JPH0544828Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] This invention relates to a toner replenishment device, and more specifically, a soft airtight seal member is peeled off from the opening of a toner replenishment container attached to a toner replenishment tank. This invention relates to an improvement of a toner replenishing device in which toner can be replenished by peeling off an airtight seal member when a toner replenishing container is attached.

[Prior Art] Conventional toner replenishment devices of this type include, for example, a toner replenishment container, an outer membrane having an opening, and a toner disposed within the outer membrane to accommodate toner and close the opening of the outer membrane. and an inner membrane having a pull-out part for peeling off the blockage part and allowing the toner stored therein to fall into the toner supply tank, and
When replenishing toner, attach the toner replenishment container to the toner replenishment tank, hold the inner membrane between a pair of rods that apply elastic force, and pull the inner membrane outside. A device designed to scrape off adhered toner (see Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 100545/1983),
Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12,
A flexible toner scraping member c is attached to one of the mounting surfaces of the mounting portion of the toner supply container a and the toner supply tank b, and the toner scraping member c and the toner supply container a or the toner supply tank are separated. A device is known in which the drawer side of the hermetic seal member d is held between the mounting surface of the hermetic seal member d and the toner adhering to both sides of the hermetic seal member d is scraped off.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, in the former method, in which the intima is held between a pair of rods that apply elastic force and the intima is pulled out, opposing surfaces of the intima are simultaneously pulled out. Since the toner is scraped off by clamping the toner, there is a risk that excessive force will be applied to the inner membrane and the inner membrane will tear while scraping off the toner.Also, repeated use may reduce the urging force of the elastic force and cause the toner to be scraped off. There was a fear that the scraping function would deteriorate. On the other hand, in the latter case, that is, one using a flexible toner scraping member c, there is no fear that the airtight sealing member d will be accidentally torn, but the toner scraping member c has flexible and soft properties. Therefore, there is a problem that the toner is not easily scraped off and cannot withstand repeated use. In addition, all conventional toner replenishing devices have the problem of lacking stability because the amount of toner scraped varies depending on the direction in which the hermetic seal member d (inner membrane) is pulled out.

Therefore, it is currently desired to develop a toner replenishing device that can reliably scrape off toner adhering to the hermetically sealed member without being affected by the direction in which the hermetically sealed member is pulled out.

[Means for Solving the Problems] This invention was devised in view of the above circumstances, and in order to solve the above technical problem, it is possible to ensure that toner is applied to both sides of the hermetic seal member regardless of the direction in which the hermetic seal member is pulled out. An object of the present invention is to provide a toner replenishing device characterized in that the toner can be reliably removed by bringing the scraping portion into contact with the toner.

That is, in this invention, a soft airtight seal member is releasably attached to the opening of a toner supply container that is attached to a toner supply tank, and when the toner supply container is attached, the airtight seal member is peeled off. In the toner replenishing device, the toner replenishing device is configured such that an open communication portion between the toner replenishing container and the toner replenishing tank has a portion that contacts one surface of the airtight seal member and a portion that contacts the other surface of the airtight seal member. The toner scraping portions are arranged so as to be in contact with each other at different positions with respect to the seal peeling direction, and the toner scraping portions are formed so as to protrude from each other with respect to the surface in the seal peeling direction. The present invention aims to provide a toner replenishment device.

In this invention, the toner scraping section is
Preferably, the first blade part is configured to protrude downward from the toner replenishment container, and the second blade part is provided to protrude from the toner replenishment tank toward the first blade part. Two blade portions facing each other diagonally in the direction in which the slit is formed in the supply container, or a slit formed in the protruding piece that extends inward from the opening of the toner supply tank. It is preferable to configure it with two blade portions facing each other in the diagonal direction of the installation direction. In this case, the contact surface of the blade portion with the airtight sealing member may have any shape such as a circular arc shape, an angular shape, or a protruding shape.

Further, the toner scraping section does not necessarily need to be provided in the toner supply container and the toner supply tank, and has a slit through which the airtight sealing member is inserted, and two blade sections facing diagonally in the direction in which the slit is bored. It can also be configured with a toner scraping member.

In addition, the blade portion constituting the toner scraping portion has at least two parts that contact both surfaces of the hermetic seal member.
The number may be one, and the number may be three or more if necessary. It is also possible to provide the blade with elastic means for applying an elastic force to the hermetic seal member.

[Effect] The above technical means works as follows.

As mentioned above, in the open communication part between the toner replenishment container and the toner replenishment tank, the part that contacts one surface of the airtight seal member and the part that contacts the other surface are different from each other with respect to the seal peeling direction. By forming the toner scraping portions so as to be in contact with each other at certain positions and protruding from each other with respect to the surface in the seal peeling direction, the toner scraping portions can be removed after the toner replenishment container is attached to the toner replenishment tank. By pulling out the drawer side of the airtight sealing member affixed to the opening of the replenishment container, both surfaces of the airtight sealing member are peeled off from the toner replenishment container while reliably contacting the toner scraping portion in a shifted state; The toner adhering to the airtight seal member is scraped off, and the toner in the toner supply container is stored in the toner supply tank.

[Example] An example of this invention will be described below based on the drawings.

◎ First Embodiment Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the mounting portion of the toner replenishing container and toner replenishing tank in the toner replenishing device of this invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the mounted state, and Fig. 3 is the second embodiment. It shows an enlarged sectional view of the main part of the figure.

The toner replenishing device of this invention has a toner replenishing tank 1.
0, and a toner supply container 20 that is attached to the opening of the toner supply tank 10, and the opening 22 of the toner supply container 20 is attached with an adhesive layer 32 such as thermal welding or double-sided adhesive tape. For example, polystyrene heat-sealed film (trade name "Denka Thermo Film ALS" by Denki Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.)
A soft hermetic seal member 30 such as the like is removably attached. This airtight seal member 30 has a closing portion 34 that closes the opening 22 of the toner supply container 20.
A drawer part 36 is extended at one end, and the drawer part 36 is extended so as to be bent outward of the closing part 34, and both sides of the hermetic seal member 30 are kept at an appropriate distance 40 to release toner. It is adapted to come into contact with a toner scraping portion 50 provided at an open communication portion between the replenishment container 20 and the toner replenishment tank 10 .

In this case, the toner scraping section 50 includes a first blade section 51 protruding downward from the lower surface of the mounting flange 24 of the toner supply container 20, that is, toward the toner supply tank side, and an opening of the toner supply tank 10. and a second blade part 52 protruding from the upper edge of the part 12 toward the side of the first blade part 51, and the toner supply container 20 is attached to the toner supply tank 10. In this case, both surfaces of the hermetic sealing member 30 are brought into abutting contact with the first blade portion 51 and the second blade portion 52 with a gap 40 maintained therebetween.

The mounting flange 24 of the toner supply container 20 has locking claws 26 and 2 facing outward and downward.
6 is provided protrudingly, and locking legs 28, 28 are provided protrudingly on both sides of the lower surface of this tank mounting flange 24, and the locking claws 26, 26 are locked to the mounting flange 14 of the toner supply tank 10 when mounted. At the same time, the locking leg 2
8 and 28 are tank mounting flanges 1 of the toner supply tank 10
4 to prevent the toner supply container 20 from falling off (see FIG. 3).

In the toner replenishing device of the present invention configured as described above, when the drawer portion 36 of the hermetic seal member 30 is pulled out after the toner replenishing container 20 is attached to the toner replenishing tank 10, the upper surface of the hermetic seal member 30 is removed. The airtight sealing member is peeled off while being pushed downward and in abutting contact with the first blade portion 51, and the lower surface is pushed upward and in abutting contact with the second blade portion 52. 3
The toner particles 0 are bent by contact at the contact points of both blade portions 51 and 52, and are sequentially peeled off from the toner supply container 20 while being subjected to appropriate friction. Also,
Since the airtight sealing member 30 is attached to the opening 22 of the toner supply container 20, a reaction force Fb acts on the peeling force Fa, and a component Fc of this reaction force Fb is applied to the first blade portion 51. As a result, the toner adhering to the airtight sealing member 30 is removed from both blade portions 5.
1, 52 and will surely be scraped off.

◎ Second Embodiment Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the toner replenishing device of this invention, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of Fig. 4. This is the case when it is formed into a container. That is, a slit 54 is formed in the attachment flange 24 of the toner supply container 20, and the slit 54 is inserted through the airtight seal member 30.
This is a case where the first blade part 51 and the second blade part 52 are formed on two sides opposite to each other in the diagonal direction of the direction in which the slit 54 is formed. In this case, the first blade portion 51 is formed by a protrusion 53 extending downward from one side of the slit 54, but the protrusion 53 does not necessarily form the first blade portion 51.
There is no need to form a blade part 5 on two opposite sides in the diagonal direction of the slit 54.
1,52 may be formed. In the second embodiment constructed in this way, the interval 40 is formed by the slit 54.
Determined by the opening width.

The other parts of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, so the same parts are given the same reference numerals and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

◎ Third Embodiment Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing a third embodiment of the toner replenishing device of this invention, and Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part thereof, in which a toner scraping portion is formed in the toner replenishing tank. This is the case. That is, the toner supply tank 10
A slit 54 through which the airtight seal member 30 is inserted is bored in the protruding piece 16 horizontally extending inward from the opening 12 of the slit 54.
The first
This is a case where the blade portion 51 and the second blade portion 52 are formed. In this third embodiment, the first
The blade portion 51 is formed by a convex strip 53 extending downward from one side of the slit 54, but as in the second embodiment, two sides diagonally opposite to the direction in which the slit 54 is bored are formed. Blade part 5
1, 52 may of course be formed.

The other parts of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first and second embodiments, so the same parts are given the same reference numerals and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

◎ Fourth Embodiment Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a fourth embodiment of the toner replenishing device of this invention, and Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a toner scraping member in the fourth embodiment.
This is a case where the toner scraping portion is formed of a separate member other than the toner supply container and the toner supply tank. That is, it has a slit 54 that is inserted into the pull-out part 36 of the airtight seal member 30 in advance, and the first blade part 51 and the second blade part 52 are formed on two sides diagonally opposite to the direction in which the slit 54 is formed. This is a case where a toner scraping portion is formed by a toner scraping member 50' having a toner scraping member 50'. In this case, the toner scraping member 50' has a trapezoidal cross section that is narrower on the side where the toner replenishment container 20 and the toner replenishment tank 10 are attached. Even when the airtight seal member 30 is moved toward the mounting portion of the replenishment tank 10, both surfaces of the airtight seal member 30 are securely brought into contact with the blade portions 51 and 52.

In this fourth embodiment, the toner scraping member 5
Although the case where the toner scraping member 50' is formed to have a trapezoidal cross section has been described, the toner scraping member 50' does not necessarily have to have a trapezoidal cross section, and the first and second blade portions 51 and 52 maintain a gap of 40. It may have any shape as long as it comes into abutting contact with both surfaces of the hermetic seal member 30 in this state.

In the fourth embodiment, the other parts are the same as those in the first to third embodiments, so the same parts are given the same reference numerals and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

◎ Fifth Embodiment Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the fifth embodiment of the toner replenishing device of this invention, in which the toner scraping part is brought into more secure contact with the airtight sealing member. . That is, the blade portion 51 (specifically, the first blade portion) constituting the toner scraping portion is attached to a blade body formed on the lower surface of the mounting flange 24 of the toner supply container 20 via a compression spring 55. 56, and the blade body 56 is always pressed against the upper surface of the airtight seal member 30. Therefore, the abutting contact between the hermetic seal member 30 and the blade portions 51, 52 is more reliably achieved.

In FIG. 10, a case has been described in which the first blade portion 51 in the first embodiment is formed of a blade body 56 that biases the elastic force of the compression spring 55, but the same applies to the second blade portion 52. Alternatively, the blade portions 51 and 52 in the second to fourth embodiments may be similarly biased with elastic force.

In the fifth embodiment, the other parts are the same as those in the first to fourth embodiments, so the same parts are given the same reference numerals and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

[Effects of the invention] As explained above, according to the toner replenishment device of this invention, a soft airtight seal member is removably attached to the opening of the toner replenishment container and the toner replenishment tank are connected to each other at the opening communication portion. , the part that contacts one surface of the hermetic seal member and the part that contacts the other surface are arranged so that they contact each other at different positions with respect to the seal peeling direction, and with respect to the surface in the seal peeling direction. Since the toner scraping portions are formed in mutually protruding shapes, the following effects can be obtained.

1. Since the blade portion constituting the toner scraping portion comes into abutting contact with both surfaces of the hermetic seal member at intervals, there is no risk of the hermetic seal member being inadvertently torn during peeling.

2. Since both sides of the hermetic sealing member come into abutting contact with the blade portion regardless of the direction in which the hermetic sealing member is pulled out, toner adhering to the hermetic sealing member can be reliably scraped off.

3. Since a reaction force is applied to the toner replenishment container downward, that is, toward the toner replenishment tank side by pulling out the airtight sealing member, there is no need to provide a separate holding means for the toner replenishment container, and the number of structural members can be reduced.

4. The reaction force increases the contact friction between the hermetic seal member and the toner scraping portion, so that toner scraping can be improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing how the toner supply container and toner supply tank are installed in the first embodiment of this invention, and FIG. 2 is the disassembled perspective view showing how the toner supply container and toner supply tank are installed in the first embodiment. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing how the toner replenishment container and toner replenishment tank are attached in the second embodiment of this invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part, FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing how the toner replenishment container and toner replenishment tank are installed in the third embodiment of this invention, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of FIG. 6. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which a toner replenishment container and a toner replenishment tank are attached in a fourth embodiment of this invention, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a toner scraping member in a fourth embodiment. , FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of main parts showing the mounting state of the toner supply container and toner supply tank in the fifth embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing how a conventional toner supply container and toner supply tank are attached, and FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of FIG. 11. Description of symbols, 10... Toner supply tank, 12... Opening, 20... Toner supply container, 22... Opening, 30... Airtight sealing member, 34... Closing part,
36...Drawer part, 40...Space, 50...Toner scraping part, 50'...Toner scraping member, 51...
...first blade section, 52...second blade section, 54...slit, 55...compression spring (elastic means), 56...blade body.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A soft hermetic seal member is removably pasted to the opening of the toner supply container to be attached to the toner supply tank, and when the toner supply container is attached, the seal In a toner replenishing device in which toner can be replenished by peeling off a sealing member, an opening communicating portion between the toner replenishing container and the toner replenishing tank includes a portion that contacts one surface of the airtight sealing member, and a portion contacting the other surface of the hermetically sealed sealing member. The toner scraping portions are arranged so that the parts that contact the surface of the toner scraper are in contact with each other at different positions with respect to the seal peeling direction, and the toner scraping portions are formed in such a manner that they protrude from each other with respect to the surface in the seal peeling direction. A toner replenishing device characterized by: (2) The toner scraping section includes a first blade section that projects downward from the toner supply container and a second blade section that projects from the toner supply tank toward the first blade section. A toner replenishing device according to claim 1 of the utility model registration claim. (3) The toner replenishment according to claim 1, in which the toner scraping section is constituted by two blade sections facing diagonally in the direction in which a slit is formed in the toner replenishment container. Device. (4) The toner scraping section faces diagonally to the direction in which the slit is formed in the protruding piece extending inward from the opening of the toner supply tank.
The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, which is a utility model, and is constituted by two blade sections. (5) Registration of a utility model in which the toner scraping part is composed of a toner scraping member having a slit inserted through the hermetic sealing member and two blade parts facing diagonally in the direction in which the slit is drilled. A toner replenishing device according to claim 1. (6) The utility model according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the blade part constituting the toner scraping part is provided with an elastic means for applying an elastic force to the hermetic seal member. Toner supply device.