toner container to a toner tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional toner replenishing device for a copying machine, Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-36943 discloses a toner replenishing port 2 in a toner tank (toner hopper) 1 installed in the upper part of a copying machine body as shown in FIG. An opening / closing lid 3 that is formed and covers the toner supply port 2 is provided. The opening / closing lid 3 is slidably arranged on the back side of the upper surface of the toner hopper 1 via a holding frame 4.

A lever 5 for sliding the holding frame 4 to open and close the toner supply port 2 is fixed to the upper surface of the holding frame 4. The lever 5 is projected on the upper surface 1a of the toner hopper 1. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the holding frame 4 is provided with an engaging portion 7 that engages with the step portion 6 formed on the toner hopper 1 and holds the opening / closing lid 3 in the closed state. The engaging portion 7 is biased in the direction in which it engages with the step portion 6.

To replenish the toner from the toner bottle to the toner hopper 1, the container lid covering the opening of the toner bottle is inserted from the toner replenishing port 2 and fitted into the holding frame 4. At this time, the engaging portion 7 of the holding frame 4 is engaged with the toner hopper 1.
When the lever 5 is disengaged from the stepped portion 6, the lever 5 can be slid.

When the opening / closing lid 3 is slid in the direction in which the toner supply port 2 is opened, the holding frame 4 is opened.
At the same time, the container lid of the toner bottle simultaneously slides in the direction of opening the opening. As a result, the opening of the toner bottle and the toner supply port 2 of the toner hopper 1 communicate with each other, and the toner in the toner bottle drops into the toner hopper 1.

[0006]

Conventionally, a lever 5 for opening and closing the toner supply port 2 is provided so as to project from the upper surface 1a of the toner hopper 1. Therefore, even if the toner bottle is not set, the lever 5 may be forcibly operated by mistake and the device may be damaged.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a toner replenishing device capable of opening and closing the toner replenishing port only when replenishing the toner in the toner container.

[0008]

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the means for solving the problems according to claim 1 of the present invention is a toner replenishing device for replenishing toner from a toner container 32 to a toner replenishing port 31a of a toner tank 31. The toner supply port 31a is provided with an opening / closing lid 34 that can be opened and closed, and an opening / closing body 35 for opening / closing the opening / closing lid 34. The opening / closing body 35 has a storage attitude stored in the toner tank 31 and a toner. The toner container 32 can be switched between a protruding position protruding from the tank 31 and a toner container 32.
Further, there is provided a switching piece 32c for switching the posture in which the opening / closing body 35 is in the projecting posture when the toner container 32 is placed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the means for solving the problem is a switching piece 3
2c is provided with an engaging portion that engages with the opening / closing lid 34, and the toner tank 31 is provided with guide means 36 for guiding the opening / closing body 35 in the opening / closing direction of the opening / closing lid 34. By moving the engaging portion of the switching piece 32c and the switching piece 32c, the opening 32a of the toner container 32 and the toner supply port 31a are communicated with each other.

[0010]

When the toner container 32 is placed on the toner tank 31 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the switching piece 32c of the toner container 32 presses the opening / closing body 35.

Then, the opening / closing body 35 is switched from the storage attitude stored in the toner tank 31 to the projection attitude protruding from the toner tank 31.

When the opening / closing body 35 is manually slid in the opening direction of the opening / closing lid 34, the toner supply port 31a is opened and the toner drops from the toner container 31 into the toner tank 31.

When the toner container 32 is removed from the toner tank 31, the opening / closing member 35 is housed in the toner tank 31 and cannot be operated, and cannot be operated from the outside except when the toner is replenished.

[0014]

1 is a perspective view of a toner replenishing device showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a toner hopper upper surface when a toner bottle is positioned, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a toner hopper upper surface when toner is replenished. FIG. 4 is an overall configuration diagram of the copying machine.

In the copying machine of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, an original feeding device 12 and a finisher portion 13 are provided in a copying machine main body 11.
And are installed. The copying machine main body 11 is internally provided with a process section 14, and the process section 14 includes the photosensitive member 1.
5, a charging charger 16, a developing unit 17, a transfer charger 18, a cleaning unit 19 and the like are provided.

Then, the paper is cassettes 20a, 20b,
The toner image is transferred from the process unit 14 from the transfer unit 20c, is fixed by the fixing unit 22, and is sent out from the finisher unit 13 to the paper discharge tray 23.

A toner replenishing device for supplying toner to the developing section 17 is mounted on the upper portion of the copying machine main body 11. The toner replenishing device is provided with a toner replenishing tank 24 arranged above the developing unit 17 and a toner tank (toner hopper) 31 provided integrally with the toner replenishing tank 24, and a toner container containing toner in the toner hopper 31. A (toner bottle) 32 is placed and toner is replenished.

A toner hopper cover 33 is openably and closably attached to the upper surface of the toner hopper 31, and the toner hopper 31 is exposed by this opening.

On the upper surface of the toner hopper 31,
A toner replenishing port 31a for replenishing toner is formed, and an opening / closing lid 34 for opening / closing the toner replenishing port 31a is provided. An opening / closing body 35 for opening / closing the opening / closing lid 34 and an opening / closing direction of the opening / closing lid 34 are provided. Guide means 3 for guiding the opening / closing body 35
6 is provided.

Both ends of the opening / closing lid 34 are slidably guided by a pair of slide covers 37 fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the toner hopper 31, and a pair of springs 38 attached to one end of the opening / closing lid 34 allow the toner to be removed. It is urged in the direction to close the supply port 31a.

Further, the opening / closing lid 34 is formed with an engaging hole 34a for engaging a part of a bottle slider 32b (described later) of the toner bottle 32.

The opening / closing body 35 has a flat plate 35a disposed under the open / close lid 34, a pair of shaft portions 35b integrally formed at both ends of the flat plate 35a, and an L-shaped integral portion with the shaft portion 35b. And the formed lever 35c.

The opening / closing body 35 is rotatable between a storage posture in which the lever 35c is stored on the upper surface of the toner hopper 31 and a projection posture in which the lever 35c projects from the toner hopper 31.

The flat plate portion 35a is arranged so as to close the engagement hole 34a of the opening / closing lid 34.

The shaft portion 35b is rotatably supported on both side walls of the toner hopper 31 and is slidably fitted in a long hole 39 formed along the sliding direction of the opening / closing lid 34.

A pair of grooves 40 is formed between the elongated hole 39 and the toner supply port 31a, and a sliding elongated hole 41 of the shaft portion 35b is formed on the inner groove wall thereof. These long holes 3
The guide means 36 is composed of the grooves 41 and 40.

The lever 35c is used for the toner bottle 3
It is stored in a pair of lever storage grooves 43 formed on both sides of a mounting table 42 on which the 2 is mounted. The lever storage groove 43 communicates with the groove 40.

Next, the toner bottle 32 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the toner bottle 32 is cylindrical and has an opening 32a formed at one end thereof. The bottle slider 32b for sliding the opening / closing lid 34 is integrally formed around the opening 32a. The bottle slider 32b is integrally formed at one end thereof with a switching piece 32c for switching the opening / closing body 35 from the stored posture to the projected posture.

The switching piece 32c is projected downward so as to penetrate the engaging hole 34a of the opening / closing lid 34 and press the flat plate portion 35a of the opening / closing body 35.

The bottle slider 32b has an opening 3
It is detachably fitted on the bottle lid 44 that closes the 2a.
The bottle lid 44 has a mounting table 42 for the toner hopper 31.
Is formed with a pair of positioning holes 44a to be inserted into a pair of positioning pins 42a fixed to the upper surface of the. A film seal (not shown) that seals the opening 32a is adhered to the back surface of the bottle slider 32b in a peelable manner.

In the above structure, the toner hopper cover 33 is opened, the positioning hole 44a of the bottle lid 44 is inserted into the positioning pin 42a of the toner hopper 31, and the toner bottle 32 is positioned on the mounting table 42 of the toner hopper 31. At this time, the switching piece 32c of the bottle slider 32b penetrates the engaging hole 34a of the opening / closing lid 34 and presses the flat plate portion 35a of the opening / closing body 35.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the opening / closing body 35 rotates about the shaft portion 35b, and the lever 35c rises from the lever accommodating groove 43 from the accommodating attitude in which the lever 35c is accommodated in the lever accommodating groove 43. Switch to. At this time, the flat plate portion 35
a faces the switching piece 32c of the toner bottle 32.

Then, the lever 35c is manually opened / closed.
When it is slid in the opening direction, the flat plate portion 35a pushes the switching piece 32c, the bottle slider 32b is disengaged from the bottle lid 44, and the switching piece 32c slides the opening / closing lid 34 against the spring 38.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the toner bottle 3
When the second opening 32a overlaps with the toner supply port 31a and the film seal of the opening 32a is peeled off, the toner falls into the toner hopper 31.

When the lever 35c is slid in the opposite direction after the toner is replenished, the switching piece 32c pushes the opening / closing lid 34, and the toner replenishing port 31a is closed. The bottle slider 32b fits into the bottle lid 44, and the toner bottle 3
The second opening 32a is closed.

When the toner bottle 32 is removed from the upper surface of the toner hopper 31, the switching piece 32c is engaged with the engaging hole 34a.
Get out of. When the lever 35c is housed in the lever housing groove 42, the opening / closing body 35 cannot be operated.

As described above, the opening / closing body 35 cannot be operated because the lever 35c is housed in the lever housing groove 43 except when the toner is being replenished, and when the toner bottle 32 is installed,
The lever 35c rises from the lever storage groove 43 and can be operated. For this reason, the opening / closing body 35 cannot be operated from the outside except when the toner is replenished by the toner bottle 32, and it is possible to prevent the opening / closing body 35 from being accidentally operated and the device being destroyed.

Further, since the toner can be replenished only by the predetermined toner bottle 32 having the switching piece 32c which can be engaged with the engagement hole 34a of the opening / closing lid 34, it is erroneous in the copying machine in which the toner used is limited. Therefore, replenishment of another toner can be prevented.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that many modifications and changes can be made to the above embodiment within the scope of the present invention.

For example, the opening / closing lid 34 is provided except when toner is being replenished.
A lock mechanism may be provided to hold the opening / closing lid 34 in the closed state when the opening / closing body 35 is in the retracted posture so that the opening cannot be opened. As shown in FIG. 5, this locking mechanism has a groove 43 formed in the lever receiving groove 43 of the toner hopper 31, and
A protrusion 35d protruding from the lever 35C and engaging with the groove 43a
Consists of.

[0041]

As is apparent from the above description, according to claims 1 and 2 of the present invention, the opening / closing body is housed in the toner tank and cannot be operated from the outside except when the toner is replenished by the toner container. Therefore, there is an excellent effect that it is possible to prevent the device from being accidentally operated and forcibly operating the opening / closing body to break the device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toner replenishing device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the upper surface of the toner hopper when the toner bottle is positioned.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the upper surface of the toner hopper at the time of toner supply.

FIG. 4 is an overall configuration diagram of a copying machine.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the upper surface of the toner hopper of the toner replenishing device having a locking mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a main part of a conventional toner hopper.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a conventional toner hopper, a holding frame, and an engaging portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 31 toner tank 31a toner supply port 32 toner container 32a opening 32c switching piece 34 opening / closing lid 35 opening / closing body 36 guiding means

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A toner replenishing device for replenishing toner from a toner container to a toner replenishing port of a toner tank, and an opening / closing cover which is openably / closably arranged at the toner replenishing port, and an opening / closing body for opening / closing the opening / closing cover. The opening / closing body is switchable between a storage posture stored in the toner tank and a protruding posture protruding from the toner tank, and the opening / closing body is protruded in the toner container when the toner container is placed. A toner replenishing device, characterized in that a switching piece for changing the posture is provided. 2. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the switching piece is provided with an engaging portion for engaging with the opening / closing lid, and the toner tank is provided with:
Guide means for guiding the opening / closing body in the opening / closing direction of the opening / closing lid is provided, and the opening / closing lid and the engaging portion are moved by the movement of the opening / closing body to communicate the opening of the toner container with the toner supply port. Toner replenishing device.