JPH10161498A - Toner recovering container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner container being foldable in a flat state at the unused time, excellent in scrapping property and capable of producing at a low cost. SOLUTION: This toner container attached to an image forming device in freely detachably, for containing the waste toner discharged from the toner recovering mechanism of the image forming device, is composed of a sheet member provided with the appropriate rigidity, and consisting of a casing 1 provided with an opening part 16 for taking in the waste toner, and an inner bag incorporated in the case 1 being communicated from the inside with the opening part 16, and then the casing 1 is composed so as to be assembled in a state of attachable to the image forming device and so as to be folded in a flat state, and moreover the inner bag is formed in three dimensions at the time of assembling the case 1 and attached to the case 1 so as to become capable of containing the waste toner fed through the opening part 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner collecting device which is detachably mounted on an image forming apparatus using a toner such as a copying machine and which stores waste toner discharged from a toner collecting mechanism of the image forming apparatus. It concerns a container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Toner is attached to a photosensitive drum of an image forming apparatus using a toner such as a copying machine by electrostatic force at the time of image formation, and about 90% of the toner is transferred to recording paper. However, the remaining about 10% remains on the photosensitive drum. The photosensitive drum is used to form a new image.
The toner must be attached again, and the remaining toner needs to be removed.

Therefore, in an image forming apparatus, after removing static electricity which plays a role of attaching toner from the photosensitive drum, the toner on the photosensitive drum is wiped off with a cleaner brush, and the generated waste toner is collected by a toner collecting mechanism. The toner is discharged into a toner collecting container connected to a discharge nozzle of the toner collecting mechanism. The toner collecting container is detachable from the image forming apparatus, and when the inside becomes full of waste toner, the toner collecting container is removed from the image forming apparatus, and after discarding the waste toner contained therein, it is mounted again on the image forming apparatus. .

[0004]

The conventional toner collecting container is made of plastic and has high rigidity, and cannot be folded and flattened. Therefore, there is a problem that the container is bulky during transportation or storage. Further, since the conventional toner collecting container is made of plastic, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is high and toxic gas is generated at the time of disposal and incineration.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object of the present invention is to be able to fold it into a flat state during transportation or storage, to be excellent in disposability, and to be inexpensive to manufacture. An object of the present invention is to provide a toner collection container.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a toner collection container according to claim 1 is detachably mounted on an image forming apparatus, and waste toner discharged from a toner collection mechanism of the image forming apparatus. A container having a sheet member having an appropriate rigidity, an upper box having an opening at the top for taking in waste toner, and an inner box provided inside the outer box and communicating with the opening. It consists of an inner bag, and the outer box is formed so that it can be attached to the image forming apparatus and foldable in a flat state.The inner bag is three-dimensionally shaped along the inner surface of the outer box when assembling the outer box. And is attached to the outer box so that the waste toner supplied through the opening can be stored.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the outer box has a pair of trapezoidal front and back plates facing each other, and a first side connecting the opposite sides of the front and side plates to each other. A face plate, a second side plate connecting the other sides of the front plate and the side plate to each other, a top plate connected to the upper edge of the front plate or the rear plate, and a lower plate edge connected to the lower edge of the front plate or the rear plate. The first side plate is provided with a first crease extending parallel to one side, and the first side plate is provided with a first crease, and the second side plate is parallel to the other side. A second crease that extends and longitudinally crosses the second side plate is provided, and can be folded in a flat state along the first and second creases.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a toner collecting container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG.
2 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of the outer box of the toner collecting container in the present embodiment. The outer case 1 is opposed to each other so as to be parallel to each other, and has a pair of trapezoidal front plates 3 and back plates 4 whose one side is inclined, and a vertically long shape connecting one side of the front plate 3 and the back plate 4 to each other. , A vertically long rectangular second side plate 6 for connecting the other sides of the front plate 3 and the back plate 4 to each other, and a rectangular ceiling for sealing the top surface of the outer box 1. It has a face plate 7 and a rectangular bottom plate 8 for sealing the bottom surface of the outer box.

FIG. 3 is a development view of the outer box 1. Outer box 1
Is formed by punching a piece of cardboard having appropriate rigidity with Thomson, and the back plate 4, the first side plate 5, the front plate 3, and the second side plate 6 are formed by folding lines L1 to L3. Are sequentially connected. The top plate 7 is connected to the upper edge of the front plate 3 via a fold line L4, and the bottom plate 8 is connected to the lower edge of the front plate 3 via a fold line L5.

The back plate 4 is connected to a top surface folding flap 9 at the upper edge via a fold line L6, connected to a bottom surface flap 10 at a lower edge via a fold line L7, and further to a fold line L8 at the other side. An adhesive margin piece 11 is connected via the adhesive. The folding lines L9 and L10 are respectively provided on the upper and lower edges of the first side plate 5.
Flaps 12 and 13 are connected to each other via the upper and lower edges of the second side plate 6 at the folding lines L11 and L12, respectively.
The folding flaps 14 and 15 are connected via the.

At the center of the first side plate 5 in the horizontal direction, the first side plate 5 extends parallel to one side of the front plate 3 and the back plate 4, crosses the first side plate 5 and crosses the folding lines L 9 and L 10. A first crease L13 is provided for longitudinally cutting the folding flaps 12,13. In addition, the first side plate 5 has a first
A vertically long slot-shaped opening 16 is formed in a portion between the crease L13 and one side of the front plate 3. The opening 16 is to be inserted and connected with the discharge nozzle of the toner recovery mechanism, and has a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the discharge nozzle.

At the center of the second side plate 6 in the lateral direction, the second side plate 6 extends in parallel with the other side of the front plate 3 and the back plate 4 to extend longitudinally through the second side plate 6 and beyond the folding lines L11 and L12. A second crease L14 is provided for vertically cutting the folding flaps 14 and 15. At a position slightly below the center in the vertical direction of the second side plate 6, a vertically long slot-like handle hole 17 is opened such that the center line is located on the extension of the crease L14. . The handle hole 17 is for inserting a finger when pulling out the toner collecting container from the copying machine.

A folding line L1 is provided at the center of the top edge of the top plate 7.
5, a tongue-shaped insertion piece 20 is connected, and a notch 21 for inserting the insertion piece 20 is provided at the center of the fold line L6 between the back plate 4 and the top surface folding flap 9. .
In addition, a pair of semicircular insertion pieces 2 is provided at the tip edge of the bottom plate 8.
2 and 23 are connected to each other via fold lines L16 and L17 at symmetrical positions, and a pair of inserts 22 and 23 are inserted on the fold line L7 between the back plate 4 and the bottom insert plate 10. Cuts 24 and 25 are provided.

FIG. 4 is a developed view of the toner collecting container according to the present embodiment as viewed from the inside. The inner bag 2 is made of polyethylene, is a substantially trapezoidal bottomed gusset bag with one side inclined, and is sealed along the top and both sides. Both ends of the top of the inner bag 2 are cut diagonally so that the folding flaps 12 and 14 can be easily folded.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. The bottom of the inner bag 2 is folded over the entire length so as to form a W-shaped cross section. A pair of bag-like portions 27 located on both sides of the folded portion 26 are sealed at both ends in an isosceles triangle shape. . (Indicated by 27a in FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 4, an inlet 28 having a size corresponding to the opening 16 is formed in a portion of the inner bag 2 facing the opening 16 provided in the first side plate 5. The opening 16 and the inside of the inner bag 2 are in communication with each other.

The inner bag 2 has an inclined side having a first crease L1.
3, the other side is along the second crease L14, and the bottom is along the fold line L5 between the front plate 3 and the bottom plate 8 on the inner surface of the outer box 1. The first and second side plates 5 and 6 are adhered to the inner surfaces of the front plate 3 and the first and second side plates 5 and 6 via an adhesive layer 29 applied to the inner surfaces of the first and second side plates 5 and 6. The inner bag 2 is adhered to the back plate 4 via the adhesive layer 30 applied to the inner surface of the back plate 4 when the outer bag 1 is folded by the folding line L13 so as to form a cylindrical shape. The outer box is formed in a tubular shape by sticking the adhesive margin piece 11 to the inner surface of the second side plate 6.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of a toner collecting container installation space of a copying machine to which the toner collecting container of the present embodiment is attached. The space S for installing the toner collection container in the copying machine is such that the upper space S1 from which the discharge nozzle N of the toner collection mechanism protrudes is different from the lower space S2 in relation to other members. In the insertion direction (the direction indicated by the arrow), the vertical cross-sectional shape is an L-shaped space.

It is preferable that the volume of the toner collecting container is as large as possible. The outer box 1 needs to have a shape corresponding to this installation space. However, the outer box 1 has a longitudinal sectional shape of L as shown by a two-dot chain line. When the outer box 1 is formed so as to have a character shape, the outer box 1 is in a state where the rectangular parallelepipeds are stacked in two steps, and the number of constituent surfaces of the outer box 1 is increased and the configuration is complicated, so that manufacturing becomes difficult,
Costs will rise. In the present embodiment, the outer box 1 is formed to have a trapezoidal vertical cross-sectional shape as shown by a solid line, so that the number of constituent surfaces is small and the structure is simple. Can be manufactured.

Next, a description will be given of a method of using the toner recovery container configured as described above. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the toner collecting container of the present embodiment is folded flat. When the toner collection container is not in use, place the outer box 1 in the first
And, by mountain-folding along the second rules L13, L14, it is possible to fold in a flat state. Therefore,
It is not bulky at the time of transportation and storage, so that distribution costs can be reduced and storage properties are good.

In use, the outer box 1 is made three-dimensional by raising the folded first and second side plates 5, 6 so as to be vertical. At this time, the inner bag 2 is also made three-dimensional and has a shape along the inner surface of the outer box 1. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of forming the bottom and side surfaces of the inner bag 2. FIG. 8A shows a state of one end of the bottom of the inner bag 2 before the inner bag 2 is three-dimensionally formed. When the outer box 1 starts to be three-dimensionally, the front plate 3 and the rear plate 4 are separated from each other. Both surfaces of the bottom 2a of the inner bag 2 are pulled in directions opposite to each other. In addition, the first and second
As the side plates 5 and 6 rise, the both end portions 2b of the inner bag 2 are pushed inward, so that the folded portion 26 projects outward. (See FIG. 8B).

Further, when the outer box 1 is made three-dimensional, FIG.
As shown in the figure, the folded portion 26 and the side end 2b start to be flat, and the bottom surface and the side surface begin to be formed. At this time, since the isosceles triangle-shaped seal portions 27a are provided at both ends of the bottom 2a, the corners where the bottom surface and the side surfaces intersect are formed smoothly without wrinkles. When the outer box 1 is completely three-dimensionally formed, as shown in FIG.
a and the side portion 2b are almost completely flat, and have a side surface and a bottom surface, respectively.

When the outer box 1 is made three-dimensional, next, the folding flaps 13 connected to the lower ends of the first and second side plates 5 and 6 are formed.
15, the bottom flap 10 is folded inward, the bottom plate 8 is folded inward, and the insertion pieces 22, 23 at the front end are connected to the bottom flap 10 and the back plate 4.
Between the notches 24, 25 provided between the two. As a result, the bottom surface of the outer box 1 is in a sealed state.

Next, the folding flaps 12 and 14 connected to the upper ends of the first and second side plates 5 and 6 are folded inward, then the top folding flap 9 is folded inward, and the top plate 7 is folded inward. Insert 2 provided at the tip by folding
0 is inserted into the notch 21 provided between the top surface folding flap 9 and the back plate 4. As a result, the top surface of the outer box 1 is closed, and the toner collection container is completed.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the completed toner collecting container is inserted into the space for installing the toner collecting container of the copying machine from the first side plate 5 side in the direction of the arrow, the nozzle N of the toner collecting mechanism is opened. Through the toner collection container. The waste toner discharged from the tip opening of the nozzle N is stored in the inner bag 2, and when the inside of the inner bag 2 is full, a sensor (not shown) of the copying machine detects this and turns on a lamp or the like. Inform the user by The user inserts a finger into the handle hole 17 provided in the second side plate 6, removes the toner collecting container from the copying machine, and mounts a new toner collecting container on the copying machine.

[0026]

As described above, the toner collecting container of the present invention can be folded into a flat state when not in use, so that it does not become bulky during transportation and storage. Further, by using a material that does not generate toxic gas when incinerated, such as paper, it is possible to achieve excellent disposability. further,
The toner collection container of the present invention can be made of a low-cost material and has a structure suitable for mass production, so that it can be manufactured at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an outer box 1 of a toner collection container according to an embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view when viewed from the first side plate 5 side.

FIG. 2 is an outer box 1 of the toner collection container according to the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the second side plate 6 viewed from the side.

FIG. 3 is an outer box 1 of the toner collection container according to the embodiment.
FIG.

FIG. 4 is a development view of the toner collection container according to the exemplary embodiment as viewed from an inner surface side.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a toner collection container installation space of a copying machine in which the toner collection container of the present embodiment is mounted.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the toner collection container according to the exemplary embodiment is folded flat.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a process of forming the bottom and side surfaces of the inner bag 2 of the toner collection container according to the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Outer box 2 Inner bag 3 Front plate 4 Back plate 5 1st side plate 6 2nd side plate 7 Top plate 8 Bottom plate 16 Opening 17 Handle hole

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A toner collection container detachably mounted on an image forming apparatus and containing waste toner discharged from a toner collection mechanism of the image forming apparatus, comprising a sheet member having appropriate rigidity. An outer box having an opening for taking in the waste toner, and an inner bag inside the outer box, the inside of which is communicated with the opening, and the outer box is ready for mounting on the image forming apparatus. The inner bag is formed so as to be foldable in an assembling and flat state, and the inner bag is formed into a three-dimensional shape along the inner surface of the outer box when assembling the outer box, and accommodates waste toner supplied through the opening. A toner collection container, which is attached to the outer box so as to be capable of being used. 2. The outer box, comprising: a pair of trapezoidal front and back plates facing each other; a first side plate connecting one side of the front plate and side plates facing each other; A second side plate connecting the other sides of the front plate and the side plate to each other; a top plate connected to an upper edge of the front plate or the rear plate; and a lower plate edge connected to a lower edge of the front plate or the rear plate. A bottom plate, wherein the first side plate is provided with a first crease extending parallel to the one side and vertically cutting the first side plate, and the second side plate is provided with the other crease. A second crease extending parallel to the side and extending longitudinally through the second side plate is provided, and can be folded in a flat state along the first and second creases. The toner collection container according to claim 1, wherein