JPH08179612A - Toner container - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a toner container capable of preventing a discharge port from being clogged by adhesive toner and stabilizing toner discharge amount per unit time by reducing the toner adhering in a toner containing part. CONSTITUTION: The toner container 11 is provided with a scraping member 101 for scraping the toner adhering to the inner wall surface of the container on the inside. The scraping member 101 is constituted of a supporting member 102 and a flexible member 103, and the member 103 is formed of material such as 'Mylar(R)'. The member 103 is attached to the supporting member 102 and one end of the member 103 is fixed in a groove 104 formed in a cap 13. The other end of the member 103 is rotatably supported by a projection 105 formed at the bottom part of the container 11. Thus, the member 103 rubs the inner wall surface with the rotation of the container 11, so that the toner adhering to the inner wall surface is scraped and the toner in the container 11 is effectively utilized.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile or a printer, and more specifically, a toner used while rotating a main body of an accommodating section for accommodating toner in a state of being attached to a toner replenishing apparatus. It concerns a container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The applicant of the present invention has previously attached a cap member having a toner discharge port to a toner discharge port of a main body of the container as a toner container of this type. A shutter that opens and closes the toner discharge port is provided on the cap member, and the housing main body can be rotated while the cap is not rotated when the cap is attached to the toner replenishing device. A toner container has been proposed that can reduce or prevent toner leakage from the toner container when the toner container that is used while rotating the container body that contains the toner is mounted on the toner replenishing device body (Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 10 (1999) -135242). 5-80095).

[0003]

However, in the above structure, toner adheres to the inner wall surface of the toner container due to physical or electrostatic attraction of the toner, and the adhered toner is removed only by the rotation operation. There are things you can't do. Therefore, there is another problem that the toner adhered to the inner wall surface remains in the toner container and is not effectively used. In addition, the discharge amount per unit time may change greatly depending on the amount of toner staying in the vicinity of the discharge port. For example, when the amount of toner stored in the toner storage container is large, the toner storage The toner that has moved in the container and stayed in the vicinity of the opening collapses due to the force of the toner that has further moved toward the opening. Then, the discharge amount suddenly increases only at that time, and thereafter, the discharge is performed by the rotation of the toner container, so that the toner discharge amount is not stable. Further, when the amount of toner existing near the discharge port is large, the discharge port may be blocked by the compressed toner due to the compression due to gravity. Further, there is a problem in that a lump larger than the discharge port is generated, which may cause a decrease in discharge amount.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. A first object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of toner adhering to the inside of the toner storage portion and to effectively use the stored toner. , The second purpose is
It is an object of the present invention to provide a toner container capable of preventing clogging of a discharge port due to adhered toner and stabilizing the discharge amount per unit time.

[0005]

In order to achieve the first object, a toner container according to a first aspect of the invention is a cylindrical toner container having an opening for discharging toner, and a toner container of the toner container. A cap member having a toner discharge port attached to the opening, and a shutter member for opening and closing the toner discharge port of the cap member, and the toner container rotates when the cap member is in a non-rotating state, In the toner container for feeding the toner into the toner replenishing device, the cap member is provided with a scraping member for scraping the toner by rubbing the inner wall surface of the toner containing portion. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the toner container according to the first aspect, wherein the scraping member is provided so as to rub against an upper wall surface of the toner containing portion in the gravity direction. To do.

In order to achieve the second object, a toner container according to a third aspect of the invention has a cylindrical toner container having an opening for discharging toner and a rotatable toner container in the opening of the toner container. And a shutter member for opening and closing the toner discharge port of the cap member. When the cap member is in a non-rotating state, the toner containing portion is rotated and the main body of the apparatus is rotated. In the toner container for feeding toner into the toner container, a toner guide member for guiding the toner discharged from the toner container to the toner discharge port is extended into the toner container from above the toner discharge port of the cap member. It is characterized in that it is provided so as to be taken out.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner container in which a cylindrical toner container having an opening for discharging toner and a cap member having a toner discharge port attached to the opening of the toner container are provided. A toner container that has a shutter member that opens and closes a toner discharge port of the cap member, rotates the toner container with the cap member in a non-rotating state, and sends toner into the apparatus main body. An agitating member for agitating the toner contained in the toner accommodating portion is provided inside.

[0009]

In the toner container according to the first aspect of the present invention, while the toner container is rotated, the scraping member provided on the cap member is in a non-rotating state, so that the toner container is installed in the toner container. The scraping member scrapes the toner adhering to the inner wall surface of the toner accommodating portion while sliding on the inner wall surface of the toner accommodating portion by being rotationally driven by the side driving means.

In the toner container according to the second aspect, a gap is generated between the toner contained in the upper inner wall surface of the toner container and the toner contained in the toner container as the toner is consumed. Therefore, by providing the scraping member so as to rub against the upper portion of the toner containing portion, the toner containing portion is provided as compared with the case where the scraping member is provided at a portion other than the upper portion of the toner containing portion. With the rotation, the force applied from the toner to the scraping member decreases.

In the toner container of claim 3, the toner guide member is provided so as to extend from the upper portion of the discharge port of the cap member to the inside of the toner container. The rotating force prevents a large amount of toner in the container from being discharged from the discharge port. In addition, near the outlet,
The toner is not compressed by its own weight.

In the toner container according to the present invention, the toner accommodating portion rotates, whereas the toner stirring member provided on the cap member does not rotate. Therefore, the toner accommodating portion is driven by the driving means. By being rotationally driven, the agitating member agitates the toner in the toner accommodating portion, and crushes the toner lumps and the like when they exist near the discharge port. As a result, the amount of toner discharged per unit time according to the rotation of the toner storage unit is stabilized, and the discharge port is not blocked by the toner lump or the like.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a toner container detachably attached to a toner replenishing device of an electrophotographic copying machine (hereinafter referred to as a copying machine) which is an image forming apparatus will be described below. First, a configuration example of the entire toner replenishing device capable of using the toner container according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the entire toner replenishing device, and FIG.
It is an XX sectional view inside. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 40 represents a drum-shaped photosensitive member, and reference numeral 41 represents a developing device provided with a developing roller (not shown) disposed in an opening facing the surface of the photosensitive member 40. The toner container holding portion 30 of the toner replenishing device of this example holds the toner container 11 in a substantially horizontal state in front of the photoconductor 40 and the developing device 41, and Axis 40 is photoconductor 40
And a position that is swung about 90 degrees around the vertical lines AA and BB in the figure so that the rear end of the toner container 11 is on the front side. It is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus by an attachment mechanism so as to be swingable between them. The swinging position shown in the figure is a normal position where toner can be supplied to the developing device 41, and the swinging of 90 degrees is, for example, when the toner container 11 is replaced, the toner container 11 is attached to and detached from the toner container holder 30. Is performed at the time of moving to an easy 90-degree swing position.

In the toner replenishing device of this example, in addition to the toner container holding portion 30 and the like described above, the toner container 11 is also provided.
Toner transport unit 4 for transporting the toner discharged from the inside of the image forming apparatus in which the developing device 41 is disposed.
2 and a hopper portion 43 for accommodating the toner conveyed in communication with the toner conveying portion 42 and supplying the toner to the developing device 41 as needed. Both are fixedly attached to the developing device 41. In the figure, the member indicated by reference numeral 44, which is visible in the broken portion of the hopper portion 43, is
A toner feeding plate that extends into the toner feeding portion 42 and the hopper portion 43 and feeds the toner to the inner side by rotation. Similarly, reference numeral 45 is provided at the communication port of the hopper portion 43 with the developing device 41. Toner supply roller. As shown in FIG. 6, the toner conveying portion 42 has a front end portion which is a toner passage opening 3 of a partition plate 35 in the cover portion 32.
7, which is located immediately below the upper surface 5 of the toner container holder 30.
The upper part is opened to receive the toner falling through the toner flow-down opening 51 formed in 0. Reference numeral 52 is a manual shutter for blocking the portion directly below the toner flow opening 51 at the time of maintenance. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a toner sensor 46 for detecting the toner inside is provided in the toner transport unit 42.

In the toner replenishing device of this example, as shown in FIG. 5, a roller 55 for supporting the rear end portion of the toner container 11 is attached to the toner container holding portion 30 and the cover portion 32 is provided. A shaft 33a of a shutter connecting portion 33 (see FIG. 4A described later) rotatably attached is connected to an operating portion 34 by a connecting member 34a which is always urged clockwise by a spring (not shown). . This connecting member 3
4a is a substantially arcuate hole 48 formed so as to be concentric with the shaft 33a, and the cover portion 3 is inserted into this hole 48.
The turning range is restricted by the stepped screw 49 planted in the two end walls. This rotation range is, for example, a clockwise rotation limit, and the shutter coupling portion 33 receives the shutter side engagement portion 22 of the shutter 18 in the closed state of the cap opening 17 as shown in FIG. The shutter connecting portion 33 is set to take a possible position, and at the counterclockwise rotation limit, the shutter connecting portion 33 takes a position where the shutter 18 opens the cap opening 17 as shown in FIG. Is set as follows. For example, when the toner storage container 11 is replaced, the spring returns the shutter connecting portion 33 to the position of the clockwise rotation limit and holds the shutter connection part 33 after the toner storage container 11 is replaced. At this time, the shutter connecting portion 33 ensures that the shutter side engaging portion 22 can be received. Of course, after the toner container 11 is mounted, the shutter connecting portion 33 can hold the connecting member 34a even at the counterclockwise rotation limit position where the shutter 18 opens the cap opening 17. For this purpose, for example, the shape of the hole 48 is set to a shape capable of exerting a locking function in the vicinity of the position of the counterclockwise rotation limit, and a predetermined force or more (at least larger than the biasing force of the spring). The lock is unlocked so that it cannot be rotated clockwise unless the operation section 34 is operated with.

Further, the toner replenishing device of this example, as shown in the YY cross section in FIG. 5 which is also shown in FIG.
A plate 53 with a slit is provided so that the leading edge portion contacts the peripheral surface of the toner supply roller 45. Note that FIG.
In the figure, reference numeral 54 is a motor for driving the drive transmission gear 31, and reference numeral 56 is an annular projection portion formed integrally with the driven transmission portion 14. If the annular projection 56 is brought into contact with a portion adjacent to the tooth portion of the drive transmission gear 31, the driven transmission portion 14 and the drive transmission gear 31 can be provided with a positioning function, and the toner By contacting the upper edge portion of the container holding portion 30, it is possible to provide the function of supporting the toner storage bottle 12 at the contacting upper edge portion.

Next, an embodiment of the toner replenishing device main body suitable for using the toner container 11 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a method of mounting the toner container 11 according to the embodiment on the main part of the toner supply device main body. The toner replenishing device of this embodiment has a toner container holding portion 30 for holding the toner container 11, a rotation driving means for the toner container 12, a cap 13 locking mechanism, and a shutter opening / closing mechanism. There is. The toner container holder 30 is configured to rotatably support the toner container 12 of the toner container 11. As in the illustrated example, a lid-shaped cover portion 32 for supporting the cap 13 of the toner container 11 may be provided in order to prevent the toner from scattering to the outside. The drive means is configured to engage with the driven transmission portion 14 of the toner storage bottle 12 mounted on the toner storage container holding portion 30 so that the toner storage bottle 12 can be rotationally driven. In the illustrated example, the drive transmission gear 31 partially exposed from the hole formed in the upper surface portion 50 of the toner container holding portion 30, and the drive transmission gear 31 disposed below the upper surface portion 50 for driving the drive transmission gear 31. Drive motor 54 (see FIG. 6). The cap 13
The locking mechanism engages with the cap-side engaging portion 19 of the toner containing bottle 12 mounted on the toner container holding portion 30, and even if the toner containing bottle 12 is rotationally driven by the driving means, the cap 13 It is configured so that it can be locked so that it does not go around. In the illustrated example, the cap side engaging portion 19 having a width y (greater than x) and a height that allows the cap side engaging portion 19 having a width x to enter the upper portion of the peripheral wall of the cover portion 32.
It is formed so as to project upward so as to form a working entry space, and the side portion of this peripheral wall projecting portion 32a is used as a locking portion. That is, the cover portion 32 constitutes the cap 13 locking mechanism. The shutter opening / closing mechanism is configured to displace the shutter 18 so as to engage with the shutter side engaging portion 22 of the toner storage bottle 12 mounted on the toner storage container holding portion 30 to open the cap opening 17. To do. In the illustrated example, a shutter connecting portion 33 having a recessed portion rotatably supported in the center of the end wall of the cover portion 32 and into which the shutter side engaging portion 22 can be fitted, and an outer side of the end wall of the cover portion 32. This shutter connecting part 33 protruding up to
And an operating portion 34 attached to the shaft via a connecting member (not shown). In the illustrated example, the shutter connecting portion 33 and the like are housed in the space partitioned by the partition plate 35 in the cover portion 32.
The cap 13 of the toner container 11 is covered by the cover 32.
A connecting opening 36 is formed so that the shutter side engaging portion 22 can enter into the space when inserted into the space. Further, a toner passage opening 37 for allowing the toner from the cap opening 17 opened by the shutter mechanism to pass therethrough is also formed.

The toner container 11 is attached to and detached from the main body of the toner replenishing device as follows. In FIG. 4 (a), first, the cap side engaging portion 19 of the cap 13 and the peripheral wall protruding portion 32 a of the cover portion 32 are aligned so that the cap side engaging portion 19 enters the peripheral wall protruding portion 19. The toner container 11 is inserted into the cover portion 32. At this time, the shutter side engagement portion 22 (see FIG. 1A described later)
Enters the recess of the shutter connecting portion 33 through the connecting opening 36. Then, when this insertion is completed, the driven transmission portion 14 of the toner containing bottle 12 is engaged with the drive transmission gear 31. Next, as shown by the arrow, the operation portion 34 is moved to rotate the shutter connecting portion 33 via the shaft to which the operation portion 34 is fixed, whereby the shutter side engagement member fitted in the shutter connecting portion 33 is rotated. The shutter 18 is displaced to the open position of the cap opening 17 via the joint portion 22. FIG. 4B shows the state of the shutter 18 in this open position. Simultaneously with this operation, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 4A, the shutter side engaging portion 22 sneaks into the back side of the partition plate 35 fixed to the cover portion 32. Therefore, the toner container 11 is pulled in this state. Will not come out. That is, the partition plate 35 has a function of preventing the toner container 11 from coming off. This completes the mounting of the toner container 11. When taking out the toner container 11 from the toner replenishing device main body, the reverse operation is performed. (Hereinafter, margin)

Next, the toner replenishing operation of the toner replenishing device to which the toner container of this embodiment can be applied will be described with reference to FIG. The toner supply roller 45 of the hopper 43 is driven by a control signal from the image forming apparatus main body (not shown).
Toner replenishing roller 45 and slitted plate 53
As a result, a certain amount (amount of control signal time) of toner is replenished into the developing device 41. At this time, the toner feeding plate 44 of the hopper portion 43 also rotates at the same time to transfer the toner from the front end side of the toner conveying portion 42 toward the toner replenishing roller 45, and the toner is placed on the toner replenishing roller 45. During such a series of operations, the toner sensor 46 of the hopper 43 detects the presence / absence (level) of toner at that position. When a toner-free signal is thus detected, a drive signal is transmitted from a main body control (not shown) to the motor 54 for rotating the toner containing bottle 12, and a drive force (rotational force) is transmitted to the drive transmission gear 31. Further, via the driven transmission portion 14 of the toner storage container 11, the toner storage bottle 1
2 rotates. At this time, the cap 13 is locked and fixed to the peripheral wall protruding portion 32a of the cover portion 32, and only the toner containing bottle 12 rotates. During this rotation, for example, the annular protrusion 56 is supported on the upper edge of the toner container holder 30 on the cap 13 side of the toner storage bottle 12, and the other side is rotationally supported on the roller 55. Due to the rotation of the toner containing bottle 12, the toner contained in the toner containing bottle 12 is transferred to the cap opening 17 side by the toner feeding projection 15 and passes through the cap opening 17, the toner flow-down opening 51, etc., and the front end of the toner carrying unit 42. To the hopper 43 side by the toner feeding plate 44. As a result, when the toner sensor 46 detects the presence of toner, the motor 54 stops and the rotation of the toner containing bottle 12 also stops.

Next, the toner container 11 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b). FIG.
1A is an exploded perspective view of the toner container 11, and FIG. 1B is a vertical sectional view of the toner container 11. Toner container 11
Is a cylindrical bottle 12 having one end opened, a cap 13 rotatably attached to the bottle, and a driven transmission portion 14 for receiving a rotational driving force from a toner replenishing device main body described later. It consists of and.

The bottle 12 is provided with a spiral toner feeding projection 15 on the inner surface of the peripheral wall thereof, and the toner containing bottle 1
When 2 rotates, the contained toner is transferred to the bottle opening end 16 side by the toner feeding protrusion 15. This toner feeding projection 15 works particularly effectively when the mounting posture of the toner replenishing device main body is horizontal or the bottle opening end 16 is located higher as shown in FIG. 1B. To do. If the bottle opening end 16 is located below, the toner is discharged by gravity, so that it is not necessary to provide the protrusion 15 in particular.

Further, the cap 13 is rotatably attached to the toner containing bottle 12 in order to prevent the toner containing bottle 12 from rotating even when the toner containing bottle 12 is rotationally driven in a state of being attached to a toner replenishing device main body described later. There is. In the illustrated example, the projection 1 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the opening end of the toner containing bottle 12.
2a is formed, and an engagement protrusion 13a is formed on the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion of the cap 13 so as to engage with the protrusion 12a. Each of the protrusions has a shape such that once it is caught, it does not come off in the axial direction, and relative rotation of the cap 13 and the toner storage bottle 12 around the axis is possible.
The so-called patch method is adopted. Cap 13
A cap opening 17 for discharging toner is formed on the side wall of the toner containing bottle 12 that covers the bottle opening end 16. It is desirable that the shape of the cap opening 17 has a shape with as little discharge resistance as possible, for example, a fan shape that widens toward the lower side as illustrated. Further, the cap opening 17 is a cap that engages with a cap locking portion (32a in FIG. 2A) on the main body side so that the cap opening 17 does not rotate when the toner storage bottle 12 described later is driven and rotated when the toner replenishing device main body is mounted. The side engaging portion 19 is formed. Since the cap side engaging portion 19 needs to be aligned when the toner container 11 is attached to the main body, it is desirable that the cap side engaging portion 19 be as easy to understand as possible. For example, the shape, size, arrangement, etc. should be understood at a glance. Resin such as ABS and PS (polystyrene) can be used as the material of the body of the cap 13 described above.

Reference numeral 25 in FIG. 1A indicates a seal member fixed to the toner containing bottle 12 in order to prevent the toner from scattering from the clearance between the cap 13 and the toner containing bottle 12. As the material, it is desirable to select a material such as foamed polyurethane or rubber that is economically less changeable in order to prevent toner leakage. Further, by selecting a surface friction coefficient as small as possible, it is possible to reduce the load of rotational driving of the toner containing bottle 12 in the toner supply device main body. To reduce this load, it is effective to reduce the friction coefficient of the peripheral surface of the cap 13, which is a sliding partner. The seal member that prevents the toner from scattering from the clearance between the peripheral surface of the cap 13 and the toner containing bottle 12 may be attached to the cap 13 instead of being attached to the toner containing bottle 12. In this case, since the sliding partner is the peripheral surface of the toner storage bottle 12, reducing the friction coefficient of this peripheral surface is also effective in reducing the load of the rotational drive of the toner storage bottle 12. The cap 13
And the toner scattering from the gap of the toner storage bottle 12,
In the case of sealing up to the gap between both peripheral wall facing portions as in the illustrated example, the workability of attaching the seal member is better when it is attached to the outer surface of the peripheral wall of the toner containing bottle 12. in this case,
In the case where the both engaging portions are also formed on the peripheral wall facing portion as in the illustrated example, a seal member is provided at a position farther from the bottle opening end 16 than the engaging portion so as not to damage the seal member when the cap 13 is attached. It is desirable to install it.

A shutter 18 capable of opening and closing the cap opening 17 is attached to the body of the cap 13. In the illustrated example, a fan-shaped shutter 18 having a size capable of covering the bottle opening end 16 is rotatably attached by a patch-type engagement between a shaft portion 20 of the shutter 18 and a shaft hole 21 at the center of the end wall of the cap 13. A shutter guide 24 for guiding the shutter 18 is also formed on the main body of the cap 13.
The shutter 18 is also formed with a shutter-side engaging portion 22 that engages with a shutter opening / closing mechanism in the toner replenishing device main body, which will be described later, and receives an opening / closing operation. As the material of such a shutter 18, a resin such as ABS or PS (polystyrene) can be used as in the bottle opening end 16.

Reference numeral 23 in FIG. 1A indicates a cap for preventing toner from scattering from the clearance between the end surface of the cap 13 and the shutter 18 near the cap opening 17 when the cap opening 17 of the cap 13 is closed. It is a seal member fixed to the opening 17. It is desirable to select foaming polyurethane, rubber or the like which is economically less changeable as the material for preventing toner leakage. Further, the load of opening / closing the shutter 18 can be reduced by selecting a material having a surface friction coefficient as small as possible. To reduce this load, it is effective to reduce the friction coefficient of the end surface of the cap 13, which is a sliding partner. The seal member for preventing toner from scattering from the gap between the cap end face in the vicinity of the cap opening 17 and the shutter 18 is not attached to the cap opening 17;
It may be attached to the end face of the cap 13 near the cap opening 17. In this case, since the sliding partner is the surface of the shutter 18, reducing the friction coefficient of this surface is also effective for reducing the load of the shutter opening / closing operation.

The driven transmission portion 14 can be formed by fitting a member having teeth formed on the peripheral surface of an annular member to the outer surface of the peripheral wall of the toner accommodating bottle 12 as in the illustrated example. FIG.
The part indicated by 27 in (a) is a protrusion 26 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the toner containing bottle 12 to ensure rotation transmission.
Is a notch that engages with. As in this example, instead of forming the driven transmission portion 14 by fixing a member different from the toner containing bottle 12 by adhering, fitting or the like to form the driven transmission portion 14, it is formed integrally with the toner containing bottle 12. It may be done (this is cheaper in cost). Further, instead of being formed on the outer surface of the peripheral wall of the toner containing bottle 12 as in the illustrated example, the rear end surface may be formed with an engageable shape such as concave or convex. In this case, of course, the engagement portion on the side of the rotation driving mechanism on the side of the toner replenishing device can also rotate and drive the toner storage bottle 12 by engaging with the engaged portion of a predetermined shape formed on the rear end surface of the toner storage bottle 12. To configure.

In addition to the above-described structure, the toner container of this embodiment has a structure as shown in FIG. 1B in order to prevent toner adhesion inside the toner container 11. There is. In FIG. 1B, a scraping member 101 for scraping off the toner adhering to the wall surface of the toner containing bottle 12 is provided inside the toner containing bottle 12. The scraping member 101 is the support member 10
2 and the flexible member 103. Of these, the flexible member 103 is formed in a corrugated shape using a material such as mylar, and specifically, when the flexible member 103 is brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the toner storage bottle 12, The toner storage bottle 12 is rubbed against the wall surface so that the concave portion has the toner storage bottle 1
It is formed so as to correspond to the spiral protrusion 15 formed in 2. The flexible member 103 is attached to the support member 102 and has one end fixed by a groove 104 formed in the cap 13. The other end is rotatably supported by a protrusion 105 formed on the bottom of the toner containing bottle 12. As a result, the flexible member 103 brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the toner storage bottle 12 slides on the inner wall surface due to the rotation of the toner storage bottle 12, so that the toner attached to the inner wall surface is scraped off one after another. Go. Therefore, since the adhered toner does not remain in the toner containing bottle 12, the toner can be effectively used. When the toner container 11 is set horizontally and the scraping member 101 is mounted upward as shown in FIG. 1B, a toner-free space is formed in the upper part of the toner container bottle 12. Therefore, there is an advantage that the resistance of the toner applied to the scraping member 101 by the rotation is small and the adhered toner removed from the wall surface can be dropped by gravity.

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are explanatory views according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of a toner replenishing device equipped with this toner container. Is. In this embodiment, in order to prevent the opening 17 from being compressed due to the weight of the toner and blocked, a cap 12 is provided with a toner guide member 106 as shown in FIG. 2C. There is. This toner guide member 106
Is formed inside the opening 17 of the cap 13 and has an eaves-like shape above the opening 17. In addition,
The conditions such as the shape and length of the eaves must be obtained in advance by experiments or the like, and set so that a large amount of toner will not be accumulated on the eaves. As a result, the toner is not compressed by its own weight in the vicinity of the opening 17, and it is possible to prevent the compressed toner from blocking the opening 17. Further, since the toner guide member 106 also plays a role of regulating the amount of toner discharged from the opening 17, the toner contained in the toner containing bottle 12 is contained in the bottle 12.
A large amount is not discharged from the inside of the bottle 12 due to the force of rotation of the bottle. Therefore, a stable amount of toner can be discharged per unit time.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory views according to still another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view of a toner replenishing device equipped with this toner container. In the present embodiment, unlike the above-described embodiments, the stirring member 107 is formed inside the cap opening 17 of the cap 13 and disposed near the opening 17 to stir the toner. As a result, the toner in the vicinity of the cap opening 17 is agitated,
In particular, when a large amount of toner is present, a large amount of toner accumulates in the vicinity of the opening 17 to reduce the discharge amount from the opening 17, and the opening 1 is formed by a lump larger than the opening 17.
It is also possible to prevent 7 from being blocked. In the illustrated example, the stirring portion is attached at a position facing the opening surface of the cap opening 17, that is, facing downward so that the toner that is still agglomerated is not discharged from the opening 17.
It is not preferable that the toner has a surface large enough to hinder the discharge of toner.

In each of the above embodiments, since the cap 13 does not rotate when the toner containing bottle 12 rotates, the opening 17 of the cap 13 can be maintained at a fixed position, and the toner is discharged according to the rotation. The position of the opening 17 can be stabilized compared to the case where the position of the opening 17 changes.

[0031]

According to the toner container of claim 1, since the scraping member scrapes the toner adhering to the inner wall surface of the toner container while rubbing the inner wall surface of the toner container, the toner container enters the toner container. It is possible to reduce the amount of toner that is no longer used due to the toner adhesion, and to effectively utilize the toner.

According to the toner container of the second aspect, since there is a toner-free space between the upper wall surface of the toner container and the contained toner, the scraping member is attached to the toner container. As compared with the case where the toner storage portion is provided on a portion other than the upper portion, the force applied from the toner to the scraping member is reduced with the rotation of the toner storage portion, and the load for rotating the toner storage portion can be reduced. it can.

According to the toner container of claim 3, since the toner guide member is provided above the discharge port of the cap member, the toner is not compressed by its own weight near the discharge port. No toner lumps are generated in the vicinity, and it is possible to prevent the toner discharge amount from decreasing and the discharge port from being blocked. Further, it is possible to prevent a large amount of toner in the container from being discharged from the discharge port due to the weight of the toner or the rotational force due to the rotation of the toner container. It is possible to discharge a stable amount of toner per unit time.

According to the toner container of claim 4, when the agitating member agitates the toner in the toner accommodating portion by the rotation of the toner accommodating portion, and a toner lump or the like exists near the discharge port. Since this is pulverized, it is possible to prevent the discharge port from being blocked by the toner lumps and the like. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the toner discharge amount from decreasing and to stably discharge the toner amount according to the rotation of the toner containing portion.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view of a toner container according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the toner container.

FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of a toner container according to a second embodiment. FIG. 3B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the toner container.

FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of a toner container according to a third embodiment. FIG. 3B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the toner container.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a main part of the toner supply device main body according to the embodiment. FIG. 6B is a perspective view showing the state of the shutter in the open position.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an entire toner replenishing device to which the toner container of the present invention can be applied.

FIG. 6 is an X-X cross-sectional view of a toner replenishing device including the toner container according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an X-X sectional view of a toner replenishing device including the toner container according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of the toner replenishing device including the toner container according to the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 11 toner container 12 toner container 13 cap 15 toner feeding protrusion 17 cap opening (toner discharge port) 18 shutter 22 shutter side engaging portion 26 protrusion 27 notch 30 toner container holding portion 45 toner supply roller 46 Toner sensor 101 Toner scraping member 102 Support member 103 Flexible member 104 Groove 105 Protrusion 106 Toner guide member 107 Toner stirring member

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A cylindrical toner container having an opening for discharging toner, a cap member having a toner outlet attached to the opening of the toner container, and a toner outlet of the cap member being opened and closed. And a shutter member for rotating the toner container with the cap member in a non-rotating state to feed toner into the toner replenishing device. A toner container comprising a scraping member for scraping the toner by rubbing the wall surface. 2. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the scraping member is provided so as to rub against an upper inner wall surface in the gravity direction of the toner container. 3. A cylindrical toner container having an opening for discharging toner, a cap member having a toner discharge port rotatably attached to the opening of the toner container, and toner of the cap member. A toner container that has a shutter member that opens and closes an outlet, and rotates the toner container with the cap member in a non-rotating state to feed toner into the apparatus main body. A toner container, wherein a toner guide member for guiding the toner discharged to the outlet is provided so as to extend from an upper portion of the toner discharge port of the cap member into the toner container. 4. A cylindrical toner container having an opening for discharging toner, a cap member having a toner outlet attached to the opening of the toner container, and opening and closing the toner outlet of the cap member. A toner container that has a shutter member for rotating the toner container while the cap member is not rotating and sends the toner into the apparatus main body. A toner container provided with a stirring member for stirring the stored toner.