JPH08297399A - Bottle having hole opening and closing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a bottle having a hole opening and closing device capable of automatically opening and closing an opening part of the bottle housing a material at the time of replenishing the material and finishing the replenishment. CONSTITUTION: The toner bottle 10 provided with the bottle 11 housing toner, a cap 12 for opening and closing the opening part 13 and a spring 15 for pulling the cap 12 so as to close the opening part 13 is mounted by sliding toward a charging port 26 for charging the toner to a sliding part 23 on a charging device 20 provided with a shape memory spring 22 made of a shape memory alloy memorizing the state of pulling the cap 12 so as to open the opening part 13, having a force larger than that of the spring 15 in the memorized state and a force smaller than that of the spring 15 in the non-memorized state, the charging port 26 for charging the toner and the slide part 23 arranged between them. The toner is replenished to the charging port 26 by opening and closing the cap 12 with the state of the shape memory spring 22.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container having a hole opening / closing device, which is used, for example, in a toner replenishing device for replenishing toner to a copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a toner replenisher or a toner cartridge is often used in which the opening is covered with a sealing material.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a structure of a conventional toner replenishing device and a state of replenishing toner to a copying machine (actually developed sho 60).
-145452). FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an initial state of toner replenishment, and FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a state of toner replenishment. As shown in FIG.
The mouth of the toner replenishing device 1 containing the toner is provided with the sealing material 2
Covered with. When supplying toner to the copying machine,
The end portion of the seal material 2 of the toner replenishing device 1 is hooked on the pin 4 provided on the toner input port 3 side of the copying machine. And
As shown in FIG. 5B, the toner replenishing device 1 is inserted as it is toward the hopper (not shown) of the copying machine. During the insertion process, the sealing material 2 is peeled off, the toner contained in the toner replenishing device 1 drops, and the toner is replenished to the hopper of the copying machine.

There has also been proposed one in which the mouth portion is not covered with a sealing material.

FIG. 6 is a view showing the structure of the conventional toner bottle and a state of replenishing toner to a copying machine (see Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 59-9364). FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an initial state during toner replenishment, and FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a state in which toner is replenished. As shown in FIG. 6A, the mouth of the toner bottle 5 containing the toner is closed by the plug 8. A screw 6 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the toner bottle 5. When the toner is supplied to the copying machine, the direction of the hopper (not shown) of the copying machine is rotated while rotating the toner bottle 5 in accordance with the thread cutting provided on the toner inlet 7 side of the copying machine. Insert into. During the insertion process, the stopper 8 is unscrewed in the toner bottle 5 by the stopper 8 so that the toner contained in the toner bottle 5 drops and toner is supplied to the hopper of the copying machine. Become.

[0006]

However, in such a conventional toner replenisher, when the toner is completely replenished in the hopper and the toner replenisher is removed from the toner inlet, the mouth of the toner replenisher is Since the toner remains open, the toner remaining in the toner replenisher scatters from the mouth of the toner replenisher, thus contaminating the clothes of the worker and the copying machine.

Even when no toner remains in the toner replenishing device, scattered toner is attached around the mouth of the toner replenishing device inserted into the toner inlet, so that the clothes and body of the worker are The problem of soiling remains.

In view of the above conventional problems, the present invention has a container having a hole switch capable of automatically opening and closing the mouth portion of the container containing the material at the time of replenishing the material and at the end of the replenishment. The purpose is to provide.

[0009]

The present invention according to claim 1 comprises a container for containing a material, a lid for opening and closing a mouth portion thereof, and a closing means for acting on the lid so that the mouth portion is closed. ,
The container stores a state in which the lid acts so that the mouth portion opens, and the force of action in the stored state is larger than the force of action of the closing means, and the force of action in the non-memory state is An opening means made of a shape memory alloy having a force smaller than that of the action of the closing means, an input port for inputting the material, and a slide part arranged between them are provided in the slide part. It is mounted by being mounted and then being slid from the sliding portion toward the insertion port, the lid is locked to the opening means in the mounting process, and the opening means is in the non-memory state by the movement of the lid. When the shape memory alloy is deformed and the material is charged into the charging port, the force of the opening means exceeds the force of the closing means by making the shape memory alloy of the opening means memorize. The lid is After opening from the mouth portion and charging the material, the shape memory alloy of the opening means is changed from the memorized state to the non-memory state so that the force of the closing means exceeds the force of the opening means. A container having a hole switch, wherein a lid closes the mouth.

A second aspect of the present invention is the container having a hole switch according to the second aspect, wherein the closing means is a spring.

[0011]

According to the present invention of claim 1, first, the container stores the material. The closing means acts on the lid to close the mouth of the container. In the process of attaching the container to the charging means,
The lid is locked to the opening means, and the movement of the lid deforms the non-memory shape memory alloy of the opening means. When the material is charged into the charging port, the shape memory alloy of the opening means is set in a memorized state so that the force of the opening means exceeds the force of the closing means and the lid opens from the mouth portion.
After the material is charged, the shape memory alloy of the opening means is changed from the memorized state to the non-memory state so that the force of the closing means overcomes the force of the opening means and the lid closes the mouth portion. close.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings showing the embodiments thereof.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of a container having a hole switch according to the present invention. 2 is a perspective view of the toner bottle, and FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view thereof. First, referring to FIG. 3, a toner bottle 1 as an example of a container
The configuration of 0 will be described. That is, the bottle 11 of the toner bottle 10 is a bottle-shaped container that stores toner. The lid 12 is a plate-like lid for opening and closing the mouth portion 13 of the bottle 11. The handle 14 is a handle for pulling the lid 12 when the mouth 13 of the bottle 11 is opened.
It is a part that is formed integrally with the lid 12 by protruding to the lower side of the side. The spring 15 is a closing mechanism, and is the mouth portion 13 of the bottle 11.
Is a spring that pulls the lid 12 in order to close the lid 12. The adapter 16 houses the lid 12 and the spring 15, and is an adapter for attaching the lid 12 so as to cover the mouth portion 13 of the bottle 11. One end of the spring 15 has a lid 12
Is fixed to one side of the, and the other end is fixed to the adapter 16. Then, the spring 15 pulls the lid 12 by the pulling force, and the lid 12 closes the mouth portion 13 of the bottle 11.

Next, referring to FIG. 1, the structure of the charging device 20 as an example of the charging means will be described. That is, the feeding device 20 is a part of the copying machine and is a device for replenishing the toner. The input port 26 is an input port of the copying machine for supplying toner. An insulating plate 27 is provided above the entrance of the charging port 26. The insulating plate 27 is provided by sliding the toner replenishing device 10 to the input port 26.
It has a slide portion 23 which is an area for arranging above. The slide portion 23 is a conductor and is laminated on the insulating plate 27. The lock 21 is a conductor and is used for hooking the handle 14 to open the lid 12 of the toner bottle 10. Then, the lock 21 is provided with the slide portion 23.
The lock 21 is arranged so that it can slide up, and the lock 21 in the initial state is arranged at the end of the slide portion 23 on the opposite side of the insertion port 26. The shape memory spring 22 is a spring-shaped shape memory alloy made of a nickel-titanium alloy material, and stores the shape in a contracting direction. The transformation temperature of the shape memory spring 22 is 60 to 70 ° Cmax.
The traction force of the shape memory spring 22 when it becomes the memorized state is
It is stronger than the traction force of the spring 15, and its traction force in the non-memory state is weaker than the traction force of the spring 15. One of the shape memory springs 22 is fixed to the lock 21 which is a conductor, and the other is fixed to the insulating plate 27. Slide part 23 which is a conductor
Is connected to the terminal 24b of the switch 24. The power supply 25 is a power supply, and one terminal is connected to the remaining terminal 24a of the switch 24 and the other terminal is connected to the shape memory spring 2.
It is connected to the one fixed to the second insulating plate 27.
A switch 28 arranged near the end of the input port 26 on the side opposite to the slide portion 23 in the input port 26 is a switch for detecting whether or not the toner bottle 10 is sufficiently attached to the input port 26, and is controlled. It is connected to the circuit 29. The control circuit 29 outputs a control signal to close the switch 24 when the switch 28 detects that the toner bottle 10 is attached to the input port 26.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

In FIG. 1, the toner bottle 10 is set in the charging device 20 in the direction of arrow 30. FIG. 4A shows the set state. At this time, the lock 21 is in a state of being caught by the handle portion 14. Then, the switch 24 in FIG. 1 is in an open state, and the shape memory spring 22 is in a contracted but non-memorized state. In this state, in the direction of arrow 31, the toner bottle 10
Slide.

FIG. 4 shows the slid state.
(B). In this case, since the shape memory spring 22 is in the non-memory state, its traction force is weaker than the traction force of the spring 15, and the shape memory spring 22 is extended. When the toner bottle 10 has finished moving to the inlet 26, the toner bottle 10 contacts the switch 28 shown in FIG. 1 to turn it on. As a result, the switch 28 detects that the toner bottle 10 is attached to the input port 26, and outputs the detection result to the control circuit 29. When the detection result is input, the control circuit 29 outputs a control signal to the switch 24 to close the switch 24. When the switch 24 is closed, the shape memory spring 22, the lock 21,
A current flows in the direction of the slide portion 23 and the switch 24, and the temperature of the shape memory spring 22 rises. Control circuit 29
So that the temperature of the shape memory spring 22 becomes the transformation temperature,
The opening / closing control of the switch 24 is performed according to the energization time. As a result, when the temperature of the shape memory spring 22 reaches the transformation temperature,
The pulling force becomes stronger than the pulling force of the spring 15, and the locking 2
1 pulls the handle 14 and opens the lid 12.

FIG. 4C shows the state.
The control circuit 29 of FIG. 1 determines completion of replenishment of toner to the hopper unit based on the time elapsed after the switch 28 is turned on, and opens the switch 24 to stop energizing the shape memory spring 22. The shape memory spring 22 returns to the non-memory state when the energization is stopped, the pulling force thereof becomes weaker than the pulling force of the spring 15, and the lid 12 is closed by the pulling force of the spring 15. The state is the same as that shown in FIG. When the toner bottle 10 is slid and pulled out in this state, the toner replenishment is completed.

In this embodiment, the shape memory spring 22 is automatically energized by the switch 28, the control circuit 29 and the like, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration.
For example, the operator may press the energizing button to operate.

Further, in this embodiment, the locking 21 and the shape memory spring 22 are separate parts, but the invention is not limited to this, and the locking 21 and the shape memory spring 22 are integrally formed by a shape memory alloy. It may be a molded part.

Further, in the present embodiment, the control circuit 29 controls the transformation temperature according to the energization time, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a thermocouple is attached to the shape memory spring 22, and thereby the temperature is controlled. It may be detected and the transformation temperature may be controlled.

Further, in the present embodiment, the control circuit 29 judges the completion of the replenishment of the toner to the charging port 26 based on the elapsed time. However, the present invention is not limited to this. May be provided to measure the mass of the toner replenishing device 10 and make a determination based on the change.

[0023]

As is apparent from the above, according to the present invention, the opening and closing of the mouth of the container for containing the material can be easily realized by the ordinary spring and the shape memory alloy without using a mechanism such as a motor. It has the advantage that it can be made. Then, for example, when the material is toner, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent the problem that the clothes of the worker and the copying machine are soiled when the material is supplied by automatically opening and closing the mouth of the container.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of a container having a hole switch according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a toner bottle of this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view of the toner bottle of this embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the operation of this embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a structure of a conventional toner bottle using a sealing material and a state of supplying toner to a copying machine.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the structure of a conventional toner bottle that does not use a sealant and how toner is supplied to a copying machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 ... Bottle 12 ... Lid 15 ... Spring 20 ... Loading Device 21 ... Locking 22 ... Shape Memory Spring 23 ... Sliding Part 26 ... Loading Port

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] June 9, 1995

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Claim 2

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Mikiko Hashimoto 1-228 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture Mita Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Katsuya Tanaka 1-2-2 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture No. 28 Inside Mita Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A container for accommodating material, a lid for opening and closing the mouth portion thereof, and a closing means for acting on the lid so that the mouth portion is closed. The container is so constructed that the mouth portion is opened. Memorize the state that acts on the lid,
The force of action in the memorized state is larger than the force of action of the closing means, and the force of action in the non-memory state is smaller than the force of action of the closing means; It is mounted by being put on the slide part by a charging means having a charging port for charging the material and a slide part arranged between them, and then being slid from the sliding part toward the charging port. In the mounting process, the lid is locked to the opening means, the shape memory alloy in a non-memory state of the opening means is deformed by the movement of the lid, and when the material is charged into the charging port, By making the shape memory alloy of the opening means memorize, the force of the opening means overcomes the force of the closing means to open the lid from the mouth portion, and after opening the material, the opening means Form of By the memory alloy from a state in which the stored in the non-storage state, the container having a bore switch said lid force of the closing means is superior to the force of the opening means, characterized in that closing the opening portion. 2. The container having a hole switch according to claim 2, wherein the closing means is a spring.