JPH1090987A - Toner replenishing container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner replenishing container held in a tightly sealed condition even under normal pressure and capable of preventing the leakage or scattering of toner without damaging a container main body or a cap member even under vibrations during transportation or sudden increase/decrease of pressure. SOLUTION: In a toner replenishing container comprising a container main body 1 for housing toner, an opening/closing cap for opening/closing the replenishing port 1B of the container main body 1 and a cap member 3 for closing an opening part 1A for filling the container main body 1 with toner, when a difference in atmospheric pressure between inside and outside of the toner replenishing container is 0.4, the degree of ventilation is set equal to or lower than 50%.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a toner replenishing container for filling and storing a powdery developing toner, for example, a toner replenishing container for an electrostatic image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a laser printer. The present invention relates to an improvement of a replaceable toner supply container which is detachably mounted and used for replenishing toner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as means for replenishing powder that is easily scattered into a powder receiving device, powder is stored in a container, and a powder take-out opening of the container is sealed with a film-like sealing material. Body containers are used. At the time of powder replenishment, the powder container is turned upside down, and the opening is downwardly attached to the mounting portion of the powder receiving device, and then the sealing material is peeled off to allow the powder to flow out of the opening and receive the powder. To the hopper. The powder container as described above is widely used because the structure of the opening can be simplified and the sealing is more completely performed as compared with a container in which the opening is sealed with a lid.

In an electrostatic image forming apparatus, a developing device develops an electrostatic latent image on a rotating charge carrier, and powder toner in toner adheres to the electrostatic latent image portion to form a toner image. After that, this is transferred and fixed on a recording paper. Since the powder toner is consumed together with the development,
It is necessary to replenish the developing device with the toner according to consumption, and a toner hopper is provided as a storage unit for the replenished toner.

A large amount of toner is contained in a toner hopper, and before the toner is completely consumed, toner is supplied from a toner supply container (toner supply cartridge) to the toner hopper.

The above description is about toner replenishment for an electrostatic image forming apparatus using a dry two-component toner, but similar toner replenishment is necessary for an electrostatic image forming apparatus using a one-component toner.

[0006] In any of the above toners, the toner is generally supplied by charging the toner into a toner hopper from a toner supply container containing the toner.

[0007] The powder toner is easily scattered, and scatters, floats, flows out and scatters outside through the toner replenishing cartridge opening and the toner hopper opening during toner replenishing, and causes the apparatus, outside air, clothes, and the like to be scattered. Many proposals have been made to prevent this because of contamination.

Some of these proposals include Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 59-11.
There is a toner supply cartridge disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 4572 and 3-279983. The toner supply container includes a container body, a fixed cap for sealing the upper part of the container body, a base member connected to the lower part of the container body, a film-shaped seal member for allowing the opening of the lower part of the container body to be peelable, and a sliding member for the base member. And a slide lid that winds and engages the seal member. By setting the toner supply container in the toner receiving device of the electrostatic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, and moving the slide lid in one direction, the seal member is pulled and the supply port is peeled off to be opened.
The toner in the container body drops from the supply port and is supplied into the toner hopper.

[0009]

In a conventional toner supply container, a supply port (toner discharge port) of the container body and an opening for filling the container body with toner are sealed by a closing member. Further, the shape and material of the toner supply container are set and made while maintaining the minimum necessary strength. However, when the ambient atmospheric pressure of the toner supply container changes, the toner supply container may be damaged and the stored toner may leak or scatter due to a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the toner supply container. This change in the atmospheric pressure occurs, for example, during storage use at a high altitude of 2000 m or more, during rail transport at a high altitude, or during transport by aircraft. In particular, when transported by air, the external pressure of the toner supply container in a sealed state rapidly decreases or rises, so that the toner supply container may be damaged due to a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the toner supply container.

As a measure for preventing damage to the toner supply container, a closing member for sealing the supply port (toner discharge port) of the container main body is made of a breathable film, or an opening for filling the container main body with toner is provided. Means were taken such as forming a through hole in a part of the closing member to be sealed and closing the through hole with a breathable nonwoven fabric. However, the provision of these air-permeable members causes a problem that the toner in the toner supply container is solidified due to the humidity of the outside air due to the constant air permeability inside and outside the toner supply container.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems in the toner supply container.

[0012]

According to the present invention, there is provided a toner supply container for solving the above-mentioned problems, comprising a container body for storing toner, an opening / closing lid for opening and closing a supply port of the container body, and In a toner supply container comprising a cap member for closing an opening for filling the toner, the air permeability is 50% or less when a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the toner supply container is at most 0.4 atm. (Claim 1).

Further, the toner supply container of the present invention has a container body for storing toner, an opening / closing lid for opening and closing a supply port of the container body, and a cap for closing an opening for filling the container body with toner. In the toner supply container comprising a member, an opening of the container main body and an engaging portion between the cap member and the cap member are hermetically sealed by fitting, and when a difference between the air pressure inside the container main body and the outside air pressure occurs, the cap is closed. A minute gap that allows only air to flow through the engagement portion is formed by deforming the member (claim 2).

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a toner supply container according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a toner supply container according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the toner supply container. FIG. 1A is an overall perspective view of the toner supply container, and FIG. 1B is an exploded perspective view of the toner supply container.

The container body (bottle) 1 is formed by a blow molding method (blow molding), and the base member 2 is formed by an injection molding method. The base member 2 is formed on the bottom of the individually formed container body 1. It was inserted and bonded and fixed. The container body 1 and the base member 2 may be integrally molded. A high-density polyethylene resin (HDPE) or the like was used as a material of the container body 1 and the base member 2.

The top opening 1A of the container body 1 is closed by a cap member 3. The top opening 1A is injected into the container body 1 through the top opening 1A in the toner filling step, and then closed and sealed by the cap member 3. The cap member 3 is also made of a high-density polyethylene resin (HD
PE) and the like.

The outer surface of the periphery of the opening 2A of the base member 2 connected to the bottom opening 1B of the container body 1 is a sealing surface 2.
B and is sealed by the flexible seal member 4. At the time of toner supply, the base member 2 is attached to a toner supply device (not shown), the flexible seal member 4 is peeled off from the sealing surface 2B, and the opening 2A is opened.
The toner contained in the container body 1 is discharged into the hopper of the toner supply device. The flexible sealing member 4 is made of polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PE).
T), the surface on the polyethylene side is heat-sealed to the sealing surface 2B.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show an embodiment of an opening / closing member for opening and closing the bottom opening 1B of the toner supply container. FIG. 3 shows the toner supply container with the bottom opening 1B closed. FIG. 4 is another vertical sectional view and a front view of the toner supply container, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the toner supply container with a bottom opening 1B opened.

The bottom of the base member 2 has an opening 2A for toner replenishment on the inside and a connection 2C with a toner replenishing device (not shown) on the outside. A sealing surface 2B and a rail portion 2D are formed on the bottom of the base member 2.

One end of the flexible seal member 4 in the longitudinal direction is fixed to an end of the sealing surface 2B of the base member 2, and the other end of the flexible seal member 4 is connected to the base member. 2 is fixed to the other surface. Both ends of the flexible seal member 4 are fixed to the base member 2 as described above, and are provided so as to wind around the slide lid 5 slidable on the rail portion 2D in the sliding direction. . Before the toner supply, the slide lid 5 protects and shields the flexible seal member 4 that seals the opening 2A. The flexible seal member 4 releasably adhered to the sealing surface 2B seals the toner supply opening 2A inside the sealing surface 2B. At the time of toner replenishment, the sliding of the slide lid 5 sliding on the rail portion 2D of the toner replenishing container causes the flexible seal member 4 to move the sealing surface 2
B is gradually peeled off from one end, and the opening 2A is opened.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing the vicinity of the top opening 1A of the container body 1 and the cap member 3.

The top opening 1A of the container body 1 is formed in a protruding base (mouth) 1C. The base 1C has ring-shaped projections 1D and 1E on the outer periphery of the cylindrical surface.
And a ring-shaped protrusion 1F on the inner periphery of the cylindrical surface.

The cap member 3 that engages with the protruding base 1C of the container body 1 to close the top opening 1A,
It comprises an outer cylindrical portion 3A, an upper surface portion 3B, an inner cylindrical portion 3C, and a bottom surface portion 3D. A ring-shaped projection ridge 3E is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 3A. Further, since the cap member 3 is molded from high-density polyethylene resin (HDPE) or the like, and the inner cylindrical portion 3C and the bottom surface 3D are formed to be thin, they can be elastically deformed.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing a state in which the cap member 3 is fitted to the base 1C of the container body 1. As shown in FIG.

When the cap member 3 is inserted into the base portion 1C of the container body 1 and is pressed firmly, the cap member 3 is elastically deformed and pressed and fitted to the base portion 1C to hermetically seal. In this airtight state, the air inside and outside the toner supply container is shut off to prevent moisture from entering and toner from leaking.

When the base 1C and the cap member 3 are fitted to each other, the ring-shaped protrusion 3E formed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 3A of the cap member 3 is connected to the base 2C of the base 1C. The outer peripheral surface 3F of the inner cylindrical portion 3C of the cap member 3 comes into pressure contact with the ring-shaped projecting ridges 1F on the inner periphery of the cylindrical surface of the base 1C while being pressed against the ring-shaped projecting ridges 1D and 1E.

FIG. 8A is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the fitting state of the cap 1C of the container body 1 and the cap member 3 when the outside air pressure is lower than the air pressure in the toner supply container.

When the outside air pressure is reduced to 1 atm or less, first, the flat and thin bottom portion 3D of the cap member 3 is elastically deformed and curved outward, so that the volume inside the toner supply container is increased. It works to keep the balance and plays the role of a diaphragm. When the pressure in the toner supply container further decreases, the bottom portion 3D further elastically deforms, and the outer peripheral surface portion 3F of the thin inner cylindrical portion 3C becomes a ring-shaped protrusion on the inner periphery of the cylindrical surface of the base 1C. 1F and a small gap is formed, and the ring-shaped protrusion 3E of the cap member 3 is slightly separated from the ring-shaped protrusions 1D and 1E of the base 1C to form a minute gap. Due to the minute separation of the fitting portion between the base 1C and the cap member 3 due to the decrease in the air pressure, the air inside and outside the toner supply container flows through this minute gap, and the air pressure inside the toner supply container becomes the same as the external pressure and the low pressure. Then, the bottom portion 3D and the inner cylindrical portion 3C of the cap member 3 are restored to the initial positions shown by the broken lines, and are kept in the sealed state shown in FIG.

FIG. 8B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the fitted state of the cap 1C of the container body 1 and the cap member 3 when the external air pressure is higher than the air pressure in the toner supply container.

When the external pressure is returned to the normal 1 atm after the low pressure inside and outside the toner supply container is balanced by the decrease in the external pressure described with reference to FIG. 8A, first, the flat and thin wall of the cap member 3 is formed. The bottom portion 3D elastically deforms and curves inward, reducing the volume in the toner supply container and acting to maintain the balance between the inside and outside pressures. When the air pressure in the toner supply container further increases, the bottom surface portion 3D is further elastically deformed, and the outer peripheral surface portion 3F of the thin inner cylindrical portion 3C becomes a ring-shaped protrusion on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical surface of the base 1C. 1F and a small gap is formed, and the ring-shaped protrusion 3E of the cap member 3 is slightly separated from the ring-shaped protrusions 1D and 1E of the base 1C to form a minute gap.
Due to the minute separation of the fitting portion between the base portion 1C and the cap member 3 due to the decrease in air pressure, the air inside and outside the toner supply container flows through this minute gap, and the air pressure inside the toner supply container is also equal to the external pressure. Then, the bottom portion 3D and the inner cylindrical portion 3C of the cap member 3 are restored to the initial positions indicated by the dashed line, and are kept in the sealed state shown in FIG.

[0032]

[Table 1]

Table 1 shows the percentage of air permeability of the toner supply container under a reduced pressure environment.

When the toner replenishing container is put in a sealed state without putting the toner therein, the toner replenishing container is put in an airtight chamber, and when the pressure is reduced, a minute gap is generated between the base 1C of the container main body 1 of the toner replenishing container and the fitting portion of the cap member 3. Then, the air in the toner supply container flows from this gap, and the pressure becomes low. Atmospheric pressure up to 0.6
When the toner supply container is set at 1 atm, which is the same as the outside pressure, after the pressure is reduced to 0.6 atm, the inside of the toner supply container is at 0.6 atm. The product is reduced. The internal volume at this time is 1
It has been reduced by 0 to 50%. If the toner supply container is left for a while in this state, the outside air flows through the minute gap and is restored. That is, when the maximum pressure difference is 0.4 atm, the air permeability of the toner supply container becomes 10 to 50%.

[0035]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the toner supply container is 0.4 atm.
By setting the air permeability to 50% or less, during transportation, particularly during rail transportation at high altitudes and transportation by air, there is no damage even under severe vibration or sudden decompression, and toner leakage and scattering occur. Is prevented.

In the toner supply container according to the second aspect of the present invention, the opening of the container main body and the engaging portion between the cap member and the cap member are hermetically sealed by fitting, so that the pressure inside the container main body differs from the outside air pressure. When the cap member is deformed, a minute gap that allows only air to flow through the engaging portion is formed, and the cap member is maintained in a sealed state under normal pressure, and is specified even under a sudden pressure reduction and pressure increase. By having a high air inflow property, the leakage of the toner and the scattering of the toner are prevented without damaging the container body and the cap member.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toner supply container according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the toner supply container.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where a bottom opening of the toner supply container is closed.

FIG. 4 is another longitudinal sectional view and a front view of the toner supply container.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where a bottom opening of the toner supply container is opened.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the vicinity of a top opening of the container body and a cap member.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a cap member is fitted to a base portion of the container body.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a fitted state of the cap portion and the cap member of the container main body when the external air pressure is reduced or increased below the air pressure in the toner supply container.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container main body 1A Top part opening (opening part) 1B Bottom part opening (supply opening) 1C Base part 1D, 1E, 1F, 3E Ring-shaped projection part 2 Base member 3 Cap member 3A Outer cylindrical part 3C Inner cylindrical part 3D bottom part 4 Flexible seal member 5 Slide lid (open / close lid)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A toner supply container comprising: a container main body for storing toner; an opening / closing lid for opening and closing a supply port of the container main body; and a cap member for closing an opening for filling the container main body with toner. A toner supply container having an air permeability of 50% or less when a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the toner supply container is 0.4 atm. 2. A toner supply container comprising: a container main body for storing toner; an opening / closing lid for opening and closing a supply port of the container main body; and a cap member for closing an opening for filling the container main body with toner. An engagement portion between the opening of the container body and the cap member is hermetically sealed by fitting, and when a difference between the atmospheric pressure inside the container body and the outside air pressure occurs, the deformation of the cap member causes the engagement. A toner replenishing container, wherein a minute gap that allows only air to flow is formed in the portion.