JPH0876579A - Developer container and processing cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To prevent the developer from generation of a coarse particle and to suppress an image defect by disposing a packing member to the developer container supporting an agitation member of the developer and locking the supporting member of a drive side to the container with a snap pin and a washer. CONSTITUTION: The agitation member 18 comprising of the agitation plate 18a and the agitation wing 18b is held at both end of the agitation plate 18a by the agitation plate supporting member 10 and the agitation plate supporting member 11 integrally molded with the agitation gear 10b, and the agitation plate supporting member 10 and 11 is severally supported in freely rotatably by the sliding part 1b and 1c of the toner container main body 1. Then, by providing the snap pin hole 10c on the agitation member supporting member 10, the agitation plate supporting member 10 is engaged with the toner container main body 1 with the snap pin 30 and the washer 31. Moreover, the oil sealing as the packing member for the toner entering prevention is severally disposed between the agitation plate supporting members 10 and 11, and the sliding parts 1b and 1c. Thus, the agitation member 18 is rotated in a well balanced state, while preventing the developer from staying in the vicinity of the engaging part and entering into the packing member side, and the generation of the developer coarse particle is restrained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developer accommodating container of a developing device used in an image forming apparatus capable of forming a multicolor image centered on a full-color image, and a process cartridge having the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a printer which is a terminal device of information equipment such as a computer or CAD, or an image forming apparatus used in a facsimile, a copying machine or the like, an electrophotographic apparatus, that is, a photosensitive drum or the like is used. A device for obtaining a monochromatic or multicolor image by developing an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier with a developer is generally used.

Therefore, in this type of device,
It is necessary to replenish the developer, and there are the following replenishment methods.

First, a main body of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine is provided with a developer receiving container, and a developer supply container pre-filled with the developer for supplying the developer is provided separately from the image forming apparatus. Prepared as a consumption member, and when the remaining amount of the developer in the developer receiving container becomes small, the developer in the developer supplying container is supplied to the developer receiving container in the entire amount at once. There is a replenishment type container system.

Next, a developer supply container is prepared in the same manner as in the above method, but the developer supply container is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus without supplying the entire amount at one time, and then the developer supply container is used as it is. There is a so-called stationary container method in which the developer is gradually discharged to the developing device side by operating the developer stirring device until it is installed in the main body and the developer is used up.

Further, the photosensitive drum, the cleaning device, and the developing device pre-filled with the developer are integrally formed, or the photosensitive drum is disposed on the main body side of the image forming apparatus, and the cleaning device, the developing device, etc. There is a process cartridge system that is integrally formed with the image forming apparatus main body so that it can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body, and even in these methods, once the image forming apparatus main body is mounted, the built-in developer is used up,
By operating the developer agitator, the developer is gradually discharged from the developer storage portion provided in the cartridge to the developing sleeve and the photosensitive drum side.

Among these methods, regarding the method using the process cartridge and the stationary container, since the stirring member is rotatably provided in the developer accommodating portion as the developer stirring device, the stirring member is driven particularly. There is a problem that coarse toner particles are generated in the vicinity of the sliding portion of the supporting member of the stirring member to which the swirling gear is attached, and the generation of the coarse toner particles causes an increase in stirring torque.

Therefore, conventionally, a packing made of wool felt or the like for preventing toner from entering is provided near the sliding portion,
The generation of coarse toner particles is prevented.

[0009]

However, in the prior art as described above, particularly when used in a multicolor image forming apparatus such as a full-color image forming apparatus, not only the supporting member on the side where the stirring gear is attached but also the opposite side is provided. There is a problem that coarse toner particles are generated on both the supporting members.

Further, particularly when a color toner is used, the toner enters the wool felt, so that a large amount of coarse toner particles are generated in the vicinity of the supporting member by sliding on the inner wall of the container, which causes image defects such as white lines. In addition to the cause of the above, there is a problem that the coarse toner particles are caught in the sliding portion and the stirring torque is significantly increased.

Further, since the supporting member is locked to the developer accommodating container by the snap-fitting claw portion provided on the supporting member, both of them are rigid when the color toner which is easily melted is used. There is a problem in that toner enters between the claw portion for snapping and the inner wall of the container, and it is easy to generate coarse toner particles by sliding.

On the other hand, in order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to reduce the change rate of the melt viscosity of the toner or increase the melting start temperature. However, when such a toner is used, color mixing is insufficient, There is a problem in that a multicolor image having good image quality cannot be obtained.

The first invention of the present application has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to maximize toner coarse particles generated by rubbing of a stirring member in a developer container. It is an object of the present invention to provide a stable developer accommodating container which can suppress and obtain a stable multicolor image having no image defect and which has a very low stirring torque.

Another object of the second invention of the present application is to provide a developer accommodating container which can prevent the invasion of toner more reliably in order to achieve the above object.

Further, the object of the third invention according to the present application is to:
In order to achieve the above object, it is an object of the present invention to provide a developer accommodating container capable of further reliably preventing the intrusion of toner from the contact surface between the supporting member of the stirring member and the packing member.

A fourth object of the present invention is to suppress the coarse toner particles generated by the rubbing of the agitating member in the developer accommodating portion to the maximum extent and to provide a stable multicolor image free from image defects. The object is to provide a stable process cartridge that can be obtained and has a very low stirring torque.

Furthermore, the fifth object of the present invention is to:
It is an object of the present invention to provide a process cartridge capable of obtaining a multicolor image with sufficient color mixture and good image quality while achieving the above object.

Another object of the sixth invention of the present application is to provide a process cartridge capable of obtaining a multicolor image having a better image quality.

[0019]

According to the first invention of the present application, the above object is to provide a container frame for forming a developer accommodating portion, and agitate the developer by rotation in the developer accommodating portion. A developer storage container equipped with a stirring member for discharging and a supporting member for the stirring member that is rotatably supported by the container frame body and that supports the stirring member at both ends, and is loaded into the multicolor image forming apparatus. A packing member for preventing developer invasion is provided in the sliding portion of the container frame that supports the support member, and the driving-side support member is achieved by locking the container frame with the snap pin and washer. To be done.

According to the second invention of the present application, the above object can be achieved by the packing member for preventing the invasion of the developer being an oil seal in the first invention.

Further, according to the third invention of the present application,
The above-mentioned object is achieved in the above-mentioned first invention, in which the inner diameter of the packing member for preventing developer intrusion is smaller than the outer diameter of the supporting member on the driving side by 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm.

Further, according to the fourth invention of the present application, the above-mentioned object is a process cartridge which includes a developing device and is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. This is accomplished by having the developer container of the invention.

Further, according to the fifth invention of the present application,
The above-mentioned object is, in the above-mentioned fourth invention, including at least a colorant and a binder resin, and having a melting characteristic of an elevated flow tester as a melting start temperature + 5 ° C and a melting start temperature + 15 ° C. Common logarithm of melt viscosity of
This is achieved by containing a developer having an absolute value of the slope of the straight line of 0.05 log (poise) / ° C. or more when gη ′ is plotted with respect to temperature.

According to the sixth invention of the present application, the above object can be achieved by the melting start temperature of the developer being 70 to 105 ° C. in the fourth invention.

[0025]

According to the first invention of the present application, the packing member for preventing developer invasion is provided on both sides of the driving-side supporting member and the non-driving-side supporting member that support the stirring member at both ends. The stirring member rotates in a well-balanced manner, prevents the generation of coarse particles of the developer, and does not increase the stirring torque. Also, by locking the drive-side support member to the container with snap pins and washers, the developer is less likely to accumulate around the locking parts than when using snap-stop claws, and the washer is a barrier. Therefore, the developer is prevented from entering the packing member side, and the generation of coarse developer particles is suppressed. Thus, according to the present invention, the generation of coarse particles of the developer in the container is prevented, there is no image defect, and the stirring torque is stabilized at a very low level.

Further, according to the second invention of the present application, in the above first invention, an oil seal is used as the packing member for preventing the invasion of the developer, so that the developer for color is used. However, the invasion of the developer is suppressed without causing a problem that the developer enters the wool felt.

Further, according to the third invention of the present application,
In the first invention, the inner diameter of the packing member for preventing developer invasion is 0.1 mm to the outer diameter of the supporting member on the driving side.
Since the size is reduced by 1.0 mm, the degree of adhesion between the support member and the packing member is increased, and the invasion of the developer is suppressed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process cartridge which includes a developing device and is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. By providing the storage container, coarse particles of the developer are not generated, and a good image is obtained until the developer is used up.

Further, according to the fifth invention of the present application,
In the above-mentioned fourth invention, as a melting property by an elevated flow tester, which contains at least a colorant and a binder resin,
Melting start temperature of the developer + 5 ° C. temperature and melting start temperature +
When the common logarithm log η ′ of the melt viscosity at a temperature of 15 ° C. was plotted against the temperature, the developer whose absolute value of the slope of the straight line was 0.05 log (poise) / ° C. or more was stored. Good color mixture is obtained, and moreover,
As described above, the coarse particles of the developer are suppressed.

According to a sixth invention of the present application, in the above-mentioned fifth invention, the melting start temperature of the developer is 70 to 70.
Since the one having a temperature of 105 ° C. was used, good color mixing property was obtained,
Moreover, as described above, the coarse particles of the developer are suppressed.

[0031]

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

(First Embodiment) A first embodiment according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Here, as the order of description, (1) the overall configuration of a multicolor image forming apparatus that obtains a multicolor image using an electrophotographic system, (2) the configuration of a developing cartridge, and (3) the configuration of a developer storage container. , (4) The configuration of the packing member for preventing toner intrusion and the method of locking the supporting member on the stirring gear side will be described in this order.

(1) "Overall Structure of Multicolor Image Forming Apparatus" The image forming apparatus has an image carrier 100 at a substantially central portion as shown in FIG. 100
As such, a photosensitive drum having a photosensitive layer on its surface and rotatable according to an image forming operation is used.

An optical unit 107 is provided above the image carrier 100, and an optical unit 107 is provided on the image carrier 100 based on a video signal sent from a controller (not shown) by the optical unit 107. Image exposure is performed, and as a result, when a monochromatic image is formed, a latent image corresponding to the entire image is formed on the image carrier 100.
In the case of a multicolor image, latent images for each color are sequentially formed.

In the case of a monochrome image, this latent image is a developing cartridge D of each color arranged around the image carrier 100, that is, a yellow developing cartridge Dy, a magenta developing cartridge Dm, and a cyan developing cartridge D.
The toner image of any color is formed on the image carrier 100 by being developed by either c or the black developing cartridge Db.

In the case of a multicolor image, the image carrier 100
Each time it is formed on the upper surface, it is sequentially developed by the developing cartridge D of each color, and a toner image of each color is sequentially formed on the image carrier 100.

On the other hand, a transfer drum 103 is arranged on the side of the image carrier 100 opposite to the developing cartridge D, and the transfer drum 103 connects the leading end of the paper 102 supplied from the paper feeding unit 101 to the transfer drum 103. Gripper 1 on the outer circumference
It is gripped by 03f, held on the outer periphery by the rotation of the transfer drum, and conveyed to the image transfer portion facing the image carrier 100.

Then, the toner image formed on the image carrier 100 is transferred to the transfer drum 103 at the image transfer portion.
On the paper 102 held on the outer periphery of the sheet, it is transferred individually in the case of a single color, or sequentially superposed in the case of a multi-color,
A multicolor image composed of a monochromatic or four color toner image is obtained.

The sheet 102 on which the monochromatic or four-color toner image has been transferred is then separated from the transfer drum 103 and conveyed to the fixing unit 104, where the toner image is melted, and in the case of multicolor, the toner of each color is transferred. Color mixing is done, paper 1
After being fixed as a permanent image on the sheet No. 02, the sheet is discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 106 through the sheet discharge unit 105.

In the apparatus of this embodiment as described above, the developing cartridges D of the respective colors are held by the holding member (rotary unit) 108 of the developing cartridge switching mechanism, and are rotationally moved for selecting the developing cartridge.

The rotary unit 108 is in the shape of a four-leaf clover, and is provided with storage holes consisting of substantially semicircular cutouts at four locations along the circumferential direction.
Each developing cartridge D is housed and held in the housing hole in the thrust direction.

Further, the rotary unit 108 is provided with a pressing member 111 which rotates about a non-rotating central shaft (pressurizing control shaft) 110 and is slidably housed in the developing cartridge D direction. By the pressurizing action,
The developing position of the image carrier 100 of the developing cartridge D can be regulated.

(2) "Structure of Developing Cartridge" Each developing cartridge D is, as shown in FIG.
0 and a shell 13 that covers the developing device 20.

The shell 13 is a cylindrical member in which the developing device 20 is rotatably (automatically) housed, and the rotation support shaft 114 of the developing device 20 penetrates through the shell 13. However, there is no particular limitation as long as it is a means capable of rotatably supporting the shell 13 at both ends of the shell 13 and restricting the rotational position without using the rotation support shaft 114.

Legs (not shown) are provided on both sides of the shell 13, and the legs come into contact with the step 108a provided in the accommodation hole of the rotary unit 108 in FIG. The shell 13 is held in the storage hole so as not to rotate with respect to the rotary unit 108.

When the developing cartridge D is moved to the developing position on the surface of the shell 13 on the side opposite to the leg side,
An opening 13b is provided so that the developer carrier 15 of the developing device 20 in the shell 13 faces the image carrier 100.

On the other hand, the developing device 20 is roughly divided into a toner container 22 which is a developer accommodating container having a toner accommodating portion 19.
And a developing container 14 having a developing section 12.

In the toner container 19 of the toner container 22,
A stirring member 18 that stirs the toner t and conveys it to the developing unit 12.
In order to detect the remaining amount of toner in the toner storage portion 19 by a light transmission method, light transmission windows 3a and 3b are provided so as to face the optical path λ of the toner container 22, and the shell 13 is further provided. Also through the same optical path through holes 132a and 132b
Is provided.

Further, in the developing section 12 of the developing container 14, a developer carrying member 15, a toner carrying roller 17 for supplying toner thereto and stripping undeveloped toner thereon, and a developer carrying member. A developing blade 16 for controlling the layer thickness of the toner carried on the toner 15 and for giving an electric charge is provided.

Then, the toner container 22 and the developing container 1
4, both longitudinal ends are united by ultrasonic welding or the like,
Further, both ends of the short side are sealed with a spacer such as foamed polyurethane so that the toner does not leak from the developing cartridge D.

(3) "Construction of developer container" As shown in FIG. 3, the toner container 22 which is a developer container has a toner container body 1 and an entire circumference thereof by ultrasonic welding or the like. The opening width regulation plate 2 covers the container opening portion 5 so that the lid opening portion 6 sealed by the toner seal 9 comes to a predetermined position. .

As the material of the toner container body 1 and the opening width regulating plate 2, impact-resistant polystyrene or the like added with butadiene rubber or the like is used so as not to cause container cracking under the physical distribution conditions of dropping and impact as a product. Preferably, when the developing cartridge D is mounted in the main body, it is more desirable to add a bromine-based or phosphorus-based flame retardant so that it is difficult to ignite by a high-voltage power source, a heat fixing device, or the like.

However, the toner seal 9 may be directly sealed to the toner container body 1 without using the opening width regulating plate 2.

As shown in FIG. 4, the toner seal 9 seals the lid opening 6 of the opening width regulating plate 2 by heat sealing or the like, and the free end folded back, as shown in FIG. It may be fixed to the toner container body 1 by adhesion or heat sealing, or may be directly sealed to the toner container body 1.
The grip 40 is locked to the grip receiving portion 41 of the toner container body 1 shown in FIG.

The toner seal 9 is a film-like flexible sheet made of, for example, polyester, nylon, polyethylene, ethylene = vinyl acetate (= EVA) based adhesive laminated, and a thickness of about 50 μm to 200 μm. The degree is about 100 μm to 150 μm, more preferably about 100 μm to 150 μm.

Further, the toner seal 9 is fixed to the opening width regulating plate 2 with sufficient strength to prevent toner leakage due to temperature / humidity fluctuations, atmospheric pressure fluctuations, vibrations, drop impacts, and the like in the distribution process, and with sufficient strength to be opened. Let

This unsealing strength is set to 18 after the toner container 22 and the developing container 14 are combined as described above.
Maximum of 10 kg when folded back 0 degrees and pulled in the longitudinal direction
Or less, more preferably 7 kgf or less, and most preferably 5 kgf or less.
It should be below kgf.

As a method of fixing the toner seal 9 to the opening width regulating plate 2, heat sealing (hot plate pressure bonding), impulse sealing, ultrasonic welding, high frequency welding or the like can be used, and heat sealing is particularly preferable.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the seal pattern 9b can lower the unsealing strength when the front end and the rear end are formed in a mountain shape.

The smaller the angle of this chevron shape, the lower the unsealing strength, but it is preferably set to 100 to 170 degrees, more preferably 110 to 150 degrees, and most preferably 120 to 130 degrees. Conversely, the angle of this chevron shape is 90
If it is less than 100 degrees, the toner will be accumulated in the chevron-shaped portion, and the toner will be blown out at the time of opening, which is not preferable.

The toner is sealed as described above, and the toner t
As described above, the light transmitting windows 3a and 3b are engaged with each other by ultrasonic welding or the like in the body portion of the toner container main body 1 in which the light transmitting window 3a is stored.
And 3b are provided so as to face the optical path.

As the material of the light transmitting windows 3a and 3b, a light transmittance of about 85% or more can be secured at 900 to 940 nm, and the ultrasonic weldability with the toner container body 1 is good, and it is unlikely to break during welding. Material, eg GP-P
Transparent polystyrene such as S is preferable, and it is more preferable to add a flame retardant.

Since the main developing cartridge D needs to rotate around the image carrier 100 in the main body and to maintain the same system at any position, it needs to have a substantially cylindrical shape.
Along with this, the toner container body 1 also has a substantially semicircular cross section.

As described above, the toner container body 1 is provided with the stirring member 18 for stirring and discharging the toner in the toner storage portion 19 toward the developing portion 12 side.

Therefore, in order to uniformly agitate the inside of the toner accommodating portion 19 and to stably discharge the toner from the lid opening portion 6, on the agitating track of the agitating member 18, as shown in FIG. The stirring member sliding part 7 and the window tip sliding part 3a 'of the light transmitting window 3a are provided.

When the stirring member sliding portion 7 is molded by injection molding, since the sliding portion 7 is partially thick, there is a possibility that the opposite side may be greatly sinked or the flatness may be deteriorated. Since the thickness is greatly reduced due to the thick portion, the stirring member sliding portion 7 is integrally molded by hollow molding in which the hollow molding portion 7a is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the stirring member 18 comprises a stirring plate 18a and stirring blades 18b, and the stirring plate 1
Both ends of 8a are held by a stirring plate supporting member 10 and a stirring plate supporting member 11 which are integrally formed with a stirring gear 10b, and the stirring plate supporting member 10 and the stirring plate supporting member 11 are provided.
Are rotatably supported by the sliding portion 1b and the sliding portion 1c of the toner container body 1, respectively.

As a method of locking the stirring plate supporting member 10 formed integrally with the stirring gear 10b to the toner container main body 1, the stirring plate supporting member 10 is provided with a claw portion capable of being snapped, and the container inner wall is provided. There is also a method of locking, but in the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a method of providing a snap pin hole 10c in the stirring plate support member 10 and locking with a snap pin 30 and a washer 31 is used.

On the other hand, the stirring plate supporting member 11 has a sliding portion 1c.
As shown in FIG. 7, the sliding portion 1c also functions as a filling port at the time of toner filling while ensuring smooth rotational stirring of the stirring member 18. As described above, the cross rib 32 is located at the center, and after the toner is filled, the filling port cap 33 made of polyethylene or the like as shown in FIG. 8 is engaged.

(4) "Structure of Packing Member for Intruding Toner and Method for Locking Stirring Plate Supporting Member on Stirring Gear Side" The toner used in the multicolor image forming apparatus such as full-color according to the present invention is used in the fixing step. In color-fixed fixed image formation, sufficient color mixing is required. Therefore, as a characteristic of the main binder resin of the toner, it is necessary that the melt viscosity of the resin sharply decreases at a temperature higher than the melting start temperature (sharp melt characteristic), and this phenomenon improves image quality in multicolor image formation. Is used as a feature for.

On the other hand, during stirring endurance, a momentary temperature rise occurs due to sliding between the stirring plate support member that supports the stirring plate and the inner wall of the container of the sliding portion that supports the stirring plate. At this time, the sharp melt characteristic peculiar to the above-mentioned toner is the main cause of generation of toner coarse particles, and when the container configuration of the present invention as described below is not actually adopted, the toner coarse particles after stirring durability are It has been confirmed that a large amount is generated.

For example, melting start temperatures of 80 ° C., 85 ° C. and 9
When cyan, magenta, yellow, and black toners having the characteristic that the absolute value of the slope of the straight line obtained by plotting the log (η ′) of the respective melt viscosities η ′ at 5 ° C. against temperature are 0.12, The resulting multicolor image (full-color image) had good image quality with sufficient color mixture, but the generation of coarse toner particles in the container was remarkable. On the contrary, in the same container configuration, the absolute value of the slope of the straight line obtained by plotting the log (η ') of the melt viscosities η'at 110 ° C, 115 ° C and 125 ° C with respect to temperature is 0.03. When cyan, magenta, yellow, and black toners with the above characteristics are used, the generation of coarse toner particles in the container is greatly reduced, but the resulting multicolor image (full-color image) has extremely poor color mixture. It was enough and could not be put to practical use.

The melting start temperature and the melt viscosity (η ') in the present invention were measured using an elevated flow tester (CFT-500 manufactured by Shimadzu) as shown in FIG.

First, 1.0 was formed by using a pressure molding machine.
~ 1.5 g of developer sample 53 was heated at a heating rate of 5.0 ° C / mi
A load of 10 kgf is applied by the plunger 1 at n, and the plunger 54 is pushed out by a nozzle 54 having a diameter of 1 mm and a length of 1 mm, whereby the plunger drop amount (flow rate) of the flow tester is measured at 2.5 ° C. intervals.

FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the plunger drop amount thus measured and the temperature. In addition, when making a graph,
The temperature at which the slope of the graph changes from negative or from 0 to positive is defined as the melting start point.

Then, the outflow rate was obtained from the amount of plunger depression, and the melt viscosity η'was obtained by the following equation.

[0077]

## EQU1 ## η '= TW' / DW '= πR ⁴ P / 8LQ (p
However, TW ′ = PR / 2L (dyne / cm ² ) DW ′ = 4Q / πR ³ (sec ⁻¹ ) η ′: Apparent viscosity (poise) TW ′: Apparent shear reaction of the tube wall (dyne / cm ² ) DW ': Apparent shear velocity of the tube wall (1 / sec) Q: Outflow velocity (cm ³ / sec = ml / sec) P: Extrusion pressure (dyne / cm ² ) [10 kgf = 98
0 × 10 ⁴ dyne] R: Nozzle radius (cm) [0.1 cm] L: Nozzle length (cm) [0.1 cm]

Further, the slope of the common logarithm [= log (η ')] of the melt viscosity with respect to the temperature of the developer in the present invention is obtained as shown in FIG.

From the above results, in order to obtain a good color mixing property, the slope of the common logarithm of the melt viscosity is 0.05 log (p
It was found that the melting start temperature is preferably 70 to 105 ° C.

However, when the toner having the above-mentioned sharp melt characteristic is used, coarse toner particles are generated. Therefore, in the present invention, the toner container 22 having the structure shown in FIG. 3 is integrated with the stirring gear 10b. Stirring plate support member 10 and the other stirring plate support member 11 formed on
Between the sliding portion 1b and the sliding portion 1c, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a packing member 21 for preventing toner from entering.
To provide.

As the packing member 21, a disc-shaped wool packing (not shown) made of wool felt or the like is used when a toner having no sharp melt characteristics other than this case is used, but it has the sharp melt characteristics of this case. When the toner is used, since the toner gradually enters the wool felt and becomes coarse particles of the toner (packing phenomenon), and the stirring torque is significantly increased by the packed toner, the packing member 21 is surely secured. In this embodiment, an oil seal as shown in FIG. 14 is used so as to prevent the toner from entering.

As shown in FIG. 14, the packing member 21 is provided with a toner prevention portion 21c for preventing toner from entering, a core portion is provided with a rigid portion 21a made of a cold rolled steel plate, etc., and nitrile = butadiene = rubber (= NBR). ) Etc., it is the structure covered with the elastic part 21b.

By the toner prevention portion 21c, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the toner does not enter the stirring plate supporting member 10 and the stirring plate supporting member 11, the sliding portion 1b and the sliding portion 1c, and the toner is prevented. No coarse particles are generated.

The inner diameter 21d of the packing member 21 is the outer diameter 10d of the stirring plate support member 10 shown in FIG.
0.2 m from the outer diameter 11d of the stirring plate support member 11 shown in
m to 1.0 mm, preferably 0.3 mm to 0.8 mm,
More preferably, it is set smaller by 0.4 mm to 0.7 mm.

As a result, the toner does not enter from the contact surfaces of the stirring plate supporting member 10 and the stirring plate supporting member 11 with the packing member 21, and the stirring torque is not significantly increased due to the expansion of the packing member 21.

In this embodiment, the packing member 2
The inner diameter 21d of No. 1 is 7.6 on the stirring plate support member 10 side.
mm, 3.6 mm on the side of the stirring plate support member 11, while the outer diameter 10d of the stirring plate support member 10 and the outer diameter 11d of the stirring plate support member are 8.3 mm and 4 mm, respectively.
It was confirmed that the toner particles were smaller by 0.7 mm and 0.4 mm, respectively, and no coarse toner particles were generated during the stirring durability of the developing cartridge D, and that the stirring torque was not significantly increased.

Further, the packing member 21 is provided only on the driving side, that is, only on the stirring plate supporting member 10 side integrally formed with the stirring gear 10b, or on the non-driving side, that is, only on the stirring plate supporting member 11 side.
With the provision of, the occurrence of coarse particles was significantly increased.

The reason for this is that when the packing members 21 are provided on both the driving side and the non-driving side, the stirring member 18 can rotate and stir in a very well balanced manner, whereas the packing member 21 is provided on only one side. This is because the stirring member 18 is not rotated and stirred in a well-balanced manner, and the toner is rubbed against the sliding portion 1b or the sliding portion 1c on the side without the packing member 21.

Therefore, in the toner container 22 used in the multi-color image forming apparatus such as the full-color image forming apparatus of the present invention, the packing members 21 are provided on both the driving side and the non-driving side to operate the stirring member 18 in a balanced manner. , To prevent the generation of coarse particles.

By the way, as a method of locking the stirring plate support member 10 made of polyacetal resin or the like and the toner container body 1, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 17, a snap pin hole 10c is provided and a snap pin and a washer are used. There are a method of locking and a method of locking by providing a claw portion 10e for snapping as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, but the claw portion 10e and the inner wall of the toner container body 1 may be used during stirring durability. Toner coarse particles are liable to be generated, and in particular, the sharp melt characteristic toner used in the multi-color image forming apparatus of the present invention such as full color is easy to be sharp melt. Coarse toner particles are likely to be generated due to sliding between and.

Therefore, in this embodiment, FIG. 15 and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, a method of providing a snap pin hole 10c and locking with a snap pin and a washer is adopted.

The snap pin 30 formed by deforming a round bar such as SUS304 having a U shape is shown in FIGS.
As shown in 0, one side of the U shape is snap pin hole 10
It is inserted in c, and the other side is hooked in conformity with the outer shape of the stirring plate supporting member 10 and is engaged with the stirring plate supporting member 10 at the central semicircular portion.

Further, the disk-shaped washer 31 securely fixes the stirring plate supporting member 10 between the snap pin 30 and the inner wall of the toner container main body 1 and also has a cushioning function, and the material thereof is SUS304 or the like. Alternatively, an elastic material such as nitrile = butadiene = rubber (NBR) may be used.

In the system using the claw portion for snap-fastening, the reason for the extremely large number of coarse toner particles generated during stirring durability is as follows.

First, in the case of the system using the claw portion for snap-fastening, the movable hole 10 of the claw portion 10e shown in FIGS.
This is because the toner always enters the f and easily accumulates, and the constantly accumulated toner slides between the claw portion 10e and the inner wall of the toner container main body 1 to increase coarse toner particles.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, since there is some play between the stirring plate support member 10 and the sliding portion 1b, the toner that has entered into the packing member 21 up to the toner prevention portion 21c is agitated. This is because the sliding portion 10g of the stirring plate supporting member 10 and the sliding portion 1b of the container rub against each other due to the slight misalignment rotation.

On the other hand, the snap pin 30 and the washer 31
In the case of the method of locking by the above, since the snap pin 30 is a deformed metal round bar, the stirring plate support member 10
Also, when the snap pin 30 is rotated, the toner is not accumulated between the snap pin 30 and the washer 31 and is swept in the opposite direction, so that coarse toner particles are not generated. Further, the washer 31 serves as a wall, and unlike the snap-fastening method, almost no toner enters the toner prevention portion 21c of the packing member 21, and the generation of coarse toner particles can be further suppressed.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 16, in the stirring plate support member 11 as well, the collar portion 11e serves as a barrier to prevent the toner from entering the toner prevention portion 21c of the packing member 21.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the gear portion 10b of the stirring plate supporting member 10 may be a helical gear having a rotation angle of 10 to 25 degrees. As a result, the pressing force of the stirring gear in the thrust direction is strengthened, and the toner sealing property of the packing member 21 thereby is further improved.

By the way, as a method of engaging the stirring member 18 with the stirring plate supporting member 10 and the stirring plate supporting member 11,
As shown in FIG. 21, the convex portions 18 e and 18 f provided on the stirring plate 18 a of the stirring member 18 are respectively provided with the groove portion 11 a of the stirring plate support member 11 and the groove portion 1 of the stirring plate support member 10.
0a is inserted and fixed.

Groove portion 11a of the stirring plate supporting member 11 at this time
And the groove portion 10a of the stirring plate support member 10 and the stirring plate 18a
The fitting backlash with the convex portions 18e and 18f is preferably 0.02 mm to 0.2 mm, more preferably 0.03 m.
m to 0.15 mm, most preferably 0.04 mm to
About 0.1 mm is used.

Further, as shown in FIG. 22, a groove rib 11c is provided in the groove 11a of the stirring plate supporting member 11, so that the groove rib 11c can be fixed to the convex portion 18e of the stirring plate 18a as loosely as possible. The distance 11L is shorter than the thickness of the stirring plate 18a by about 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm.

As the stirring plate 18, a rigid body made of a metal plate such as SUS304 having a thickness of about 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm and having a stirring plate light transmitting portion 18d at the center is used.

The stirring blade 18b has a thickness of 0.1 mm to
A plastic film made of a polyester film or a polyurethane film having a thickness of about 0.2 mm is used, and it is tightly fixed to the stirring plate 18 by a blade adhesion portion 18c such as a double-sided tape or hot melt.

When the stirring member 18 rotatably stirs the inner wall of the toner container 22, when the lid opening 6 of the opening width regulating plate 2 is rubbed, the stirring blade 18b rubs the toner from the lid opening 6. In order to prevent the occurrence of scattering, the notch 18 is formed at a portion substantially equal to the opening width of the lid opening 6 as shown in FIG.
Insert b '.

The cut 18b 'has a cut length of about 2 mm to 5 mm so that it can withstand the pressure applied when the stirring blade 18b is rotated and stirred.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 23 and 24. The same parts as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the first embodiment, a disk-shaped member such as a metal or an elastic body as shown in FIG. 12 was used as the washer 31, but this embodiment has an NBR as shown in FIG.
A V-shaped washer 31 'having a V-shape when viewed from the side is used.

The V-shaped washer 31 'includes a V-shaped washer body 31'a and a conical V-shaped washer lip portion 3'.
1'b, the V-shaped washer body 31'a and the V-shaped washer lip 31'b are connected by a V-shaped washer hinge 31'c.

This V-shaped washer 31 'rotates together with the stirring plate support member 10 to form a V-shaped washer lip portion 31'.
Since b can tightly seal the inner wall 1d of the container, the toner can be completely prevented from entering the toner prevention portion 21c of the packing member 21.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 24, the collar portion 11e of the stirring plate support member 11 is molded in two colors as the stirring bearing elastic body 11f only on the inner wall side of the container, or the aforementioned V-shaped washer is used for the collar portion. It may be used as 11e.

The image carrier 100 for forming a toner image by the developing cartridge D is not limited to the photosensitive drum of the first embodiment described above, but includes, for example, the following.

First, a photoconductor is used as the photoconductor,
Photoconductors include, for example, amorphous silicon, amorphous selenium, zinc oxide, titanium oxide, organic photoconductors (OPC), and the like. The shape on which the photosensitive member is mounted includes, for example, a drum-shaped or belt-shaped rotating body and a sheet-shaped member. Generally, a drum-shaped or belt-shaped one is used. For example, in the case of a drum type photoconductor, a photoconductor is vapor-deposited or coated on a cylinder of aluminum alloy or the like. Is.

Further, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, the laser beam printer is exemplified as the image forming apparatus using the developing cartridge D, but the apparatus is not limited to the laser beam printer as long as it is an apparatus for forming an image using toner. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to, for example, an LED printer, an electrophotographic copying machine, a facsimile machine, or the like.

Experimental Example Next, an experimental example of the present invention will be described based on Table 1.

[0116]

[Table 1]

{Experiments 1 to 6} Using the developing cartridge D shown in the first embodiment, the packing member 21 is provided on both the stirring plate supporting member 10 side and the stirring plate supporting member 11 side, and the stirring plate supporting member is provided. Only the outer diameter 10d of 10 was changed, each toner container 22 was incorporated into the developing cartridge D, mounted on the main body, and an image development durability test was performed to confirm the amount of coarse particles generated in the toner container 22. Then, the stirring torque applied to the developing agent carrying member 15 during running was measured, and the presence or absence of image defects such as white lines due to coarse particles was confirmed.

Of course, the stirring plate support member 10 is locked by the snap pin 30 and the washer 31, and the outer diameter 11d of the stirring plate support member 11 and the packing member inner diameter 21d on the side of the stirring plate support member 11 are 4. 0 mm and 3.6 m
Fixed to m.

Further, an average particle diameter using a polyester-based binder having a predetermined sharp melt property, a melting start temperature of 95 ° C. and a common logarithmic slope of the melt viscosity of 0.09 log (poise) / ° C. The filling amount of the non-magnetic single-component toner of about 8 μm was 130 g, the number of durable sheets was the same as the specified number, and about 3000 sheets of images were subjected to the durability test.

The results are shown in Table 1, and the stirring plate supporting member 1
The packing member 21 has an inner diameter 21d of 0.
When it is smaller by 4 mm to 0.7 mm (Experiments 3 and 4), the amount of coarse particles in the toner container is very small, about 0.1 g, there is no image defect, and the stirring torque of the toner container is 200 gf.
The degree was very low and stable.

Also, when the packing member inner diameter 21d is smaller than the outer diameter 10d of the stirring plate supporting member 10 by 0.2 mm (Experiment 2) or 1.0 mm (Experiment 5),
Even if the amount of coarse particles is slightly increased (0.2 g), there is no problem on the image, or the stirring torque is slightly increased (350 g).
It was about f), and it was confirmed that the developing cartridge D can be used without any problems in practical use.

On the other hand, when the outer diameter 10d of the stirring plate supporting member 10 and the packing member inner diameter 21d are the same (Experiment 1), the packing member 21 is driven / rotated by the rotating stirring of the stirring member 18, and the sliding portion is moved. Toner enters into 1b to generate coarse particles of 1 g or more, and the coarse particles generated in the toner container are sandwiched between the developer carrier 15 and the developing blade 16 to cause white stripes, that is, image defects. have done. Also, the stirring torque is 3k due to the biting of the toner.
It is significantly increased to about gf, and the load on the rotary stirring motor of the main body becomes too large to use.

When the packing member inner diameter 21d is smaller than the outer diameter 10d of the stirring plate supporting member 10 by 1.5 nn (Experiment 6), the packing member 12, that is, the oil seal is pressed around the gear sliding portion 10b '. As a result, the stirring torque is significantly increased (2800 gf), and the load on the rotary stirring motor of the main body is too large, which makes it unusable.

{Experiment 7, Experiment 8} The same developing cartridge D as in Experiment 3 is used, but the toner container 22 (Experiment 7) excluding the packing member 21 on the stirring plate supporting member 11 side,
And, using the toner container 22 (Experiment 8) from which the packing member 21 on the side of the stirring plate supporting member 10 was removed, each toner container 22 was incorporated into the developing cartridge D and attached to the main body as in Experiments 1 to 6. Image and durability test
The amount of coarse particles generated in the toner container 22 was confirmed, the stirring torque applied to the developing agent carrying member 15 during running was measured, and the presence or absence of image defects such as white lines due to the coarse particles was confirmed. .

The results are shown in Table 1, and the stirring plate supporting member 1
In the case where the packing member 21 on the first side is removed (Experiment 7) and the packing member 21 on the side of the stirring plate supporting member 10 is removed (Experiment 8), the toner is deposited on the sliding portion 1c and the sliding portion 1b, respectively. Intrusion of 3 g or more of coarse particles occurred, and white stripes due to the coarse particles, that is, defects on the image occurred.
In addition, the stirring torque was also greatly increased to about 5 kgf due to the biting of the toner, the load on the rotary stirring motor of the main body became excessive, and the main body stopped during the endurance due to the excessive motor load.

Therefore, the outer diameter 1 of the stirring plate supporting member 10
The packing member 21 is indispensable even when the relationship between 0d and the packing member inner diameter 21d is within a predetermined range.

{Experiment 9, Experiment 10} The same developing cartridge D as that of Experiment 3 is used, but the packing member 21 on the side of the stirring plate supporting member 11 is replaced with the conventional wool felt toner container 22 ( Experiment 9), and the toner container 22 in which only the material of the packing member 21 on the side of the stirring plate supporting member 10 was changed to the conventional wool felt (Experiment 1
0) was used, each toner container 22 was incorporated into the developing cartridge D, and the image formation durability test was performed by mounting the toner container 22 in the main body, and the amount of coarse particles generated in the toner container 22 was measured. Was checked, and the stirring torque applied to the developing agent carrying member 15 during running was measured, and the presence or absence of image defects such as white lines due to coarse particles was checked.

The results are shown in Table 1, and the stirring plate supporting member 1
When the packing material 21 on the 1 side is changed to a wool felt which is conventionally used only in the material (Experiment 9), and when the packing material 21 on the side of the stirring plate supporting member 10 is changed to the wool felt which is conventionally used only in the material. (Experiment 10) In both cases, the toner entered the sliding portion 1c and the sliding portion 1b, respectively, and coarse particles were generated in an amount of 2 g or more, and white streaks caused by the coarse particles, that is, image defects were generated. Also, stirring torque is 5 kgf
It increased significantly, and the load on the rotary stirring motor of the main unit became excessive, and the main unit stopped due to the excessive motor load during durability.

Further, the packing member 2 taken out after the durability test
In No. 1, the toner having the predetermined sharp melt property has penetrated into the wool felt on both the stirring plate supporting member 11 side and the stirring plate supporting member 10 side.
In the case of the oil seal, the toner was prevented from entering the inside of the packing member 21 by the toner prevention portion 21c, but it was confirmed that the toner gradually enters the wool felt during the durability test.

Therefore, when the toner having the predetermined sharp melt characteristic is used, it is essential that the packing member 21 also use the oil seal.

{Experiment 11} The same developing cartridge D as in Experiment 3 is used, but the stirring plate supporting member 10 is provided with the snap-fitting claw portions 10e as shown in FIGS. Toner container 22 that is locked and does not use snap pin 30 and washer 31 (Experiment 11)
In the same manner as in Experiments 1 to 6, each toner container 22 was incorporated into the developing cartridge D, mounted on the main body, and an image development durability test was performed to confirm the amount of coarse particles generated in the toner container 22. Then, the stirring torque applied to the developing agent carrying member 15 during running was measured, and the presence or absence of image defects such as white lines due to coarse particles was confirmed.

As a result, as shown in Table 1, 2.8 g of coarse particles were generated, and white streaks caused by the coarse particles, that is, defects on the image were generated. Also, the stirring torque has been greatly increased to about 3 kgf, and the load on the rotary stirring motor of the main body is too large to use.

The cause of this is that coarse particles of toner tend to be generated during agitation durability due to sliding between the claw portion 10e and the inner wall of the toner container main body 1, and it is particularly used in the multicolor image forming apparatus such as full color of the present invention. Since the toner is likely to be sharply melted, coarse particles of toner are apt to be generated by sliding between the claw portion 10e, which is a rigid body, and the inner wall of the toner container body 1, and the packing is also provided because there is no washer 31. The toner enters the toner prevention portion 21c of the member 21 and the coarse particles cannot be prevented.

Therefore, when the toner having the predetermined sharp melt property is used, the snap pin 30 and the washer 3 are used as a method for locking the stirring plate supporting member 10.
It is essential to use 1.

{Experiment 12} The toner cartridge 22 using the same developing cartridge D as in Experiment 3 but using a V-shaped washer 31 'as shown in FIG. ), Experiment 1
Similar to 6, each toner container 22 is incorporated in the developing cartridge D, mounted on the main body, and an image development durability test is performed to confirm the amount of coarse particles generated in the toner container 22 and the developer during the durability test. The stirring torque applied to the carrier 15 was measured, and the presence or absence of image defects such as white lines due to coarse particles was confirmed.

The V-shaped washer 31 'made of NBR
The outer diameter of was the same as that of the metal washer 31 used in Experiment 3.

The results are shown in Table 1, and the V-shaped washer 3 was used.
When 1'was used, the amount of coarse particles in the toner container was very small, about 0.1 g, there were no image defects, and the stirring torque of the toner container was about 200 gf, which was very low and stable.

Therefore, even if the washer 31 is a V-shaped washer 31 ', it can be used as the developing cartridge D without any problem.

{Experiment 13} The same developing cartridge D as in Experiment 3 is used, but the collar portion 11 of the stirring plate support member 11 is used.
As shown in FIG. 24, the elastic body 11f is provided only on the inner wall side of the container.
As in Experiments 1 to 6, using the two-color molded toner container 22 (Experiment 13), each toner container 22 was incorporated into the developing cartridge D, and mounted on the main body to perform an image development durability test, The amount of coarse particles generated in the toner container 22 was confirmed, the stirring torque applied to the developing agent carrying member 15 during running was measured, and the presence or absence of image defects such as white lines due to the coarse particles was confirmed. .

NBR is used as the elastic body 11f,
The two-color molding of the collar portion 11e was made of NBR and polyacetal resin to have a substantially uniform thickness, and the size was the same as that of the stirring plate support member 11 used in Experiment 3.

The results are shown in Table 1. When the stirring plate supporting member 11 formed by the two-color molding is used, the amount of coarse particles in the toner container is about 0.1 g, which is very small, and there is no image defect. The stirring torque of the toner container was also very stable at about 200 gf.

Therefore, the stirring plate support member 11 is attached to the collar portion 1.
Even when the two-color molding is used as the elastic body 11f only on the inner wall side of the container 1e, it can be used as the developing cartridge D without any problem.

[0143]

As described above, the first aspect of the present application
According to the invention, the packing member for preventing developer invasion is provided on both sides of the driving side supporting member and the non-driving side supporting member which support the stirring member at both ends, and the driving side supporting member is constituted by the snap pin and the washer. Since it is locked with the container, it is possible to prevent the development of coarse particles of the developer in the container and eliminate image defects.
The stirring torque can be stabilized at a very low level.

Further, according to the second invention of the present application, since the oil seal is used as the packing member for preventing the invasion of the developer, the invasion of the developer is prevented even when the developer for color is used. It can be surely suppressed, image defects can be eliminated, and stirring torque can be stabilized at a very low level.

Further, according to the third invention of the present application,
In the first invention, the inner diameter of the packing member for preventing developer invasion is 0.1 mm to the outer diameter of the supporting member on the driving side.
Since the size is reduced by 1.0 mm, the degree of adhesion between the support member and the packing member is increased, and the invasion of the developer can be suppressed, so that the defects on the image can be eliminated and the stirring torque can be stabilized at a very low level. .

According to the fourth invention of the present application, in the process cartridge which is configured to include the developing device and is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus, the developer according to the first to third inventions can be provided. By providing the storage container, it is possible to provide a process cartridge in which coarse particles of the developer are not generated and a good image can be obtained until the developer is used up.

Further, according to the fifth invention of the present application,
In the above-mentioned fourth invention, as a melting property by an elevated flow tester, which contains at least a colorant and a binder resin,
Melting start temperature of the developer + 5 ° C. temperature and melting start temperature +
When the common logarithm log η ′ of the melt viscosity at a temperature of 15 ° C. was plotted against the temperature, the developer whose absolute value of the slope of the straight line was 0.05 log (poise) / ° C. or more was stored. It is possible to obtain a good color mixing property, and further, as described above, it is possible to suppress the coarse particles of the developer, eliminate image defects, and stabilize the stirring torque at a very low level.

According to the sixth invention of the present application, in the above-mentioned fourth invention, the melting start temperature of the developer is 70 to 70.
Since the one having a temperature of 105 ° C. is used, good color mixing property can be obtained, and further, as described above, the coarse particles of the developer can be suppressed to eliminate the defects on the image, and the stirring torque can be greatly reduced. Can be stabilized low.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration explanatory diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of a developing cartridge used in the apparatus shown in FIG.

3 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of a toner container of the cartridge of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of locking the container lid and the toner seal in the toner container of FIG.

5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams of processing of a toner seal end in the toner container of FIG.

6 is an explanatory view of a stirring member in the toner container of FIG.

7 is an explanatory view of a filling port of the toner container of FIG.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of the filling port cap of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of an elevated flow tester used in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flow tester outflow curve measured by the flow tester of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a graph showing the slope of the melt viscosity logarithm log [η ′] of the toner used in the first example of the present invention.

12 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of a stirring plate support member on the side of the toner container of FIG. 3 to which a gear is attached.

13 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of another stirring plate supporting member in the toner container of FIG.

14 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of an oil seal used in the toner container of FIG.

15 is an explanatory diagram of a stirring plate support member to which a stirring gear used in the toner container of FIG. 3 is attached.

16 is an explanatory view of another stirring plate support member used in the toner container of FIG.

17 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of a stirring plate support member to which the stirring gear of FIG. 15 is attached.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory view of a stirring plate support member provided with a snap stopper claw portion.

19 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the stirring plate support member of FIG.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of the shape of a snap pin that can be used in the toner container according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

21 is an explanatory diagram of a stirring member in the toner container of FIG.

22 is an explanatory view of a groove portion of a stirring plate supporting member in the toner container of FIG.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of a V-shaped washer according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram of a stirring bearing according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Toner Container Main Body (Container Frame) 1b, 1c Sliding Part 10, 11 Stirring Plate Supporting Member (Stirring Member Supporting Member) 18 Stirring Member 19 Developer Storage Section 20 Developer 21 Packing Member 22 Toner Container (Developer Storage) Container 30 snap pin 31 washer 100 image carrier D developing cartridge (process cartridge)

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A container frame for forming a developer accommodating portion, a stirring member for stirring and discharging the developer by rotation in the developer accommodating portion, and a stirring member rotatably supported by the container frame. In a developer accommodating container equipped with a stirring member supporting member for supporting the supporting member at both ends thereof, a developer intrusion prevention is performed in a sliding portion of the container frame supporting the supporting member. A developer accommodating container, characterized in that a packing member for use therein is provided, and the supporting member on the driving side is locked to the container frame by a snap pin and a washer. 2. The developer accommodating container according to claim 1, wherein the packing member for preventing developer intrusion is an oil seal. 3. The inner diameter of the packing member for preventing developer intrusion is 0.1 mm to 1.0 m from the outer diameter of the driving-side support member.
The developer storage container according to claim 1, wherein the developer storage container is small. 4. A process cartridge which includes a developing device and which is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus, comprising the developer accommodating container according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Process cartridge characterized by. 5. A common logarithm of the melt viscosity of the developer at a melting start temperature of + 5 ° C. and a melting start temperature of + 15 ° C. as a melting characteristic of an elevated flow tester containing at least a colorant and a binder resin. When log η ′ is plotted against temperature, the absolute value of the slope of the straight line is 0.05 l
The process cartridge according to claim 4, wherein a developer having a og (poise) / ° C. or higher is stored. 6. The developer has a melting start temperature of 70 to 105.
The process cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the process cartridge has a temperature of ° C.