JPH06274028A - Toner replenishing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a toner replenishing device capable of simply attaching and detaching a toner bottle without misoperation by reducing the operation procedures of an operator as much as possible. CONSTITUTION:When the toner bottle 20 filled with toner is set on a toner replenishing part 6, only an action for inserting the toner bottle 20 into the toner replenishing part 6 is executed, and when the toner bottle 20 is taken out from the toner replenishing part 6, the rotary action of the toner bottle 20 in its rotational direction is executed, thereafter the toner bottle 20 is detached.

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 a dry developing device such as a copying machine, a printer or a facsimile using an electrophotographic system with toner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a kind of toner replenishing device, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-188678, a cylindrical toner container (toner cartridge or toner bottle) having a spiral projection guide rib on the inner surface thereof. ) Is known. There are the following two examples of the conventional toner replenishing device using such a toner container.

The toner replenishing device of the first example is a device to which the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 188678/1984 is applied. The toner bottle replacement operation in the toner replenishing device of the first example is as shown in FIG. Briefly explaining the replacement operation of the toner bottle, in FIG.
First, the front door of the copying machine body is opened (a), and the toner bottle holder 1 is pushed down (b). The toner bottle release lever 11 is turned (c), and the toner bottle 20 is removed (d). This completes the operation of removing the used toner bottle that has become empty. Next, a new toner bottle 20
After gently shaking (e) to remove the solidified toner, the cap 2A of the new toner bottle 20 is removed, and the toner bottle 20 is attached to the toner bottle holder 1
(F). The toner bottle release lever 11 is turned (g) to lift the entire toner bottle holder 1 (h). Close the front door of the copier body. This completes the toner bottle replacement operation.

Toner replenishment in this first example is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), the worm gear 5A attached to the front end of the toner replenishing roller 12 of the toner replenishing device rotates to rotatably drive the toner bottle 20 via the ring gear 2C. The toner overflowing from the opening at one end is sent to the toner inlet 6a of the toner replenishing section 6 of the toner replenishing device shown in FIG. 8B.

As described above, in the operation of replacing the toner bottle in the conventional toner replenishing device of the first example, the operator operates the operation of removing the cap 2A of the toner bottle 20 and the toner bottle holder 1 of the toner bottle 20. It is necessary to rotate the toner bottle release lever 11 when setting and removing the toner bottle. Also,
In the case of the first example, the opening portion of the toner bottle 20 has a shape in which one end of the opening portion is large. Further, in the above operation, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-50876, the toner of the toner replenishing device is interlocked with the operation of moving the toner bottle 20 from the bottom to the top by the toner bottle holder 1. The opening of the replenishing section 6 is opened. Further, the operation of pushing down the toner bottle 20 in the above operation closes the opening of the toner supply portion 6 and scrapes off (cleans) the toner accumulated on the edge of the toner bottle 20 (FIG. 8).
(See (c)).

On the other hand, the toner replenishing device of the second example is constructed as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The replacement operation of the toner bottle in the toner supply device of the second example is as follows. First, the front door of the copying machine main body is opened, and the toner bottle rotation lever 13 is pulled toward the front F side of arrow A in FIG. The shutter opening / closing lever 14 is operated to the upper U side of the arrow B in FIG. Pull out the toner bottle 20 from the toner bottle cradle. This completes the removal of the empty toner bottle 20. Next, a new toner bottle 20 is inserted into the toner bottle pedestal 15. The shutter opening / closing lever 14 is operated to the lower side D of the arrow B in FIG. Move the toner bottle rotation lever 13 to the arrow A in FIG.
Rotate to the inner R side. Close the front door of the copier body.
This completes the replacement operation of the toner bottle 20.

In the case of the toner replenishing device of the second example, as shown in FIG. 10, it is not necessary to remove the cap 2A of the toner bottle 20 when replacing the toner bottle 20, but the toner bottle holder 1 Toner bottle 2
It is necessary to operate the shutter open / close lever 14 as shown in FIG. 9 when setting 0 and when removing the toner bottle 20 from the toner bottle holder 1. That is, in the toner bottle 20 in the case of the toner replenishing device of the second example, as shown in FIG. 10, one end of the cylindrical bottle main body 2 having the spiral toner carrying rib 2G on the inner surface is the above-mentioned first. Similar to the toner bottle 20 in the case of the first example, the opening is provided, and the cap 2A is rotatably fitted to the opening via the seal member 2F with sliding resistance.
Further, a part (lower side in FIG. 10) of this cap is opened, and a shutter plate 2D for opening and closing this opening is rotatably engaged with the cap 2A. Further, the front end engaging portion 2E forming a part of the shutter plate 2D is connected to an interlocking member 16 which is interlocked with the shutter opening / closing lever 14 on the toner replenishing device side. By operating the shutter opening / closing lever 14, the shutter plate 2D is moved to the position shown in FIG.
Rotate from below 0 to above.

On the other hand, when replenishing toner, a method of opening the lid of the opening on the toner bottle 20 side and opening the replenishing port on the main body side (toner replenishing device side) is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho.
The techniques described in JP-A-9-102262, JP-A-62-6285, JP-A-63-75769, etc. are known as conventional examples. Here, JP-A-59-
The technique described in Japanese Patent No. 102262 is an example in which the toner bottle 20 is replenished from above vertically, and a pin (rotating shaft) of a lid on the main body side is engaged with a pin on the toner bottle 20 side.
The bottle body 2 is rotated a half turn to match the opening of the toner bottle 20 with the opening of the cap 2A, and the lid on the body side is also rotated a half turn to communicate with the opening.
Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 62-6285 and 63
Both of the technologies described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. -75769 are substantially the same, and are configured such that the toner bottle 20 is horizontal and the toner is replenished, as in the case of the conventional example 2 and the case of the present example. In the case of these conventional examples, the toner bottle 20 is configured to be set in the toner replenishing portion on the main body side with the opening at one end thereof facing upward, and the container rotating cylinder makes a half rotation at the beginning of the replenishing operation. At the same time, the toner bottle 20 is also configured to rotate.

[0009]

By the way, in the above-mentioned first example, not only the number of steps (procedures) for replacing the toner bottle 20 is large, but also when the toner bottle 20 is detached from the toner replenishing device, Since one end of the toner has a large opening, the dust of the residual toner is likely to fly up, and the toner easily adheres to body clothes. Further, the difficulty in the case of the toner replenishing device of the second example is that
This means that the shutter opening / closing lever 14 must be operated both when setting and removing the toner bottle 20. Further, in the conventional toner replenishing device, there is no particular one that holds the positional relationship between the cap 2A and the shutter plate 2D, and therefore, when the toner bottle 20 is set, the operation of engaging the cap 2A and the shutter plate 2D with each other can be performed. There were drawbacks such as being troublesome.

Further, in the conventional toner replenishing device described in JP-A-62-6285 and JP-A-63-75769, when the toner bottle 20 is detached from the toner replenishing device, its opening is opened. Since the part remains open, the toner bottle 20 taken out is operated with the opening part open, as in the case of the first example.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and an object thereof is to reduce the operation procedure of the operator as much as possible in the attachment / detachment operation of the toner bottle, to make the operation simple and erroneous without being contaminated by toner or the like. Toner replenishment device with a toner bottle attachment / detachment mechanism that does not worry about, i.e., in relation to the precedent, when attaching / detaching the toner bottle, the operator does not have to attach / detach the cap of the toner bottle, and a large opening is taken out. It is another object of the present invention to provide a toner replenishing device that does not need to be left as it is and does not require the operator to open and close the shutter plate.

[0012]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a toner replenishing device using a toner bottle in which a spiral protrusion for transferring powder is formed in a cylindrical shape. When the toner bottle filled with is set in the toner replenishing device, only the inserting operation of the toner bottle into the toner replenishing device is performed, and when the toner bottle is taken out from the toner replenishing device, the rotation operation of the toner bottle in the rotating direction is performed. And then remove it.

Further, according to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the toner bottle is set in the toner replenishing device, and when the toner replenishing operation is started, the toner bottle is rotated and is left as it is. The toner bottle is set at a lock position where it cannot be pulled out.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, in the replacement operation when the stored toner bottle is emptied and the toner bottle is emptied, the rotation direction is the same as that of the toner replenishment. There is a first operation of rotating the toner bottle and a second operation of rotating the toner bottle in a rotation direction opposite to the first operation.
After the second operation is performed after the above operation, the used toner bottle is removed by performing the operation of pulling out the toner bottle in the axial direction.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a first gear that engages with a ring gear integrally formed with the toner bottle and a gear of a drive motor that rotates the toner bottle. A configuration in which the engagement with the second gear to be engaged is transmitted with an allowance capable of rotating by an angle that ensures a sufficient rotation to release the engagement with the toner replenishing device at the locked position of the toner bottle. To do.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a cap portion covering the opening of the toner bottle, and a relative position of a shutter portion provided on the cap portion for opening and closing a toner replenishing port. The positional relationship is determined by a member having a strength that breaks due to a constant relative movement force between the cap portion and the shutter portion.

[0017]

According to the present invention, when the toner bottle filled with toner is set in the toner replenishing device, only the operation of inserting the toner bottle into the toner replenishing device is performed, and the toner bottle is removed from the toner replenishing device. When the toner bottle is taken out, the toner bottle is rotated in the rotating direction and then removed.

According to the present invention, the toner bottle is set in the toner replenishing device and the toner replenishing operation is started to rotate the toner bottle, so that the toner bottle cannot be pulled out as it is. Then, the toner bottle is set.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned toner bottle replacement operation, following the first operation in which the toner bottle is rotated in the same rotation direction as the toner replenishment, the operation is opposite to the first operation. After the second operation of rotating the toner bottle in the rotation direction is performed, the used toner bottle is removed by performing the operation of pulling out the toner bottle in the axial direction.

Further, according to the present invention, the first gear engaged with the ring gear integrally formed with the toner bottle and the second gear engaged with the gear of the drive motor for rotating the toner bottle. Is transmitted with an allowance to rotate by an angle that ensures a sufficient rotation for releasing the engagement of the toner bottle with the toner replenishing device at the locked position.

Further, according to the present invention, the relative position of the cap portion that covers the opening of the toner bottle and the shutter portion that opens and closes the toner replenishing port provided in the cap portion is such that the cap portion and the shutter portion are provided. The positional relationship is determined by a member having a strength that breaks due to a constant relative moving force between and.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Since most of the present embodiment is similar to the toner replenishing device shown in the second example of the prior art, FIGS. 9 and 10 showing the second example will be referred to as needed. To do.

FIG. 1 shows the main structure of the toner supply unit 6 including the toner bottle 20 in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the toner replenishing section 6 is formed on the back of the developing device 10. In the toner bottle 20 shown in FIG. 1, the bottle main body 2 is arranged at right angles to the axial direction of the developing device 10, but this is inside the image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a copying machine). It depends on the configuration. Therefore, in this embodiment, the toner bottle 2 remains as it is.
The toner bottle 20 may be attached / detached, or the lever 9 may be operated to rotate the toner bottle body 2 toward the front side of the copying machine to attach / detach the toner bottle 20.
This is essentially unrelated to the subject matter of the present case.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the toner replenishing device of this embodiment has a toner replenishing section 6 formed at one end of a toner hopper 17 for receiving toner overflowed by the rotation of the toner bottle 20. Agitator 1 for preventing solidification of the toner replenished in the toner hopper 17.
7 and a toner replenishing roller 12 for replenishing an appropriate amount of toner in the toner hopper 17 into the developing device 10 by rotating in response to a toner replenishing signal.

Further, the structure of the developing device and the copying machine in which the toner replenishing device of the present embodiment is mounted is not directly related to the content of the invention of the present case, but this developing device is, for example, as shown in FIG. A developing agitator 21 for preventing solidification of the toner replenished from the replenishing device, a toner sensor 22 for detecting the toner concentration in the developing device to detect the necessity of replenishing the toner, and agitating the toner in the developing device. Stirring roller 23, first developing sleeve 25 and second developing sleeve 26 for supplying the toner in the developing device onto photoconductor 24 of the copying machine, and excess developer carried on the developing sleeve for developing agitator 21. It is composed of a stirring separator 27 for returning to the top, a conveying screw 28, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the toner bottle 20 is composed of a bottle body 2, a cap 2A, a shutter plate 2D, and a ring gear 2C. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the bottle body 2 is provided with a toner conveying rib 2G that is bulged inward, and the toner conveying rib 2G is formed by rotating the toner bottle 20.
It has a function of conveying the toner contained in the bottle body 2 to the right side in FIG.

The ring gear 2C is integrally fixed to the bottle body 2. The cap 2A can rotate relative to the bottle body 2 with a certain sliding resistance via the seal member 2F. Further, the cap 2A and the shutter plate 2D can rotate relative to each other with a predetermined sliding resistance via the seal member 2I.

In a state before the toner bottle 20 thus constructed is set in the toner bottle holder 1, the projection 2B of the cap 2A and the shutter plate 2 are set.
The positional relationship between D and the tip engaging portion 2E is maintained in a predetermined positional relationship with each other. That is, when the toner bottle 20 is set in the toner bottle holder 1, the protruding portion 2B of the cap 2A has the protruding portion 1A of the toner bottle holder 1.
And the tip locking portion 2 of the shutter plate 2D.
E has a positional relationship of being inserted into the fixed portion 1B of the toner bottle holder 1. Further, when the toner bottle 20 is set in the toner bottle holder 1, the ring gear 2C fixed to the outer periphery of the bottle body 2 meshes with the gear 3.

When the toner replenishment signal arrives with the toner bottle 20 set in the toner bottle holder 1 in this way, the drive motor 5 rotates in FIG.
A worm gear 5A is attached to the motor output shaft of the drive motor 5.
Is fixed, and the worm gear 5A drives the gear 4 that meshes with the worm gear 5A. The worm gear 5A is fixed to the motor output shaft so that the gear 4
It is possible to prevent the drive motor 5 from rotating due to the rotational force (torque) from, and to reduce the output of the drive motor 5.

The rotational force from the gear 4 is (a) in FIG.
As shown in (b), it is transmitted to the gear 3 by rotating the pin 3A of the gear 3 by the pin 4A of the gear 4 in the direction indicated by the arrow C in FIG. 6 (a). Here, when the rotation drive is stopped, FIG. 6A as viewed from the right side of FIG.
It is assumed that the state shown in (b), that is, the pin 4A of the gear 4 is in the position shown by hatching, and the pin 3A of the gear 3 is in the state shown by the solid line. In this state, when the gear 3 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow E in FIG. 6A, the gear 3 easily rotates by exactly the angle indicated by the arrow E. In other words, this means that the bottle body 2 meshing with the gear 3
When the ring gear 2C of FIG. 6, that is, the bottle body 2 is rotated in the direction of arrow A in FIG.
It means that it easily turns to the arrow E side of (b) by the angle.

Therefore, once the bottle body 2 is turned in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 5, the bottle body 2 is now easily turned in the opposite direction. When the bottle main body 2 is rotated in the opposite direction, the cap 2A engaged with the bottle main body 2 with sliding resistance rotates integrally and stops against the wall of the projecting portion 1A. As a result, the bottle body 2 is in the same state as when it was set, so that the bottle body 2 can be removed from the toner bottle holder 1.

As described above, the protrusion 2B of the cap 2A
By moving the overhanging portion 1A on the side of the toner bottle holder 1 that has become a hook, the lock of the toner bottle 20 with respect to the toner bottle holder 1 is turned on / off. In addition, by configuring the drive system between the drive motor 5 and the bottle body 2 by using the pin coupling and the worm gear as described above, in FIG. It does not turn even if it tries to turn, but it can rotate by the angle indicated by arrow E only when turning to the arrow A side.

On the other hand, the caps 2A which are in sliding relation with each other
The shutter plate 2D and the shutter plate 2D are attached by a sheet member 2H such as paper as shown in FIG. 2 so as to maintain the relative positional relationship described above. As a result, when the toner bottle 20 is set, as shown in FIG. 3, the protruding portion 1A and the fixed portion 1B of the toner bottle holder 1 are
The projection 2B of the cap 2A and the tip end engaging portion 2E can be engaged with each other without any problem, and the shutter plate 2D and the cap 2A are relatively moved by the toner replenishing operation, whereby the sheet member 2H is easily broken. It is easy to determine whether it is unused or used.

With the above structure, the opening of the replenishing port of the toner bottle 20 and the retaining at the time of setting are prevented as follows. That is, in the state before the toner bottle 20 is set, the opening of the toner bottle 20 is closed by the shutter plate 2D. Then, when the toner bottle 20 is set in the toner bottle holder 1,
The protrusion 2B of the cap 2A is inserted so as to engage with the protruding portion 1A of the toner bottle holder 1.

When toner supply is started, the bottle body 2 of the toner bottle 20 is rotated. At this time, the cap 2A is rotated integrally with the bottle body 2, but the shutter plate 2D is fixed to the fixing portion 1B of the toner bottle holder 1.
, The relative position with respect to the cap 2A is displaced and the replenishment port is opened. As a result, the cap 2A
Comes into contact with the overhanging portion 1A (stopper) of the toner bottle holder 1 and rotates for a certain angle, and then is stopped. In this state, the toner bottle 20 does not come off from the toner bottle holder 1, and the toner bottle 20 is locked.

On the other hand, when the toner bottle 20 is unlocked and the toner bottle 20 is removed, the following operation is performed. The toner bottle 20 that is set is
In the direction of rotation by the drive motor 5, the bottle itself can be gripped and constantly rotated. However, since the drive locking portion of the drive motor 5 functions as a stopper on the opposite side, it cannot be rotated.

Therefore, when removing the toner bottle 20, first, the toner bottle 20 is rotated in the rotation direction of toner replenishment.
Is once rotated, and then the toner bottle 20 is turned to the opposite side. As a result, a space is provided between the toner bottle 20 and its drive locking portion, so that the toner bottle 20 can rotate by a certain angle. At this time, since the bottle body 2 and the cap 2A are frictionally coupled, they try to rotate integrally. As a result, the protruding portion 2B of the cap 2A returns to the setting direction with respect to the protruding portion 1A of the toner bottle holder 1 and faces the position where the toner bottle 20 can be taken out.

Here, in this embodiment, when the toner bottle 20 filled with toner is set in the toner replenishing device, only the inserting operation of the toner bottle 20 into the toner replenishing device is performed, and the device itself is automatically operated. By rotating the toner bottle for toner replenishment, the toner bottle 2
By rotating the shutter plate 2D to the 0 lock position, the opening / closing operation of the shutter plate 2D by the operator at the time of setting can be eliminated.

When the empty toner bottle 20 is removed, the operator rotates the shutter bottle 2D by rotating the toner bottle 20 in a forward rotation and then in a reverse rotation. The operation can be performed only by taking out the toner bottle 20. That is, in the present embodiment, in order to perform such an operation, a mechanism having "play" as described above is incorporated in the drive gear train that transmits the rotational drive of the toner bottle 20 from the drive motor 5. ing.

Further, in this embodiment, the cap 2A is used.
In order to eliminate the need for the attaching / detaching operation of the toner bottle 20, the bottle body 2 of the toner bottle 20 and the cap 2A are rotationally coupled with sliding resistance, while the toner bottle 20 is set in a predetermined engagement when the toner bottle 20 is set. As described above, the positional relationship between the cap 2A and the shutter plate 2D can be held and the positional relationship can be changed by breaking the cap 2A and the shutter plate 2D by a certain relative movement operation in order to be able to properly set the position. A holding / releasing member consisting of the sheet member 2H is provided.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, first, the operation of attaching / detaching the toner bottle to / from the toner replenishing device can be easily performed. That is, in all of the conventional toner replenishing devices, at least the lever operation for opening and closing the opening of the toner bottle has been performed, but according to the present embodiment, the toner bottle is set in the axial direction (longitudinal direction) at the time of setting (wearing). Direction), and when taking out the toner bottle, it can be removed by grasping the toner bottle itself and rotating it slightly in the forward and reverse directions.

Further, according to this embodiment, the number of operation points of the operator can be reduced and the operation itself is simple,
There is no need to operate a separate part such as a lever, and since the operation is performed by grasping the toner bottle itself, incorrect operation is unlikely to occur.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the operation for taking out the toner bottle is a forward / reverse rotation operation in the rotating direction by grasping the toner bottle, so that the operator must be aware of the fact that the toner bottle is removed. Since the toner bottle does not come off, it is possible to prevent problems such as accidentally pulling out the toner bottle containing toner inside the toner bottle with the opening (bottle supply port) open. .

Further, in this embodiment, since there is a fixing member for the cap of the toner bottle and the shutter plate, there is a problem that the toner bottle is not aligned with the shutter plate when the toner bottle is set. Absent. Further, since the fixing member is made of a fragile member (sheet member), it is possible to set the toner bottle even once in the toner replenishing device and determine whether or not the replenishing operation has already been performed. It is easy to distinguish between a new product and a used product, and its convenience is improved.

Further, according to this embodiment, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, the opening of the cap of the toner bottle is always closed in the taken-out state. You don't have to worry about polluting.

[0046]

According to the present invention, unlike the prior art, the lever operation for opening and closing the opening of the toner bottle is not required, and the toner bottle is set in the axial direction (longitudinal direction) when the toner bottle is set (when mounted). In addition, when removing the toner bottle, it is possible to remove the toner bottle by grasping the toner bottle itself and rotating it slightly in the forward and reverse directions. Is reduced, and the toner bottle can be easily attached and detached, and erroneous operation is unlikely to occur.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a toner bottle is set in a toner replenishing unit of a toner replenishing device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the toner bottle itself.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along the axial center of the toner bottle.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a developing device for showing a positional relationship between the toner replenishing section and the developing device.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a relationship between a groove portion of a locking hook of the toner bottle holder and a relay gear for driving transmission when the toner bottle is mounted on the toner bottle holder.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a relationship between the drive motor of the toner bottle and a relay gear for transmission, and a positional relationship of pins for driving the relay gear.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a bottle replacement operation for a toner bottle in a first conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a replenishing mechanism of a toner replenishing section in a first conventional example.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing an entire toner replenishing section in a second conventional example.

FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional view of a toner replenishing portion in a second conventional example taken along the axial center of the toner bottle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Toner Bottle Holder 1A Overhanging Part 1B Fixed Part 2 Bottle Main Body 2A Cap 2B Projection Part 2C Ring Gear 2D Shutter Plate 2E Tip Engaging Part 2F, 2I Seal Member 2G Toner Conveying Rib 2H Sheet Member 3,4 Gear 3A, 4A Pin 5 Drive Motor 5A Worm gear 6 Toner supply unit 20 Toner bottle

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A toner replenishing device that uses a toner bottle having a spiral protrusion for transferring powder inside a cylindrical shape. When a toner bottle filled with toner is set in the toner replenishing device, A toner replenishing device characterized in that only the inserting operation of the toner bottle into the toner replenishing device is performed, and when the toner bottle is taken out from the toner replenishing device, the toner bottle is rotated in the rotational direction and removed. 2. The toner bottle is set in the toner replenishing device, and when the toner replenishing operation is started, the toner bottle rotates, and the toner bottle is placed at a lock position where it cannot be pulled out as it is. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the toner replenishing device is set. 3. A first operation of rotating the toner bottle in the same rotation direction as toner replenishment in the replacement operation when the stored toner is discharged and the toner bottle becomes empty. There is a second operation of rotating the toner bottle in a rotation direction opposite to the first operation, and after the second operation is performed after the first operation, the toner bottle is axially moved. 2. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the used toner bottle is removed by causing the pulling operation to be performed. 4. The toner replenishing device according to claim 2,
The first gear engaged with the ring gear integrally formed with the toner bottle and the second gear engaged with the gear of the drive motor for rotating the toner bottle are engaged in the toner bottle lock position. The toner replenishing device is configured by a rotation drive mechanism that transmits the drive with an allowance to rotate by an angle that ensures a sufficient rotation for releasing the engagement with the toner replenishing device. 5. A relative position between a cap portion that covers the opening of the toner bottle and a shutter portion that opens and closes a toner replenishing port provided in the cap portion is a constant relative movement between the cap portion and the shutter portion. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the positional relationship is determined by a member having a strength that breaks by force.