JPH11305531A - Toner bottle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent aggregation, etc., of a toner at the opening of a bottle main body and to provide a sufficient amount of replenishment by making it easier to discharge the toner which is softened by a softening member and scraped from the inner peripheral surface of the opening. SOLUTION: In this toner bottle 1, which has a bottle main body 2 rotated to give a stored toner conveying action in one direction and a cap 5 opening and closing a toner replenishment opening 3 formed in the bottle main body 2, and which replenishes the toner while the cap 5 is held in an opening position wherein it opens the opening 3, the cap 5 is provided with an elastic softening member 20 coupled at its rear end 20b to the cap 5 and extending in the direction to enter the bottle main body 2 from the opening 3, the rear end 20b of the softening member 20 entering the bottle main body 2 from the opening 3 even when the cap 5 occupies the opening position. The free end 20a of the softening member 20 is folded back from a position where it entered the bottle main body 2, and is located on the exit side of the opening 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner bottle containing toner to be supplied to a developing device of an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional toner replenishing mechanism, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-20705, a toner replenishing mechanism capable of reducing the size of an image forming apparatus is known. In this toner supply mechanism, the toner bottle can be replaced while the container mounting holder (bottle holder) for mounting the toner bottle is kept horizontal.
The toner bottle with the cap kept in the opening formed in the bottle body is placed on the bottle holder, and the cap is automatically opened using the collet chuck linked to the bottle mounting operation. I have. According to this technology, a toner bottle is placed on a bottle holder,
When removing the toner bottle from the bottle holder or replacing the toner bottle, etc., the toner bottle can be attached and detached while the opening is sealed with the cap. There is an advantage that the hands and clothes of the bottle changer are not stained.

However, FIGS. 4 and 5 (a), (b)
As shown in FIG. 1, the toner bottle 1 has various advantages as described above when used in a toner replenishing unit having a mechanism for removing the cap 50. However, due to the mechanism, the opening 3 is formed as a cylindrical bottle. The diameter must be smaller than the main body 2. When the diameter of the opening 3 is reduced as described above, the fluidity of the toner T in the vicinity of the opening 3 deteriorates. Therefore, depending on the physical properties of the toner T, as shown in FIG. I will. For this reason, only the toner T having good fluidity can be used, and the type of the toner T that can be used is limited. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus, there is a problem that the toner supply unit from which the cap 50 is removed cannot be mechanically employed due to the limitation on the type of the toner T as described above. further,
5A and 5B, even in a high temperature environment, the toner T adheres and aggregates on the inner peripheral surface of the opening 3 to reduce the opening area of the toner T, which has no problem at normal temperature. There is also a problem that the size of the toner T is reduced and the replenishment amount of the toner T is thereby reduced.

Accordingly, the applicant of the present application has disclosed Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-969.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-59, a technique relating to a novel toner bottle capable of solving the above-mentioned disadvantages is proposed. Among them, the invention described in claim 4 is directed to a direction in which the toner is easily discharged (a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the bottle body). 2) describes a configuration of a loosening member having a twist.

[0005]

However, the configuration according to the invention and its embodiment (see FIG.
In (a), (b) and (c)), the torsion of the loosening member is returned by the resistance of the toner, the sliding contact load with the inner peripheral surface of the opening, and the like, and the toner may not be sufficiently discharged. possible. That is, when the loosening member bends due to the resistance of the toner, the load of sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the opening, or the like, the inclination is such that the toner is sent to the inside of the bottle main body. This is effective for preventing toner clogging at the opening, but is disadvantageous for securing a sufficient toner supply amount.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-96959 to prevent toner agglomeration and the like at the opening of the bottle main body and at the same time, to release the loosening member. It is an object of the present invention to make it easier to discharge toner that has been loosened or scraped from the inner peripheral surface of the opening, and to obtain a sufficient supply amount. The purpose of each claim is as follows.

It is an object of the present invention that the cap enters the bottle body from the opening even when the cap is in the open position, and the free end of the loosening member is folded back from the position where it entered the bottle body to open the opening. A loosening member is formed so as to be positioned at the outlet side of the toner bottle, to reliably prevent toner aggregation at the opening and the like, and to cause the loosening member to discharge toner due to toner resistance during the loosening operation during rotation of the toner bottle. In order to discharge toner more easily and to obtain a sufficient replenishment amount.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect of the invention, a loosening member is slid into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the opening to remove toner adhered to the opening and the like. Scrape out of the main unit to obtain a sufficient supply amount,
An object of the present invention is to make sure that the loosening member always bends in the direction in which the toner is scraped out when the toner bottle is rotated due to the sliding contact resistance with the inner peripheral surface of the opening, so that the toner is scraped out more reliably.

The object of the invention described in claim 3 is, in addition to the object of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, in that a plurality of loosening members are provided at positions equally dividing the circumference of the cap. Another object of the present invention is to equalize the force applied to the cap via the loosening member, prevent the cap held at the open position from being inclined, and reliably perform the cap closing operation.

[0010] The object of the invention described in claim 4 is that of claim 1,
In addition to the object of the invention described in 2 or 3, in addition to forming an inclined portion at the base end side of the loosening member closer to the center of the cap toward the main body of the bottle, the loosening member is attached to the opening when the cap is assembled. An object of the present invention is to improve the assemblability of the cap by preventing the tip of the cap from being caught.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bottle main body which gives a contained toner in one direction by rotating the bottle body.
A cap for opening and closing a toner replenishing opening formed in the bottle body, wherein the cap is held in an open position where the cap is opened to open the opening. Is provided with an elastic loosening member whose base end is connected to the cap and extends from the opening into the bottle body.
The base end side of the loosening member enters the bottle body from the opening even when the cap occupies the opening position, and the free end of the loosening member is folded back from the position where it enters the bottle body, and It is characterized by being located on the outlet side of the opening.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the toner bottle of the first aspect, the loosening member has a sliding contact portion that slides on an inner peripheral surface of the opening.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the toner bottle according to the first or second aspect, the loosening member is provided at a plurality of positions at equal positions on the circumference of the cap. I do.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the toner bottle according to the first, second or third aspect, an inclined portion closer to the center of the cap toward the main body of the bottle is provided at a distal end portion on the proximal end side of the loosening member. Is formed.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention including embodiments with reference to the drawings (hereinafter, simply referred to as "embodiments").
Will be described. Throughout the embodiments and the like, components having the same function, shape, and the like are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 illustrates a state in which the cap of the toner bottle according to the first embodiment is removed and held by a removing mechanism. The toner bottle 1 according to the first embodiment includes the cap 50 described in the related art.
, Except for having a cap 5 having a novel configuration. As shown in FIG. 1, the toner bottle 1 opens and closes a bottle main body 2 that rotates to give a contained toner conveying action in one direction, and a toner supply opening 3 formed in the bottle main body 2. And a cap 5. Hereinafter, the configuration around the toner bottle 1 will be described in detail.

A collar 4 having a diameter smaller than that of the cylindrical portion of the bottle body 2 is formed integrally with a substantially central portion of one end surface of the bottle body 2 so as to protrude outward from the bottle body 2. The opening 3 is formed inside the collar 4 and communicates the inside of the bottle main body 2 with the outside. When the toner bottle 1 is not used, the opening 3 is usually sealed with the cap 5 and the opening 3
Is closed. In the center of the right end of the cap 5 in FIG. 1, a knob 6 bulging in a spherical shape is integrally formed. Further, a guide groove (not shown) for guiding the stored toner inside the bottle body 2 to the opening 3 side by the rotation of the toner bottle 1 is formed in the bottle main body 2 in a spiral shape.

The mechanism for removing the cap 5 from the toner bottle 1 includes a chuck 10 as cap holding means, and an advance / retreat moving means provided with a plate cam member 14 for moving the chuck 10 forward and backward with respect to the toner bottle 1. I have. In the illustrated example of the mechanism for removing the cap 5,
The chuck 10 is supported by a hole 12 of a support wall 11 formed at a position of a bottle holder 8 that supports the toner bottle 1 so as to be able to move forward and backward. When the chuck 10 is in a free state at a position retracted to the right side in FIG. 1, the holding portion 13 formed at the distal end thereof is urged to expand. Further, when the toner bottle 1 is placed at the set position of the bottle holder 8, when the toner bottle 1 is moved to a position farther away from the toner bottle 1 by the above-mentioned reciprocating movement means, the large-diameter portion of the outer periphery of the chuck 10 is removed. The holding portion 13 is narrowed by being pressed by the inner peripheral surface of the hole 12, thereby holding the knob 6 of the cap 5. The chuck 10 moves the cap 5 to a position where the opening 3 can be completely opened as shown in FIG. 1 while holding the knob 6 of the cap 5. This position is the opening position of the cap 5, and the cap 5 is held in a fixed state at the opening position while the toner bottle 1 is mounted in the proper position. The replenishment of the toner T is performed in a state where the cap 5 is fixedly held at the opening position where the opening 3 is opened.

By providing a mechanism for removing the cap 5 in the toner supply unit of the developing unit in the image forming apparatus, the toner bottle 1 with the opening 3 sealed with the cap 5 is placed on the bottle holder 8. Can be placed. Further, when taking out the empty toner bottle 1 from the bottle holder 8 after the toner in the toner bottle 1 is consumed, the chuck 10 is moved in the reverse direction by the advance / retreat moving means, and the opening of the empty toner bottle 1 is opened. A cap 5 may be attached to the cover 3. Therefore, when the empty toner bottle 1 is taken out of the bottle holder 8, the opening 3 is sealed with the cap 5, so that the toner attached to the opening 3 drops and the bottle replacement hand or Does not stain clothes.

The mechanism for removing the cap 5 is described in detail in FIG. 1 (a) of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-96959.
It should be added that they are substantially the same as those shown in (b) and (c). Next, details of the cap 5 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cap 5 is provided with an elastic loosening member 20 whose base end 20 b is connected to the cap 5 and extends from the opening 3 in the direction of entering the bottle body 2. The loosening member 20 enters the bottle body 2 from the opening 3 at the base end 20b side even when the cap 5 occupies the open position, from the position where the free end 20a of the loosening member 20 enters the bottle body 2. It is formed so as to be folded and positioned on the exit side of the opening 3. The unraveling member 20 extends along the circumference of the cap 5 by 2
Two portions are provided at equally dividing positions and have a substantially M-shape in a front view. In addition, an inclined portion 20 c that approaches the center of the five caps toward the bottle body 2 is formed at the distal end portion on the base end 20 b side of each loosening member 20. Each unraveling member 20 has a sliding contact portion 20 d whose outer peripheral end surface is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the collar 4 in the opening 3.

The cap 5 and the loosening member 20 are made of an appropriate plastic material, for example, polyethylene resin (PE).
It is made by integral molding. The thickness of each loosening member 20 is formed so as to obtain appropriate elasticity so as to improve the toner discharging action.
The loosening member 20 has a length that penetrates through the collar 4 and the opening 3 even when the cap 5 shown in FIG. 1 is in a state where the position is fixedly held at the opening position by the chuck 10 of the advance / retreat moving means. ing.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the toner bottle 1 is set in the bottle holder 8, the cap 5 and the toner bottle 1 are fixedly held at the open position by the chuck 10 of the above-mentioned reciprocating moving means. As a result, when the toner bottle 1 is rotated in the open state, the operation is the same as when the loosening member 20 is rotated with respect to the fixed toner bottle 1, that is, the loosening is performed. At the same time as the toner in the opening 3 is loosened by the member 20, the toner adheres to the opening 3 and the inner wall surface of the collar 4.
The aggregated toner T is scraped off and discharged from the opening 3.

By the loosening action of the loosening member 20, the toner flow path in the opening 3 and the collar 4 is widened, and the toner flows more easily. Thus, toner blocking at the opening 3 can be prevented. Further, since the loosening member 20 has a moderate elasticity and the free end 20a of the loosening member 20 is formed so as to be located on the exit side of the opening 3, as shown in FIG. Due to the sliding contact resistance with the inner peripheral surface of the collar 4, when the toner bottle 1 rotates (the rotation direction of the toner bottle 1 is indicated by reference numeral 1A in FIG. 3), the free end 20a always tilts in the direction TA for scraping the toner. Therefore, the toner can be more reliably scraped out of the opening 3 and discharged.

Therefore, a toner having poor fluidity and physical properties can be used without any trouble. As a result, usable toner is not limited, so that a toner supply unit having a cap removing mechanism can be adopted in various types of image forming apparatuses. In addition, loosening member 2
Since the inclined portion 20c is formed at the position 0, the base end 20 of the loosening member 20 can be set when the cap 5 is set.
The tip of the b-side does not catch on the opening 3 and the collar 4, and even if the cap 5 is misaligned with respect to the opening 3, it is corrected by the inclined portion 20c. Is greatly improved. In addition, since the loosening member 20 has the above-described elasticity, the cap 5
The degree of freedom in the setting direction is increased, and the cap 5 can be set obliquely from the opening 3.

The loosening member 20 has a sliding contact portion 20d.
When the contact pressure is too high, the load during one rotation of the toner bottle increases, and the cap 5 is deformed. Or the chuck 10 may be damaged. However, since the loosening member 20 in the first embodiment has a moderate elasticity, the contact pressure can be reduced even when the loosening member 20 is brought into sliding contact with the opening 3 and the inner peripheral surface of the collar 4. There is no danger of occurrence.

As described above, the elasticity of the loosening member 20 is provided so as to improve the above-described toner discharging action, and the elasticity of the loosening member 20 is not limited to the above-described plastic material, but when the plastic is made of a plastic having a certain degree of rigidity. By appropriately selecting the thickness, the loosening member 20 can be given an appropriate elasticity.

If the effect of scraping off the toner adhering and aggregating to the opening 3 and the inner wall surface of the collar 4 is not so desired, the sliding contact portion 2 of the loosening member 20 can be used.
Od may be unnecessary, and the loosening member 20 may be formed so as not to contact the opening 3 and the inner peripheral surface of the collar 4 (refer to claim 1). Even when the loosening member 20 is formed in this way, it is possible to reliably prevent toner aggregation at the opening 3 and the like, and at the time of the loosening operation during one rotation of the toner bottle, the loosening member 20 is moved by the resistance of the toner. , The toner is more easily discharged, and a sufficient supply amount can be obtained.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described first embodiment. For example, three places for forming the loosening member 20 may be provided at three positions on the circumference of the cap 5, or four places. Of course, it is also possible to arrange four places at equally dividing positions (see claim 3).

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified. For example, in the above embodiment, the cap is fixed and held at the opening position by grasping the cap with a chuck and pulling it apart. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cap is screwed to the bottle body, and moved to the opening position by turning the cap and fixed. It can also be applied to what is held.

When the loosening member is brought into sliding contact with the opening and the inner peripheral surface of the collar, a sliding member such as a brush is attached to the inner peripheral surface side edge of the loosening member, and the loosening member is connected via the sliding contact member. You may make it slidably contact an opening part and a collar inner peripheral surface.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, the conventional problems can be solved and the toner can be prevented from agglomerating at the opening of the bottle body, and at the same time, the opening can be loosened by the loosening member. The toner scraped off from the inner peripheral surface can be more easily discharged, and a sufficient supply amount can be obtained.
The specific effects of each claim are as follows. According to the first aspect of the present invention, even when the cap occupies the open position, the cap enters the bottle main body from the opening, and the free end of the loosening member is folded back from the position where the cap has entered the bottle main body, and the outlet side of the opening is provided. Is formed so that toner agglomeration at the opening and the like can be reliably prevented, and at the time of the loosening operation during rotation of the toner bottle, the loosening member discharges the toner by the resistance of the toner. Since the toner is inclined in the direction, the toner can be more easily discharged, and a sufficient supply amount can be obtained.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first aspect, the loosening member is slid on the inner peripheral surface of the opening to remove toner adhered to the opening and the like. A sufficient supply amount can be obtained by scraping the toner out of the bottle body, and the loosening member always bends in the direction of scraping the toner when the toner bottle rotates due to the sliding contact resistance with the inner peripheral surface of the opening. It is possible to reliably scrape out.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first or second aspect, the loosening member is provided at a plurality of positions at equal positions on the circumference of the cap. The force applied to the cap via each of the loosening members can be equalized, and the cap held at the open position is prevented from tilting, so that the cap closing operation can be reliably performed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the inclined portion that approaches the center of the cap toward the bottle body is formed at the distal end on the proximal end side of the loosening member. In addition to the effects described above, the tip of the loosening member is not caught when the cap is assembled to the opening, so that the cap can be easily assembled.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front cross-sectional view including a partial cross-section showing a state in which a cap of a toner bottle according to a first embodiment of the present invention is detached by a detaching mechanism and fixed and held at an open position.

FIG. 2A is a side view of a loosening member formed on a cap according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a front sectional view including a partial cross section thereof.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part illustrating a toner scraping / discharging operation of a loosening member according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an end elevational sectional front view of a main part for explaining a problem of a conventional toner bottle.

FIG. 5A is a front sectional view of a main part for explaining a problem of a conventional toner bottle, and FIG. 5B is a side view thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 toner bottle 2 bottle main body 3 opening 4 collar 5 cap 20 loosening member 20a free end of loosening member 20b base end of loosening member 20c inclined portion of loosening member 20d sliding contact of loosening member T toner

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A bottle main body for rotating a stored toner in one direction by rotating the bottle main body, and a cap for opening and closing a toner supply opening formed in the bottle main body. A toner bottle for replenishing toner while being held at an open position where an opening is opened, wherein the cap has an elasticity whose base end is coupled to the cap and extends from the opening into the bottle body. A loosening member is provided, and a proximal end side of the loosening member enters the bottle body through the opening even when the cap occupies the open position, and a free end of the loosening member is connected to the bottle body. A toner bottle that is folded back from a position where the toner bottle has entered and located at an exit side of the opening. 2. The toner bottle according to claim 1, wherein the loosening member has a sliding contact portion that slides on an inner peripheral surface of the opening. 3. The toner bottle according to claim 1, wherein the loosening member is provided at a plurality of positions at equal positions on the circumference of the cap. 4. The toner bottle according to claim 1, wherein a slanted portion is formed at a base end of the loosening member toward a center of the cap toward the bottle body. A toner bottle characterized by the above-mentioned.