JPH0684462U - Electrophotographic developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Only the toner cartridge 41 containing the designated toner suitable for the apparatus is locked in the toner box 42.
The designated toner is supplied to the toner box 42 to maintain a good printing state. [Structure] On both sides of the toner cartridge 41, locking projections 54 are projected at arbitrary positions among a plurality of predetermined positioning locking positions a to c. The toner box 42 is
An opening 66 is formed on the upper surface of the toner storage 61, and a fitting frame 68 is formed on the peripheral edge of the opening 66. Engagement recesses 69 that engage with the engagement projections 54 are formed on both sides of the fitting frame 68 corresponding to the plurality of positioning engagement positions a to c. Multiple engaging recesses
Above one end of one of the engaging recesses 69, the engaging recess 69
A substantially L-shaped locking claw portion 70 for locking the locking projection 54 is formed therein.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an electrophotographic developing apparatus such as a facsimile machine, a page printer, and a copying machine, which employs an electronic photo recording system.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Conventionally, in an electrophotographic developing device, an electrostatic latent image of a recording pattern is formed on the outer peripheral surface of a photosensitive drum, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-115875, and the electrostatic latent image of this photosensitive drum is formed. Toner is attached to the photosensitive drum by a developing unit, and the toner attached to the photosensitive drum is transferred to recording paper. Then, in a post process, the toner transferred to the recording paper is heated and fixed.

As shown in FIG. 6, an embodiment of a conventional developing unit employs a method of supplying toner by a toner cartridge 1, a toner box 2 for storing the toner, and a developing unit for attaching the toner to a photosensitive drum. And a roller 3.

The toner cartridge 1 is provided with a cartridge container 4 whose lower surface is opened, and the lower surface opening of the cartridge container 4 is closed by a peelably adhered film 5 to store toner in the cartridge container 4. ing. A flange 4a is formed on the peripheral edge of the cartridge container 4, and locking protrusions 4b are formed in the vicinity of both ends of the flanges 4a on both sides.

The toner box 2 is a resin molded product, and has a toner storage portion 6 for storing toner formed therein, and the developing roller 3 is rotatably attached to the bottom of one side of the toner storage portion 6. A plate 7 is attached above the developing roller 3 to regulate the amount of toner attached to the surface of the developing roller 3 to the outside. An opening is formed on the upper surface of the toner accommodating portion 6, and a fitting frame portion 8 for fitting the toner cartridge 1 is projectingly formed on the peripheral portion of the opening. Corresponding to the positions of the respective locking projections 4b of the toner cartridge 1, there are locking projections 4b, which are wider than the locking projections 4b in the end direction of the toner cartridge 1, on both sides of the fitting frame portion 8. An upper surface opening engagement concave portion 8a that slidably engages is formed, and a substantially L-shape that locks a locking projection 4b that slides toward one end side in the engagement concave portion 8a above one end of the engagement concave portion 8a. The locking claw portion 8b is formed to project.

At the time of toner supply, the toner cartridge 1 is placed facing the upper opening of the toner box 2 and covered from above the toner storage portion 6, and each locking projection 4b is placed above each engagement recess 8a. , The toner cartridge 1 is slid to the left side, and the locking projections 4b are fitted to the lower sides of the locking claws 8b so that the toner cartridge 1 is attached to the toner box 2. Stop it. After that, the film 5 protruding from the toner cartridge 1 is peeled off toward the outside on the right side at one end, whereby the toner in the toner cartridge 1 is dropped and supplied to the toner storage portion 6 of the toner box 2.

[0007]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 By the way, the electrophotographic developing device is designed to use a designated toner, and is designed to maintain a good printing state by using the designated toner.

However, in the conventional electrophotographic developing device, the toner cartridge 1 having the same shape may be commonly used to store different types of toners. In this case, the toner cartridges storing different types of toners may be shared. Even with No. 1, the toner can be mounted in the toner box 2, so a different kind of toner from the designated toner suitable for the apparatus is supplied, and it becomes difficult to maintain a good printing condition.

The present invention has been made in view of the above point, and has a simple structure so that only a designated toner suitable for an apparatus can be supplied by a toner cartridge, and a good printing state is maintained. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrophotographic developing device capable of performing the above.

[0010]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The present invention forms an electrostatic latent image of a recording pattern on the outer peripheral surface of a photosensitive drum, attaches toner to the electrostatic latent image of the photosensitive drum with a developing unit, and attaches the toner attached to the photosensitive drum to recording paper. In the electrophotographic developing device for transferring the toner onto the developing unit, the developing unit includes a toner box for storing the toner and a developing roller for adhering the toner in the toner box to the photosensitive drum. The toner cartridge for supplying the toner is made detachable, and a plurality of predetermined positioning locking positions are provided on both sides of the toner cartridge, and the toner cartridge is locked at any selected position of the locking positions. A protrusion is formed, the toner box has an opening formed in a toner storage portion, and a fitting frame portion for fitting the toner cartridge is formed at a peripheral portion of the opening. A plurality of opening engaging recesses, which are wider than the engaging protrusions and are formed in the end direction of the toner cartridge in correspondence with the plurality of positioning engaging positions, are formed on both sides of the fitting frame portion. One of the engaging recesses has a substantially L-shaped locking claw that slides toward one end in the engaging recess to lock the locking projection. .

[0011]

[Action]

 According to the present invention, the toner cartridge is provided with the locking projection in correspondence with the positioning locking position according to the type of toner, and the toner box is formed with the locking claw in the engaging recess.

When the toner cartridge containing the designated toner is mounted in the toner box when the toner is supplied, the locking protrusion of the toner cartridge engages with the engaging recess of the locking claw. The locking projection is locked by the locking claw, and the toner cartridge is locked in the toner box.

Further, when a toner cartridge other than the designated toner suitable for the apparatus is to be stored and a toner cartridge having a locking projection protruding at another positioning locking position is to be mounted, The locking projection of the toner cartridge only engages with the engaging recess without the locking claw, the locking projection is not locked, and the toner box is not locked to the toner cartridge.

[0014]

【Example】

 The construction of one embodiment of the electrophotographic developing apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 5 shows a facsimile machine to which an electrophotographic developing device is applied, in which a document passage 14 is formed from a document insertion portion 12 opened on the upper surface of the machine body 11 to a document discharge port 13 opened on the front surface of the machine body 11. There is. Along the document passage 14, there are provided a drawing roller 15 for pulling the documents one by one, a conveying roller 16 for conveying the documents in the passage, a reading unit 17, and a white roller 18 for pressing the document to the reading unit 17. There is.

At the bottom of the machine body 11, there is formed a cassette insertion portion 22 to which the paper feed cassette 21 is detachably mounted, and from the recording paper feeding port 23 opening at the rear portion of the cassette insertion portion 22 to the front surface of the machine body 11. A recording paper passage 24 is formed so as to make a U-turn to an opening (not shown) for discharging the recording paper. Along the recording paper path 24, a draw-in roller 26, a developing unit 27 and a fixing unit 28 for drawing the recording papers P, which are drawn out one by one from the paper feed cassette 21 to the recording paper feed-out port 23 by the feeding roller 25, into the passage. Is provided.

The developing unit 27 applies an electric charge to the surface of the photosensitive drum 30 by the charger 29, irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 30 with a laser beam from the optical system unit 31 to form an electrostatic latent image, and forms a photosensitive drum. Toner is adsorbed on the electrostatic latent image 30 by the developing unit 32, and the toner image adsorbed on the photosensitive drum 30 is transferred onto the recording paper P by the transfer device 33. The fixing unit 28 passes the recording paper P coated with toner between the heated rollers 34 and fixes the toner on the recording paper P.

The developing unit 32 adopts a method of supplying toner by a toner cartridge 41, and includes a toner box 42 for storing the toner supplied by the toner cartridge 41.

The toner cartridge 41 is provided with a cartridge container 51 whose lower surface is long in both end directions, and the lower surface opening of the cartridge container 51 is closed by a film 52 so that the toner is stored in the cartridge container 51.

The film 52 closes the lower surface opening of the cartridge container 51 and is adhered to it in a peelable manner, and a folded-back portion 52 a folded back from one end thereof projects from the other end of the cartridge container 51. By pulling the folded portion 52a toward the other end, the film 52 adhered to the cartridge container 51 is peeled off, the lower surface opening of the cartridge container 51 is opened, and the toner is discharged downward.

Further, a flange portion 53 is formed on the peripheral portion of the cartridge container 51, and a plurality of predetermined positioning locking positions a, b, c are provided in the vicinity of each end portion on both sides of the flange portion 53. A locking projection 54 is formed to project so as to face any selected position. That is, the locking projection 54 is provided at the positioning locking position a in FIGS. 1 and 2, at the positioning locking position b in FIG. 3, and at the positioning locking position c in FIG. Here is an example of choosing to specify:

The toner box 42 is a molded product made of resin that is formed to be long in both end directions, has a toner storage portion 61 for storing toner formed therein, and a developing roller 62 on the bottom of one side of the toner storage portion 61. Is rotatably attached, and a plate 63 is attached above the developing roller 62 to regulate the amount of toner attached to the surface of the developing roller 62 and flowing out. The developing roller 62 is rotationally driven by a gear 64 attached to one end meshing with a driving gear on the machine body 11 side. A stirring roller 65 that stirs the toner is attached to the bottom of the toner storage portion 61 so as to rotate together with the developing roller 62.

An opening 66 is formed on the upper surface of the toner storage portion 61, and a fitting frame portion for fitting the toner cartridge 41 to the peripheral portion of the opening 66 with the width of the fitting step portion 67 left. 68 have been launched and formed. The width of the fitting frame portion 68 in the end portion direction is formed so that the toner cartridge 41 can slide in the end portion direction by a predetermined amount.

In addition, on both sides of the fitting frame 68, the locking projections 54 are wider than the locking projections 54 in the end direction in correspondence with the plurality of positioning locking positions a to c. An upper surface opening engagement recess 69 is formed so as to engage with each other as much as possible. A substantially L-shaped locking claw portion 70 that locks the locking projection 54 that slides toward the one end side in the engagement recess 69 above one end of any one of the plurality of engagement recesses 69. Are formed. That is, FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example in which the locking claw portion 70 is provided at the positioning locking position a, at the positioning locking position b in FIG. 3, and at the positioning locking position c in FIG. 4, respectively. .

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

In the toner cartridge 41, for example, a locking projection 54 is provided at any of the positioning locking positions a to c depending on the type of toner.

The toner box 42 is integrally molded by a molding die, and at the time of molding, the locking claw portions 70 are formed to project from one end edge of all the engaging recesses 69. Then, in order to accommodate the toner specified by the apparatus and correspond to the toner cartridge 41 in which the locking projection 54 is projected at the positioning locking position a, for example, the locking claw portion 70 at the positioning locking position a. Other than that, the locking claws 70 at the other positioning locking positions b and c are cut from the edge of the engaging recess 69 by bending cutting or cutting using a blade. Since this engaging recess 69 is formed linearly, this cutting can be performed relatively easily as compared with the cutting of other portions.

When the toner is supplied, the toner cartridge 41 having the specified toner suitable for the apparatus stored therein and having, for example, the locking projection 54 at the positioning locking position a is mounted on the toner box 42. After covering the toner cartridge 41 from above the toner box 42 and inserting the respective locking projections 54 into the engaging recesses 69 at the respective positioning locking positions a from above, the toner cartridge 41 is moved in the one end direction, The toner cartridge 41 is locked to the toner box 42 by fitting the locking protrusions 54 to the lower sides of the locking claws 70.

In the mounted state of the toner cartridge 41, the folded portion 52a of the film 52 is pulled out from the fitting portion of the toner cartridge 41 and the toner box 42, and by pulling the folded portion 52a, the pulling operation is performed. The film 52 adhered to the lower surface of the toner cartridge 41 is peeled off, and the toner in the toner cartridge 41 is dropped and supplied to the toner storage portion 61 of the toner box 42.

When toner is supplied, a toner of another type is stored instead of the designated toner suitable for the apparatus, and, for example, the toner cartridge 41 is provided with the locking projection 54 at the positioning locking position b. When the toner cartridge 41 is to be mounted, the locking projection 54 of the toner cartridge 41 only engages with the engaging recess 69 without the locking claw 70 at the positioning locking position b and is not locked. Therefore, the toner cartridge 41 is not locked and easily disengages from the toner box 42. Therefore, it is recognized that the toner cartridge 41 does not contain the designated toner.

As described above, since the toner box 41 cannot be mounted and locked without the toner cartridge 41 containing the designated toner suitable for the apparatus, only the designated toner suitable for the apparatus can be supplied by the toner cartridge 41. A good print state can be maintained.

Further, since the locking claw portion 70 that is unnecessary after the toner box 42 is molded is cut, the molding die for molding the toner box 42 can be shared, and the die cost can be reduced.

Since the toner box 42 only changes the molding position of the locking claw portion 70, it is unnecessary to lock the toner by using a core or the like in the mold of the locking claw portion 70 that is not needed. The claw 70 may not be molded from the beginning, and either the method of cutting the locking claw 70 or the method of preventing the unnecessary locking claw 70 from being molded in the molding die is used. In any case, it is possible to use a common mold.

[0034]

[Effect of device]

 According to the present invention, it is possible to select an unnecessary locking claw before or after molding of a toner cartridge so that the toner can only be mounted and locked in the toner box unless it is a toner cartridge containing a designated toner suitable for the apparatus. Because of the configuration, only toner specified by the toner cartridge that is suitable for the device can be supplied economically, and a good printing condition can be maintained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a developing unit showing an embodiment of the electrophotographic developing device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of a combination of the toner cartridge and the toner box of the above embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing an example of a combination of the toner cartridge and the toner box of the above embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an example of a combination of the toner cartridge and the toner box of the above embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view in which a part of a facsimile device to which the electrophotographic developing device according to the embodiment is applied is omitted.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a developing unit of a conventional electrophotographic developing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 30 Photosensitive drum 32 Developing unit 41 Toner cartridge 42 Toner box 54 Locking protrusion 61 Toner storage 62 Development roller 66 Opening 68 Fitting frame 69 Engagement recess 70 Locking claws a, b, c Positioning locking position P recording paper

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An electrostatic latent image of a recording pattern is formed on an outer peripheral surface of a photosensitive drum, a developing unit attaches toner to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum, and the toner attached to the photosensitive drum is attached to a recording sheet. In the electrophotographic developing device for transferring, the developing unit includes a toner box for accommodating the toner and a developing roller for adhering the toner in the toner box to the photosensitive drum, and is attached to the toner box to supply the toner. The toner cartridge can be attached and detached, and a plurality of predetermined positioning locking positions are provided on both sides of the toner cartridge, and a locking projection is formed at an arbitrary selected position of the locking positions. The toner box has an opening formed in a toner storage portion, and a fitting frame portion for fitting the toner cartridge formed at a peripheral portion of the opening portion. , On both sides of this fitting frame,
An engaging recess that is wider than the locking projection and has an opening shape is formed in the end direction of the toner cartridge corresponding to the plurality of positioning and locking positions, and any of the plurality of engaging recesses is engaged. An electrophotographic developing device characterized in that a substantially L-shaped locking claw portion is formed at one end of the recess to slide to the one end side in the engaging recess to lock the locking projection.