JPH11272143A - Supply cartridge and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform the replenishment of a storage medium and image visualizing agent without wasting main parts having image forming function and to preserve the storage madium well. SOLUTION: A supply cartridge 13 housing the sheet-like storage medium and the image visualizing agent is provided, the cartridge 13 is loaded to the cartridge holding part 3 of an image forming device body 2, so that the storage medium and the image visualizing agent are supplied. Thus, a time when the storage medium is used up and a time when the image visualizing agent is used up are set so as to a nearly the same time so that the times of replenishment of the storage medium and the image visualizing agent are reduced. When the open/close door of a storage medium housing chamber 21 is kept in a hermetically-sealed condition, and the cartridge holding part 3 to which the cartridge 13 is loaded at an attachable/detachable position is set on a printing set position, the open/close door of the chamber 21 can be opened.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a supply cartridge for supplying consumables to an image forming apparatus and an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the rapid spread of personal computers, the demand for image forming apparatuses as output devices for personal computers has increased. In particular, the demand for personal users is remarkable. The image forming apparatus for personal users is required to be inexpensive, compact, and easy to handle as well as home appliances.

Various proposals have been made for cost reduction and miniaturization. Regarding ease of handling, in the case of an ink jet printer, in particular, for the purpose of facilitating maintenance, a print head and an ink tank are assembled as a single unit to constitute a head / ink cartridge, and the inside of the ink tank is formed. When the ink has been used up, the entire head / ink cartridge is replaced.

In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus,
For example, JP-A-5-19541, JP-A-8-16
As described in JP 0841 and JP-A-8-179629, a process cartridge is constructed by assembling a photoreceptor and a process unit including a developing device, and when the developer of the developing device is used up. A proposal has been made to replace the entire process cartridge.

[0005]

As described above, in an image forming apparatus using an ink or a developer as an image visualizing agent,
The storage amount of the image visualizing agent stored in a so-called supply-type cartridge (hereinafter, referred to as a supply cartridge) such as a head / ink cartridge or a process cartridge is limited.

On the other hand, a head in an ink-jet printer (image forming apparatus), a developing unit and other process units (charger, cleaning unit, etc.) in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus are main parts of the image forming apparatus. The life of the main parts is set to a life close to the product life of the image forming apparatus. That is, the supply cartridge conventionally used is a mixture of main parts and an image visualizing agent as a consumable.
In such a supply cartridge, when the image visualizing agent is used up, the main parts which still have a life are discarded, which is very uneconomical. It also has a serious impact on garbage disposal, which has become a social problem in recent years.

A first object of the present invention is to make it possible to replenish only a recording medium and an image visualizing agent without wasteful disposal of main parts, and to facilitate handling of replenishment of consumables.

A second object of the present invention is to improve the handling of a supply cartridge with respect to an image forming apparatus while preserving a recording medium well.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a supply cartridge for storing a predetermined number of sheet-shaped recording media in a stacked state and supplying the recording media to an image forming unit of an image forming apparatus. Is formed, and an image visualizing agent for visualizing an image on the recording medium in the image forming unit is stored in accordance with the number of stored recording media, and the image visualizing agent is stored in the image forming unit. An image visualizing agent storage chamber in which an image visualizing agent supply port to be supplied to the unit is formed, an opening / closing door that opens and closes the paper feed port, and a door locking unit that locks the opening / closing door in a sealed state and detaches by an external force. Is provided.

Therefore, the door can be kept in a sealed state unless the door of the recording medium storage chamber is unlocked by intentionally applying an external force. It is possible to save and prevent dissipation. When the process cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the recording medium is fed by opening the opening / closing door after unlocking the door locking portion. Is also gone.
When the supply cartridge is replaced, the recording medium and the image visualizing agent can be supplied at the same time while the main parts having the image forming function remain in the image forming apparatus.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process cartridge comprising:
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the door locking portion is formed by a protrusion and a concave portion which are elastically locked to each other and come off when an external force is applied in the separating direction.

Therefore, the door is maintained in the locked state by elastically locking the projection and the recess.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect.
A recording medium transport path having a transport member that transports a recording medium fed from the supply cartridge described above, an image forming apparatus main body provided with an image forming unit disposed in the recording medium transport path, and the supply cartridge. A cartridge holding portion rotatably supported between the image forming apparatus main body and a cartridge holding portion for removably holding the supply cartridge between a mounting / detaching position for attachment / detachment and a printing setting position, and the cartridge holding portion set at the printing setting position. A cartridge fixing unit for fixing the supply cartridge in the cartridge holding unit, and a door opening unit for opening the opening / closing door when the cartridge holding unit is set at the print setting position.

Therefore, the door can be kept in a sealed state unless the door of the recording medium storage chamber is unlocked by intentionally applying an external force. It is possible to save and prevent dissipation. When the supply cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the supply cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holding portion rotated to the attaching / detaching position, but the door locking portion is unlocked and the cartridge holding portion on which the supply cartridge is mounted is unlocked. When the supply cartridge is set at the print setting position, the supply cartridge can be fixed by the cartridge fixing means. Further, by opening the opening / closing door with the door opening means, it is possible to maintain a state in which the recording medium is fed from the sheet feeding port to the image forming section. When the supply medium in the supply cartridge is used up by paper feeding, the supply cartridge in the cartridge holder is replaced, and the main part with the image forming function is left in the image forming apparatus while the recording medium and the image are visualized. It is possible to replenish with the agent at the same time. It should be noted that the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect includes an apparatus that manually operates the door opening means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect.
In the invention described above, the door opening means is linked to a displacement operation between the attachment / detachment position of the cartridge holding unit and the print setting position.

Therefore, the opening and closing door of the supply cartridge can be opened simply by setting the cartridge holding section in which the supply cartridge is mounted to the print setting position.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect.
A recording medium transport path having a transport member that transports a recording medium fed from the supply cartridge described above, an image forming apparatus main body provided with an image forming unit disposed in the recording medium transport path, and the supply cartridge. A cartridge holding portion rotatably supported between the image forming apparatus main body and a cartridge holding portion for removably holding the supply cartridge between a mounting / detaching position for attachment / detachment and a printing setting position, and the cartridge holding portion set at the printing setting position. A cartridge fixing means for fixing the supply cartridge in the cartridge holding portion, and a door for closing the opening / closing door in conjunction with a displacement operation of the cartridge holding portion when the cartridge holding portion is rotated to a detachable position. Closing means.

Therefore, the door can be kept in a closed state unless the door of the recording medium storage chamber is unlocked by intentionally applying an external force. It is possible to save and prevent dissipation. When installing a supply cartridge, attach the supply cartridge to the cartridge holder that has been turned to the mounting / removal position.However, unlock the door lock unit and move the cartridge holder with the supply cartridge to the print setting position. When set, the supply cartridge can be fixed by the cartridge fixing means. Also, at any time from when the supply cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holding unit to when the cartridge holding unit is set to the print setting position, the door locking unit is unlocked and the opening / closing door is opened, so that the recording medium can be fed into the paper feeding port. Can be maintained in a state in which the sheet is fed to the image forming unit. When the supply medium in the supply cartridge is used up by paper feeding, the supply cartridge in the cartridge holder is replaced, and the main part with the image forming function is left in the image forming apparatus while the recording medium and the image are visualized. It is possible to replenish with the agent at the same time. On this occasion,
The operation of simply rotating the cartridge holding portion to the attachment / detachment position to replace the supply cartridge enables the door to be closed by the door closing means. The image forming apparatus according to the fifth aspect includes a structure that does not include a door opening unit that opens the door. In this case, the supply cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holding unit with the opening / closing door opened.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect.
A recording medium transport path having a transport member that transports a recording medium fed from the supply cartridge described above, an image forming apparatus main body provided with an image forming unit disposed in the recording medium transport path, and the supply cartridge. A cartridge holding portion rotatably supported between the image forming apparatus main body and a cartridge holding portion for removably holding the supply cartridge between a mounting / detaching position for attachment / detachment and a printing setting position, and the cartridge holding portion set at the printing setting position. A cartridge fixing means for fixing the supply cartridge in the cartridge holding portion, and when the cartridge holding portion is set at a print setting position, the opening / closing door is opened in conjunction with the displacement operation of the cartridge holding portion,
Door opening / closing means for closing the opening / closing door in conjunction with the displacement operation of the cartridge holding portion when the cartridge holding portion is rotated to the attachment / detachment position.

Therefore, the door can be maintained in a closed state unless the door is unlocked by intentionally applying an external force to the recording medium storage chamber. It is possible to save and prevent dissipation. When installing a supply cartridge, attach the supply cartridge to the cartridge holder that has been turned to the mounting / removal position.However, unlock the door lock unit and move the cartridge holder with the supply cartridge to the print setting position. When set, the supply cartridge can be fixed by the cartridge fixing means. Further, by opening the opening / closing door with the door opening / closing means, it is possible to maintain a state in which the recording medium is fed from the paper feeding port to the image forming unit. When the supply medium in the supply cartridge is used up by paper feeding, the supply cartridge in the cartridge holder is replaced, and the main part with the image forming function is left in the image forming apparatus while the recording medium and the image are visualized. It is possible to replenish with the agent at the same time. At this time, the opening / closing door can be closed by the door opening / closing means simply by rotating the cartridge holding unit to the mounting / removing position in order to replace the supply cartridge.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third, fourth, fifth, or sixth aspect, the image forming apparatus cartridge holding portion locks the door when the supply cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holding portion. Door unlocking means for unlocking the locked state of the part by an external force.

Therefore, the door can be unlocked by the door unlocking means only by the operation of mounting the supply cartridge on the cartridge holding portion, and thereafter, the opening and closing door is opened by the door opening means or the door opening / closing means. Can be immediately shifted to the opening operation.

[0023] The image forming apparatus according to the eighth aspect is the fifth aspect.
In the invention described in the sixth aspect, the cartridge holding unit includes a door pressurizing unit that presses the open / close door when the supply cartridge is removed from the cartridge holding unit to lock the unlocked state of the door locking unit.

Therefore, by simply removing the supply cartridge from the cartridge holding portion, the opening / closing door previously closed by the door closing means or the door opening / closing means is pressed by the door pressing means to seal the door locking portion. State.

[0025]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a state before a supply cartridge is mounted on a cartridge holding section of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a process of mounting a supply cartridge on a cartridge holding section. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a cartridge is mounted, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a cartridge holding unit is set in a print setting position, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus in a state in which a supply cartridge is set in a print setting position. , FIG. 6 is a front view of the supply cartridge,
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the entire structure of the supply cartridge,
FIG. 8 shows the opening and closing door of the supply cartridge.
(A) is a partial perspective view showing a state where the door locking part is locked, (b) is a partial perspective view showing a state where the door locking part is unlocked, and (c) is FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the door is opened, FIG. 9 is a front view showing the door and a door locking portion, and FIG.
11A and 11B show a modified example of the door locking portion. FIG. 11A is a partial front view, FIG. 11B is a side view, FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the supply cartridge viewed from below, and FIG. FIG. 13 shows the structure and operation of the cartridge fixing means, and FIG. 13A is a side view showing a state in which the cartridge holding unit is turned to the mounting / removing position.
(B) is a side view showing a process of mounting the supply cartridge on the cartridge holding unit, (c) is a side view showing a state where the supply cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holding unit, and (d) is a position where the cartridge holding unit is in the print setting position. FIG. 14E is a side view showing a set state, FIG. 14E is a side view showing a state before the cartridge holding unit is rotated to a mounting / removing position and the supply cartridge is taken out, and FIG. A perspective view showing
FIG. 15 shows the operation of the door opening / closing means.
Is a side view showing a process of mounting the supply cartridge on the cartridge holding portion, (b) is a side view showing a state where the supply cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holding portion,
FIG. 4C is a side view illustrating a state where the cartridge holding unit is set at the print setting position.

1 to 5, reference numeral 1 denotes an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus main body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1 has a box-like shape with an open top surface, and a cartridge holding portion 3 has a detachable position (upper) centered on a rear edge when viewed from the front, and a print set. It is held rotatably between position 8 (downward). The attachment / detachment position is a position where a supply cartridge described later is attached to / detached from the cartridge holding unit 3.

The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is for full color, and has a plurality of image forming sections 4 for forming yellow, magenta, cyan, and black images as shown in FIGS. These image forming units 4 are arranged in a horizontal line along the recording medium transport path 5. The recording medium transport path 5 is defined in a shape that forms a wide U-shaped transport path in which an intermediate portion is along the arrangement direction of the image forming units 4 and the upstream side and the downstream side are bent upward. , A plurality of transfer rollers 6, a plurality of transport rollers 7 as transport members, and a fixing roller 7a are arranged. Further, at one end on the downstream side of the recording medium transport path 5,
As shown in FIG. 5, a slit-shaped discharge port 5a is formed.

The image forming section 4 in the present embodiment includes a photosensitive member 8, a developing device 9, and an L provided inside the photosensitive member 8.
An ED array exposure device 10 is provided. The photoreceptor 8 has a three-layer structure in which a transparent electrode and a photoconductive layer are formed on the surface of a cylindrical transparent support. The developing device 9 has a magnetic roller 11 and a non-magnetic conductive sleeve 12 which is fitted around the outer periphery and rotates to convey toner as an image visualizing agent. The operation of the image forming unit 4 of this type is already known, so that its operation will be briefly described.
A developing bias is applied between the photoconductor 8 and the photoconductive layer of the photoconductor 8, the conductive toner is conveyed onto the photoconductor 8 by the rotation of the conductive sleeve 12, and is exposed by the LED array exposing device 10 to expose the photosensitive toner. A toner image is formed on the surface of the body 8.

The cartridge holding section 3 has a mounting plate 14 on which the supply cartridge 13 is mounted, supporting walls 15 and 16 rising from both ends thereof, and a guide groove 17 arranged near these supporting walls 15. The mounting plate 14 has an elongated connection opening 18 extending from the front side toward the back.
These connection openings 18 are opposed to a toner receiving port 9 a formed on the upper surface of the toner container of the developing device 9. The front edges 19 on the front side of the connection openings 18 are bent downward in a U-shape to allow the supply cartridge 13 to be attached and detached.

The supply cartridge 13 mounted on the mounting plate 14 of the cartridge holder 3 has a flat case 20, as shown in FIGS. A recording medium storage chamber 21 for storing the recording media (not shown) in a stacked state and a plurality of image visualizing agent storage chambers 22 disposed below the recording medium storage chamber 21 are formed. These image visualizing agent storage chambers 22 are partitioned so as to separately store toners as image visualizing agents of different colors, and a plurality of image visualizing agent supply ports 23 are formed on the lower surface thereof for each type of toner. ing. These image visualizing agent supply ports 23 are arranged at positions facing the toner receiving port 9a of the developing device 9 described above, and the opening surfaces thereof are sealed by means such as sticking a film, and when the cartridge 23 is mounted on the cartridge holding section 3. Pull out the film from one end and feed the image visualization agent 2
3 to be released.

Although not shown, the recording medium storage chamber 21 contains
The bottom plate on which the recording medium is placed is urged upward and is supported so as to be able to move up and down, and a separation claw that separates the recording medium from the next lower layer or lower when feeding the uppermost recording medium is provided. Is provided. Further, the cartridge holding portions 3 are provided at both ends of the case 20 of the supply cartridge 13.
Guide rib 2 removably inserted into guide groove 17 of
4, 25 are formed. The amount of the image visualizing agent stored in each image visualizing agent storage chamber 22 is stored in the recording medium storage chamber 21 based on the average consumption per recording medium when visualizing an image at an average image density. It is determined according to the number of recording media.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the image forming apparatus main body 2 is provided with a paper feed unit 26 for drawing out the recording medium in the supply cartridge 13. This paper feed unit 2
A drive shaft 27 having one end connected to a motor (not shown) and rotatably supported by the image forming apparatus main body 2; a roller shaft 29 receiving the rotation of the drive shaft 27 via a belt 28; A paper feed roller 30 fixedly provided on the roller shaft 29, and a cover 31 that rotatably supports both ends of the roller shaft 29 and covers a part of the outer periphery of the paper feed roller 30
And When the paper feed roller 30 rotates the cover 31 counterclockwise in a direction in which the paper feed roller 30 is inserted into the window 32 (see FIG. 7) of the supply cartridge 13, the cover 31 is fixed at that position. A clamp (not shown).

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and FIGS.
An open / close door 34 that opens and closes a paper feed port 33 (see FIG. 8C) formed at one end of the recording medium storage chamber 21 is provided at one end of the recording medium storage chamber 21. Then, as shown in FIG.
Locking portion 35 that locks the door in a sealed state and releases the door by an external force.
Is provided. The door locking portion 35 is provided at the upper edge of the opening and closing door 34 with a movable locking piece 37 flexibly supported by a thin flexible portion 36 and a movable locking piece fixedly provided on an end surface of the case 20. A projection 39 and a concave portion 40 which elastically engage with each other are provided on a surface facing the fixed engagement piece 38 facing the 37. As shown in FIG. 9, the protrusion 39 is
By narrowing the part (neck) continuous with the
The perimeter of the cross section of the recess 9 and the recess 40 can be made larger than a semicircle, and the locking force between them can be increased.

The projection 39 and the recess 40 of the door locking portion 35
Is formed on a straight line along the width of the recording medium.
As shown in FIG. 0, a plurality of protrusions 41 elastically engaged with the movable locking piece 37 and the fixed locking piece 38 of the door 34.
And the concave portions 42 may be alternately arranged to form the door locking portions 43. FIG. 10 shows a state in which the end of the movable locking piece 37 is deflected with respect to the fixed locking piece 38 and a part of the projection 4 near the end is bent.
1 shows a state in which the first and the concave portions 42 are separated from each other, and the door locking portion 43 in this example is similar to the configuration of the fastener. FIG.
As shown in the figure, the opening / closing door 34 is supported by the case 20 so as to be rotatable around a fulcrum shaft 34a, and is fixedly provided with an L-shaped connection guide 34b at an end on the back side.

The reference numeral 44 shown in FIG.
It is a door unlocking member as door unlocking means for unlocking (or the door locking portion 43 shown in FIG. 10). This door unlocking member 44
The movable locking piece 37 is detached from the fixed locking piece 38 by inserting the movable locking piece 37 and the fixed locking piece 38 relative to each other at an inner end of the movable locking piece 37 and the flexible locking section 36. The tip is formed at an acute angle like a tool driver so as to bend downward as a fulcrum. The door unlocking member 44 does not have a function until the door 34 is opened. Further, when the supply cartridge 13 is mounted on the cartridge holding unit 3, the door unlocking member 44 is disposed at a position opposed to an end portion between the movable locking piece 37 and the fixed locking piece 38 so that the cartridge is unlocked. It is provided on the holding unit 3. That is, when the supply cartridge 13 is inserted into the cartridge holding section 3, the door locking section 35 (or the door locking section 43) is unlocked.

A pair of rollers 45 shown in FIG.
By inserting the movable locking piece 37 and the fixed locking piece 38 between these rollers 45, the movable locking piece 37 detached from the fixed locking piece 38 is pressed to press the projection 39 and the recess 40.
Function as a door pressing means for bringing the door locking portion 35 into a locked state by elastically locking the door. This roller 45 is
On the right support wall 16 of the cartridge holding part 3, the movable locking piece 37 and the fixed locking piece 38 are arranged at a position where the movable locking piece 37 and the fixed locking piece 38 can be vertically clamped when the supply cartridge 13 is mounted or removed (FIG. 1). Or FIG. 4). The door pressurizing means by such a roller 45 is used for the pair of rollers 45 according to the thickness and shape of the movable locking piece 37 and the fixed locking piece 38.
By changing the setting of the shape and the facing interval, the present invention can also be applied to a case where the door locking portion 43 shown in FIG. 10 is locked.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, one guide rib 25 formed in the supply cartridge 13 has a through hole 46 which penetrates in the vertical direction at the back side, and has a downward bottom disposed at the front side thereof. A hole 47 is formed. Then, a cartridge fixing means for fixing the supply cartridge 13 using the through hole 46 and the bottomed hole 47 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 13, the cartridge fixing means 48 has a first lever 49, a second lever 50, and a third lever 51. The first lever 49 is rotatably supported by the cartridge holding portion 3 by a fulcrum shaft 52, and a stopper 53 is formed at one end to engage with the through hole 46 of the supply cartridge 13 from below, and a third lever is provided at the other end. A contact piece 54 that contacts the 51 is formed. The first lever 49 is urged clockwise, but its movement in the clockwise direction is restricted by a pin (not shown).

The second lever 50 is rotatably supported by the image forming apparatus main body 2 by a fulcrum shaft 55. A stopper 56 is formed at one end of the second lever 50 so as to engage the bottomed hole 47 of the supply cartridge 13 from below. A pressing piece 57 for pressing the contact piece 54 of the first lever 49 from below is formed at the end. The second lever 50 is urged clockwise, but its movement in the clockwise direction is restricted by the pin 58.

The third lever 51 is rotatably supported by the cartridge holding portion 3 by a fulcrum shaft 59, and has an intermediate portion provided by a joint 60 so as to be bent in a V-shape. The third lever 51 is swingably supported so that the joint 60 moves on a radius centered on the fulcrum shaft 59. Further, the third lever 51 is urged in a clockwise direction and urged in a direction extending linearly from the V-shaped state, and the distal end portion 61 comes into contact with the contact piece 54 of the first lever 49. It is configured as follows.

Such a cartridge fixing means 48 includes:
As shown in FIG. 13A, in a state where the cartridge holding portion 3 is rotated to the upper mounting / removing position, the supply cartridge 13 is inserted into the cartridge holding portion 3 as shown in FIG.
When the first lever 49 is mounted, the stopper 53 is pushed by the supply cartridge 13 and then retracts counterclockwise, but returns to the clockwise direction by the urging force as shown in FIG. Engages. Subsequently, in the process of rotating the cartridge holding unit 3 downward toward the print setting position, the stopper 56 of the second lever 50 engages with the hole 47 with the bottom. When the cartridge holding unit 3 is rotated to the print setting position as shown in FIG.
3 to rotate counterclockwise about the fulcrum shaft 55,
Since the contact piece 54 of the first lever 49 is pressed by the pressing piece 57, the first lever 49 rotates counterclockwise about the fulcrum shaft 52, and the stopper 53 comes off the through hole 46.

That is, as shown in FIG. 13C, the supply cartridge 13 is fixed by the stopper 53 of the first lever 49 when it is mounted on the cartridge holding section 3, and as shown in FIG. Holder 3
Is set by the stopper 56 of the second lever 50 when is set to the print setting position. At this time, since the first lever 49 rotates counterclockwise, the third lever 51 extends from the posture bent in a V-shape by the urging force, and the abutting piece 54 of the first lever 49 is extended at the distal end portion 61. By pressing, the first lever 49 is maintained in a state of being detached from the supply cartridge 13.

When removing the supply cartridge 13 from the cartridge holder 3 for replacement or the like,
As shown in (e), when the cartridge holding unit 3 is turned to the upper mounting / detaching position, the second lever 50 turns clockwise by the urging force, but the turning range is limited by the pin 58. The stopper 56 is the supply cartridge 13
Of the supply cartridge 13 from the cartridge holding portion 3 is permitted.

Next, when the cartridge holding section 3 is set at the print setting position, a door opening means for opening the opening / closing door 34 in conjunction with the displacement operation of the cartridge holding section 3, and the cartridge holding section 3 is turned to the attachment / detachment position. The configuration of the door opening / closing means having both functions as a door closing means for closing the opening / closing door 34 in conjunction with the displacement operation of the cartridge holding portion 3 when it is made will be described with reference to FIGS. .

The door opening / closing means 62 includes a biasing spring 63 for closing the opening / closing door 34 in a closing direction, and a vertically movable connecting rod 64 which is pressed against the bottom surface of the supply cartridge 13 and descends.
And a pressing lever 66 having one end rotatably connected to the lower end of the connecting rod 64 and swinging about a fulcrum shaft 65, and an ascending and descending lower end rotatably connected to the other end of the pressing lever 66. It is formed by a free door opening member 67. The upper portion of the door opening member 67 is disposed to face the lower surface of the connection guide 34b at the rear end of the door 34. The door opening / closing means 62 is urged in a direction in which the connecting rod 64 moves upward.

That is, the door opening / closing means 62 is
As shown in FIG. 15A, the supply cartridge 13 is inserted into the cartridge holder 3 rotated to the mounting / removing position, and as shown in FIG.
When the cartridge is inserted all the way into the cartridge holder 3, the door 3
The lower surface of the fourth connection guide 34b approaches or contacts the upper portion of the door opening member 67. Then, as shown in FIG.
When the cartridge holding section 3 is set at the print setting position, the connecting rod 64 is pressed by the lower surface of the supply cartridge 13 and descends, so that the pressing lever 66 rotates about the fulcrum shaft 65 and the door opening member 67 rises. Connection guide 3
Press 4b. In this state, when the supply cartridge 13 is inserted into the cartridge holding unit 3 before that time, the door locking unit 35 (or the door locking unit 43) is closed by the door unlocking member 4.
4 (see FIG. 8A), the opening / closing door 34 rotates in the opening / closing direction about the fulcrum shaft 34a. Conversely, when the cartridge holding section 3 is turned to the upper mounting / detaching position, the door opening member 67 moves down and separates from the connection guide 34 b, so that the opening / closing door 34 turns in the closing direction by the urging force of the spring 63.

When the supply cartridge 13 is removed from the cartridge holder 3 rotated to the mounting / dismounting position, the movable locking piece 37 and the fixed locking piece 38 of the closed door 34 are clamped by the roller 45 to open the door. The locking portion 35 can be maintained in the locked state.

In such a configuration, the image forming apparatus 1
When the supply cartridge 13 is mounted on the cover 3, as shown in FIG.
1 is rotated clockwise, and the cartridge holding portion 3 is turned to the attachment / detachment position. In this state, the guide ribs 24 and 25 of the supply cartridge 13 are moved to the guide grooves 17 of the cartridge holding portion 3 as shown in FIGS. Insert In this process, the door locking portion 35 (or 43) of the opening / closing door 34 of the supply cartridge 13 is unlocked by the door unlocking member 44 as described above.

Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cartridge holding section 3 is rotated to the print setting position and fixed by the clamp. In this process, the supply cartridge 13 is fixed by the cartridge fixing means 48 as described with reference to FIG. 13, and the opening / closing door 34 is opened and closed by the door opening / closing means 6 as described with reference to FIGS.
2 This is released. Further, the image visualizing agent supply port 23
Is connected to the toner receiving port 9a of the developing device 9, and the image visualizing agent in the image visualizing agent storage chamber 22 is supplied to the developing device 9 by peeling off the film. Thereafter, the cover 31 is rotated counterclockwise about the drive shaft 27 and fixed by a clamp. In this state, the paper feed roller 30 is inserted into the window 32 of the supply cartridge 13, and the uppermost recording medium is pressed against the paper feed roller 30.

In this state, when the printing operation is performed, the image forming unit 4 forms a toner image on the photosensitive member 8 as described above, and drives the paper feed roller 30 in synchronization with the image forming process. Thus, the recording medium in the supply cartridge 13 is transported to the image forming unit 4 via the recording medium transport path 5.

The toner image formed on the photoreceptor 8 of each image forming section 4 is transferred to the recording medium fed as described above by the transfer roller 6, and the transferred image is fixed by the fixing roller 7.
a. The fixed recording medium is further conveyed and discharged from the discharge port 5a to the upper surface of the supply cartridge 13.

When the recording medium is exhausted, the supply cartridge 13 is replaced since the image visualizing agent runs out almost at the same time. This replacement operation is performed by rotating the cartridge holding unit 3 to the upper mounting / detaching position as described above. In this case, since the recording medium and the image visualizing agent can be supplied at the same time,
The number of replenishment of consumables can be reduced. Further, since main parts having an image forming function such as the photoconductor 8 and the developing device 9 can be left in the image forming apparatus 1, economical loss is reduced and the amount of waste to be discarded can be reduced.

[0053]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the supply cartridge has a sheet feeding port for storing a predetermined number of sheet-shaped recording media in a stacked state and supplying the recording media to the image forming section of the image forming apparatus. A recording medium storage chamber, and an image visualizing agent for visualizing an image on the recording medium in the image forming unit is stored according to the number of stored recording media, and the image visualizing agent is supplied to the image forming unit. An image visualizing agent storage chamber in which an image visualizing agent supply port is formed,
An opening / closing door that opens and closes the sheet feeding port and a door locking portion that locks the opening / closing door in a sealed state and detaches with an external force are provided, so that the opening / closing door of the recording medium storage chamber is opened by intentionally applying external force. As long as the door is not locked, the opening / closing door can be kept in a sealed state, so that when the process cartridge is handled alone, the recording medium can be well preserved and its dissipation can be prevented. When the process cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the recording medium is fed by opening the opening / closing door after unlocking the door locking portion. Is also gone. When the supply cartridge is replaced, the recording medium and the image visualizing agent can be supplied at the same time while the main parts having the image forming function remain in the image forming apparatus.

The process cartridge according to claim 2 is
In the invention according to claim 1, the door locking portion is formed by the projection and the concave portion which are elastically locked to each other and come off when the external force is applied in the detaching direction. The door can be maintained in a locked state by elastically locking the door.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect.
A recording medium transport path having a transport member that transports a recording medium fed from the supply cartridge described above, an image forming apparatus main body provided with an image forming unit disposed in the recording medium transport path, and the supply cartridge. A cartridge holding portion rotatably supported between the image forming apparatus main body and a cartridge holding portion for detachably holding the supply cartridge, the cartridge holding portion being set at a printing set position; Sometimes, a cartridge fixing means for fixing the supply cartridge in the cartridge holding portion, and a door opening means for opening the opening / closing door when the cartridge holding portion is set at the printing set position, so that external force is intentionally conscious. In addition, the door is kept closed unless the door of the storage compartment is unlocked. Since it is collected by, it is possible to prevent the well preserved dissipates recording medium when handling supply cartridge alone. When the supply cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the supply cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holding portion rotated to the attaching / detaching position, but the door locking portion is unlocked and the cartridge holding portion on which the supply cartridge is mounted is unlocked. When set at the print setting position, the supply cartridge can be fixed by the cartridge fixing means. Further, by opening the opening / closing door by the door opening means, it is possible to maintain a state in which the recording medium is fed from the paper feeding port to the image forming section. Further, when the recording medium in the supply cartridge is used up by paper feeding, the supply cartridge in the cartridge holding unit is replaced, and the main part having the image forming function is left in the image forming apparatus while the recording medium is replaced with the recording medium. The image visualizing agent can be supplied at the same time.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect.
In the invention described in the above, the door opening means is interlocked with the displacement operation between the attachment / detachment position of the cartridge holding unit and the print setting position, so that the operation of merely setting the cartridge holding unit with the supply cartridge attached to the printing set position is performed. ,
The open / close door of the supply cartridge can be opened.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect.
A recording medium transport path having a transport member that transports a recording medium fed from the supply cartridge described above, an image forming apparatus main body provided with an image forming unit disposed in the recording medium transport path, and the supply cartridge. A cartridge holding portion rotatably supported between the image forming apparatus main body and a cartridge holding portion for removably holding the supply cartridge between a mounting / detaching position for attachment / detachment and a printing setting position, and the cartridge holding portion set at the printing setting position. A cartridge fixing means for fixing the supply cartridge in the cartridge holding portion, and a door for closing the opening / closing door in conjunction with a displacement operation of the cartridge holding portion when the cartridge holding portion is rotated to a detachable position. With a closing means, the external door is consciously applied to unlock the opening / closing door of the recording medium storage room. It is possible to keep the door in a closed state unless it is possible to prevent the well preserved dissipates recording medium when handling supply cartridge alone. When installing a supply cartridge, attach the supply cartridge to the cartridge holder that has been turned to the mounting / removal position.However, unlock the door lock unit and move the cartridge holder with the supply cartridge to the print setting position. When set, the supply cartridge can be fixed by the cartridge fixing means. Also, at any time from when the supply cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holding unit to when the cartridge holding unit is set to the print setting position, the door locking unit is unlocked and the opening / closing door is opened, so that the recording medium can be fed into the paper feeding port. Can be maintained in a state in which the sheet is fed to the image forming unit. Further, when the recording medium in the supply cartridge is used up by paper feeding, the supply cartridge in the cartridge holding unit is replaced, and the main part having an image forming function is left in the image forming apparatus while the recording medium is replaced with the recording medium. The image visualizing agent can be supplied at the same time. At this time, by simply rotating the cartridge holding portion to the mounting / removing position to replace the supply cartridge, the opening / closing door is closed by the door closing means to prevent the recording medium from being dissipated when the supply cartridge is mounted / removed. Can be.

The image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect is the first aspect.
A recording medium transport path having a transport member that transports a recording medium fed from the supply cartridge described above, an image forming apparatus main body provided with an image forming unit disposed in the recording medium transport path, and the supply cartridge. A cartridge holding portion rotatably supported between the image forming apparatus main body and a cartridge holding portion for removably holding the supply cartridge between a mounting / detaching position for attachment / detachment and a printing setting position, and the cartridge holding portion set at the printing setting position. A cartridge fixing means for fixing the supply cartridge in the cartridge holding portion, and when the cartridge holding portion is set at a print setting position, the opening / closing door is opened in conjunction with the displacement operation of the cartridge holding portion,
Door opening / closing means for closing the opening / closing door in conjunction with the displacement operation of the cartridge holding portion when the cartridge holding portion is turned to the detachable position. As long as the door of the storage room is not unlocked, the door can be kept in a sealed state, so that when the supply cartridge is handled as a single unit, the recording medium can be well preserved and its dissipation can be prevented. When installing a supply cartridge, attach the supply cartridge to the cartridge holder that has been turned to the mounting / removal position.However, unlock the door lock unit and move the cartridge holder with the supply cartridge to the print setting position. When set, the supply cartridge can be fixed by the cartridge fixing means. Further, by opening the opening / closing door with the door opening / closing means, it is possible to maintain a state in which the recording medium is fed from the paper feeding port to the image forming section. Thereby, the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing door when the supply cartridge is attached / detached can be made unnecessary. Further, when the recording medium in the supply cartridge is used up by paper feeding, the supply cartridge in the cartridge holding unit is replaced, and the main part having an image forming function is left in the image forming apparatus while the recording medium is replaced with the recording medium. The image visualizing agent can be supplied at the same time. At this time, the opening / closing door can be closed by the door opening / closing means simply by rotating the cartridge holding portion to the mounting / removing position in order to replace the supply cartridge. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the recording medium from being dissipated when the supply cartridge is attached and detached, and to make the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing door unnecessary.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third, fourth, fifth, or sixth aspect, the image forming apparatus cartridge holding portion locks the door when the supply cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holding portion. With the door unlocking means for unlocking the locked state of the unit by an external force, the operation of simply mounting the supply cartridge to the cartridge holding unit allows the door unlocking means to put the openable door into the unlocked state, Thereafter, it is possible to immediately shift to the opening operation of the opening / closing door by the door opening means or the door opening / closing means. Thereby, the handleability when mounting the supply cartridge is improved.

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising:
In the invention described in the sixth aspect, the cartridge holding unit includes a door pressurizing unit that presses the open / close door when the supply cartridge is removed from the cartridge holding unit to lock the unlocked state of the door locking unit. By simply removing the supply cartridge from the cartridge holder,
The door that has been closed by the door closing means or the door opening / closing means before that time can be pressurized by the door pressurizing means to close the door locking portion. This keeps the door closed even if the supply cartridge is handled carelessly,
Dispersion of the recording medium can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state before a supply cartridge is mounted on a cartridge holding unit of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a process of mounting a supply cartridge on a cartridge holding unit.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where a supply cartridge is mounted on a cartridge holding unit.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the cartridge holding unit is set at a print setting position.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus in a state where a supply cartridge is set at a print setting position.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the supply cartridge.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the entire structure of the supply cartridge.

FIG. 8 shows a supply cartridge opening / closing door.
(A) is a perspective view showing a state in which the door locking portion is locked,
(B) is a partial perspective view showing a state where the door locking portion is unlocked, and (c) is a partial perspective view showing a state where the opening / closing door is opened.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing an opening / closing door and a door locking portion.

FIGS. 10A and 10B show a modification of the door locking portion, in which FIG. 10A is a partial front view and FIG. 10B is a side view.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the supply cartridge viewed from below.

FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a circle portion in FIG. 11;

13A and 13B show the structure and operation of the cartridge fixing means. FIG. 13A is a side view showing a state in which the cartridge holding unit is turned to a mounting / removing position, and FIG. Side view showing the process,
(C) is a side view showing a state where the supply cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holding unit, (d) is a side view showing a state where the cartridge holding unit is set at the print setting position,
FIG. 7E is a side view illustrating a state before the supply cartridge is removed by rotating the cartridge holding unit to the attachment / detachment position.

FIG. 14: Opening the door from the back side of the supply cartridge
It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a closing means.

FIG. 15 shows the operation of the door opening / closing means.
(A) is a side view showing a process of mounting the supply cartridge on the cartridge holding portion, (b) is a side view showing a state where the supply cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holding portion, and (c) is a position where the cartridge holding portion is in the print setting position. It is a side view which shows the state set.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus main body 3 Cartridge holding part 4 Image forming part 5 Recording medium conveyance path 7 Transport member 13 Supply cartridge 21 Recording medium storage room 22 Image visualization agent storage room 23 Image visualization agent supply port 33 Paper supply port 34 Opening / closing door 35 43 Door locking part 39, 41 Projection part 40, 42 Depression 44 Door unlocking means 45 Door pressing means 48 Cartridge fixing means 62 Door opening means, door closing means, door opening / closing means

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A recording medium storage chamber in which a predetermined number of sheet-shaped recording media are stored in a stacked state and a paper feed port for supplying the recording media to an image forming unit of an image forming apparatus is formed. An image visualizing agent supply port for storing an image visualizing agent for visualizing an image on the recording medium according to the number of storages of the recording medium and supplying the image visualizing agent to the image forming unit in the unit; A supply cartridge comprising: an image visualizing agent storage chamber; an opening / closing door that opens and closes the paper feed port; and a door locking unit that locks the opening / closing door in a sealed state and detaches the door by an external force. 2. The supply cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the door locking portion is formed by a protrusion and a concave portion which are elastically locked to each other and come off when an external force is applied in a separating direction. 3. An image forming apparatus comprising: a recording medium conveyance path having a conveyance member for conveying a recording medium fed from the supply cartridge according to claim 1; and an image forming unit disposed in the recording medium conveyance path. An image forming apparatus main body, a cartridge holding portion rotatably supported by the image forming apparatus main body between a mounting / detaching position where the supply cartridge is mounted / removed, and a print setting position, and a cartridge holding section configured to removably hold the supply cartridge; Cartridge fixing means for fixing the supply cartridge in the cartridge holding portion when the copy set position is set to the print setting position, and door opening means for opening the opening / closing door when the cartridge holding portion is set to the print set position. Image forming apparatus. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the door opening means is interlocked with a displacement operation between a mounting / detaching position of the cartridge holding unit and a print setting position. 5. An image forming apparatus comprising: a recording medium conveyance path having a conveyance member for conveying a recording medium fed from the supply cartridge according to claim 1; and an image forming unit disposed in the recording medium conveyance path. An image forming apparatus main body, a cartridge holding portion rotatably supported by the image forming apparatus main body between a mounting / detaching position where the supply cartridge is mounted / removed, and a print setting position, and a cartridge holding section configured to removably hold the supply cartridge; Cartridge fixing means for fixing the supply cartridge in the cartridge holding portion when the copy set portion is set at the print setting position; and interlocking with the displacement operation of the cartridge holding portion when the cartridge holding portion is rotated to the detachable position. And a door closing means for closing the opening / closing door. 6. An image forming apparatus comprising: a recording medium conveying path having a conveying member for conveying a recording medium fed from the supply cartridge according to claim 1; and an image forming unit disposed in the recording medium conveying path. An image forming apparatus main body, a cartridge holding portion rotatably supported by the image forming apparatus main body between a mounting / detaching position where the supply cartridge is mounted / removed, and a print setting position, and a cartridge holding section configured to removably hold the supply cartridge; A cartridge fixing means for fixing the supply cartridge in the cartridge holding portion when the copy set position is set to the print setting position; and When the opening / closing door is opened and the cartridge holding unit is turned to the mounting / dismounting position. And a door opening / closing means for closing the opening / closing door in conjunction with a displacement operation of the cartridge holding portion. 7. The cartridge holding portion includes door unlocking means for unlocking the locked state of the door locking portion by an external force when the supply cartridge is mounted on the cartridge holding portion. 7. The image forming apparatus according to 6. 8. The cartridge holding unit includes a door pressing unit that presses the open / close door when the supply cartridge is detached from the cartridge holding unit and changes the unlocked state of the door locking unit to the locked state. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: