JPH08114976A - Electrostatic copying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an electrostatic copying machine capable of reducing the number of parts and preventing waste toner from being reused, without keeping a large number of used toner bottles and toner recovering boxes at user's side. CONSTITUTION: A toner bottle is used for supplying toner to a developing unit and then, as a toner bottle 15b, to recover the waste toner from a recovering pipe 18. In the toner bottle, a rectangular groove (a supply preventing means and a deforming means) 37 is formed and when the toner bottle 15b is fitted to the recovering pipe 18, a tongue piece 38 is bent along the groove 37. Thus, even if the toner bottle 15b is fitted to the developing unit again, its closing plate is not opened so that the waste toner cannot be intentionally or accidentally supplied to the developing unit again.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrostatic copying machine equipped with a toner cartridge which can be used for both supplying and collecting toner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a conventional electrostatic copying machine. In the figure, reference numeral 1 indicates a photosensitive drum. Around the photoconductor drum 1, a charging corotron (not shown), a developing device 2, a transfer device (not shown), and a cleaning device 3 are arranged. The developing device (toner supply unit) 2 is provided with a toner supply box 4. A user supplies toner 6 from a toner bottle 5 to the toner supply box 4. In this way, in the developing device 2, the toner 6 is once accumulated in the toner supply box 4, and the toner 6 is supplied from the toner supply box 4 toward the photosensitive drum 1.

The photosensitive drum 1 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, its surface is partially charged by a corotron, and toner is attached to the charged portion by the developing device 2. Then, as the photosensitive drum 1 rotates, the toner is transferred to a sheet (recording carrier) not shown by the transfer device. After that, the waste toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 without being transferred to the sheet reaches the cleaning device 3. The cleaning device 3 is provided with a cleaning blade 7, and the cleaning blade 7 is brought into pressure contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, so that the residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is scraped off. There is. The waste toner contains small particles of toner, paper dust and dust that are not sufficiently charged. Also,
A cleaning device provided with a brush or a magnetic roller instead of the cleaning blade 7 is also used.

The scraped-off waste toner 10 is collected by an auger (not shown) inside the cleaning device 3 and accumulated in a toner collecting box 9 through a collecting pipe (toner collecting section) 8.

[0005]

By the way, in the conventional electrostatic copying machine, the toner bottle 5 for supplying the toner 6 to the toner supply box 4 and the toner recovery box 9 for recovering the waste toner 10 from the recovery pipe 8 are provided. It is provided separately. Therefore, this is a cause of increasing the number of parts used in the electrostatic copying machine.

Further, the toner bottle 5 is practically useful only for delivering the toner 6 manufactured at the factory to the user of the electrostatic copying machine, and the toner recovery box 9 is provided.
However, it is only used to collect the accumulated waste toner 10. Normally, the empty toner bottle 5 after use and the toner collection box 9 in which the waste toner 10 is stored are collected by the manufacturer of the copying machine. Must be stored in, and the space for the shelf 11 and the like for that is taken up.

As a technique for solving this problem, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-173783 discloses an electrostatic copying machine in which toner is supplied by a toner cartridge, waste toner is collected, and the collected toner is supplied again. However, as described above, the waste toner contains small particles of toner, paper dust, and dust that are not sufficiently charged, and therefore the image quality is always deteriorated when reused. Therefore,
In the current situation where high quality images are required, it is not preferable to reuse the collected waste toner, and rather, it should be prevented from being reused by the user.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, can reduce the number of parts, and can store waste toner without using a large number of used toner bottles and toner recovery boxes. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrostatic copying machine that can prevent the reuse of paper.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the present invention, a toner supply unit for supplying a toner that adheres to a recording carrier to form an image, and a toner supplying unit that adheres to the recording carrier. The toner recovery unit that recovers the waste toner that has not existed, the toner supply unit, and the toner recovery unit can be faced to each other. When the toner supply unit is faced, the toner is supplied to the toner supply unit, A toner cartridge that collects waste toner from the toner collecting unit when faced to the collecting unit and a toner cartridge that collects toner to the toner supply unit after the toner cartridge faces the toner collecting unit. And a supply prevention means for preventing supply.

[0010]

According to the present invention, the toner cartridge supplies the toner to the toner supply section when the toner cartridge faces the toner supply section, and the toner recovery section when the toner cartridge faces the toner collection section. The waste toner is collected from the. In this way, the toner cartridge is also used for supplying and collecting toner, so the number of parts can be reduced, and it is necessary to store many used toner bottles and toner collection boxes in the hands of users. There is no. Then, after the toner cartridge is made to face the toner recovery unit, the supply prevention unit prevents the toner cartridge from supplying the toner to the toner supply unit. This can prevent the waste toner from being reused by mistake.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the figure, parts corresponding to the parts in FIG. 11 are assigned the same reference numerals and explanations thereof are omitted. (1) First Embodiment A. First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an electrostatic copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this electrostatic copying machine, the developing device 2 is not provided with the toner supply box 4 shown in FIG. 11, and the toner bottle (toner cartridge) 15a is provided.
The toner is directly supplied by. A collecting pipe 18 is connected to the cleaning device 3, and a toner bottle 15b is attached to the collecting pipe 18. The toner bottle 15b is a toner bottle that has been emptied by supplying the toner 6 to the developing device 2. The waste toner 10 scraped off the surface of the photoconductor drum 1 by the cleaning device 3 is collected by an auger (not shown) inside the cleaning device 3, and the toner bottle 15 is collected through a recovery pipe (toner recovery unit) 18.
It is designed to be stored in b.

FIG. 2 shows a connecting portion between the toner bottle 15a and the developing device 2. A toner supply port 19 is provided on the upper part of the developing device 2.
When the toner bottle 15a is not attached, the toner supply port 19 is closed by the closing plate 20. The closing plate 20 is movable in the lateral direction, and the pin 2 is provided at the right end of the closing plate 20 in the figure.
1 is fixed. The pin 21 is fitted in a long hole 23 formed at one end of the lever 22. This lever 22 is rotatably attached to a shaft 22a,
A long hole 24 is also formed at the other end of the lever 22.
A pin 26 is fitted into the pin 4.

This pin 26 is the core 2 of the solenoid 25.
It is fixed to the tip of 7. When energized, the solenoid 25 draws the core 27 inward by a magnetic force, and at this time, the lever 22 is rotated counterclockwise as shown by a virtual line in the figure, so that the closing plate 20 opens the toner supply port 19. It has become. Further, the pin 26 is always pulled to the left side in the figure by the spring 28, and the solenoid 2
5 is not energized and the magnetic force is not acting on the core 27, the core 27 is pulled out by the pulling force of the spring 28 and the lever 22 is returned to the position shown by the solid line.
9 is closed by a closing plate 20.

A guide plate 2 is provided around the toner supply port 19.
9 and 30 are erected, and a detection plate 31 for detecting attachment of the toner bottle 15a is arranged inside the toner supply port 19 in proximity to one guide plate 30. The detection plate 31 is movable in the lateral direction and is constantly urged toward the guide plate 29 by a spring (not shown). The detection plate 31 has a wedge shape, and a slope 31a thereof faces upward and inside the toner supply port 19. When the toner bottle 15a is mounted in the guide plates 29 and 30, the toner bottle 15a is
The edge portion 36 forming the toner inlet / outlet abuts on the inclined surface 31a of the detection plate 31, and the detection plate 31 is pressed toward the guide plate 30 as shown by an imaginary line.

A switch 32 is arranged immediately below the guide plate 30. The switch 32 is provided in the circuit 33 that energizes the solenoid 25. When the detection plate 31 is pressed toward the guide plate 30, the switch 32 closes the circuit 33 by being pressed by the detection plate 31. As a result, the solenoid 25 is energized, and the closing plate 20 moves to open the toner supply port 19 as described above. In this way, when the toner bottle 15a is mounted on the developing device 2, the detection plate 31
Detects this, the closing plate 20 is moved, and the toner 6 can be supplied to the developing device 2 from the toner bottle 15a. Reference numeral 34 indicates a DC power source of the circuit 33.

Toner bottle 15a mounted on the developing device 2
Is supplied to the toner 6 and once emptied, is connected to the recovery pipe 18 as a toner bottle 15b. FIG.
(A) shows a connection portion between the recovery pipe 18 and the toner bottle 15b. A protruding portion 35 is formed on one surface of the outer circumference of the end portion of the recovery pipe 18. This overhang 35
The outer surface of the is an inclined surface facing downward and outward.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the toner bottle 1
The edge portion 36 of 5b has a rectangular shape, and the toner 6 is supplied to the developing device 2 and the waste toner 10 is collected from the collecting pipe 18 through the inlet / outlet on the inside. A groove (supply preventing means, deforming means) 37 is formed near the rim portion 36 and inside the toner bottle 15b. The groove 37 is composed of two portions cut from the rim portion 36 toward the bottom of the toner bottle 15b and a portion connecting these two portions, and is about half the thickness of the toner bottle 15b. Have depth. As a result, when a force is applied from the inside of the toner bottle 15b, the wall of the toner bottle 15b is bent along the groove 37 into a rectangular shape, and the tongue piece 38 surrounded by the groove 37 can be easily removed.

When the toner bottle 15b is connected to the collecting pipe 18, the side of the collecting pipe 18 on which the tongue piece 38 of the toner bottle 15b is provided is aligned with the side of the protruding portion 35. In this state, collect the toner bottle 15b into the recovery pipe 1
When pushed in toward 8, the tongue piece 38 is pushed by the overhanging portion 35, and the tongue piece 38 is broken along the groove 37. The broken tongue piece 38 is completely cut off by the user. In this way, once the toner bottle 15b is attached to the recovery pipe 18, the shape of the toner bottle 15b is changed.

B. Operation of the Embodiment Next , the operation of the electrostatic copying machine of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the toner bottle 15a for supplying toner containing the new toner 6 is
The toner 6 is supplied to the developing device 2. The developing device 2 attaches the toner 6 to the surface of the charged photosensitive drum 1. Toner 6 attached to the surface of the photosensitive drum 1
Is transferred onto a sheet (recording carrier) not shown. The waste toner 10 remaining on the surface of the photoconductor drum 1 is removed by the cleaning device 3, collected by an auger (not shown) inside the cleaning device 3, and discharged through the recovery pipe 18.

When the toner bottle 15a is attached to the developing device 2, the rim portion 36 of the toner bottle 15a is inserted between the guide plate 29 and the detection plate 31, as shown in FIG. As a result, the rim portion 36 of the toner bottle 15a comes into contact with the detection plate 31, and the rim portion 36 is moved to the right in the drawing. Then, the switch 32 is closed, and a current flows through the solenoid 25 through the circuit 33. As a result, the core 27 of the solenoid 25 projects, the lever 22 rotates counterclockwise in the figure, the closing plate 20 moves from the toner supply port 19, and the toner 6 is supplied from the toner bottle 15a to the developing device 2. It will be possible.

If all the toner 6 in the toner bottle 15a is supplied and the toner bottle 15a becomes empty,
The toner bottle 15a is removed from the developing device 2. At this time, the detection plate 31 is moved to the left in the drawing by being pulled by a spring (not shown), the switch 32 is opened, and the solenoid 25 is not energized. As a result, the force to be drawn into the solenoid 25 does not act on the core 27, the core 27 is pulled by the spring 28 and protrudes, and accordingly, the lever 22 pivots clockwise, and the closing plate 20 again. The toner supply port 19 is closed.

The empty toner bottle 15a is used as a toner bottle 15b for collecting the toner for collecting the waste toner 10. The toner bottle 15b is connected to the recovery pipe 18. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3A, the tongue piece 38 is broken and completely separated by the user. Then, the waste toner 10 discharged through the recovery pipe 18 is accumulated in the toner bottle 15b.
When the waste toner 10 is stored in the toner bottle 15b by a predetermined amount or more, the toner bottle 15a is removed from the collection pipe 18 by the user.

Now, FIG. 4 shows a state in which the toner bottle 15b in which the waste toner 10 is accumulated is attached to the developing device 2.
Also in this case, the rim portion 36 of the toner bottle 15b is inserted between the guide plate 29 and the detection plate 31. However, since the tongue piece 38 is separated from the toner bottle 15b, the detection plate 31 cannot be pressed by the rim portion 36 of the toner bottle 15b. Therefore, the switch 32 does not close the circuit 33, and the solenoid 25 is not energized, so that the lever 22 also remains stopped at the position shown. Therefore, the closing plate 20 keeps closing the toner supply port 19, and the waste toner 10 is removed from the toner bottle 15b.
Cannot be supplied to the developing device 2 again.

The toner bottles 15a and 15b cannot be inserted between the guide plate 29 and the detection plate 31 unless the side on which the tongue piece 38 is formed faces the detection plate 31. ing. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 (B), the convex portion 4 is formed on the wall different from the tongue piece 38 of the lip 36.
It is only necessary to provide a concave portion, which is formed to be 0, at a position corresponding to the convex portion 40 of the portion that receives the rim portion 36 of the developing device 2 and which fits with the convex portion 40. Thus, the toner bottles 15a and 15b
Since the toner bottle 15b cannot be mounted on the developing device 2 when the orientation is changed, the detection plate 31 cannot be pressed on the side where the tongue piece 38 of the toner bottle 15b is not cut off. Supplying the waste toner 10 to the developing device 2 is completely prevented.

According to this embodiment, the same toner bottles 15a and 15b are used for supplying the toner 6 and the waste toner 1.
Since it can also be used for collecting 0, it is not necessary to use the toner collecting box 9 as in the conventional case. Further, in this embodiment, the toner 6 is directly supplied from the toner bottle 15a to the developing device 2, and the provision of the toner supply box 4 is omitted. Therefore, the number of parts used in the electrostatic copying machine can be reduced, and the manufacturer can save the manufacturing cost of these parts. Further, it is not necessary for the user to store a large number of used toner bottles and toner collection boxes, and it is possible to more effectively utilize the space conventionally used as a storage space.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the toner bottle 15b is attached to the recovery pipe 8, the waste toner 10 cannot be supplied to the developing device 2 by the toner bottle 15b, so that the user intentionally or neglects. This makes it possible to prevent the waste toner 10 from being reused,
This makes it possible to maintain the quality of the image quality formed on the paper. Also, this is the toner bottle 1 in the collection pipe 8.
This can be easily achieved by cutting off the tongue piece 38 when mounting the 5b.

Further, in this embodiment, the toner bottle 15a used as a toner cartridge for supplying and collecting toner is a groove 37 in a normal toner bottle.
It is manufactured by simply forming a toner, and therefore can be used for supplying toner to other types of electrostatic copying machines.

(2) Second Embodiment A. Configuration of Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The basic structure of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above,
Toner bottle used, toner supply port 49 of developing device 2
The configuration of the recovery pipe 58 is different in the vicinity. First, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the structure of the toner bottle 45a used in the second embodiment and the vicinity of the toner supply port 49 of the developing device 2 in which the toner bottle 45a is mounted. As shown in the figure, the toner supply port 49
Guide plates 50 and 51 are provided upright in the vicinity of, so that the edge portion 46 forming the toner inlet / outlet of the toner bottle 45a can be easily inserted. A closing plate 52 is arranged immediately below the toner supply port 49. The closing plate 52 is rotatable about a shaft 53. When the rim portion 46 of the toner bottle 45a is inserted into the toner supply port 49, it is pressed by the rim portion 46 and the toner supply port 49. Is designed to open. Further, a spring (not shown) is attached to the closing plate 52, and when the toner bottle 45a is not attached to the toner supply port 49, the closing plate 52 is made horizontal by this spring and the toner supply port 4 is closed.
9 is closed.

The toner bottle 45a has a wide shoulder portion 54 formed at a predetermined length from the rim portion 46, and the shoulder portion 54 and the bottom portion have the same cross section. Further, a groove (supply preventing means, deforming means) 47 is formed from the rim portion 46 of the toner bottle 45a to the vicinity of the shoulder portion 54. The groove 47 includes a portion parallel to the rim portion 46 and a plurality of portions perpendicular to the rim portion 46, and has a depth of about half the thickness of the toner bottle 45a. As a result, when a force is applied from the inside of the toner bottle 45a, the wall of the toner bottle 45a is broken along the groove 47 into a rectangular shape, and the tongue piece 48 surrounded by the groove 47 remains continuous in the circumferential direction of the toner bottle 45a. It is designed to be easily removed (see Figure 6).

FIG. 6A shows a connecting portion between the recovery pipe 58 and the toner bottle 45b. An overhanging portion 59 is formed on the entire outer peripheral surface of the end portion of the recovery pipe 58. The outer surface of the overhanging portion 59 is formed as a slope facing downward and outward.

B. Operation of Embodiment Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the toner bottle 45 a is attached to the toner supply port 49. At this time, the edge portion 46 is guided by the guide plates 50 and 51, inserted into the toner supply port 49, and abuts on the closing plate 52. The closing plate 52 is thereby rotated to open the toner supply port 49. In this way toner bottle 4
The toner 6 to be used is supplied to the inside of the developing device 2 from 5a.

If all the toner 6 in the toner bottle 45a is supplied and the toner bottle 45a becomes empty,
The toner bottle 45a is removed from the developing device 2. At this time, the closing plate 52 is rotated upward by a spring (not shown), so that the toner supply port 49 is closed again.

The empty toner bottle 45a is used as a toner bottle 45b for collecting the toner 10 for collecting the waste toner 10. The toner bottle 45b is connected to the recovery pipe 58. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the tongue piece 48 is broken and completely separated by the user. Then, the waste toner 10 discharged through the recovery pipe 58 is accumulated in the toner bottle 45b. Then, when the waste toner 10 is accumulated in the toner bottle 45b by a predetermined amount or more, the toner bottle 45a is removed from the recovery pipe 58 by the user.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the toner bottle 45b in which the waste toner 10 is accumulated is attached to the developing device 2. In this case as well, the rim portion 46 of the toner bottle 45b is attached to the guide plate 5
Insert it between 0 and 51. However, toner bottle 4
Since the tongue piece 48 is separated from 5b, the shoulder portion 54 abuts the guide plates 50 and 51, and the closing plate 52 cannot be pressed by the rim portion 36 of the toner bottle 45b. Therefore, the toner supply port 49 is not opened, and the toner bottle 45 is not opened.
The waste toner 10 cannot be supplied to the developing device 2 from b.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the tongue piece 48 is cut off over the entire circumference of the toner bottle 45b, so that the waste toner 10 is completely prevented from being supplied to the developing device 2 by the toner bottle 45b. There is. Therefore, the first
It is possible to achieve the same effect as the embodiment. Further, unlike the first embodiment, it does not matter which side of the toner bottle faces the guide plate 50 or 51 when it is mounted on the developing device 2.

(3) Third Embodiment A. Configuration of Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of an electrostatic copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The basic structure of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment,
The configurations of the used toner bottle 65, the vicinity of the toner supply port 49 of the developing device 2, and the recovery pipe 68 are different. First, FIG. 8 shows a toner bottle 65a used in the third embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a structure in the vicinity of a toner supply port 49 of the developing device 2 in which the toner is attached. As shown in the figure, guide plates 50 and 51 are provided upright near the toner supply port 49, which facilitates insertion of the rim portion 66 of the toner bottle 65a. Further, the closure plates 20 and 52 are not arranged immediately below the toner supply port 49.

In the vicinity of the edge portion 66 forming the toner inlet / outlet of the toner bottle 65a, a moving belt (supply preventing means,
A movable closing means) 69 is provided. The moving belt 69 has a groove formed on one surface and is connected to the other surface while being thin, so that the moving belt 69 is bendable. For this reason, the moving belt 69 is bent at a corner formed by the edge portion 66 of the toner bottle 65a and the side surface, and is movable up and down along the outer wall surface of the toner bottle 65a. However, if the moving belt 69 can be bent freely in this way, it is also possible to use a flat thin plate as the moving belt.

As shown in FIG. 9, the toner bottle 65
A large number of hook-shaped guides 70 are arranged in a,
The moving belt 69 is guided by these guides 70 so as to pass from the wide side surface of the toner bottle 65a through the end surface of the rim portion 66 and move to the other wide side surface. A handle 71 is attached to the end of the moving belt 69, and the moving belt 69 runs when the user operates the handle 71.

Further, a ratchet 72 is formed on one wide side surface of the toner bottle 65a. Handle 7
The end (not shown) of 1 passes through the moving belt 69 and is meshed with the ratchet 72. The ratchet 72 allows the moving belt 69 to move only in the direction of the arrow in the figure. Furthermore, the moving belt 69
An opening 73 is formed in the center of the. This opening 73
Is substantially the same size as or smaller than the toner inlet / outlet port of the toner bottle 65a. With such a configuration, the moving belt 69 covers the edge portion 66 of the toner bottle 65a to close the toner inlet / outlet in the state shown in FIG. 8, and when the opening 73 is aligned with the edge portion 66 as shown in FIG. The toner inlet / outlet is opened, and in the state shown in FIG. 10, the mouth edge portion 66 is covered again to close the toner inlet / outlet.

As shown in FIG. 9, the recovery pipe 68 has a rectangular uniform cross section, and is not provided with the protrusions 35 and 59. The reference numeral 75 indicates a guide plate. This guide plate 75 is fixedly arranged near the recovery pipe 68, and a rectangular cutout 76 is provided on one side thereof.
Are formed. Toner bottle 65b as described later
When is opposed to the recovery pipe 68, the handle 71 penetrates into the notch 76. A sliding plate 77 is arranged above the cut 76, and an optical sensor 78 is fixed below the cut 76. When the optical sensor 78 detects the handle 71, it is driven by a motor (not shown) and the sliding plate 77 slides downward to enter the notch 76,
At other times, the sliding plate 77 is adapted to retract from the cut 76.

B. Operation of Embodiment Next, the operation of the third embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the toner bottle 65 a is attached to the toner supply port 49 by inserting the edge portion 66 together with the moving belt 69 into the guide plates 50 and 51. At this time, the edge portion 66 of the toner bottle 65a is covered by the end portion of the moving belt 69 on the handle 71 side, and the toner inlet / outlet inside the edge portion 66 is closed. From this state, when the user pulls up the handle 71, the opening 73 is aligned with the toner inlet / outlet of the toner bottle 65a. by this,
The toner 6 to be used is supplied from the toner bottle 65a into the developing device 2. Toner bottle 6
When all the toner 6 inside 5a is supplied and the toner bottle 65a becomes empty, the toner bottle 65a is removed from the developing device 2.

The empty toner bottle 65a is used as a toner bottle 65b for collecting the toner 10 for collecting the waste toner 10. At this time, from the state shown in FIG. 9, by pushing the toner bottle 65b in the direction of the arrow, the rim portion 66 of the toner bottle 65b faces the end surface of the recovery pipe 68. Below the recovery pipe 68, a cradle and a fitting means (not shown) are arranged, and the toner bottle 65b is placed on the cradle and fitted into the fitting means. Then, the handle 71 is arranged in the notch 76 of the guide plate 75 as described above.

At this time, the optical sensor 78 detects the handle 71, and the sliding plate 77 enters the notch 76. After this, the waste toner 10 discharged through the recovery pipe 68
Are accumulated in the toner bottle 65b. When the waste toner 10 is stored in the toner bottle 65b in a predetermined amount or more, the toner bottle 65a is removed from the collection pipe 68 by the user. At this time, since the sliding plate 77 has entered the notch 76, the user pushes down the handle 71, avoiding the sliding plate 77 and notching the handle 71.
Remove from inside 6.

As a result, the optical sensor 78 is moved to the handle 71.
Is no longer detected, the sliding plate 77 rises and retracts from the notch 76, and another toner bottle 65b can be attached here. Further, when the handle 71 is pushed down, the moving belt 69 moves, and this time, the edge portion 66 of the toner bottle 65 b is covered by the end portion of the moving belt 69 on the side opposite to the handle 71, and the edge portion 66 of the toner bottle 65 b is covered. The toner inlet / outlet inside is closed again.

By thus closing the toner inlet / outlet of the toner bottle 65b in which the waste toner 10 is accumulated, even if the toner bottle 65b is attached to the developing device 2,
The waste toner 10 cannot be supplied to the developing device 2 from the toner bottle 65b. As described above, the ratchet 72 prevents the moving belt 69 from moving in the direction opposite to the arrow. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from reusing the waste toner 10 intentionally or by mistake. As described above, also in the third embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0046]

As described above, according to the electrostatic copying machine of the present invention, since the toner cartridge is used for both supplying and collecting the toner, the number of parts can be reduced. There is no need to store a large number of used toner bottles and toner collection boxes in the hands of users. Then, after the toner cartridge is made to face the toner recovery unit, the supply prevention unit prevents the toner cartridge from supplying the toner to the toner supply unit.
This can prevent the waste toner from being reused by mistake.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an electrostatic copying machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounted state of a toner bottle (toner cartridge) and a developing device (toner supply unit) used in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the toner bottle of the first embodiment is attached to a collection pipe (toner collection unit), and FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the toner bottle.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the toner bottle after being attached to the recovery pipe in the first embodiment is attached to the developing device again.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounted state of a toner bottle and a developing device used in the second embodiment.

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the toner bottle of the second embodiment is attached to the recovery pipe, and FIG. 6B is a plan view showing the tongue piece separated from the toner bottle at this time.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the toner bottle after being attached to the recovery pipe in the second embodiment is attached to the developing device again.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounted state of a toner bottle and a developing device used in the third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the toner bottle of the third embodiment is about to be attached to the recovery pipe.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the toner bottle after being attached to the recovery pipe in the third embodiment is attached to the developing device again.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a conventional electrostatic copying machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 photoconductor drum, 2 developing device (toner supply unit), 3
Cleaning device, 6 toner, 10 waste toner, 15
a, 15b Toner bottle (toner cartridge), 1
8 collecting pipe (toner collecting part), 19 toner supply port, 20 closing plate, 22 lever, 25 solenoid,
32 switch, 35 protruding portion, 36 rim portion, 37
Groove (supply preventing means, deforming means), 38 tongue piece, 45a,
45b toner bottle (toner cartridge), 46
Mouth edge portion, 47 groove (supply preventing means, deforming means), 48
Tongue piece, 49 Toner supply port, 52 Closure plate, 58 Collection pipe (toner collection part), 59 Overhang part, 65a, 6
5b toner bottle (toner cartridge), 66 rim, 68 collection pipe (toner collection part), 69 moving belt (supply preventing means, closing means), 70 guide, 7
1 handle, 72 ratchet, 73 openings.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A toner supply unit that supplies toner that adheres to a recording carrier to form an image, a toner recovery unit that collects waste toner that has not adhered to the recording carrier, the toner supply unit, and the toner supply unit. It is made possible to face the toner collecting unit, and when faced to the toner supply unit,
When the toner is supplied to the toner supply unit and is faced to the toner collecting unit, a toner cartridge for collecting waste toner from the toner collecting unit and a toner cartridge after the toner collecting unit is made to face the toner cartridge are collected. An electrostatic copying machine comprising: a toner supply unit that prevents toner from being supplied to the toner supply unit by the toner cartridge. 2. The supply preventing means is a deforming means provided in the toner cartridge and adapted to deform when the toner cartridge is attached to the toner collecting portion. Electrostatic copier. 3. The supply preventing means is movably attached near the toner inlet / outlet of the toner cartridge,
The electrostatic copying machine according to claim 1, wherein the electrostatic copying machine is a moving closing unit that closes the toner inlet / outlet.