TWI733327B - Leak prevention device for toner cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a leakage prevention device for a toner cartridge. The toner cartridge has a housing and an outlet. The leakage prevention device includes a fixing seat, a valve member, a first elastic member, a pushing member, and a second elastic member, The fixed seat is arranged at the outlet of the housing. The fixed seat includes an opening and a limiting part. The valve member is movably arranged on the fixed seat and located inside the opening. The first elastic member exerts a force toward the opening on the valve member. The pusher can close the opening. The pusher is arranged on the fixed seat and is located inside the valve. The pusher has a clamping part. The pusher can move between the forward position and the backward position. The pusher abuts when it is in the forward position. For the valve member, the second elastic member exerts a force on the pushing member toward the forward position; wherein, when the pushing member is in the retreat position, the clamping portion engages with the limiting portion of the fixing seat, so that the pushing member cannot be subjected to the second elasticity The force of the piece moves from the backward position to the forward position. Thereby, the leakage preventing device of the toner cartridge can reliably close the toner cartridge and save effort when repeatedly installing.

Description

Leak prevention device for toner cartridge

The present invention relates to an electronic imaging device, and particularly refers to a leakage prevention device for a toner cartridge of an electronic imaging device.

Generally, electronic imaging devices, such as photocopiers or printers, are equipped with a toner cartridge to supply toner. However, in order to ensure that the toner cartridge does not leak when the toner cartridge is not installed, a compression spring is usually used to apply a plug. Large elastic force to achieve the purpose of sealing the powder outlet, but this structure requires the user to spend a lot of effort to overcome the force of the spring to install the toner cartridge to the electronic imaging device, especially in some occasions , The user may disassemble the toner cartridge several times and then install it back, the laborious installation process makes the convenience poor. If a spring with a smaller elastic force is selected for installation and labor saving, the problem of powder leakage is likely to occur. Therefore, how to securely close the toner outlet of the toner cartridge to ensure that the toner cartridge does not leak toner before installation, and save effort when repeatedly installing the toner cartridge, especially if the toner is repeatedly disassembled and installed due to maintenance and other reasons. When the toner cartridge is used, it will not cause a burden on the installer, and it has become a technical problem that those skilled in the art want to solve.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a leakage prevention device for a toner cartridge, which can be reliably closed before being installed in an electronic imaging device, and it is labor-saving to disassemble and reassemble after installation.

In order to achieve the above object, the leakage prevention device of the toner cartridge of the present invention includes a fixing seat, a valve member, a first elastic member, a pushing member, and a second elastic member. The toner cartridge has a A shell containing carbon powder and an outlet provided at the shell, the fixing seat is arranged at the outlet of the shell, the fixing seat includes an opening and a limiting portion, the opening communicates with the inside of the shell Externally, the valve member is movably disposed on the fixing seat and located inside the opening, and the first elastic member is disposed on the fixing seat and applies a force toward the opening to make the valve member close The opening, the pushing member is disposed on the fixing seat and located inside the valve member, the pushing member has a clamping portion, the pushing member can move between a forward position and a retreat position, the pushing member When the member is in the forward position, it abuts against the valve member, the second elastic member is provided on the fixing seat and applies a force toward the forward position to the pushing member; wherein, when the pushing member is in the backward position The clamping portion is engaged with the limiting portion of the fixing seat, so that the pushing member cannot be moved from the backward position to the forward position by the force of the second elastic member; thereby, the toner cartridge is prevented from leaking The device can securely close the toner cartridge, and it saves effort when disassembling and reassembling after installation.

Hereinafter, the technical content and features of the present invention will be described in detail with a preferred embodiment with drawings. As shown in Figure 1, the leakage prevention device 10 provided by a preferred embodiment of the present invention is set in a toner cartridge. A perspective view of 1, the toner cartridge 1 is used to be installed in an electronic imaging device (not shown) such as a photocopier or printer, etc. The electronic imaging device has a mating member 7 and a powder inlet 8 arranged in The docking piece 7 is as shown in Fig. 7. The toner cartridge 1 has a housing 3 for accommodating carbon powder, an outlet 5 provided at one end of the housing 3, and a leakage prevention device 10. When the toner cartridge 1 is installed in the electronic imaging device, the docking member 7 extends into the leakage prevention device 10. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the leakage prevention device 10 includes a fixing seat 20, a valve member 30, a first elastic member 40, a pushing member 50, a second elastic member 60, and a sealing member 70 . It should be noted that the present invention defines the direction along the axial direction toward the inside of the casing 3 of the toner cartridge 1 as the inner side, and vice versa, the outer side.

As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the fixing seat 20 is provided at the outlet 5 of the housing 3, and the fixing seat 20 includes a tube 21 for extending into the housing 3, and an opening 22 provided in the tube. An outer end of the portion 21, two through grooves 23 are provided on the peripheral wall of the pipe portion 21, a bottom wall 27 is located at an end or an inner end of the pipe portion 21 away from the opening 22, and a limiting portion 28 is provided on the bottom wall 27. The tube 21 has a shoulder 24, a large-diameter section 25 adjacent to the opening 22, and a small-diameter section 26 adjacent to the limiting portion 28 extending from the large-diameter section 25, and the shoulder 24 Located at the junction of the large-diameter section 25 and the small-diameter section 26, the opening 22 communicates with the inside and outside of the housing 3 and communicates with the through groove 23, so that carbon powder can pass through the through groove 23 from the inside of the housing 3 When reaching the opening 22, the limiting portion 28 is a through hole 29.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the large-diameter section 25 and the small-diameter section 26 are two independent components, that is, the tube 21 is composed of two components, and the shoulder 24 is located at the large-diameter section. The section 25 is adjacent to one end of the small-diameter section 26. In other embodiments, the large-diameter section 25 and the small-diameter section 26 may be integrally formed.

The valve member 30 is movably disposed in the large-diameter section 25 of the tube 21 and located inside the opening 22. The valve member 30 can be a closed position P1 (as shown in Figures 6 and 8) and an open Move between positions P2 (as shown in Figure 7), the valve member 30 includes a disc body 31 and a limiting ring 35 extending from the disc body 31 toward the inside. The position of the disc body 31 corresponds to the The opening 22, and the diameter of the disc body 31 is greater than the diameter of the opening 22, so that the valve member 30 can be enclosed in the opening 22. When the valve member 30 closes the opening 22, the opening 22 and the through groove 23 are not connected .

The first elastic member 40 is a compression spring. The first elastic member 40 is arranged in the large-diameter section 25 of the tube 21 and between the shoulder 24 and the disc 31 of the valve member 30. One end of the first elastic member 40 is sleeved outside the limiting ring 35 of the valve member 30 and abuts against the disc 31, whereby the first elastic member 40 exerts an action on the valve member 30 toward the opening 22 force.

Please refer to Fig. 5 at the same time. The pushing member 50 is arranged in the tube portion 21 of the fixing seat 20 and is located inside the valve member 30. The pushing member 50 can be in a forward position P3 (as shown in Fig. 6). ) And a retreat position P4 (as shown in Figures 7 and 8), the pushing member 50 includes a head 51, a rod 53 extending from the head 51, and two clamping parts 55 Located on the outer periphery of the rod portion 53, the head 51 is located in the large diameter section 25, the rod portion 53 extends into the small diameter section 26 and penetrates the perforation 29, the rod portion 53 is provided with an axially extending length The groove 54 is located near the two clamping portions 55, that is, the two clamping portions 55 are located within the range of the long groove 54. The long groove 54 penetrates the rod portion 53 radially so that the rod portion 53 can receive the diameter With outward force and elastic deformation, the two clamping portions 55 are arranged opposite to each other.

The second elastic member 60 is a compression spring. The second elastic member 60 is arranged in the tube portion 21 of the fixing seat 20, and is arranged between the bottom wall 27 and the head 51 of the pushing member 50 and extends Into the small diameter section 26, the second elastic member 60 exerts a force on the pushing member 50 toward the forward position P3.

The sealing member 70 is ring-shaped and is disposed on a side of the disc body 31 of the valve member 30 close to the opening 22.

Please refer to Figure 6, when the toner cartridge 1 is not assembled in the electronic imaging device, the disc 31 of the valve member 30 receives the force of the first elastic member 40 toward the opening 22. At this time, the pusher The member 50 is located at the forward position P3, the head 51 of the pushing member 50 extends into the limit ring 35 of the valve member 30 and abuts against the disc 31 of the valve member 30, and the pushing member 50 is clamped The portion 55 is located in the tube portion 21, and the pushing member 50 is subjected to the elastic force of the second elastic member 60 to exert a force on the valve member 30 toward the opening 22, that is, the valve member 30 is simultaneously subjected to the The pressing of the first elastic member 40 and the pushing member 50 causes the sealing member 70 to abut against the opening 22 and compress and deform, so that the opening 22 can be reliably closed without the risk of powder leakage, and due to the valve member The diameter D1 of the disc body 31 of 30 is greater than the diameter D2 of the opening 22, so that the valve member 30 will not leave the opening 22.

When the toner cartridge 1 is installed in the electronic imaging device, the docking member 7 extends into the opening 22 and pushes against the valve member 30, and at the same time overcomes the elastic force of the first and second elastic members 40, 60 to make the valve member 30 moves inward together with the pushing member 50, even if the pushing member 50 moves to the retreat position P4, the two clamping portions 55 of the pushing member 50 each have an inclined surface 56 (as shown in Fig. 5) When the clamping portion 55 passes through the perforation 29, the inclined surface 56 of the clamping portion 55 is pressed against the edge of the perforation 29, so that the rod portion 53 is squeezed and deformed to facilitate passing through the perforation. 29. After the clamping portion 55 passes through the perforation 29, the rod portion 53 returns to its original shape. As shown in FIG. 7, the clamping portion 55 is limited by the perforation 29 so that the pushing member 50 is maintained at the Retreat position P4, at this time the clamping portion 55 is located outside the tube portion 21, the valve member 30 is maintained at the open position P2, the two-way groove 23 is in communication with the opening 22, so that the carbon powder can pass through the inside of the housing 3 The two-way slot 23 enters the powder inlet 8. When the pushing member 50 is located at the retreat position P4, as shown in Figure 7, the clamping portion 55 is located outside the tube portion 21, so that the pushing member 50 cannot receive the force of the second elastic member 60 and is The backward position P4 moves to the forward position P3.

When the toner cartridge 1 needs to be disassembled and the user removes the toner cartridge 1 from the electronic imaging device, the valve member 30 is returned to the closed position from the open position P2 by the force of the first elastic member 40 The position P1 causes the valve member 30 to close the opening 22 again, and the pushing member 50 is maintained at the retracted position P4, as shown in FIG. 8.

With the above-mentioned structural design, the first and second elastic members 40, 60 of the leakage prevention device 10 exert the force of the valve member 30 toward the opening 22, so that the electronic imaging device can be reliably closed before being incorporated into the electronic imaging device. The toner cartridge 1 prevents toner leakage; when the toner cartridge 1 is installed, the pusher 50 is maintained at the retracted position P4, so when the toner cartridge 1 is removed and assembled again, the user Only need to overcome the force of the first elastic member 40 and consume less effort to complete the installation, thereby achieving the purpose of the invention.

Based on the design spirit of the present invention, the structure of the toner cartridge can have other changes. For example, the limiting portion 28 of the fixing base 20 can be engaged with the clamping portion 55 of the pushing member 50 by magnetic attraction or other clamping methods. , As long as the pushing member 50 can be maintained at the backward position P4; or the head 51 of the pushing member 50 can be omitted, as long as the pushing member 50 can be pushed against when in the forward position P3 The valve member 30 is sufficient; or the shape of the sealing member 70 is not a ring, but a disc shape, etc. All such structural changes that can be easily considered should be covered by the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

1: Toner Cartridge

3: shell

5: export

7: Butt

8: Powder inlet

10: Leakage prevention device

20: fixed seat

21: Management Department

22: opening

23: Through slot

24: Shoulder

25: Large diameter section

26: Trail section

27: bottom wall

28: Limiting part

29: Piercing

D1: diameter

30: Valve

31: Disc body

35: limit ring

D2: Diameter

P1: Closed position

P2: Open position

40: The first elastic part

50: pusher

51: head

53: pole

54: Long Groove

55: Card connector

56: Incline

P3: forward position

P4: Back position

60: second elastic part

70: Seal

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a toner cartridge according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a partial exploded view of a toner cartridge according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is an exploded view of the leakage prevention device of the toner cartridge of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figures 4A and 4B are a perspective view and a side view of a fixing seat of a leakage stop device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a side view of the pusher of a leak stop device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIGS. 6 to 8 are cross-sectional views of the leakage prevention device of the toner cartridge in different states according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

1: Toner Cartridge

3: shell

5: export

10: Leakage prevention device

20: fixed seat

22: opening

24: Shoulder

27: bottom wall

28: Limiting part

29: Piercing

30: Valve

31: Disc body

35: limit ring

P1: Closed position

40: The first elastic part

50: pusher

51: head

53: pole

54: Long Groove

55: Card connector

56: Incline

P3: forward position

60: second elastic part

70: Seal

Claims (13)

A leakage prevention device for a toner cartridge. The toner cartridge has a casing for accommodating carbon powder and an outlet provided in the casing. The leakage prevention device includes: A fixing seat arranged at the outlet of the housing, the fixing seat including an opening and a limiting portion, the opening communicating the inside and the outside of the housing; A valve member movably arranged on the fixed seat and located inside the opening; A first elastic member arranged on the fixing seat and exerting a force on the valve member toward the opening, so that the valve member can close the opening; A pusher is arranged on the fixed seat and is located inside the valve member. The pusher has a clamping portion. The pusher can move between a forward position and a retreat position. The pusher is located Abuts against the valve member in the forward position; and A second elastic member, which is arranged on the fixing seat and applies a force to the pushing member toward the forward position; Wherein, when the pushing member is located in the backward position, the clamping portion engages with the limiting portion of the fixing seat, so that the pushing member cannot receive the force of the second elastic member and moves from the backward position to the forward position . The leakage prevention device of the toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the fixing seat includes a tube portion for extending into the inside of the casing, and a through groove is provided in the tube portion, so that the inside of the casing can pass through the through groove. The groove is communicated with the opening, the opening and the limiting portion are respectively located at two ends of the tube portion, and the valve member, the first elastic member, the pushing member and the second elastic member are arranged in the tube portion. According to claim 2, the leakage prevention device of the toner cartridge, wherein the inner edge of the tube has a shoulder, and the first elastic member is arranged between the shoulder and the valve member. The leakage prevention device of the toner cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the tube portion has a large-diameter section adjacent to the opening, and a small-diameter section adjacent to the limiting portion extends from the large-diameter section, and the shoulder The part is located at the junction of the large-diameter section and the small-diameter section, the valve member and the first elastic member are located in the large-diameter section, and the pushing member and the second elastic member extend into the small-diameter section. According to claim 2, the leakage prevention device of the toner cartridge, wherein the fixing seat further includes a bottom wall located at an end of the tube portion away from the opening, the limiting portion is provided on the bottom wall, and the second elastic member is provided on the bottom wall. Between the bottom wall and the pusher. According to claim 5, the leakage prevention device for a toner cartridge, wherein the pushing member includes a head and a rod extending from the head, the clamping part is provided on the outer periphery of the rod, and the first Two elastic pieces are arranged between the bottom wall and the head. According to claim 6, the leakage preventing device of the toner cartridge, wherein the limiting part is a perforation, the rod part penetrates through the perforation, and when the pushing member is in the forward position, the clamping part is located in the tube In the inner part, when the pushing member is located in the retreat position, the clamping part is located outside the tube part. According to claim 7, the leakage preventing device of the toner cartridge, wherein the rod portion of the pushing member is provided with an axially extending long slot located near the clamping portion. The leakage prevention device for a toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the valve member includes a disc body and a limit ring extending from the disc body, the position of the disc body corresponds to the opening, and the first elasticity The piece is sleeved outside the limit ring and abuts against the disc body, and when the pusher is in the forward position, it extends into the limit ring and abuts against the disc body. The leakage prevention device for the toner cartridge according to claim 9, wherein the diameter of the disc body of the valve member is larger than the diameter of the opening. According to claim 1, the leakage preventing device of the toner cartridge, wherein the pushing member includes a head and a rod extending from the head, the clamping part is provided on the outer periphery of the rod, and the first One end of the two elastic pieces is pressed against the head. The leakage prevention device of the toner cartridge according to claim 1, which further includes a sealing element arranged on a side of the valve element close to the opening. According to claim 12, the leakage preventing device of the toner cartridge, wherein the sealing member is ring-shaped.

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