JPH07168435A - Toner replenishing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance economicity and resource economization and to supply toner without contaminating the periphery by easy operation. CONSTITUTION:A toner tank 1 has a 1st lock part 33 preventing the movement of a 1st shutter 10 which opens/closes a toner supply port by relatively moving with respect to the toner supply port; and the attaching part 50A of an image forming device has a 2nd lock part 73 preventing the movement of a 2nd shutter 60 which opens/closes the toner supply port by relatively moving with respect to a toner receiving port capable of communicating with the toner supply port of the toner tank 1. Then, the toner tank 1 is provided with a Ist releasing part 6 releasing the 2nd lock part 73 when the tank 1 is applied to the attaching part 50A; and the attaching part 50A is provided with a 2nd releasing part 56 releasing the 1st lock part 33.

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 to an image forming apparatus from the outside. More specifically, toner for externally replenishing toner to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, or a facsimile that forms an image on a recording sheet by using a toner by an electrophotographic method, an ionography method, a magnetic recording method, or the like. It relates to a replenishing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a toner replenishing device for an image forming apparatus, there is known a toner replenishing device which adopts any one of the following three types.

The first format is, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-181.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 059, a photoconductor, a developing device and a cleaning device arranged around the photoconductor are integrated into a cartridge, and a considerable amount of toner is stored in advance in the cartridge. In this type, the toner is replenished by completely replacing the cartridge when the toner runs out.

The second format is, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-2807.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 81, it is a type in which only the consumed toner is replenished without replacing the photoconductor, the developing device, and the like. In this type, when replenishing toner, a toner tank dedicated to toner replenishment is attached to the toner supply port of the image forming apparatus, and a shutter with a lid function provided at the toner tank supply port is used. The toner tank is removed by opening and supplying toner to the developing chamber of the image forming apparatus and closing the shutter.

The third type is for additionally replenishing toner to a large-sized image forming apparatus, which has a seal member at the supply port of the toner tank, and peels off the seal at the time of replenishment to form an image of toner. It is of the type supplied to the device.

[0006]

In the toner replenishing device using the first type, when the toner runs out, the cartridge in which the developing device and the like are integrated is exchanged as a whole. Although the operability at the time is excellent, there is a problem that the developing device etc. which can still be used sufficiently will be replaced, which is uneconomical and wastes resources.

On the other hand, according to the apparatus using the second or third type, only the consumed toner is replenished, and therefore the second or third type is used in order to improve economy and resource saving. It is desirable to use the 3 format.

However, in the toner replenishing device using the second type, since the shutter is slidably provided at the opening of the toner tank, the shutter may be opened due to the vibration during transportation and the toner may leak. . Adhesive tape to prevent such shutter opening,
Alternatively, a lock mechanism may be provided, but in that case, it is necessary to peel off the adhesive tape or release the lock mechanism when replenishing the toner, which causes a problem that the toner replenishment work becomes troublesome.

Also, in the toner replenishing device using the third type, there is the trouble that the seal member must be peeled off at the time of replenishing the toner, and further, when the seal member is peeled off, the toner leaks, Even when the toner tank is removed after replenishment, there is a problem that the residual toner in the tank leaks and the surrounding area becomes dirty.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to improve economic efficiency and resource saving.
Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide a toner replenishing device capable of replenishing toner by a simple operation without polluting the surrounding area.

[0011]

To achieve the above object, in a toner replenishing device according to a first aspect of the present invention, a toner tank is first applied to a mounting portion of an image forming device for forming an image on a recording sheet with toner. Next, a toner replenishing device that replenishes toner by moving and mounting the toner tank relative to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus,
The toner tank is filled with toner, a toner supply port provided in the tank case, and the toner supply port moves relative to the toner supply port as the toner tank moves. The mounting portion of the image forming apparatus has a first shutter that opens and closes and a first lock portion that prevents movement of the first shutter, and the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus is a toner receiving port that can communicate with the toner supply port of the toner tank. And a second shutter that moves relative to the toner receiving opening as the toner tank moves to open and close the toner receiving opening, and a second lock portion that prevents movement of the second shutter. In addition, when the toner tank is applied to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus, the second lock portion moves the second shutter in the toner tank. A first releasing portion for releasing the stop is provided, and the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus is provided with a first locking portion that is provided by the first lock portion when the toner tank is applied to the mounting portion. It is characterized in that a second releasing portion for releasing the movement prevention of the shutter is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the toner replenishing device according to the first aspect, wherein the movement of the toner tank after the application to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus is rotation, and the first shutter. , And the movement of the second shutter is also a rotation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the toner replenishing device according to the first or second aspect, wherein an elastically deformable foam member is arranged in a gap between the first shutter and the tank case. It is characterized by being

A toner replenishing device according to a fourth aspect is the toner replenishing device according to the first, second, or third aspect, wherein the toner replenishing device is elastically deformable in a gap between the second shutter and a wall surface of the mounting portion having a toner receiving port. It is characterized in that various foam members are provided.

[0015]

The operation of the toner replenishing device according to claim 1 is as follows.

To replenish the toner, first apply the toner tank to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus.

When the toner tank is applied to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus, the first release portion provided in the toner tank causes the second lock portion of the mounting portion to operate the second shutter. As the movement prevention is released,
The second release section provided in the mounting section of the image forming apparatus releases the movement prevention of the first shutter by the first lock section of the toner tank.

That is, when the toner tank is applied to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus, the first shutter on the toner tank side and the second shutter on the mounting portion side are relatively movable. .

Next, when the toner tank is moved relative to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus, the toner tank is mounted on the image forming apparatus.

When the toner tank is moved relative to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus, the first shutter moves relative to the tank case and the toner supply port provided in the tank case is opened. At the same time, the second shutter moves relative to the toner receiving opening to open the toner receiving opening, and the toner receiving opening and the toner supply opening communicate with each other.

Since the tank case is filled with toner, when the toner tank is attached to the image forming apparatus as described above, the toner is supplied to the image forming apparatus through the toner supply port and the toner receiving port. Becomes

On the other hand, when removing the toner tank from the mounting portion, first, the toner tank is moved relative to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus in a direction opposite to the mounting direction. Then,
The first shutter moves relative to the tank case in the direction opposite to the mounting direction, the toner supply port provided in the tank case is closed, and the second shutter also mounts in the toner receiving port. By relatively moving in the opposite direction, the toner receiving port is closed.

Then, the toner tank is removed from the mounting portion.

As described above, according to the toner replenishing device of the first aspect, the simple operation of applying the toner tank to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus and moving it relative to the mounting portion is performed. The toner can be replenished without removing the seal, etc., and the toner tank can be removed only by performing the reverse operation.

When the toner tank is attached, until the toner tank is moved relative to the attachment portion,
Since the toner supply port is closed by the first shutter, the toner does not leak, and therefore the surrounding area does not become dirty. When removing the toner tank, the toner supply port is closed by the first shutter when the toner tank is moved relative to the mounting portion in the direction opposite to the mounting direction, and then the toner tank is removed. Therefore, even if toner remains in the tank case, it does not stain the surrounding area.

Moreover, when the toner tank is not mounted in the mounting portion, the toner receiving port is closed by the second shutter, so that it is assumed that the toner is conveyed while the toner is contained in the image forming apparatus. Even in such a case, the toner does not leak from the toner receiving port, and the surroundings are not contaminated by this.

Further, since the rotation of the shutter is locked by the lock portion except when the toner tank is attached, the shutter does not rotate excessively and the toner does not leak.

According to the toner replenishing device of the second aspect,
2. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the movement of the toner tank after applying it to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus is rotation, and the movement of the first shutter and the second shutter is also rotation. Therefore, the toner tank can be attached to the image forming apparatus by a simpler operation of applying the toner tank to the attaching portion and rotating the toner tank.

Further, for example, as compared with the case where the linear slide movement is adopted, the attaching / detaching operation can be performed in a small space.

According to the toner replenishing device of the third aspect,
3. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein an elastically deformable foam member is provided in a gap between the first shutter and the tank case, so that the first shutter and the foam member are elastic. Close to each other. Therefore, the leakage of the toner is surely prevented.

According to the toner replenishing device of the fourth aspect,
The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein an elastically deformable foam member is disposed in a gap between the second shutter and a wall surface of the mounting portion having a toner receiving port. The shutter and the foam member elastically adhere to each other. Therefore, the leakage of the toner is surely prevented.

[0032]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a first embodiment of a toner replenishing device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 schematically shows a state immediately before a toner tank is applied to a mounting portion. FIG.

In these figures, 1 is a toner tank,
Reference numeral 50 is an image forming apparatus, and 50A is a mounting portion of the toner tank 1 provided in the image forming apparatus.

The toner tank 1 includes a tank case 7 filled with toner 24, an agitator 75 rotatably provided in the tank case 7, a shutter portion 7S provided at the bottom of the tank case 7, and a lid. And 23.

The upper portion of the tank case 7 has an opening 2 through which toner is filled. Tank case 7
A shaft hole 5, a toner supply port 3, and a pin 6 forming a first releasing portion are provided at the bottom of the. Further, on the outer peripheral surface, a pair of engaging claws 58, 5 provided in the mounting portion 50A.
A pair of protrusions 8 and 8 that engages and disengages with the protrusion 8 are provided. The outer diameter of the toner supply port 3 is 6 mm. Also. The engaging claws 58 and the protrusions 8 may be provided at three or more locations, respectively.

The agitator 75 is for preventing the toner from solidifying, and rotates with a slight gap from the inner surface of the tank case 7. The agitator 75 is integrally formed with the toner shaft portion 76 and the shaft portion 76, and is formed with a scooping blade 75a for scooping up the toner in the tank case, and further integrally with the scooping blade 75a. It has a stirring blade 75b for stirring the toner, and the shaft portion 76 is rotatably attached to the bearing hole 5 at the bottom of the tank case. A groove 76a that engages with the drive shaft 9 when the toner tank 1 is attached to the image forming apparatus 50 as described later is formed in the shaft portion 76.

The shutter section 7S comprises an elastically deformable foam member 40 made of urethane, a disk-shaped first shutter 10 (hereinafter also simply referred to as a shutter), and a guide member 30.

The foam member 40 has a fan shape, and is joined to the tank case bottom portion 7a by, for example, adhering. In the joined state, the shaft hole 40a coincides with the shaft hole 5 in the tank case bottom portion. And an opening 40b that coincides with the toner supply port 3 at the bottom of the tank case. The foam member is formed by compressing a urethane foam material of about 2 mm.

The shutter 10 includes a bottom portion 7 of the tank case.
a shaft hole 10a that matches the shaft hole 5 of a, an opening 11 that can match the toner supply port 3, an arc-shaped elongated hole 12 into which the pin 6 at the bottom of the tank case is inserted, and a mounting portion 50A described later. The engaging hole 13 that engages with the pin 56 that constitutes the second releasing portion is provided. The engagement hole 13 is formed on the inner side of the shutter 10 with a height 21 (see FIG. 2) from the front surface side to form a brim. The shutter is made of stainless steel or a synthetic resin film material having a thickness of 0.1 mm.
The thickness is about 1mm.

The guide member 30 has a ring shape as a whole and is attached to the step portion 7c provided on the tank case bottom portion 7a (see FIG. 2). In the mounted state, the peripheral edge portion 1 of the shutter 10 is the inner surface (upper surface) of the bottom edge portion 30f.
0f is slidably supported. In addition, the guide member 30
Is integrally provided with an elastic arc-shaped tongue piece 32 that constitutes the first lock portion, and the tip end portion of this tongue piece 32 is in the engagement hole 13 of the shutter 10 on the back side thereof (see FIG. 1, the projection 3 that is loosely fitted from the upper surface side in FIG. 2)
3 is provided. The shutter 10 is a guide member 3
It is attached to the guide member 30 so as to pass from below the tongue piece 32 from the upper surface side of 0. The engagement of the projection 33 with the engagement hole 13 prevents the shutter 10 from rotating carelessly, and the opening 11 of the shutter 10 is carelessly aligned with the toner supply port 3 at the bottom of the tank case. The toner inside 7 is prevented from leaking. The diameter of the engagement hole 13 is set so that the operator's finger does not enter carelessly and the lock of the shutter is not released, and in this embodiment, it is about 2 mm.

When the above parts are assembled in the toner tank 1 as described above, the pin 6 at the bottom of the tank case penetrates the elongated hole 12 of the shutter 10 and the tip thereof is the elongated hole 12.
It is in a state of protruding from (see FIG. 2). Foam member 4
No. 0 is attached to the tank case bottom 7a with the opening 40b aligned with the toner supply port 3 at the bottom of the tank case, and is held in a state of being pinched by the shutter 10. As a result, the adhesion between the foam member 40 and the shutter 10 is improved, and toner leakage is prevented. The shutter 10 is held between the tank case bottom 7a and the guide member 30 so as to be rotatable and slidable in the direction of arrow a or b in FIG. 1 within a range in which the pin 6 can relatively move along the elongated hole 12. It That is, in the shutter portion 7S, only the shutter 10 is included in the tank case 7
It becomes a state in which it can relatively rotate and slide. When the toner tank 1 is not attached to the image forming apparatus 50, the opening 11 of the shutter 10 has the foam member 40.
Does not coincide with the opening 40b of That is, the opening 40b of the foam member 40 is in a state of being sealed by the shutter 10.

Next, the mounting portion 50A of the image forming apparatus 50 will be described.

The mounting portion 50A is the same as the toner tank 1 described above.
The shutter unit 7S has a shutter unit having basically the same configuration.

On the bottom surface of the mounting portion, there are a bearing portion 59 through which the drive shaft 9 is inserted, a toner receiving port 53, a pin 56 constituting a second releasing portion, and the above-mentioned engaging claws 58, 58. It is provided.

The shutter portion comprises a foam member 41, a disk-shaped second shutter (hereinafter also simply referred to as a shutter) 60, and a guide member 70.

The foam member 41 is adapted to be bonded to the bottom surface of the mounting portion 50A by sticking or the like, and in the bonded state, a shaft hole 41a which coincides with the bearing portion 59,
It has an opening 41b that coincides with the toner receiving port 53.

The shutter 60 has a shaft hole 60a that matches the bearing 59, an opening 61 that can match the toner receiving port 53, an arc-shaped elongated hole 62 into which the pin 56 is inserted, and the toner described above. An engagement hole 63 that engages with the pin 6 of the tank 1 is provided.

The guide member 70 has a substantially ring shape and is mounted on the bottom surface of the mounting portion 50A. In the mounted state, the peripheral edge portion 60f of the shutter 60 is slidably supported by the lower surface of the edge portion 70f (see FIG. 2). The guide member 70 is integrally provided with an elastic arc-shaped tongue piece 72 that constitutes the second lock portion.
A projection 73 that is loosely fitted from the back surface side (the lower surface side in FIGS. 1 and 2) into the engagement hole 63 of the shutter 60 is provided at the front end of 2 (see FIG. 2). Shutter 6
0 is incorporated in the guide member 70 so that it passes from above the tongue piece 72 from the lower surface side of the guide member 70. The engagement of the projection 73 with the engagement hole 63 prevents the shutter 60 from being carelessly rotated during transportation of the image forming apparatus, and the opening 61 is carelessly aligned with the toner receiving port 53 to form an image. The toner in the forming device 50 is prevented from leaking.

When the mounting portion 50A is assembled, the pin 5
6 penetrates the long hole 62 of the shutter 60, and the tip end thereof projects from the long hole 62 (see FIG. 2). The foam member 41 is held in a state of being pinched by the bottom surface of the mounting portion 50A and the shutter 60. As a result, the adhesion between the foam member 41 and the shutter 60 is improved, and toner leakage is prevented. In the shutter 60, the pin 56 has an elongated hole 6 between the bottom surface of the mounting portion and the guide member 70.
It is held so as to be rotatable and slidable in the direction of arrow a or b in the figure within a range in which it can relatively move along 2. That is, in the shutter portion of the mounting portion, only the shutter 60 is in a state of being relatively rotatable and slidable with respect to the image forming apparatus 50. Further, when the toner tank 1 is not mounted, the opening 61 of the shutter 60 does not coincide with the opening 41b of the foam member 41 as shown in FIG.
That is, the opening 41b of the foam member 41 is in a state of being sealed by the shutter 60.

The rotating parts described above are shown in FIG.
Rotate around the central axis shown in.

The attachment / detachment operation of the toner tank 1 with respect to the mounting portion 50A as described above is as follows. The attaching / detaching operation and the operation will be described mainly with reference to FIG.

First, the toner tank 1 is applied to the mounting portion 50A. Then, the drive shaft 9 is connected to the shaft portion 76 of the agitator 75 of the toner tank, and the pin 6 of the toner tank fits into the engagement hole 63 of the shutter 60 of the mounting portion 50A, and the projection 73 of the tongue piece is fixed. It is pushed down to unlock the shutter 60 by the protrusion 73. Mounting part 5 at the same time
The pin 56 on the 0A side fits into the engagement hole 13 of the shutter 10 of the toner tank and pushes up the protrusion 33 of the tongue piece to unlock the shutter 10 by the protrusion 33.

Next, the toner tank 1 is rotated counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow 22 in FIG. Then, the convex portion 8 of the toner tank enters the engaging claws 58, 58 and engages with the engaging claws 58 to prevent the toner tank from coming off, and the toner is attached to the attaching portion 50A. As described above, the pin 6 of the toner tank fits into the engaging hole 63 of the shutter 60 of the mounting portion 50A, and the pin 56 of the mounting portion 50A fits into the engaging hole 13 of the shutter 10 of the toner tank. Therefore, when the toner tank 1 is rotated in the direction of arrow 22 in FIG.
As also shown, the shutter 60 of the mounting portion 50A rotates in the same direction as the toner tank 1, and the opening 61 thereof coincides with the opening 41b of the foam member 41, and the shutter 10 of the toner tank moves the toner tank in the direction of arrow 22. Since it does not move even when it is rotated, it rotates relative to the tank case 7 in the clockwise direction shown by the arrow a in FIG. 1, and the opening 11 thereof coincides with the opening 40b of the foam member 40. That is, the openings 3 and 40 for supplying toner to all parts
b, 11, 61, 41b and the toner receiving port 53 are aligned with each other, and the toner tank 1 moves to the image forming apparatus 5
The toner is supplied to 0.

When the image forming apparatus 50 is operated with the toner tank 1 attached to the image forming apparatus 50 as described above, the drive shaft 9 drives the agitator 75 to rotate.

The toner stored in the tank case 7 is agitated upward by the scooping blades 75a of the agitator 75. When the toner in the image forming apparatus 50 is consumed, the toner is supplied by that much. The toner freely falls into the image forming apparatus 50 through the openings 3 and the toner receiving openings 53, and the toner is replenished in the image forming apparatus 50. The toner is supplied to the developing chamber 25 in the image forming apparatus 50.

In this way, when the toner is replenished from the toner tank 1 to the image forming apparatus 50 and the toner in the tank case runs out, the toner tank 1 is replaced.

The operation for removing the toner tank 1 may be carried out in the reverse order of the mounting operation described above. That is, the upper portion of the toner tank 1 may be grasped, rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow 22 (clockwise), and then taken out from the mounting portion 50A. When the toner tank 1 is rotated clockwise, the shutter 10 of the toner tank is relatively rotated counterclockwise as shown by an arrow b in FIG. 1 so that the toner supply port 3 of the tank case 7 and the opening 40b of the foam member 41 are opened. At the same time, the shutter 60 of the mounting portion 50A is rotated in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 1 to block the toner receiving port 53 and the opening 41b of the foam member 41. Therefore, the toner tank 1
Even if some toner remains in the tank case 7 when the toner is removed, it does not scatter and stain the image forming apparatus and its periphery. Further, for example, when the image forming apparatus is transported, even when the toner tank 1 is removed and the like, the toner in the image forming apparatus 50 does not leak from the receiving port 53 and the opening 60b and scatter. .

According to the toner replenishing device as described above, the following operational effects can be obtained.

(I) Toner is replenished without the need to remove the seal or the like by simply performing a simple operation of applying the toner tank 1 to the mounting portion 50A of the image forming apparatus and moving it relative to the mounting portion. Further, the toner tank 1 can be removed only by performing the reverse operation.

(Ii) When the toner tank 1 is mounted, the toner supply port 3 is closed by the first shutter 10 until the toner tank 1 is moved relative to the mounting portion 50A, so that the toner is not supplied. Never leaks,
Therefore, it does not pollute the surroundings. Also, when removing the toner tank 1,
Since the toner supply port 3 is closed by the first shutter 10 at the time point when the is moved relative to the mounting portion in the direction opposite to the mounting direction, the toner tank 1 is removed thereafter, so that the tank case is temporarily assumed. Even if the toner remains inside 7, the surrounding area is not contaminated by this.

Moreover, when the toner tank 1 is not mounted in the mounting portion 50A, the toner receiving port 53 is closed by the second shutter 60, so that the toner is temporarily stored in the image forming apparatus 50. Even when the sheet is conveyed, the toner does not leak from the toner receiving port 53, and the periphery thereof does not get dirty.

Further, since the rotation of the shutter is locked except when the toner tank is attached, the shutter does not rotate excessively and the toner does not leak.

(Iii) The movement after the toner tank 1 is applied to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus 50 is the rotation, and the first
Since the shutter 10 and the second shutter 60 are also rotated, the image forming apparatus 50 of the toner tank 1
The toner tank 1 can be mounted to the mounting portion by a very simple operation of turning the toner tank 1 to the mounting portion.

Further, for example, as compared with the case where the linear slide movement is adopted, the attaching / detaching operation can be performed in a small space.

(Iv) Elastically deformable foam in the gap between the first shutter 10 and the tank case 7, and the gap between the second shutter 60 and the wall surface (that is, the bottom surface) of the mounting portion 50A having the toner receiving opening 53. Members 40,4
Since 1 is provided, the shutter and the foam member elastically adhere to each other. Therefore, the shutter rotates without leaking the toner, and the leakage of the toner is reliably prevented.

<Second Embodiment> FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of a printer which is an example of an image forming apparatus using a second embodiment of the toner supply device according to the present invention, FIG. 5 is a front view, and FIG. 6 is a plan view. 7 and 8 are sectional views.

In these drawings, reference numeral 100 denotes a printer main body, and a paper feed roller 10 is provided in a case 101.
2, an optical unit 110, an image forming unit 200, a fixing unit 120, and a paper discharge roller 103 are provided. The image forming unit 200 is schematically (schematically) depicted in FIG.

Reference numeral 600 denotes a toner tank for replenishing the image forming unit 200 in the printer main body with toner. When the toner tank is mounted on the main body 100, the upper part thereof is exposed to the outside of the case 101 of the main body 100. In FIG. 6, P2 indicates the recording paper that is being discharged onto the paper discharge tray 108, and in FIG. 5, P3 indicates the recording paper that has been discharged onto the paper discharge tray 108. As is apparent from these figures, the exposed portion 600A of the toner tank 600 is exposed outside the case 101 outside the movement path of the recording paper.

The main body 100 and the toner tank 600 will be described in detail below.

First, the overall structure of the main body 100 will be described.

On the back of the case 101, the paper feed tray 10
4 is rotatably provided. The paper feed tray 104 is
Base part 1 rotatably supported on the back of case 101
04a and a tray 104b slidably attached to the base portion 104a. When not in use, the tray 104b is stored in the base portion 104a as shown by a broken line in FIG. It is folded so as to be in close contact with the back of the case, and when used, it is opened for use as shown by the solid line.

Paper P set in the paper feed tray 104
Are fed one by one by the paper feed roller 102.

The fed sheet is a sheet feeding path A1 formed by the sheet guide 105 and the lower surface of the image forming unit 200.
And passes between the photosensitive drum 201 on which a toner image is formed and the transfer roller 106 as described later. Here, the paper on which the toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum 201 is
The fixing roller 121 of the fixing unit 120 passes through the path A2.
The toner image is fixed by passing between the pressure roller 122 and the pressure roller 122, and is discharged from the paper discharge roller 103 to the paper discharge tray 108 by the paper discharge roller 103 through the paper discharge path A3 curved upward.

Reference numeral 109 is a cover in which the paper discharge path A3 is formed, and the shafts 109a, 10 are attached to the main body 100.
It can be opened and closed by 9a. The paper discharge port 107
Is formed on the upper surface of the cover 109, and
The fixing unit 120 is attached to the cover 109. The cover 109 is opened to the front side when a paper jam or maintenance is performed.

Next, the image forming unit 200 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, the image forming unit 200 includes a photosensitive drum 201 as a photosensitive member, a charging roller 202, a developing device 300, a cleaning device 400, and a toner conveying device 500 as a case. It is configured as a single unit by being housed in 210.

The photosensitive drum 201 is constructed by forming a photosensitive layer made of an organic photosensitive body on a conductive base made of an aluminum drum, and is rotatably supported by the case 210.
It is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow a by a drive mechanism (not shown).

The charging roller 202 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 201 by a pressing mechanism (not shown), and charges the photosensitive drum 201 while following the photosensitive drum 201. A bias voltage is applied to the charging roller 202.

The charged photosensitive drum 201 has a laser beam L emitted from the optical unit 110 shown in FIG.
B is scanned, and thereby a latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 201.

The case 210 is composed of a lower case 220 and an upper case 230, and a slit 231 for beam scanning is formed in the upper case 230.

The developing device 300 includes a toner storage chamber 301 formed by the lower case 220 in the longitudinal direction thereof.
A supply roller 310 rotatably provided in the toner storage chamber 301, a developing roller 320 rotatably provided in the toner storage chamber 301, and a regulation blade 330 that is in contact with the peripheral surface of the developing roller 320. . The supply roller 310 and the developing roller 320 are the photosensitive drum 201.
9 are driven to rotate in the directions of the arrows in FIG. The regulation blade 330 is made of an elastic body such as a stainless steel plate, and is attached to the upper case 230 by the attachment member 331.

The supply roller 310 is the toner storage chamber 301.
The toner stored therein is rotated while being stirred to coat the surface of the developing roller 320 with the toner. The toner coated on the surface of the developing roller 320 is brought into sliding contact with the regulation blade 330 to be thinned and frictionally charged. A bias voltage is applied to the developing roller 320, the thinned toner is conveyed to the photosensitive drum 201, and the photosensitive drum 201 is formed at a nip portion formed by a pressure contact portion between the developing roller 320 and the photosensitive drum 201. The latent image is reversely developed. As a result, the latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 is developed and a toner image is formed.

The toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 is transferred to the transfer roller 106 (see FIG. 7) to which the bias voltage having the opposite polarity to the toner image is applied and the photosensitive drum 201.
It is transferred to the paper P being conveyed by being sandwiched by.

The cleaning device 400 has a cleaning blade 410. Cleaning blade 4
10 is attached to the upper case 230 by the attachment member 420. Lower edge 41 of cleaning blade 410
Reference numeral 1 is in contact with the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 201, and directs the residual toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 after the toner image is transferred to the sheet toward the toner collecting unit 560 of the toner conveying device 500. It is supposed to be scraped off.

Incidentally, the photosensitive drum 201 is cleaned by scraping off the residual toner, and thereafter, the above-mentioned image forming process is started again.

The toner carrying device 500 is the developing device 300.
Between the coil spring 510 and the cleaning device 400, and the coil spring 510 and the coil spring 510.
A drive gear 520 that engages with and circulates the drive gear 520, and a substantially groove-shaped guide portion 530 (see FIG. 11) that slides on and guides the coil spring 510.

The coil spring 510 has an endless shape, and is provided inside the cleaning device 400 and the developing device 3.
It is arranged to be able to circulate between the inside of 00.

The drive gear 520 is driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) interlocking with the drive mechanism of the photosensitive drum 201 to circulate and drive the coil spring 510 in the direction of arrow b.

FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing the entire guide portion 530. Reference numeral 510 in the drawing denotes a coil spring, and substantially this drawing also shows the circulation path of the coil spring 510.

As is clear from this figure, the guide portion 53
0 is a shape that guides the coil spring 510, which has an annular shape in a state of being left in a natural state, by correcting the coil spring 510 into a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, and has four corner portions C1, C2, which are formed in an approximately ¼ arc shape. C3, C4 and these corners C
Almost linear part L connecting 1, C2, C3, C4
1, L2, L3, L4.

One long side L1 of the two long sides L1 and L2 is inside the developing device 300 as shown in FIG.
The other long side portion L2 is inside the cleaning device 400.
Then, with respect to one long side portion L1, the standing wall 221 of the lower case 220 constitutes a guide portion, and for the other long side portion L2, a concave groove 222 formed on the upper surface of the lower case 220.
It constitutes the guide part. As for the long side portion L1 in the developing device 300, the upright wall 221 is configured to guide only the outside of the coil spring 510, and as a result, the lower side of the coil spring 510 with respect to the developing device 300 is guided. An open portion 531 for opening is formed.

That is, in the developing device 300, the coil spring 510 is guided only by the upright wall 221 on the outer side thereof, and the toner can be discharged to the developing device 300. On the other hand, the cleaning device 4
In the toner collecting section 560 in 00, the upper part thereof is open toward the cleaning blade 410 so that the toner scraped by the cleaning blade 410 can be received and collected.

The image forming unit 200 as described above operates as follows.

As described above, toner is supplied to the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 by the developing device 300, and the latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 is developed by this toner to form a toner image. After the toner image is transferred onto the paper P, the residual toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 is removed by the cleaning blade 410 of the cleaning device 400 and is recovered by the recovery unit 560 in the cleaning device 400.

Cleaning device 400 and developing device 300
An endless coil spring 510 is disposed between the cleaning gear and the developing device so as to circulate between the cleaning gear and the developing device.
Since it is driven to circulate by 0, a part of the excess toner that has not been used for development in the toner storage chamber 301 of the developing device 300 is conveyed to the cleaning device 400 by the coil spring 510 and is collected in the cleaning device 400. The residual toner is transported to the developing device 300 while being agitated and mixed with the excess toner transported by the coil spring 510.

When the toner in the toner storage chamber 301 is consumed and the level surface thereof is lowered, the toner conveyed to the developing device 300 is discharged toward the toner storage chamber 301 by its own weight.

By repeating the above operation, the toner in the image forming unit 200 is gradually consumed, but the consumed toner is in the toner tank 6.
It is replenished from 00 at any time.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 17, the toner tank mounting hole 101 is provided on the upper surface of the case 101 of the printer body.
a is provided, and the toner tank 600 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the upper case 230 of the image forming unit 200 through the mounting hole 101a. Mounting hole 1
A guide groove 1 for guiding a convex portion 616 (see FIG. 12) provided in a toner tank described later is provided on the inner wall surface of the groove 01a.
01b is provided.

Next, the structure of the toner tank 600 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

The toner tank 600 includes a transparent tank case 610 filled with toner and the tank case 61.
Agitator 620 rotatably provided in the inside of the tank 0, and shutter portion 630 provided at the bottom of the tank case 610.
And a lid 640.

The bottom portion 611 of the tank case 610 is provided with a shaft hole 612, a toner supply port 613, and a pin 614 which constitutes a first releasing portion. In addition, the outer peripheral surface 6
15 includes a recess 240 (see FIG.
5) a pair of dovetail grooves (L-shaped grooves) 24 provided
A pair of convex portions 616 that engage with and disengage from the second and second 242 are provided.

The agitator 620 is integrally formed with the shaft portion 621 and the shaft portion 621, and is formed with the scooping blade 622 for scooping up the toner in the tank case, and also with the scooping blade 622 integrally with the tank case. And a stirring blade 623 for stirring the toner inside.
1 is rotatably attached to a bearing hole 612 at the bottom of the tank case via a seal ring (not shown). When the toner tank 600 is attached to the upper case 230 of the image forming unit as described later,
A groove 625 that engages with the shaft 521 of the drive gear 520 is formed. The stirring blade 623 may be integrally provided with a wiper-shaped cleaning member 626 made of rubber or the like for cleaning the inner wall surface of the tank case 610, as indicated by an imaginary line.

The shutter section 630 includes a foam member 631 made of an elastic material and a disk-shaped first shutter 632.
And a guide member 633.

The foam member 631 is fan-shaped, and has a recess 611a of the same shape provided on the bottom 611 of the tank case.
The shaft hole 63 that matches the shaft hole 612 at the bottom of the tank case in the fitted state.
1a and an opening 631b that coincides with the toner supply port 613 at the bottom of the tank case.

The shutter 632 has a shaft hole 632a that matches the shaft hole 612 of the tank case bottom 611, an opening 632b that can match the toner supply port 613, and an arcuate length through which the pin 614 at the bottom of the tank case is inserted. Hole 632c
And an engagement hole 632d that engages with a pin 244 that constitutes a second release portion provided on the upper case 230 of the image forming unit to be described later.

The guide member 633 has a ring shape as a whole, and the step portion 6 provided on the tank case bottom portion 611.
It is attached to 11b. In the mounted state, the four square holes 633e are the four engaging claws 611e formed in the step portion.
It is fixed to the bottom portion of the tank case by engaging with the bottom edge portion 633f, and the peripheral edge portion 632f of the shutter 632 is slidably supported by the inner surface (upper surface) of the bottom edge portion 633f. Further, the guide member 633 is integrally provided with an elastic arc-shaped tongue piece 633g that constitutes the first lock portion, and a shutter 632 is provided at the tip end portion of the tongue piece 633g.
The engaging hole 632d is provided with a protrusion 633c which is loosely fitted from the back side (upper side in FIG. 13) (see FIG. 16). The shutter 632 is the guide member 6
It is attached to the guide member 633 so as to pass from below the upper surface of the tongue piece 633g. When the projection 633c engages with the engagement hole 632d, the shutter 632
Is prevented from rotating accidentally, and the opening 632b is aligned with the toner supply port 613 at the bottom of the tank case to prevent the toner in the toner tank case 610 from leaking out.

In the toner tank 600 as described above, when the above parts are assembled, the pin 6 at the bottom of the tank case is
14 penetrates the long hole 632c of the shutter 632, and the tip end thereof projects from the long hole 632c (see FIG. 16). The foam member 631 has its opening 631b aligned with the toner supply port 613 at the bottom of the tank case.
The shutter 632 is attached to the bottom 611 of the tank case.
It is held in a state of being pinched by. This improves the adhesion between the foam member 613 and the shutter 632.
Toner leakage is prevented. The shutter 632 is
Between the tank case bottom portion 611 and the guide member 633, the pin 614 is rotatably slidable in the direction of arrow a or b in the figure within a range in which the pin 614 can relatively move along the elongated hole 632c. That is, in the shutter unit 630, only the shutter 632 is provided in the tank case 610.
It becomes a state in which it can relatively rotate and slide. When the toner tank 600 is not attached to the image forming unit, the opening 632b of the shutter 632 does not match the opening 631b of the foam member 631. That is, the opening 631b of the foam member 631 has the shutter 6
It is in a state of being sealed by 32.

Next, referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, the toner tank 6 in the upper case 230 of the image forming unit.
The mounting portion 240 of No. 00 will be described.

The mounting portion 240 is formed as a recess into which the lower portion of the toner tank 600 is fitted, and in this recess,
A shutter unit 250 having the same structure as the shutter unit 630 of the toner tank 600 described above is incorporated.

On the bottom surface 241 of the concave portion, there is a shaft hole 245 through which the shaft 521 of the drive gear 520 is inserted, and a toner receiving port facing the meshing start point of the drive gear 520 and the coil spring 510 in the circulation path of the coil spring 510 described above. 243 (see FIG. 11) and a pin 244 that constitutes the second releasing portion are provided. In addition, a pair of dovetail grooves (L-shaped grooves) 242 and 242 that engage with and disengage from the convex portion 616 of the toner tank described above are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion. The dovetail groove 242 includes a vertical groove 242a and a horizontal groove 242b. The upper end of the vertical groove 242a is connected to the lower end of the guide groove 101b provided in the mounting hole 101a (see FIG. 17) of the printer body case described above. ing. Also,
The end of the lateral groove 242b constitutes a restricting portion that restricts the end of the rotation operation of the toner tank 600 during the mounting operation of the toner tank described later.

The shutter section 250 includes a foam member 251 made of an elastic material and a second disc-shaped shutter 252.
And a guide member 253.

The foam member 251 has a bottom surface 241 of the recess.
Is fitted in a concave portion 241a of the same shape provided in the above, and in the fitted state, a shaft hole 251a that matches the shaft hole 245 and an opening 251b that matches the toner receiving port 243. And have.

The shutter 252 has a shaft hole 252a that matches the shaft hole 245, an opening 252b that can match the toner receiving port 243, an arc-shaped elongated hole 252c into which the pin 244 is inserted, and the toner described above. Tank 600
And an engaging hole 252d that engages with the pin 614.

The guide member 253 has a substantially ring shape and is mounted in the recess (240). In the mounted state, the two engaging claws 253e are fixed in the recess by engaging with the engaging holes (not shown) provided in the wall surface in the recess, respectively, and are fixed on the lower surface of the bottom edge 253f. A peripheral portion 252f of the shutter 252 is supported so as to be slidably rotatable (see FIG. 16). The guide member 253 is integrally provided with an elastic arc-shaped tongue piece 253g forming a second lock portion. The tip of the tongue piece 253g has an engaging hole 252d in the shutter 252 and a rear surface thereof. A protrusion 253c that is loosely fitted from the side (the lower surface side in FIG. 13) is provided (see FIG. 16). The shutter 252 is incorporated under the guide member 253 so that the shutter 252 passes above the tongue piece 253g from the lower surface side of the guide member 253.
By engaging the projection 253c with the engaging hole 252d, for example, the shutter 252 is prevented from being accidentally rotated during transportation of the main body, and the opening 252b is aligned with the toner receiving opening 243 in the image forming unit 200. Toner is prevented from leaking.

When the image forming unit 200 is assembled, the pin 244 on the bottom surface of the concave portion becomes the slot 2 of the shutter 252.
The tip of the penetrating portion 52c is projected from the elongated hole 252c (see FIG. 16). The foam member 251 is held in a state of being pinched by the recess bottom surface 241 and the shutter 252. As a result, the adhesion between the foam member 251 and the shutter 252 is improved, and toner leakage is prevented. In the shutter 252, the pin 244 has an elongated hole 25 between the recess bottom surface 241 and the guide member 253.
It is held so as to be rotatable and slidable in the direction of arrow a or b in the figure within a range in which it can relatively move along 2c. That is,
In the shutter part 250, only the shutter 252 is in a state of being relatively slidable relative to the upper case 230. Further, when the toner tank 600 is not attached, the opening 252b of the shutter 252 does not coincide with the opening 251b of the foam member 251 as shown in FIG. That is, the opening 251b of the foam member 251 is in a state of being sealed by the shutter 252.

The operation of attaching / detaching the toner tank 600 to / from the mounting portion 240 as described above is as follows. FIG. 16 is a schematic partially omitted sectional view showing a state immediately before the toner tank 600 is mounted on the mounting portion 240. The attaching / detaching operation and the operation will be described mainly with reference to this drawing.

First, the toner tank 600 is set to the convex portion 6 thereof.
16 is aligned with the guide groove 101b of the mounting hole 101a (see FIG. 17) of the main body case.
To insert. Then, the convex portion 616 is guided by the guide groove 101b and moves downward in the guide groove 101b, further enters the dovetail groove 242a provided in the mounting portion 240 of the image forming unit, and reaches the lower end thereof. To stop (FIG. 16 shows a state immediately before reaching the lower end). At this time, the shaft 521 of the gear 520 is connected to the shaft portion 621 of the agitator 620 of the toner tank. The pin 614 of the toner tank is attached to the mounting portion 240 of the image forming unit.
The shutter 252 is fitted into the engaging hole 252d, and the projection 253c of the tongue is pushed down to unlock the shutter 252 by the projection 253c. At the same time mounting part 240
The pin 244 on the side is fitted into the engaging hole 632d of the shutter 632 of the toner tank and pushes up the protrusion 633c of the tongue piece to unlock the shutter 632 by the protrusion 633c.

Next, the toner tank 600 is moved to the arrow b in FIG.
Rotate counterclockwise as shown in. Then, the convex portion 616 of the toner tank enters the lateral groove 242b of the dovetail groove and engages with the lateral groove 242b to prevent the toner tank from coming off.
It will be attached to the. As described above, the pin 614 of the toner tank fits into the engagement hole 252d of the shutter 252 of the mounting portion 240, and the pin 24 on the mounting portion 240 side is attached.
4 is an engagement hole 632d of the shutter 632 of the toner tank
Since the toner tank 600 is rotated in the direction of arrow b in FIG.
52 is the same direction as the toner tank 600, that is, FIG.
4 Rotate counterclockwise as indicated by arrow b to open the opening 252b.
Coincides with the opening 251b of the foam member 251, and the shutter 632 of the toner tank does not move even if the toner tank is rotated in the direction of arrow b. Therefore, the shutter 632 rotates in the clockwise direction shown by arrow a in FIG. 12 relative to the tank. And then the opening 63
2b will coincide with the opening 631b of the foam member 631. That is, the openings 613, 631b, 632b, 252b, 25 for supplying the toner of all the parts.
1b and the toner receiving port 243 are aligned with each other, and the toner can be supplied from the toner tank 600 to the image forming unit 200.

When the image forming unit 200 operates as described above with the toner tank 600 attached to the image forming unit 200 as described above, the drive gear 52
The agitator 620 is rotationally driven by the zero shaft 521.

The toner contained in the tank case 610 is agitated upward by the scraping blades 622 of the agitator 620.
When the toner in the image forming unit 200 is consumed, the toner is freely dropped into the image forming unit 200 from the toner supply port 613 through the openings and the toner receiving port 243 of the upper case 230, and the toner is replenished in the image forming unit 200. It will be.

In this way, when the toner is replenished to the image forming unit 200 from the toner tank 600 and the toner in the toner tank is used up, the toner tank is replaced. The depletion of toner in the toner tank can be visually confirmed because the tank case 610 is transparent. Also, the tank 600
When the toner is no longer replenished from the image forming unit 2
Since the amount of toner in 00 decreases, it can be known by detecting this with a sensor provided in the image forming unit 200. Therefore, in this case, the toner tank case 610 does not necessarily need to be transparent.

The operation for removing the toner tank 600 may be the reverse of the above-described mounting operation. That is,
Grasp the upper part of the tank 600 (exposed part 600A exposed from the main body case 101), and point it in the direction of arrow a (clockwise).
After rotating the main body case 101, the main body case 101 may be pulled out from the mounting hole 101a. When the tank 600 is rotated in the direction of the arrow a, the shutter 632 of the tank relatively rotates in the counterclockwise direction shown by the arrow b of FIG. 12 to block the toner supply ports 613 and 631b of the tank, and at the same time, the image is displayed. The shutter 250 of the forming unit 200 rotates in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 14 to block the toner receiving ports 243 and 252b of the unit 200. Therefore, when the tank 600 is removed, even if some toner remains in the tank 600, it does not scatter and stain the printer and its surroundings. In addition, for example, when the printer is transported or the like, the toner in the unit 200 is supplied through the supply port 24 even when the printer is transported with the tank 600 removed.
There is no leakage from 3 and 252b and scattering.

According to the printer as described above, the following operational effects are obtained in addition to the operational effects obtained by the first embodiment described above.

(I) The toner tank 600 is the main body 100
Since at least a part of the device is detached from the case and is attached to the main body 100, at least a part of the part is exposed to the outside of the case 101 of the main body.

Therefore, according to this printer, it is not necessary to open and close the cover of the apparatus main body case when replenishing the toner, and the toner can be replenished easily and quickly.

In addition, the exposed portion 60 of the toner tank 600
Since 0A is exposed outside the case 101 of the main body outside the movement path of the recording paper P, it is possible to supply toner without stopping the recording operation even during the recording operation.

That is, the toner can be replenished while performing the image forming operation on the recording paper P.

(Ii) Since the tank case 610 of the toner tank 600 is transparent, the toner T in the toner tank is
The remaining amount (see FIG. 16) can be visually checked. Therefore, it is not always necessary to provide a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of toner, and when toner runs out in the toner tank, the toner tank 600 can be promptly replaced to replenish toner.

(Iii) Inside the toner tank 600,
The tank case 6 is rotated by being driven by the main body 100.
When the cleaning member 626 for cleaning the inner wall surface of 10 is provided, the remaining amount of toner in the toner tank can be easily and reliably viewed.

(Iv) When the cleaning member 626 is composed of the agitator 620 which stirs the toner inside the toner tank, it is not necessary to provide a cleaning member separately from the agitator 620, and the structure of the toner tank is simplified. To be

(V) Since the toner tank 600 is provided with an agitator 620 which is driven by the main body 100 to rotate and agitates the toner T in the toner tank, the toner is prevented from blocking. Therefore, the toner can be smoothly replenished from the toner tank 600.

The toner tank 6 is attached to the main body 100.
00, a dovetail groove 242 for restricting the end of the rotational movement of the toner tank is provided, and the rotation direction of the agitator 620 is the same as the rotation direction of the toner tank attachment operation. So agitator 6
The rotation of 20 causes the toner tank 600 to be urged in the mounting direction (direction of arrow b). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the toner tank 600 from coming off the main body 100 without necessarily providing a special lock mechanism.

<Third Embodiment> FIG. 18 is an external perspective view showing the essential parts of a third embodiment of the toner supply device according to the present invention.

The main difference of this embodiment from the second embodiment described above is that the toner tank 600 ′ mounted on the main body 100.
The point is that a lock mechanism is provided to lock the.

The lock mechanism includes a lock hole 601 provided on the peripheral wall surface of the toner tank 600 'and a main body case 101.
It is composed of a lock claw 101c provided above.

The lock claw 101c is slidable in the directions of the arrows c1 and c2, and the toner tank 60
After mounting 0 ′, the toner tank 600 ′ is prevented from slipping out and rotating by sliding in the direction of arrow c1 and engaging the tip thereof with the lock hole 601.

The difference of this embodiment from the above-described second embodiment is that the toner tank 600 in the second embodiment is mounted by rotating in the direction of arrow b (counterclockwise). On the other hand, the toner tank 600 'of this embodiment is configured to be mounted by rotating in the direction of arrow a (clockwise).

Therefore, the positions of the holes of the shutter and the like and the positions of the lateral grooves of the dovetail groove are constructed symmetrically with those of the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 15, the lateral groove 242b of the dovetail groove in the second embodiment was formed from the vertical groove 242a in the direction of the arrow b. Agitator 62 in the tank
The rotation direction of 0 is the direction of the arrow b. Therefore, the toner tank 600 receives the rotational driving force in the direction of the arrow b from the shaft 521 of the drive gear 520 via the agitator 620 and the toner in the tank. The rotation of the convex portion 616 is the end portion (regulating portion) of the lateral groove 242b.
The structure is automatically regulated by abutting against. Therefore, the lock mechanism is not necessarily required in the second embodiment.

However, when an object is to be rotated and then mounted, it is generally rotated clockwise. In this respect, the toner tank 60 of the second embodiment is used.
Since 0 is rotated counterclockwise to be mounted, there is a problem in that it is not always desirable in operation.

On the other hand, according to the third embodiment, since the toner tank 600 ′ is mounted by rotating it in the clockwise direction, the above problems can be solved and the advantage that it is desirable in operation can be obtained. To be

On the other hand, in the third embodiment, since the lateral groove of the dovetail groove is formed from the vertical groove in the direction of arrow a, the toner tank 600 'applies the rotational driving force in the direction away from this groove. If the lock mechanism is not provided, the toner tank 600 ′ may come off.

Therefore, the provision of the lock mechanism is
In such a case, that is, when the rotating direction of the agitator and the detaching direction of the tank are the same, it is particularly effective. However, in the second embodiment, the provision of the lock mechanism is also effective for surely preventing the toner tank 600 from coming off.

Therefore, by setting the rotating direction of the agitator to the clockwise direction, the operability of mounting the tank can be improved and the lock mechanism can be eliminated.

In FIG. 18, 101d is an alignment mark provided on the case 101, and 602 is an alignment mark provided on the tank. When these marks are aligned, the convex portion 616 of the tank is aligned with the guide groove 1.
It corresponds to 01b.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0148]

According to the present invention, the economical efficiency and resource saving can be improved, and the toner can be replenished by a simple operation without polluting the surrounding area.

[0149]

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a partially omitted sectional view schematically showing a state immediately before a toner tank is applied to a mounting portion.

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory view.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of a printer that is an example of an image forming apparatus that uses a second embodiment of the toner supply device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the same.

FIG. 8 is a partially omitted perspective view showing an image forming unit and a toner tank.

9 is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing an image forming unit and a toner tank.

FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing the entire guide portion.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the toner tank as seen from below.

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the toner tank.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the image forming unit.

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of a toner tank mounting portion of the image forming unit.

FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state immediately before the toner tank is mounted on the mounting portion.

FIG. 17 is a partial perspective view of the main body case.

FIG. 18 is an external perspective view showing the essential parts of a third embodiment of the toner supply device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Toner Tank 3 Toner Supply Port 10 First Shutter 40 Foam Material 50 Image Forming Device 60 Second Shutter

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A toner tank is first applied to a mounting portion of an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording sheet with toner, and then the toner tank is moved and mounted relative to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus. A toner replenishing device for replenishing toner by means of the above, wherein the toner tank includes a tank case filled with toner, a toner supply port provided in the tank case, and a toner supply port as the toner tank moves. A first shutter that moves relative to the toner supply port to open and close the toner supply port, and a first lock portion that prevents movement of the first shutter, and the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus includes: A toner receiving port that can communicate with the toner supply port of the toner tank, and moves relative to the toner receiving port as the toner tank moves. A second shutter for opening and closing the toner receiving port,
A second lock portion for preventing movement of the second shutter, and the toner tank is provided with a second lock portion when the toner tank is applied to a mounting portion of the image forming apparatus. A second release portion for releasing the movement prevention of the shutter of No. 2 is provided, and the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus is provided with the first lock when the toner tank is applied to the mounting portion. A toner replenishing device, characterized in that a second releasing portion for releasing the movement prevention of the first shutter by the portion is provided. 2. The movement of the toner tank after applying it to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus is rotation, and the movement of the first shutter and the second shutter is also rotation. The toner supply device according to claim 1. 3. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein an elastically deformable foam member is provided in a gap between the first shutter and the tank case. 4. An elastically deformable foam member is disposed in a gap between the second shutter and a wall surface of the mounting portion having a toner receiving port.
2. The toner replenishing device described in 2 or 3.