JPS5934565A - Toner receiving device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To pack toner by falling securely, by providing unevenness to an opening and closing lid and/or the sliding part of a sliding surface of it, and oscillating a container associatively with the opening and closing of the lid between a toner container unit and a toner receiving device. CONSTITUTION:An uneven plate 209 formed of a deforming leaf spring is provided to a side surface of a toner receiving container 2 and a projection part 239 is fixed to a side surface of the opening and closing lid 23; when the opening and closing lid 23 is moved and opened or closed, the projection part 239 rubs harshly the uneven plate 209 to cause oscillations. Therefore, the opening and closing lid 23 when moved right is oscillated and the toner caking in the toner container unit 1 owing to humidity, etc., falls into the toner receiving device 2 from the opening lid part owing to the oscillation as a sliding lid 15 is opened. When a knob 25 is moved left (as shown by the arrow T) for return after the toner is supplemented, a blade 232 slides on the rear sliding surface of a upper lid 21, so toner sticking to the sliding surface when falling is removed and the opening and closing lid 23 is moved smoothly all the time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improvement in a toner receiving device for receiving toner in a separately prepared toner container unit in an electrostatic recording device using a dry type developer.

In electrostatic recording devices that use a dry two-component developer or one-component toner, the toner is consumed as copies are made, and after a large number of copies have been made, the toner is used up. It will be necessary to replenish. Toner is generally replenished by replenishing a toner receiving device (hopper) of an electrostatic recording device from a toner container unit containing toner. Toner is a powder with an average particle size of about 10 microns in diameter and is easily scattered.A toner container unit is installed above the opening that is the toner receiving port of the popper with the opening facing down. When replenishing, toner often leaks or scatters to the outside, contaminating the surrounding area. Further, toner contamination often occurs due to incorrect operation during installation of the toner container unit or during other operations. In addition, if the toner in the toner container unit solidifies due to humidity, etc., even if you open both the opening lid of the toner container unit and the opening/closing lid of the hopper, the toner in the toner container unit, /) will remain in the container. When the toner was inside the hopper, it often did not fall into the hopper and the toner supply was not sufficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a hopper that reliably drops the toner contained in an attached toner container unit into the hopper. In the toner receiving device, the opening/closing lid and/or 9- are provided with unevenness on the sliding portion of the sliding surface so that the opening/closing lid is moved with appropriate vibration. This is accomplished by a receiving device.

That is, vibration is applied to the container in conjunction with the opening and closing of the lids of the toner container unit and the toner receiving device, thereby ensuring that the toner is dropped and filled.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, the structure of the toner container unit will be explained, and then the structure and operation of the toner receiving device (hopper) of the present invention to which the toner container unit is attached and which receives toner replenishment will be explained.

FIG. 1 is an external view of the toner container unit 1, showing a case where the opening thereof is sealed with a film-like sheet, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view (AA cross-sectional view of FIG. 1) in this state.

In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a container body, which has a cylindrical shape with at least one end open, and is made of plastic, paper, or the like. 12 is a fixed lid, but the fixed lid 12 may be integrally molded with the container body 1 as a plastic molded product.

13 is attached to the open end of the container body 11 at the spout part. Note that the container body 11 may be made of plastic and may be integrally molded together with the mouthpiece 13. This mouthpiece 13 has protrusions 131 (FIG. 3) on the left and right sides with respect to the sliding direction, which engage with a sliding portion of a sliding lid 15, which will be described later.

I4 is a film-like sheet that seals the opening 132 of the cap 13, and the cap 1 is sealed around the opening 132.
It is removably adhered to the lower end surface 133 of No. 3 with, for example, an adhesive. (7) The tip 141 is the tip fixing portion 1 near one end of the opening 132.
321 and removably adhered to the lower end surface 133, the extension part is folded back from the sealed end near the other end of the opening part 132, passes through the outside of the slide lid 15, and is attached to the tip fixing part of the cap part 13. The rear end 142 is adhesively fixed to a rear end fixing portion 1322 on the upper surface near the rail 1321. As the material for the film-like sheet 14, a material such as polyester film that is flexible and strong against breakage is used.

15 is for sealing during storage or transportation.

The sliding lid serves both to protect the film-like sheet 14 and to open it, and is made of metal, plastic, or the like. The slide lid 15 is provided with a slide groove 151 that engages with the protrusion 131 of the base portion 13.

As is clear from the sectional view of FIG. 2, the toner inside the container body 11 is supported by both the film-like sheet 14 and the slide lid 15 during storage or transportation.

Fig. 3 is an external view of the toner container unit (1) when toner is being replenished, Fig. 4 is a sectional view in this state (BB sectional view in Fig. 3), and Fig. 5 is a view from diagonally below in the same state. An external view is shown.

When the slide lid 15 is pulled out in the direction of the fixed part 1321 (1322) (rightward in the figure), the film-like sheet 14 is also pulled as the slide lid 15 moves, and the opening 132
It is gradually peeled off from the other end side of the lower end surface 133.

When the slide lid 15 is fully pulled out to the right,
The opening 132 is almost open, and the container body 11
The toner T inside is replenished by falling.

5- When toner supply is completed, slide the slide lid 15 to the left. The film-like sheet 14 that was peeled off earlier also returns to its original position, returning to the state shown in FIG. Then,
From the copier hopper to the toner container unit l, which will be explained next.
is removed.

Next, the toner receiving device (hopper) 2 of the present invention will be explained. Figures 9, 10, 11, and 11 all show cross sections of the toner receiving device 2, Figure 6 is a perspective view of the toner receiving device, Figure M7 is a sectional view of its main parts, and Figure 8 is a cover for opening/closing. FIG. Further, FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a state in which the toner container unit 1 is not attached. FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a state in which the toner container unit 1 is only installed. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which after the toner container unit 1 is installed, the knob δ, which will be described later, is moved to the right in the figure to open the lid. Moreover, FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the Z-2 cross section in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing how the components of the toner receiving device 2 of the present invention are attached.

First, the structure of the toner receiving device 2 of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. An upper lid 21 and an inner lid 22 are integrally fixed to the upper surface of the toner receiving device 2.

Above, 1Jf21 is made of molded synthetic resin and has an upper lid opening 211.
The inner cover 4 is also made of molded synthetic resin, and has an inner cover opening 221 at the position corresponding to the upper cover opening 211. Opening 2
11 and 221 are openings for attaching the toner container unit l. Further, the upper lid 21 has a long hole 212 provided for moving the knob 5.

It is sandwiched between the upper lid 21 and the inner lid n and slides to open the opening 21.
1. There is an opening/closing lid that opens and closes 221. The opening/closing lid n is also made of molded synthetic resin, and a knob mounting plate 231 is fixedly installed at one end thereof, and the tip thereof passes through a long hole 212 in the upper lid 21 and emerges from the upper surface of the upper lid 21, to which the knob 5 is attached. The other end of the opening/closing lid device has an inclined surface projecting upward, and a blade 232 made of a thin elastic plate is attached to this inclined surface.

Further, a compression spring 233 is provided at the right end of the opening/closing lid device, and the compression spring 233 comes into contact with a rising portion 241 provided on the end face of the sliding plate body that slides on the opening/closing lid n, and causes the sliding plate U to It is pushed to the left in the diagram. The other end surface of the sliding plate body is bent to form a U-shaped part 242, and the opening/closing lid is sandwiched between the U-shaped parts 242, and the tip of the opening/closing lid is connected to the F-shaped part of the sliding base. 242.

A push-up spring A222 and a push-up spring B223 are provided on the top surface of the inner lid 22.
is attached, the opening/closing lid n is pushed upward, and the upper surface of the opening/closing lid n is in contact with the back surface of the upper lid 21. The blade 232 is in sliding contact with the sliding surface on the back surface of the upper lid 21 to remove toner adhering to the sliding surface when the lid is opened and closed to the left. Further, a gasket 224 made of a sponge material is attached to the upper surface of the inner lid n to prevent toner from entering between the inner lid n and the opening/closing lid device.

Steps 2301 are provided on both upper surfaces of the opening/closing lid device, and a step 2101 is provided on the bottom surface of the top lid 21. In the closed state (FIG. 9), the opening/closing lid Z3 is moved by the push-up spring A. ,
222, is pushed up by a push-up spring B223, and the stepped portion 2301 and the stepped portion 2101 are engaged. The first diagram shows the situation where the push-up spring B223 is pushing up the opening/closing lid n.
5, and FIG. 14 shows this engagement relationship.

Further, there is a compression spring 234 at the left end of the inner lid n, which pushes the left and right slidable glue member portion to the right, where the lock claw member 261 and the lower lock plate 262 are integrally connected. The opening member 26 is a member that attaches and holds the toner container unit 1, and when the opening/closing lid η is closed, the opening/closing lid member 26 is a member that attaches and holds the toner container unit 1.
2 prevents the locking member 26 from moving to the right.

The opening/closing lid has a protrusion 2303 that protrudes laterally. This protrusion 2303 has a slide member 271 engaged therewith, which slides within the inner lid 22 as the opening/closing lid n moves. The slide member 271 is provided with a shaft 272 and a stopper member 273 that supports the shaft 272 at a position to the left of the opening 221 and perpendicular to the sliding direction thereof. Axis 2
72 is provided with a leveling plate portion that is rotatable about a shaft 272. However, the rotation of the leveling plate part in the clockwise direction is stopped at the vertical position by the stopper member 273. It can also be rotated counterclockwise to a horizontal position. (1st
Figure 1) When the knob 2.5 is moved to the right and the opening/closing lid device is opened, the leveling board will move to the right along with this. Therefore, the leveling plate portion moves rightward within the toner receiving device 2 while maintaining a vertical posture by the stopper member 273.

In the final step of moving the leveling board to the right, the inner lid 2
The protruding part 2201 provided on the lower surface of 2 comes into contact with the protruding piece 281 that protrudes above the shaft 272 on a part of the leveling plate, and the leveling plate, which was in a vertical position, is moved counterclockwise until it is nearly horizontal. It is rotated about a shaft 272 to perform an operation similar to dispensing toner.

Next, the operation of the toner receiving device 2 described above will be explained in relation to the loading operation of the toner container unit 1.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the toner receiving device 2 showing the state before the toner container unit 1 is loaded, and the openings 211 and 221 of the toner receiving device 2 are closed by opening/closing lids. Opening/closing lid n uses push-up spring A222 and push-up spring B
223, the back surface of the top lid 21 and the top surface of the opening/closing lid n come into close contact with each other at the periphery, so that the toner inside the toner receiving device 2 does not leak to the outside. Furthermore, since the stepped portion 2101 provided on the front surface of the top lid 21 engages with the stepped portion 2301 provided on the top surface of the open/closed lid 21, even if you try to move the knob 5 to the right, it will be locked and will not move. There isn't. That is, the openings 211 and 221 are locked in the closed state by the opening/closing lid O.

The toner container unit 1 is inserted into the opening 211 of the toner receiving device 2 in the direction of arrow S (FIG. 9) from its fixed portion 1321 (1322) side. Toner container unit 1
The rear end (right end in the figure) of the slide lid 15 contacts the rising portion 241 of the sliding plate body, and is loaded by dropping into the opening 221 while compressing the compression spring 233. (1st
(Figure 0) Here, the sliding plate U has moved to the right by &, and the opening/closing lid tip (sliding plate tip 242) is located to the right of the sliding lid 15 tip. This prevents toner from adhering to the opening/closing lid B when the lid is opened.

Furthermore, when the toner container unit 1 is loaded, the opening/closing lid B, which had been pushed up by the push-up springs A222 and B223, sinks downward by lt (FIG. 14), and the stepped portion 2
101 and 2301 are released, and turn knob 5 to the right (direction of arrow R in Fig. 10) + sJC
'C' becomes possible.

Next, pull the knob 5 to the right, and the step 2 of the opening/closing lid
304 is engaged with the tip of the slide lid 15 of the toner container unit 1 [, so the slide lid 15 is also opened along with the opening/closing lid] 32 The film-like sheet 1 adhered to the lower end surface
Move to the right while peeling off 4.

When the opening/closing lid B moves to the right, the tip 230 of the opening/closing lid B moves to the right.
The lock I member, which has been prevented from moving by 2, is moved to the right by the biased compression spring 234, and the toner container unit 1 is locked. The toner container unit (W unit) 1 and the opening/closing lid are locked by the locking member portion while the lids are being opened, and the toner container unit (W) 1 cannot be removed.

Toner container unit 1 is removed by moving the opening/closing lid B to the right.
The toner inside falls into the toner receiving device N2. Delayed by this fall, the leveling plate part maintains a vertical posture and moves in a sweeping motion to the right inside the toner receiving device 2, leveling the toner loaded on the yamabushi and carrying it to the right, inside the toner receiving device 2. Evenly distribute the toner. Further, in the final step, the leveling plate section operates in a counterclockwise direction and acts to send the toner to the right.

In the process of opening/closing the lid holder and opening the sliding lid 15 using the toner receiving device equipped with the toner container unit described above, in the present invention, the toner in the toner container unit 1 is reliably dropped into the toner receiving device 2. In order to do this, unevenness is provided on the sliding portion of the side or back surface of the opening/closing lid B and/or the top lid 21 on which it slides, and the sliding portion is moved along this. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of essential parts showing one embodiment of the present invention. A vibration generating part is provided between the toner receiving container 2, which is a fixed part, and the sliding opening/closing lid.A concave-convex plate 209 formed by a deformable leaf spring is provided on the side surface of the toner receiving container 2, and one side A protrusion 239 fixed to the side of the opening/closing lid B is also provided, and when the opening/closing lid n is moved to open or close it, the projection 239 provided on the opening/closing lid n is
9 rubs against the uneven plate 209, causing vibration. Therefore, vibration occurs when the opening/closing cover is moved to the right.
The toner 13 which is solidified in the toner container unit 1 due to humidity or the like also falls into the toner receiving device through the opening of the slide lid 15 due to the vibration.

After the toner is replenished, the knob 5 is moved to the left (in the direction of arrow T in FIG. 11) to return to the state shown in FIG. 10. Since the blade 232 is in sliding contact with the sliding surface on the back surface of the upper lid 21 during movement, the toner adhering to the sliding surface is removed when the toner falls, so that the opening/closing lid blade always moves smoothly.

When the opening/closing lid B is moved to the left, the leveling plate part, which was in a vertical position, rotates counterclockwise around the shaft 272, and the toner is moved to the left as shown by the chain line in FIG. It returns by sliding on the toner surface without being carried.

When the opening/closing lid is closed, the slide lid 15 is also closed, and the film-like sheet 14 that was peeled off earlier also returns to its original state.

Further, when the opening/closing lid B is closed, the opening/closing lid B engages with and locks the mouthpiece 13 of the toner container unit 1, and the member part is pushed and retracted to the left, and the lock is released. When the toner container unit 1 is removed 14- from the opening 211, the opening/closing lid n is moved by the push-up spring A222 and the push-up spring B223.
The step 2301 and the step 2101 are pushed upward by 1, and are locked, so that the lid cannot be opened by moving the knob 5.

The toner receiving device according to the present invention described above not only prevents the toner from leaking out or scattering when the toner container unit is attached and captures toner, but also securely secures the toner container when opening the lid by moving the knob. Toner inside the unit now falls out0

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1, 3 and 5 show perspective views of the external appearance of the toner container unit, and FIGS. 2 and 4 show sectional views thereof. 6 and subsequent figures show the toner receiving device of the present invention, with FIG. 6 being a perspective view, FIG. 7 being a sectional view of a main part thereof, and FIG. 8 being a perspective view of an opening/closing lid. Also, 9°10.11 figure is 3
12 is a sectional view taken along the Z-Z line in FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view. Further, Fig. 14 shows the attachment of the stepped portion, Fig. 15 is a sectional view of the main part showing the relationship between the push-up spring and the opening/closing lid, and Fig. 16 is the main part showing the sliding part of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1... Toner container unit 2... Toner receiving device 13... Mouth part 14...
・Film-like sheet 15 ・Slide lid 21 ・
...Top lid n...Inner lid n...Opening/closing lid Sae...Sliding plate 5...Knob
Visit... Lock member... Leveling board
209... uneven plate 239... protruding part
211.221... Openings 222, 223... Push-up spring 2101.2301... Danbe representative Yoshi Kuwahara Misaki-4,

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a toner receiving device having an opening/closing lid that slides to open and close an opening, a gate protrusion is provided on the sliding portion of the opening/closing lid and/or its sliding surface, and the opening/closing lid is moved with moderate vibration. A toner receiving device characterized in that: