JPH11184228A - Toner replenishing container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner replenishing container capable of sealing a packing port on the container main body without adopting a cap or a label seal, and attaining cost reduction and improvement of sealing property as well as the compression property. SOLUTION: In this toner replenishing container A standing for the container for replenishing the toner from outside to the toner hopper part in a processing cartridge, supported by a guide blade unit, and compress/kept holding after replenishing the toner in the processing cartridge, the container is constituted so as to form the packing port (container incision part) 5 by inciting a part of the container main body 1, to pack the toner from the packing port 5, and to subsequently seal the packing port 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner supply container for supplying toner to a developing device of an image forming apparatus such as an electrostatic copying machine or a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a powder toner is used in an image forming apparatus such as an electrostatic copying machine or a printer. A toner supply container is generally a cylindrical or rectangular parallelepiped made of synthetic resin or the like. And a sealing member that seals an opening that is open for supplying powder toner from the container body to the developing device. The toner supply container usually has a filling port for filling the container body with the toner on a side wall corresponding to an end in the longitudinal direction. After filling the toner, the filling port is made of a plastic cap such as polyethylene or the like. Sealed with an adhesive label seal.

A photosensitive drum is provided in a toner supply container.
Some process cartridges are constructed by integrating a cleaner, a charger, and the like.

On the other hand, in the process cartridge system, a process cartridge capable of replenishing toner has also been proposed (Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-56474, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 2-56474).
186375), and among others, JP-A-2-1863
No. 75 discloses a process cartridge in which a plurality of toner supply containers can be inserted into a space.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional toner supply container, the toner filling port is required only for filling the container body with the toner, and has a functional role after the toner is filled. Does not play.
In addition, a cap or a label seal for sealing the filling port is required, and in order to prevent a cost increase due to an increase in the number of parts and a problem of toner scattering contamination due to floating or detachment of the cap or floating or peeling of the label seal. However, the precision in molding and assembling parts has become strict, and the management system of the process has tended to be strict.

Further, in a process cartridge capable of replenishing toner for the purpose of lowering running cost, a method in which a plurality of toner replenishing containers can be inserted into a space of the process cartridge for improving operability is limited. In order to load more containers into the space, it is effective to compress the container itself and store it in the process cartridge.However, if the filling port of the container is sealed with a plastic cap as in the past, the Such methods tend to be difficult due to interference. On the other hand, in the case of a label seal, if the container itself is made of a soft wrapping material in consideration of compressibility, the container side escapes at the time of sticking, and it has been difficult to secure sufficient sealing properties.

Further, a method of filling the toner from the opening side for supplying the toner from the container body to the developing device and then sealing the opening with a sealing member is conceivable. In this method, toner is scattered at the time of filling. It is difficult to prevent the seal portion from being stained by the seal, and the seal after filling, particularly the heat seal, tends to be unstable. In the heat sealing, the welding strength is reduced due to the presence of the toner in the seal portion, and there is a high possibility of causing trouble such as toner leakage due to peeling of the seal portion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to seal a filling port of a container body without using a cap or a label seal, thereby reducing the number of parts. An object of the present invention is to provide a toner replenishing container capable of improving the down and sealing properties and the compressibility.

[0009]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container for replenishing a toner hopper of a process cartridge with toner from outside, the container being supported by a guide plate. In a toner supply container that is compressed and held after supplying toner in a process cartridge, a part of the container body is cut out to form a filling port, and after filling the toner from the filling port, the filling port is sealed. It is characterized by.

A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect of the present invention, the container body is molded by vacuum molding.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the material of the container body is a plastic resin such as polypropylene, polyethylene, vinyl chloride, nylon, or a composite material of paper and paper and plastic resin. It is characterized by.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the cutout portion of the container main body is a side wall of a longitudinal end of the container main body.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the means for sealing the incision is heat welding, ultrasonic welding, or an adhesive tape or the like.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the incision is formed in a protruding shape.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an opening for supplying toner and a filling port for filling toner, a container main body for containing toner, a sealing member for sealing the opening, and a sealing for the filling port. Wherein the sealing member is integrally formed with the container body.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the seventh aspect, the filling port and the sealing member are formed by cutting a part of the container main body, and after the toner is filled from the filling port, the cutting is performed. The part is sealed.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the seventh aspect of the present invention, the container body is molded by vacuum molding.

The invention according to claim 10 is the invention according to claim 7, wherein the material of the container body is polypropylene,
It is a plastic resin such as polyethylene, vinyl chloride, nylon or the like, or paper and a composite material of paper and plastic resin.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the seventh aspect, the cutout portion of the container main body is a side wall of a longitudinal end of the container main body.

A twelfth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the seventh aspect of the present invention, the sealing means for the incision is heat welding, ultrasonic welding, or sticking such as an adhesive tape.

A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the seventh aspect of the invention, the incision is formed in a protruding shape.

[0022]

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

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toner supply container according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the toner supply container.

The toner supply container A according to this embodiment is
The container body 1 has a substantially triangular prism shape and has an opening for toner supply, a seal film 2 for sealing the opening of the container body 1, and a guide plate unit 3.

Next, a procedure for assembling the toner supply container A according to the present embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a side surface corresponding to the longitudinal end of the container body 1 is cut out (container cutout portion 5) to serve as a toner filling port, and the toner supply opening portion is used as a seal film 2 Was sealed by heat sealing.
In addition, polypropylene is used for the material of the container body 1,
The container body 1 is manufactured by vacuum molding, and the thickness thereof is set to 0.3 to 0.5 mm. As the structure of the seal film 2, polyester / nylon / sealant (adhesive for polypropylene) was adopted.

As shown in FIG. 5, the filling of the toner 4 is performed in a state where the container cutout portion 5 is opened and the toner replenishing container A is placed vertically as in the case of filling a normal rectangular parallelepiped container. . At this time, the filling nozzle 7 is arranged so as to avoid interference with the incision piece 6, and the toner 4 is filled. After the filling operation of the toner 4 is completed, the cutout portion 5 is sealed by ultrasonic welding.

In the toner supply container A according to the present embodiment, the filling port is not formed at the time of molding as in the conventional case, but is provided by cutting a part of the container main body 1. It is preferable that the material and the thickness are appropriate. Further, it is preferable that the material and the wall thickness are compressible in order to compress and hold in the process cartridge. Specifically, a plastic resin such as polypropylene, polyethylene, vinyl chloride, and nylon, or a composite material of paper and paper and plastic is used. The thickness is desirably such that incision and compression are not difficult, and preferably 1 mm or less. Further, as for the method of molding the container body 1, basically any method can be used as long as it can be molded with the above-mentioned material and thickness, but vacuum molding is most preferable.

The filling port is desirably provided on the side surface corresponding to the longitudinal end of the container body 1 in consideration of the filling efficiency.

Examples of the means for sealing the filling port include welding such as heat welding and ultrasonic welding, and sticking with an adhesive tape. However, welding is desirable for improving the sealing property.
In particular, since the inner surfaces of the container body 1 are welded of the same material, high sealing properties can be expected.

In this embodiment, the guide plate unit 3 having a substantially triangular cross section is mounted and fixed along the longitudinal slope of the container body 1, and the toner supply container A having a substantially triangular prism as shown in FIG. And The guide plate unit 3 is intended to protect the container body 1, to be mounted on the process cartridge 8 shown in FIG. 6, to move in the process cartridge 8, and to play a role of compression. Therefore, the guide plate unit 3 needs to have rigidity to protect the container body 1 and to smoothly move and compress the inside of the process cartridge 8, and the material thereof is plastic such as polystyrene, polycarbonate, ABS, or the like. Resin, metal such as aluminum, wooden board, etc. can be considered,
In this embodiment, polystyrene is used. A description of a mechanism for moving and compressing the guide plate unit 3 will be omitted.

Next, the toner supply operation will be described.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the structure of the process cartridge 8 used in this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, a charging port for charging the toner replenishing container A is provided in the toner hopper section 9 of the process cartridge 8, and the charging port is sealed with a lid 10.
Then, at the time of toner supply, the lid member 10 is opened, and the toner supply container A is mounted.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the toner supply container A having a substantially triangular prism is set so as to draw an arc around the vertex P. At this time, the guide plate unit 3 of the toner replenishing container A and a guide (not shown) in the process cartridge 8 regulate the movement of the toner replenishing container A and seal the toner 4 to suppress scattering.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the toner supply container A moved to a predetermined position is opened. Opening is performed by pulling the free end of the seal film 2 that seals the opening of the container body 1 out of the process cartridge 8 to peel off the heat seal portion. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the opening at the bottom of the triangular prism-shaped container body 1 is fully opened, so that almost all of the toner 4 is discharged.

Next, the operation of using the toner replenished in the first toner replenishing container A and further replenishing the toner 4 in the next toner replenishing container B will be described.

A new toner supply container B is mounted on the process cartridge 8 in exactly the same procedure as the first toner supply container A. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the used toner replenishing container A is pushed by the new toner replenishing container B and conveyed to the back of the process cartridge 8 while being compressed so that the surfaces of the guide plate unit 3 are brought into contact with each other. Will be retained. At this time, the container body 1 in the guide plate unit 3
Are folded about the center of both side surfaces corresponding to both ends in the longitudinal direction, and are in a state almost close to the thickness of the guide plate unit 3. That is, the side portion having the filling port is compressed so as to be folded, but since there is no interference such as a plastic cap, the toner supply container A can be easily compressed. Then, for the new toner supply container B,
The toner supply container A is opened and the toner 4 is supplied in the same manner as the toner supply container A.

Thereafter, new toner replenishing containers C and D are sequentially charged in the same manner to replenish toner, and a maximum of four toner replenishing containers A, B, C and D are mounted as shown in FIG. Can be.

According to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to discard the toner replenishing containers A to D when replenishing the toner, so that there is almost no contamination due to scattering of the toner 4 and the operability is improved. I do.

In the present embodiment, the shape of the container itself is a substantially triangular prism, and the container is mounted and moved in an arc with respect to the process cartridge. However, the present invention is premised on maintaining and improving operability. It is not limited to the present embodiment.

When the toner replenishing container according to the present embodiment was filled with 500 g of the toner and replenished with the toner, the strength at the time of opening was about 2 to 4 kg, and the toner could be easily replenished. Further, since it is not necessary to take out the container after toner replenishment just by charging the container, there is no contamination by toner.

Further, depending on the use of the toner,
The toner was replenished by attaching the fourth toner replenishing container and the toner replenishing container. The loaded toner replenishing container was smoothly compressed and moved, and no particular abnormality was observed. In addition, 1000 containers were manufactured and subjected to physical distribution and environmental tests. No abnormalities were found.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
1 is a partial sectional view of a toner supply container according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the toner supply container.

The present embodiment is the same as Embodiment 1 except that the container cutout 5 is formed in a projecting shape (projecting portion 5a).

In this embodiment, the container incision 5
Is protruded in a rib shape, and the tip of the protruding portion 5a is cut out to charge the toner. After the toner is filled, the incision piece 6 may be welded so as to crush the flange portion (the hatched portion in FIG. 12) of the protrusion 5a, so that the incision and sealing are facilitated, and the assembling property is improved.

The toner replenishing container according to the present embodiment was also subjected to toner filling, toner replenishment, distribution and environmental tests in the same manner as in Embodiment 1, but no particular abnormality was found.

<Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The present embodiment is the same as Embodiment 2 except that polyethylene is used for the material of the container body and that thermal sealing is used as the sealing means for the filling port.

Thus, in this embodiment, the thermal welding is used to seal the filling port, but the welding is performed between the inner surfaces of the container body, ie,
Unlike the thermal welding of the opening of the toner supply container, it is not necessary to open it again, so that it is possible to perform strong welding, and sufficient strength was obtained even with a small amount of toner. .

The toner supply container according to the present embodiment was also subjected to toner filling, toner supply, physical distribution, and environmental tests, but no abnormalities were found as in the second embodiment.

Comparative Example 1 Next, Comparative Example 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the toner supply container according to Comparative Example 1.

The toner supply container A according to this embodiment is a container body 1 having a normal rectangular parallelepiped shape and having an opening for toner supply.
And a seal film 2 for sealing the opening of the container body 1
And a toner filling port cap 15.
The container body 1 is made of polystyrene, and the container body 1 is manufactured by injection molding.
It is set to 2 mm. As the structure of the seal film 2, polyester / nylon / sealant (PS adhesive) was employed. Further, the toner filling port cap 1
5 was molded from polyethylene and the container body 1 was filled with toner, and then the filling port was closed with a toner filling port cap 15.

When the guide plate unit was attached to the toner supply container A according to the present embodiment, and the toner cartridge was attached to the process cartridge, opened, and replenished with toner, no abnormalities were found as in the first embodiment. I couldn't.

However, when the next toner replenishing container is to be loaded, the toner replenished container does not collapse at all.
It could not be loaded because it did not compress and move.

Therefore, the molding conditions of the container were examined and the thickness of the container was controlled to 1 mm or less, but the molding tended to be unstable. Further, even if a container molded with a thickness of 1 mm or less is used, not only is it difficult to compress, but also in the logistics test, the filling port cap floats and toner leakage is likely to occur.

[Comparative Example 2] Next, Comparative Example 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the toner supply container according to Comparative Example 2 is filled with toner.

In this embodiment, the material and shape of the container body are the same as those in Comparative Example 1, and the method of filling the toner is different.

In this embodiment, the container 4 is filled with toner 4 from the container opening for supplying toner from the container main body 1 to the developing device, and then the sealing film is heat-welded to the container main body to seal the container opening. did.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, the cap for sealing the filling port is not required, so that not only the number of parts can be reduced, but also the compression in the process cartridge can be easily performed.

However, scattering of the toner occurs at the time of filling the toner, and it is difficult to completely prevent the scattering of the toner 4 even if the filling time is reduced. When heat welding was performed in this state, the welding strength was reduced due to the toner 4 interposed in the welded portion, and toner leakage occurred due to peeling of the seal.

The toner replenishment container according to this embodiment was also subjected to toner filling, toner replenishment, physical distribution and environmental tests. However, toner leakage sometimes occurred due to the above-mentioned reasons.

[Comparative Example 3] Next, Comparative Example 3 will be described.

This example is the same as the first embodiment in the material and molding method of the container body, but the toner filling port is formed with a circular hole on the side surface of the container body, and the filling port is used in Comparative Example 1.
Sealing was performed using the same polyethylene plastic cap.

The toner supply container according to this example was also subjected to toner filling, toner supply, distribution and environmental tests.
In the physical distribution and environmental tests, the container body was soft and low in rigidity, so that sufficient sealing between the plastic cap and the container body could not be obtained, and toner leakage from the cap portion occurred significantly.

Also, the toner supply container was compressed and held in the process cartridge. However, as in Comparative Example 1, the plastic cap hindered the compression, and the next container could not be loaded.

<Fourth Embodiment> Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
5 is a plan view of a toner supply container according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, and FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the toner supply container.

The toner supply container A according to this embodiment is
The container body 1 has a normal rectangular parallelepiped shape and has an opening for toner supply, and a seal film 2 for sealing the opening of the container body 1. In addition, polypropylene is used for the material of the container main body 1, and the container main body 1 is manufactured by vacuum molding, and the thickness thereof is set to 0.3 to 0.5 mm. As the structure of the seal film 2, a polyester / nylon / sealant (adhesive for PP) was employed.

Next, how the toner supply container A is filled with the toner 4 will be described.

The filling port is formed as a container cutout portion 5 by cutting a side surface corresponding to the longitudinal end of the container body 1. The container cutout portion 5 is opened, and the toner 4 is filled in a state where the toner supply container A is placed vertically as shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 17, the filling nozzle 7 is disposed so as to avoid interference with the incision piece 6, and the toner 4 is filled. After the filling operation is completed, the incision 5 is sealed by ultrasonic welding.

In the toner supply container A according to the present embodiment, the filling port is not formed at the time of molding as in the conventional case, but is provided by cutting a part of the container body 1. It is preferable that the main body 1 is made of a material and a wall thickness capable of being cut. Specifically, as the material of the container body 1, a plastic resin such as polypropylene, polyethylene, vinyl chloride, nylon, or the like, paper, or a composite material of paper and plastic is used. The thickness of the container body 1 is desirably such that the incision is not difficult, and if possible, it is desirably 1 mm or less.

The method for molding the container body 1 is basically any method as long as it can be molded with the above-mentioned material and thickness, but the most preferable is vacuum molding. In addition, it is preferable that the filling port is provided on the side surface corresponding to the longitudinal end of the container body 1 in consideration of the filling efficiency.

Examples of the means for sealing the filling port include welding such as heat welding and ultrasonic welding, and sticking with an adhesive tape or the like. In order to ensure high sealing properties, welding is preferable. In welding, the inner surfaces of the container body 1
That is, since the same material is welded, high sealing properties can be expected.

The toner was filled using the toner replenishing container A according to the present embodiment. However, no abnormality was found, and sufficient strength was obtained in the welding of the filling port.

When the toner was supplied, the strength at the time of opening was about 4 to 6 kgf, and the toner could be easily supplied.

Then, distribution and environmental tests were carried out by manufacturing 1,000 toner supply containers, but no particular abnormality was found.

<Fifth Embodiment> Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
8 is a partial sectional view of a toner supply container according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention, and FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the toner supply container.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the structure is the same as that of the fourth embodiment except that the cutout portion 5 of the toner supply container A is formed in a projecting shape (projecting portion 5a).

Thus, in the present embodiment, the container incision 5 is made to project in a rib shape, and the tip of the projection 5a is incised to charge the toner. Then, after filling the toner, the flange 5a (the hatched portion in FIG. 19) of the protrusion 5a may be welded so as to be crushed.

The toner replenishing container A according to the present embodiment was also subjected to toner filling, toner replenishment, physical distribution, and environmental tests, but no abnormalities were found.

<Sixth Embodiment> Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

This embodiment is the same as the fifth embodiment except that polyethylene is used for the material of the container body and that heat sealing is used as the sealing means for the filling port.

Thus, in this embodiment, the thermal welding is used to seal the filling port, but the welding is performed between the inner surfaces of the container body, that is,
Unlike the thermal welding at the opening of the toner replenishing container, the polyethylene does not need to be reopened, so that a strong welding was possible, and sufficient strength was obtained even with a small amount of toner.

The toner supply container according to the present embodiment was also subjected to toner filling, toner supply, physical distribution, and environmental tests. No abnormalities were found as in the fifth embodiment.

[Comparative Example 4] Next, Comparative Example 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the toner supply container according to Comparative Example 4.

The toner supply container A according to the present embodiment is a container body 1 having a normal rectangular parallelepiped shape and having an opening for toner supply.
And a seal film 2 for sealing the opening of the container body 1
And a toner filling port cap 15.
The container body 1 is made of polystyrene, and the container body 1 is manufactured by injection molding.
It is set to 2 mm. As the structure of the seal film 2, polyester / nylon / sealant (PS adhesive) was employed. Further, the toner filling port cap 1
5 was molded from polyethylene and the container body 1 was filled with toner, and then the filling port was closed with a toner filling port cap 15.

The toner replenishing container A according to the present embodiment was also subjected to toner filling, toner replenishment, physical distribution and environmental tests. Was.

Therefore, it is necessary to tighten the tolerance of the molding dimension of the cap 15 and to strengthen the control system in the production process.

Comparative Example 5 Next, Comparative Example 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the toner is filled in the toner supply container according to Comparative Example 5.

In this embodiment, the material and shape of the container body 1 are the same as those in Comparative Example 4, and the method of filling the toner is different.

In this embodiment, the toner 4 is filled from the container opening side for supplying the toner from the container body 1 to the developing device, and then the opening is sealed by heat-sealing a seal film to the container body. .

Thus, according to this example, the cap for sealing the filling port is not required, and the number of parts can be reduced.

However, scattering of the toner 4 occurs at the time of filling the toner, and it is difficult to completely prevent the scattering of the toner 4 even if the filling tact is reduced. When heat welding was performed in this state, the welding strength was reduced due to the toner 4 interposed in the welded portion, and toner leakage occurred due to peeling of the seal.

The toner supply container according to this example was also subjected to toner filling, toner supply, distribution and environmental tests.
For the reasons described above, toner leakage may occur.

Comparative Example 6 Next, Comparative Example 6 will be described.

This embodiment is the same as Embodiment 4 in terms of the material of the container body, the molding method, and the like.
Sealing was performed using the same polyethylene plastic cap.

The toner supply container according to this example was also subjected to toner filling, toner supply, distribution and environmental tests.
In the physical distribution and environmental tests, the container body was soft and low in rigidity, so that sufficient sealing between the plastic cap and the container body could not be obtained, and toner leakage from the cap portion occurred significantly.

[0098]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention has the following effects. (1) A plastic cap or a label seal is not required as a sealing member for the filling port of the toner container body, so that the number of parts and the cost can be reduced. (2) A high welding strength is obtained by sealing the inner surfaces of the container body by heat welding and ultrasonic welding at the filling port after the toner is filled, thereby improving the sealing property. (3) Since there is no need to seal the filling port of the toner container main body with a separate member, it is easy to unify the materials, and it is possible to enhance ecological properties. (4) The incision and sealing operation are facilitated by molding the incision at the time of forming the filling port into a protruding shape, and assemblability is improved. (5) Compressibility in the process cartridge is enhanced as a toner supply container for supplying toner to the process cartridge.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the toner supply container according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a procedure for assembling the toner supply container according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a procedure for assembling the toner supply container according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a toner filling state of the toner supply container according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a process cartridge.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the process cartridge in which the toner supply container according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is mounted.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an opened state of the toner supply container in the process cartridge in which the toner supply container according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is mounted.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the process cartridge in which the second toner supply container according to the first embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a process cartridge in which four toner supply containers according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention are mounted.

FIG. 11 is a partial sectional view of a toner supply container according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a toner supply container according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a toner supply container according to Comparative Example 1.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where toner is filled in a toner supply container according to Comparative Example 2.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a toner supply container according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a toner supply container according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the toner supply container according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is filled with toner;

FIG. 18 is a partial sectional view of a toner supply container according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a toner supply container according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a toner supply container according to Comparative Example 4.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where toner is filled in a toner supply container according to Comparative Example 5.

[Description of Symbols] A to D Toner supply container 1 Container body 2 Seal film (seal member) 3 Guide plate unit 4 Toner 5 Container cutout section 6 Cutout piece 7 Filling nozzle 8 Process cartridge 9 Toner hopper section 10 Cover material 15 Toner filling Cap (sealing member)

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A toner supply container for externally replenishing toner to a toner hopper portion of a process cartridge, the toner replenishing container being supported by a guide plate and compressed and held after replenishing toner in the process cartridge. A toner supply container characterized in that a part of the main body is cut out to form a filling port, and after filling the toner from the filling port, the filling port is sealed. 2. The toner supply container according to claim 1, wherein said container body is formed by vacuum molding. 3. The container body is made of polypropylene,
2. The toner supply container according to claim 1, wherein the toner supply container is made of a plastic resin such as polyethylene, vinyl chloride, or nylon, or a composite material of paper and paper and plastic resin. 4. The toner supply container according to claim 1, wherein the cutout portion of the container main body is a side wall of a longitudinal end of the container main body. 5. The toner replenishing container according to claim 1, wherein the sealing means of the cutout portion is heat welding, ultrasonic welding, or sticking such as an adhesive tape. 6. The toner supply container according to claim 1, wherein said cutout portion is formed in a projecting shape. 7. An opening for replenishing toner and a filling port for filling toner, a container body for storing toner, a sealing member for sealing the opening, and a sealing member for sealing the filling port. Wherein the sealing member is formed integrally with the container body. 8. The container according to claim 7, wherein the filling port and the sealing member are formed by cutting a part of the container body, and the cut section is sealed after filling the toner from the filling port. Toner supply container. 9. The toner supply container according to claim 7, wherein said container body is formed by vacuum molding. 10. The toner supply container according to claim 7, wherein the material of the container body is a plastic resin such as polypropylene, polyethylene, vinyl chloride, nylon, or the like, or paper and a composite material of paper and plastic resin. 11. The toner supply container according to claim 7, wherein the cutout portion of the container main body is a side wall of a longitudinal end of the container main body. 12. The toner supply container according to claim 7, wherein said sealing means for said cutout portion is heat welding, ultrasonic welding, or sticking such as an adhesive tape. 13. The toner supply container according to claim 7, wherein said cutout portion is formed in a projecting shape.