WO2004081673A1 - 現像剤収納容器および画像形成装置 - Google Patents
現像剤収納容器および画像形成装置 Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2004081673A1 WO2004081673A1 PCT/JP2004/003131 JP2004003131W WO2004081673A1 WO 2004081673 A1 WO2004081673 A1 WO 2004081673A1 JP 2004003131 W JP2004003131 W JP 2004003131W WO 2004081673 A1 WO2004081673 A1 WO 2004081673A1
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- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- container
- developer
- support member
- main body
- container body
- Prior art date
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
- G03G15/06—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing
- G03G15/08—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer
- G03G15/0822—Arrangements for preparing, mixing, supplying or dispensing developer
- G03G15/0877—Arrangements for metering and dispensing developer from a developer cartridge into the development unit
- G03G15/0881—Sealing of developer cartridges
- G03G15/0886—Sealing of developer cartridges by mechanical means, e.g. shutter, plug
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
- G03G15/06—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing
- G03G15/08—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer
- G03G15/0822—Arrangements for preparing, mixing, supplying or dispensing developer
- G03G15/0865—Arrangements for supplying new developer
- G03G15/0867—Arrangements for supplying new developer cylindrical developer cartridges, e.g. toner bottles for the developer replenishing opening
- G03G15/087—Developer cartridges having a longitudinal rotational axis, around which at least one part is rotated when mounting or using the cartridge
- G03G15/0872—Developer cartridges having a longitudinal rotational axis, around which at least one part is rotated when mounting or using the cartridge the developer cartridges being generally horizontally mounted parallel to its longitudinal rotational axis
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G2215/00—Apparatus for electrophotographic processes
- G03G2215/06—Developing structures, details
- G03G2215/066—Toner cartridge or other attachable and detachable container for supplying developer material to replace the used material
- G03G2215/0663—Toner cartridge or other attachable and detachable container for supplying developer material to replace the used material having a longitudinal rotational axis, around which at least one part is rotated when mounting or using the cartridge
- G03G2215/0665—Generally horizontally mounting of said toner cartridge parallel to its longitudinal rotational axis
- G03G2215/067—Toner discharging opening covered by arcuate shutter
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a developer accommodating container for accommodating a developer such as toner used for electrophotographic image formation, and an image forming apparatus in which the developer accommodating container is detachably mounted.
- FIG. 58 is a cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus 2 to which a toner cartridge 1 according to a first conventional technique is mounted.
- FIG. 59 is an enlarged sectional view showing the vicinity of the developing unit 3 of the toner cartridge 2 and the image forming apparatus 2. In FIGS. 58 and 59, the thickness is omitted for easy understanding.
- An electrophotographic recording type image forming apparatus 2 such as a printer apparatus and a copying apparatus includes a toner cartridge 1 and an image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “apparatus main body”) 2a.
- the toner cartridge Vedge 1 in which toner is stored is detachably attached to the developing unit 3 provided in the apparatus main body 2a.
- the toner cartridge 1 includes a housing la, a first stirring member 4, a second stirring member 5, and a supply roller 6.
- the first and second stirring members 4 and 5 are arranged in a storage space 7 which is an inner space of a housing 1a in which a toner (not shown) is stored. More specifically, the first stirring member 4 is disposed in a first storage area 7 a which is one area of the storage space 7, and the second stirring member 5 is arranged in a second storage area 7 which is another area of the storage space 7. It is located at b.
- the stirring member 4 is attached to the apparatus main body 2a, and is driven by a driving force from a drive unit (not shown) such as a motor provided in the apparatus main body 2a, and is driven by an arrow U1 around its axis.
- a drive unit such as a motor provided in the apparatus main body 2a
- an arrow U1 around its axis.
- the second stirring member 5 rotates in the direction of arrow U2 around its axis by the driving force from the drive unit to stir the toner stored in the second storage area 7b, and to supply the toner.
- the drive unit not shown
- the second stirring member 5 rotates in the direction of arrow U2 around its axis by the driving force from the drive unit to stir the toner stored in the second storage area 7b, and to supply the toner.
- the first stirring member 4 is partially provided on the inner surface of the housing 1a facing the first storage area 7a. It has a sheet 4a made of a polymer resin which can be brought into contact with the substrate. Further, the second stirring member 5 has a sheet 4a made of a polymer resin that can partially contact the inner surface of the housing 1a facing the second storage area 7b. The first and second stirring members 4 and 5 rotate while the sheets 4a and 5a are in contact with the inner surface of the housing 1a. As a result, even if the remaining amount of toner stored in the storage space 7 decreases, the toner remaining in the storage space 7 without being given to the supply roller 6 by the sheets 4a and 5a is removed. , As much as possible.
- the outer periphery of the supply roller 6 is formed of a porous resin such as sponge, and the supply roller 6 rotates around its axis by the driving force from the driving unit to supply the toner provided by the second stirring member 5 to the apparatus main body 2. It is supplied to the developing unit 3 provided in a.
- the developing unit 3 agitates the toner supplied from the toner cartridge 1 and a carrier having magnetic particles prepared in advance to generate a two-component developer.
- the apparatus main body 2a further includes a recording paper cassette 8, a photosensitive drum 9, a charging unit 10, a laser exposure unit 11, and a fixing unit 12.
- the recording paper cassette 8 holds recording paper on which an image is to be formed.
- the photoreceptor drum 9 is a cylindrical drum having a photoreceptor provided on an outer peripheral portion thereof, and rotates in an arrow U3 direction around an axis thereof by a driving force from the driving unit.
- the charging unit 10 charges the photoconductor of the photoconductor drum 9 to give photosensitivity.
- the laser exposure unit 11 exposes the charged photoconductor of the photoconductor drum 9 with a laser light image to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor.
- the developing unit 3 agitates the two-component developer, supplies the two-component developer to the photoreceptor on the photoreceptor drum 9 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed, develops the toner, and performs toner transfer corresponding to the electrostatic latent image. An image is formed.
- the photoreceptor drum 9 transfers the toner image of the photoreceptor drum 9 to recording paper fed from the recording paper cassette 11.
- the fixing unit 12 fixes the toner image on the recording paper to which the toner image has been transferred onto the recording paper.
- the recording paper on which the toner image has been fixed and the image has been formed is discharged to a discharge tray 13.
- FIG. 6OA is a cross-sectional view illustrating a toner bottle 15 according to a second related art
- FIG. 60B is a perspective view illustrating the toner bottle 15.
- the toner bottle 15 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom, and a storage space 16 for storing toner is provided.
- the toner bottle 15 has a projecting piece 17 projecting radially inward and extending spirally from one end 15a in the axial direction to the other end 15b in the axial direction around the axis L20.
- the other end 15 b in the axial direction of the toner bottle 15 is provided with an opening 18 in which a hole having an inner diameter smaller than that of the remaining portion is formed, and the storage space 16 and the outer space of the toner bottle 15 are provided. Are communicating.
- the opening 18 is connected to a toner supply port provided in the image forming apparatus main body so that the toner bottle 15 is axially parallel to the image forming apparatus main body (not shown) so that the axis 15 is parallel to the horizontal direction.
- the toner bottle 15 is rotated around the axis L 15 by the driving force from the drive unit provided in the image forming apparatus main body, the toner stored in the storage space 16 becomes a protrusion 17
- the toner is supplied to the toner supply port through the opening 18 through the opening 18 (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-2005).
- FIG. 61 is a perspective view showing a developer supply container 20 according to a third conventional technique.
- the developing agent supply container 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape with both ends closed, and is provided with a storage space for storing toner.
- the developer supply container 20 has a first protrusion that projects inward in the radial direction and extends spirally from the end 20 a toward the center 20 c in the axial direction around the axis L 20.
- the second projection piece 2 1 protruding inward in the radial direction and spirally extending from the other end portion 20 b in the axial direction toward the central portion 20 c in the axial direction around the axis L 20.
- a through hole 22 that penetrates in the radial direction and communicates the storage space and the outer space of the developer supply container 20 is formed in the axial center portion 20 c of the developer supply container 20.
- the developer supply container 20 is formed on an image forming apparatus main body (not shown) such that the axis L 20 is parallel to the horizontal direction and the center part 20 c in the axial direction is opened upward. It is connected to the image forming apparatus main body so as to face a toner supply port provided in the apparatus main body. In this state, drive from a drive unit provided in the image forming apparatus main body The force causes the developer supply container 20 to rotate about the axis L 20.
- the toner stored in the storage space of the developer supply container 20 is sent to the central portion 20c in the axial direction by the projections 21a and 21b, and the through hole 22 is When the toner is disposed at a position facing the supply port, the toner is supplied to the toner supply port through the through hole 22 (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-339115).
- FIG. 62 is a perspective view showing a fourth conventional toner cartridge 25.
- the toner cartridge 25 is formed in a cylindrical shape with both ends closed, and a storage space for storing toner is provided.
- a through hole 26 extending in the axial direction, penetrating in the radial direction, and communicating the storage space with the outer space of the toner cartridge 25.
- the toner cartridge 25 is provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus (not shown) so that the axis L25 is parallel to the horizontal direction and the center in the axial direction is opened upward. It is connected to the main body of the image forming apparatus so as to face the toner supply port. In this state, the hi-one cartridge 25 is rotated around the axis L25 by the driving force from the driving unit provided in the image forming apparatus main body. As a result, the cartridge 25 is stored in the storage space of the toner cartridge 25. When the toner is disposed at a position where the through hole 26 faces the toner supply port, the toner is supplied to the toner supply port through the through hole 26 (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-34881). No. 7).
- image forming apparatuses such as printers and copiers have been required to print large amounts of data at high speed.
- some high-speed image forming apparatuses capable of forming an image on 50 or more recording sheets per minute can form an image on up to 999 recording sheets at a time.
- continuous printing exceeding 999 sheets may be performed depending on the setting of the number of copies.
- Such a high-speed image forming apparatus requires a toner cartridge having a very large toner storage capacity. For example, some toner cartridges can store about 140 g of toner.
- the toner cartridge 1 of the first prior art described above requires the storage space 7 to have different shapes as shown in FIG.
- the first storage area 7a and the second storage area 7b have two storage areas 7a and 7b.
- the toner cartridge 1 becomes very large, and it becomes difficult for the user to attach and detach the toner cartridge 1 to and from the apparatus main body 2a.
- the toner cartridge 1 has a first stirring member 4, a second stirring member 5, and a supply roller 6 therein, and these mechanisms are not only complicated but also heavy. Therefore, the toner cartridge 1 is not only heavy, but also has a high manufacturing cost, and accordingly, a toner consumption cost is also high.
- the toner cartridge 1 is left in various environments for a long period of time in a state where toner is present in the storage space 7, a packing in which the toner, which is usually a powder, aggregates in the storage space 7 occurs, and finally, May be blocked.
- the toner cartridge 1 is mounted on the apparatus main body 2a in such a state, depending on the angular position of each of the stirring members 4 and 5, the toner that has aggregated may be rotated in a direction that further aggregates. There is. If the stirring members 4 and 5 are rotated in such a state, the addition to driving parts such as motors and gears for applying a driving force to the stirring members 4 and 5 becomes excessive.
- the toner cartridge 1 has been left unattended by reducing the particle size of toner particles for higher image quality when forming images on recording paper, and lowering the melting point by low-temperature fixing to address environmental issues.
- the tendency of the toner to agglomerate due to the above is remarkable, and the failure as described above is easily caused.
- the user Before attaching the new toner cartridge 1 and the toner cartridge 1 that has been left for a long time to the main body 2a, the user must loosen the toner contained in the toner cartridge 1 and keep the toner as powdery as possible. Must. For this reason, the user must perform very troublesome work such as swinging the large and heavy toner cartridge 1 up, down, left and right.
- a toner cartridge is provided with an openable and closable opening for filling the toner from the outside, and the toner cartridge is not completely detached from the apparatus main body 2a.
- toner is supplied from the opening.
- the second conventional technique shown in FIGS. 60A and 60B described above In comparison with the first prior art toner cartridge 1, the one pot 15 has the advantage that the number of components is small, the weight is reduced, and the manufacturing cost is reduced.
- the toner bottle 15 is rotated around the axis L15 while the toner bottle 15 is full of toner, such as a new toner bottle 15, the excess toner is opened. There is a risk that the toner is concentrated near the portion 18 and the toner aggregates near the opening 18.
- the toner bottle 15 when the amount of toner stored in the toner bottle 15 is lower than the opening 18 when the toner bottle 15 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body and the toner layer is on the upper surface. In other words, even if the toner bottle 15 rotates, the toner may not be supplied to the toner supply port from the opening 18.
- the image forming apparatus main body to which such a toner bottle 15 is mounted general
- the developing unit to which the toner is supplied is disposed at the center between the front part and the rear part of the image forming apparatus main body.
- the opening 18 is provided only at the end of the toner bottle 15
- the axial dimension of 5 is limited to the dimension from the center to the front of the main body of the image forming apparatus. As a result, the toner storage capacity of one bottle 15 is limited.
- the third prior art developer supply container 20 shown in FIG. 61 described above in order to solve the limitation on the dimension in the axial direction, a through hole 22 for discharging the toner is provided in the central portion 2 in the axial direction. 0c is formed.
- toner from 22 leaks out from between the central portion 20c and the image forming apparatus main body and scatters inside the image forming apparatus main body.
- the fourth prior art i ′′ cartridge 25 shown in FIG. 62 has the same problem as the third conventional developer supply container 20.
- the toner bottle 15 of the second prior art shown in FIGS. 60A and 60B described above has a smaller number of component parts and is lighter in manufacture than the toner cartridge 1 of the first prior art. There is an advantage that costs can be reduced.
- the amount of toner supplied to the toner supply port by rotating the toner bottle 15 one rotation about the axis L 15 changes depending on the amount of toner remaining in the toner bottle 15. For example, when the toner bottle 15 is rotated once, the supply amount is higher when the upper surface of the toner layer is higher than the axis L15 than when the upper surface of the toner layer is lower than the axis L15. More often than not.
- the toner bottle 15 When the toner bottle 15 is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, the top of the toner layer is positioned higher than the axis L 15 while the toner bottle 15 is attached to the toner pot 15. In some cases, the toner can be opened even when the toner bottle 15 is not rotating. There is a possibility that it will flow out from 18 to the toner supply port. When the amount of toner stored in the toner bottle 15 is lower than the opening 18 when the toner bottle 15 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body and the toner layer 15 is in the upper position, However, even when the toner port 15 rotates, the toner may not be supplied to the toner supply port from the opening 18.
- the developer supply container 2 ⁇ is formed with the through hole 22 facing the toner supply port of the image forming apparatus main body.
- the rotation stops there is a risk that a large amount of toner may flow out of the through hole 22 into the toner supply port.
- the toner concentration in the developing unit at that point becomes extremely high, and there is a risk that development unevenness may occur.
- an object of the present invention is to stably support the container body in which the developer is stored in a rotatable manner without having a complicated mechanism, and to prevent the stored developer from aggregating during rotation.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a developer storage container capable of supplying a powdery developer to an image forming apparatus main body, and an image forming apparatus in which the developer storage container is detachably mounted.
- Another object of the present invention is to stably support the container body in which the developer is stored in a freely rotatable manner without having a complicated mechanism, and to coagulate the stored developer during rotation.
- a developer container that can supply the powdered developer to the image forming apparatus main body while keeping the amount of developer supplied to the image forming apparatus main body per rotation of the container main body as constant as possible.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which the developer container is detachably mounted.
- Still another object of the present invention is to stably rotatably support a container main body in which a developer is stored, and to relate a supply amount of the developer to the image forming apparatus main body to an amount of the stored developer.
- a developer storage container capable of supplying a developer to the image forming apparatus main body while keeping the developer storage container as constant as possible, and an image forming apparatus in which the developer storage container is detachably mounted. Is to provide an installation.
- the present invention relates to a developer container detachably mounted on an image forming apparatus, which is formed in a cylindrical shape in which a developer used for image formation is stored, and provided with a discharge hole for discharging the developer.
- a container body that conveys the developer stored by rotating about an axis toward the discharge hole;
- a supporting member that supports the container body so as to be rotatable around the axis from the outside in the radial direction and that is provided with a conduction hole that guides the developer discharged from the discharge hole of the container body to the outside. It is a developer container characterized by the following.
- the support member supports the container main body at the intermediate portion in the axial direction of the container main body, so that even if a driving force for rotating the container main body is given to the container main body, the container main body rotating around the axis is stably supported. can do.
- the support member is provided with a conduction hole for guiding the developer discharged from the discharge hole of the container body to the outside.
- the developer conveyed toward the discharge hole by the rotation of the container body and discharged from the discharge hole can be guided to the outside by the conduction hole.
- the discharge hole also rotates with the rotation of the container, and such a rotating discharge is performed.
- the developer contained in the container body is guided to the outside from the conduction hole of the support member that does not rotate with the container body, so that the developer between the non-displaced conduction hole and the image forming apparatus is removed. It is possible to easily prevent leakage of the developer as much as possible. Further, by simply rotating the container body, the developer contained in the container body can be simultaneously transported and discharged to the outside.
- the discharge hole of the container body is provided at a substantially middle portion in the axial direction, and the support member supports at least a substantially middle portion of the container body in the axial direction including at least the discharge hole from the outside in the radial direction to the entire circumference. It is characterized by.
- the discharge hole of the container main body is provided at a substantially intermediate portion in the axial direction, so that the developing device is stored at one axial end of the container main body conveyed toward the discharge hole by rotating the container main body. The developer and the developer stored at the other axial end of the container main body collide with each other near the discharge hole in the container main body.
- the developer from one side in the axial direction stored in the container main body is disposed near the discharge hole in the container main body, that is, at the substantially axially middle portion where there is no wall perpendicular to the axis as in the conventional case,
- the developer can be agitated by colliding with the developer from the other side.
- the developer can be stirred and turned into a powder form by rotating the container body.
- the container body may include a first container portion formed in a bottomed tubular shape, a second container portion formed in a bottomed tubular shape, and a connecting member formed in a tubular shape and provided with a discharge hole.
- One end of the connecting member in the axial direction and the opening end of the first container are detachably connected, and the other end of the connecting member in the axial direction and the opening end of the second container are detachably connected. And features.
- the container body includes a first container portion formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, a second container portion formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and a connection formed in a cylindrical shape and provided with a discharge hole. And members. One end in the axial direction of the connecting member is detachably connected to the open end of the first container. The other end in the axial direction of the connecting member is detachably connected to the open end of the second container. As a result, a discharge hole is provided at an intermediate portion in the axial direction, and a cylindrical container body having both ends closed in the axial direction can be realized.
- both when the inner peripheral portion of the first container portion projects inward in the radial direction, Both extend spirally in one direction about the axis from the bottom toward the opening.
- the inner peripheral portion of the second container portion protrudes inward in the radial direction, and extends spirally from the bottom toward the opening in a direction opposite to the one direction around the axis.
- a projection is provided.
- the first protrusion that protrudes inward in the radial direction and extends spirally in one direction around the axis from the bottom toward the opening.
- a part is provided on the inner peripheral portion of the first container portion.
- the container housed in the second container portion at the other end in the axial direction of the container body is conveyed toward the discharge hole of the connecting member by the second protrusion by rotating the container body around the axis.
- the developer contained in the container body from one side in the axial direction and the developer from the other side in the axial direction collide with each other and are stirred at the intermediate portion in the axial direction near the discharge hole in the main body of the container. Can be easily realized.
- sealing means extending over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction is provided between the container body and the support member at one axial end and at the other axial end of the container main body with respect to the discharge hole and the conduction hole. It is characterized by.
- the discharge hole and the conductive hole are also provided with sealing means extending over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction between the container body and the support member at one axial end and at the other axial end of the container main body. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the developer from leaking from between the container body and the support member.
- the present invention is characterized in that a holding portion for holding the developer between an outer peripheral portion of the container main body and an inner peripheral portion of the support member is provided on the upstream side in the rotation direction from the discharge hole of the container main body.
- a holding portion for holding the developer between the outer peripheral portion of the container main body and the inner peripheral portion of the support member is provided upstream of the discharge hole of the container main body in the rotation direction of the container main body.
- the container body when the container body is arranged so that its axis is parallel to the horizontal plane and the conduction hole of the support member is arranged near the center in the vertical direction, even if the amount of developer stored in the container body decreases.
- the developer remaining below the connecting member of the container body is also conveyed to the conduction hole while being held by the holding section.
- the amount of the developer remaining without being conveyed to the conductive hole can be reduced, and all the developer can be guided to the outside from the conductive hole as much as possible.
- a concave portion depressed inward in a radial direction is provided in an outer peripheral portion thereof, and the discharge hole is formed in the concave portion
- the support member is characterized by rotatably supporting a portion including at least a concave portion of the container body around an axis from the outside in the radial direction to the entire circumference.
- the container main body rotatably supported around the axis by the support member when the container main body rotatably supported around the axis by the support member is rotated around the axis, the stored developer flows toward the discharge hole provided at the outer peripheral portion of the container main body. Conveyed. In this way, since the support member supports the container main body, even if a driving force for rotating the container main body is applied to the container main body, the container main body rotating around the axis can be stably supported.
- a space (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a “holding space”) facing the concave portion and the discharge hole of the container body and the inner peripheral portion of the support member is formed.
- the developer conveyed toward the discharge hole by the rotation of the container body and discharged from the discharge hole is discharged to the holding space.
- the support member is provided with a conduction hole for guiding the developer discharged from the discharge hole of the container body to the outside.
- the amount of the developer discharged from the discharge hole to the holding space and held therein can also change depending on the amount of the developer stored in the container body. Can be prevented as much as possible. Therefore, when the container body rotates, The developer is discharged from the discharge hole into the holding space, and the amount of the developer based on the volume of the holding space is held in the holding space. Since the developer held in the holding space is guided to the outside by the conduction hole, the amount of the developer discharged to the outside every time the container body makes one rotation is made as constant as possible. it can.
- the discharge hole also rotates with the rotation of the container, and such a rotating discharge hole is used.
- a sealing means between the rotating container and the image forming apparatus.
- the developer contained in the container body is guided to the outside from the conduction hole of the support member that does not rotate with the container body, the developer from the gap between the non-displaced conduction hole and the image forming apparatus is formed. It is possible to easily prevent leakage of the developer as much as possible.
- the developer contained in the container body can be simultaneously transported and discharged to the outside.
- the amount of the developer stored in the container main body depends on the amount of the developer discharged outside the container main body when the container main body makes one rotation, the discharge hole is formed in the holding space where the volume does not change.
- the concave portion is formed so as to extend in the rotational direction, and has a smaller dimension in the axial direction than the dimension in the rotational direction.
- the discharge hole is characterized in that it is formed downstream of the recess in the rotation direction.
- the discharge hole is formed on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the concave portion, the developer in the container main body is easily rotated from the discharge hole to the holding space by rotating the container body in the rotation direction. Can be discharged.
- the concave portion is formed to extend in the rotation direction, and is formed to have a smaller dimension in the axial direction than the dimension in the rotation direction. Therefore, the holding space also extends in the rotation direction, and Therefore, the developer held in the holding space can be prevented from returning to the inside of the container body through the discharge hole as much as possible.
- the holding space is formed to extend in the rotation direction as described above, a proper amount of the developer can be held in the holding space by appropriately setting the size of the recess in the rotation direction.
- the concave portion has an end wall portion intersecting the rotation direction at an end portion on the downstream side in the rotation direction
- the discharge hole is formed in a part of the end wall.
- the recess has an end wall at the end on the downstream side in the rotation direction that intersects the rotation direction, and the discharge hole is formed in a part of the end wall.
- the discharge hole is entirely opened in the end wall portion, the developer is densely pushed out along the concave portion of the container body and the inner peripheral portion of the support member by rotating the container body. Then, it is discharged from the discharge hole into the holding space.
- the container main body is further rotated in such a state, there is a risk that the developer held in the holding space is pressed by the concave portion of the container main body and the inner peripheral portion of the support member and aggregates.
- the discharge hole is formed in a part of the end wall portion, in other words, since the opening area of the discharge hole is formed smaller than the area of the end wall portion, the developer is supplied to the discharge hole in the holding space. In the vicinity, it is diffused and discharged into the holding space. As a result, the developer discharged into the holding space can be made into a powder, and aggregation of the developer due to the rotation of the container body as described above can be prevented as much as possible. Thus, the powdery developer can be guided to the outside through the conductive holes.
- the invention is characterized in that a lead-out means for guiding the developer discharged from the discharge hole of the container body to the conduction hole is provided on the inner peripheral portion of the support member.
- a lead-out means for guiding the developing agent discharged from the discharge hole of the container body to the conduction hole is provided on the inner peripheral portion of the support member.
- the deriving means is formed in a sheet shape having flexibility and resilience, is provided at a portion facing the conduction hole of the support member at the base end, extends to the upstream side in the rotation direction, and The end can be elastically contacted with the outer peripheral surface of the concave portion of the container body.
- the lead-out means is formed in a sheet shape having flexibility and resilience, is provided at a portion facing the conduction hole of the support member at the base end, extends to the upstream side in the rotational direction, and The end can resiliently contact the outer peripheral surface of the concave portion of the container body.
- the container body While the container body is rotating, it extends upstream in the rotation direction and is held in the holding space on the downstream side in the rotation direction by the free end of the lead-out means that elastically contacts the outer peripheral surface of the concave portion of the container body. As the developer comes in contact with the developer in order, it is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the concave portion, guided to the base end portion, and further guided to the conduction hole. In this way, the developer discharged from the discharge hole of the container body and held in the holding space can be surely guided to the conduction hole by the lead-out means.
- the present invention is characterized in that the free end of the deriving means contacts the outer peripheral surface of the recess at an angle exceeding 90 degrees.
- the free end of the deriving means contacts the outer peripheral surface of the recess at an angle exceeding 90 degrees. Therefore, in a state where the container body is rotating, the deriving means prevents the free end from being bent downstream in the rotation direction and being separated from the outer peripheral surface of the concave portion due to the frictional force received from the outer peripheral surface of the concave portion. The end can be stably brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the concave portion. As a result, the developer discharged from the discharge hole of the container body and held in the holding space can be reliably guided to the conduction hole by the lead-out means.
- the present invention further includes a sealing means for closing the discharge hole when the container body is in the initial state with respect to the support member, and opening the discharge hole by rotating the container body from the initial state.
- the sealing means closes the discharge hole when the container body is in the initial state with respect to the support member, and opens the discharge hole by rotating the container body from the initial state. This makes it possible to easily prevent the developer from being undesirably discharged from the container body in the initial state, and to easily rotate the container body without directly removing the sealing means by the user. By opening the discharge hole, the developer in the container body can be discharged.
- the concave portion and the discharge hole of the container main body are provided at a substantially intermediate portion in the axial direction. It is characterized by that.
- the concave portion and the discharge hole of the container main body are provided at substantially the middle portion in the axial direction, the concave portion and the discharge hole are housed at one axial end of the container main body conveyed toward the discharge hole by the rotation of the container main body.
- the developer and the developer stored at the other axial end of the container body collide with each other near the discharge hole in the container body.
- the conveyed developer is pressed against the inner wall perpendicular to the axis of the one end in the axial direction of the container and aggregates. is there.
- the developing agent from one side in the axial direction, which is stored in the container main body, near the discharge hole in the container main body, that is, at the substantially middle portion in the axial direction without a wall surface perpendicular to the axis as in the conventional art The developer can be agitated by colliding with the developer from the other side. As a result, even if the developer stored in the container main body is agglomerated, the developer can be stirred and turned into powder by rotating the container main body.
- the container main body is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, a first container portion formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and a second container portion formed in a cylindrical shape with a concave portion and a discharge hole.
- One end of the third container in the axial direction is connected to the open end of the first container, and the other end of the third container in the axial direction is connected to the open end of the second container. It is characterized by being integrally molded.
- the container body includes a first container portion formed in a bottomed tubular shape, a second container portion formed in a bottomed tubular shape, and a second container portion formed in a tubular shape and provided with a discharge hole. And 3 container parts. One end in the axial direction of the third container is connected to the open end of the first container, and the other end in the axial direction is integrally connected to the open end of the second container. .
- This makes it possible to realize a cylindrical container body in which four parts and a discharge hole are provided in the middle part in the axial direction and both ends in the axial direction are closed.
- the container body including the first container portion, the second container portion, and the third container portion can be easily manufactured by integrally molding, for example, by blow molding. This makes it possible to reduce the number of components of the developer container.
- a first protrusion is provided which extends spirally in one direction about the axis from the bottom toward the opening,
- the inner peripheral portion of the second container portion protrudes inward in the radial direction, and extends spirally from the bottom toward the opening in a direction opposite to the one direction around the axis.
- a projection is provided.
- the first protrusion that protrudes inward in the radial direction and extends spirally in one direction around the axis from the bottom toward the opening.
- a part is provided on the inner peripheral portion of the first container portion. This rotates the container body around the axis, so that the developer stored in the first container portion at one end in the axial direction of the container body is discharged into the discharge hole of the third container portion by the first protrusion. It can be easily transported toward.
- the inner peripheral portion of the second container portion protrudes inward in the radial direction, and extends spirally in a direction opposite to the one direction around the axis from the bottom toward the opening. Two projections are provided.
- the present invention extends over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction between the container body and the support member at one end in the axial direction and at the other end in the axial direction of the container main body with respect to the concave portion and the discharge hole of the container main body and the conduction hole of the support member.
- a sealing means extending therefrom is provided.
- the concave portion and the discharge hole of the container main body, and the conduction hole of the support member are also provided between the container main body and the support member at one end in the axial direction and the other end in the axial direction of the container main body. Since the sealing means is provided to extend over, the developer can be prevented from leaking from between the container body and the support member.
- the present invention is characterized in that the inner diameter of the third container portion of the container body is formed to be larger than the inner diameter of the remaining portion.
- the inner diameter of the third container portion of the container body is larger than the inner diameter of the remaining portion. It is formed well. Even if the developer in powder form is placed on a horizontal surface, for example, as a sharp mountain, it has the property of quickly becoming a gentle mountain.
- the inside diameter of the third container part of the container body is formed to be smaller than the inside diameter of the remaining part, the developer conveyed toward the discharge hole by the rotation of the container body stops the rotation of the container body. When stopped, it comes away from the third container part. In such a case, when the amount of the developer stored in the container main body becomes very small, a sufficient amount of the developer should be conveyed toward the discharge hole immediately after the rotation of the container main body resumes.
- the present invention since the inner diameter of the third container portion of the container body is formed to be larger than the inner diameter of the remaining portion, the developer once conveyed to the third container portion separates from the third container portion. Can be prevented as much as possible. As a result, even when the amount of the developer stored in the container main body becomes very small, a sufficient amount of the developer is conveyed toward the discharge hole immediately after the rotation of the container main body is resumed. Is possible as much as possible. Further, it becomes possible to discharge all the developer contained in the container body to the outside as much as possible. Further, the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of recesses are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the container body.
- the recess is formed from the holding space facing the inner periphery of the support member and the concave portion where the discharge hole of the container main body is formed. Even if the developer leaks to the upstream side in the rotation direction, even if the developer leaks to the upstream side in the rotation direction at intervals in the circumferential direction of the concave portion, the other concave portion and the other holding space facing the inner peripheral portion of the support member, The leaked developer can be held. As a result, the amount of the developer discharged to the outside per one rotation of the container body can be made as constant as possible.
- the support member rotatably supports a portion including at least a discharge hole of the container body around an axis from the radial outside to the entire circumference, and the conductive hole is mounted on the image forming apparatus. In this state, it is arranged above the axis of the container body.
- the container body supported by the support member so as to be rotatable around the axis when the container body supported by the support member so as to be rotatable around the axis is rotated around the axis, the stored developer becomes the outer peripheral portion of the container body. Is conveyed toward a discharge hole provided in the hopper.
- the support member since the support member supports the container main body, even if a driving force for rotating the container main body is applied to the container main body, the container main body rotating around the axis can be stably supported.
- the support member is formed with a conduction hole for guiding the developer discharged from the discharge hole of the container body to the outside.
- the discharge hole also rotates with the rotation of the container, and the discharge hole rotates from such a rotating discharge hole.
- the discharge hole rotates from such a rotating discharge hole.
- the developer contained in the container body is guided to the outside from the conduction hole of the support member that does not rotate with the container body, the developer from between the non-displaced conduction hole and the image forming apparatus is developed. It is possible to easily prevent leakage of the agent as much as possible.
- the conductive hole is arranged above the axis of the container body when mounted on the image forming apparatus.
- the amount of the developer guided to the outside from the conductive hole is determined by the weight of the developer layer, in other words, Depends on the amount of developer stored, the greater the amount of developer stored, the greater the amount of developer guided to the outside, and the lower the amount of developer stored, The amount of developer guided to the outside is also reduced.
- the supply amount of the developer to the image forming apparatus main body is stored by arranging the conduction hole above the axis of the container main body in a state of being mounted on the image forming apparatus as in the present invention.
- the developer can be supplied to the main body of the image forming apparatus while keeping the amount as constant as possible regardless of the amount of the developer.
- the angle formed by a virtual straight line connecting the axis of the container body with the center of the conduction hole with respect to the horizontal plane is not less than 30 degrees and not more than 70 degrees.
- the angle formed by the virtual straight line connecting the axis of the container body and the center of the conduction hole with respect to the horizontal plane in the state of being mounted on the image forming apparatus is 30 degrees or more and 70 degrees or less.
- a conduction hole extends from the axis of the container body.
- the angle between the virtual straight line connecting the center of the developer and the horizontal plane is less than 30 degrees, the amount of discharge tends to increase when there is a large amount of developer in the developer container, and the angle If the temperature exceeds 70 degrees, when the amount of the developer in the developer container decreases, the discharge amount may decrease. Therefore, when mounted on the image forming apparatus, the angle formed by a virtual straight line connecting the axis of the container body to the center of the conduction hole with respect to the horizontal plane is as follows:
- the amount of developer supplied to the image forming apparatus main body is made as constant as possible irrespective of the amount of stored developer, thereby forming an image of the developer. It can be supplied to the device body.
- the image forming apparatus main body is provided with a supply port opening / closing means for switching a developer supply port connected to the developing section via a passage for guiding the developer to an open state and a closed state.
- a supply port opening / closing means for switching a developer supply port connected to the developing section via a passage for guiding the developer to an open state and a closed state.
- the support member is provided with a conduction hole opening / closing means for switching the conduction hole between an open state and a closed state.
- the image forming apparatus main body is provided with a supply port opening / closing means for switching the developer supply port connected to the developing section through a passage for guiding the developer to an open state and a closed state.
- a supply port opening / closing means for switching the developer supply port connected to the developing section through a passage for guiding the developer to an open state and a closed state.
- the developer stored in the container can be guided to the outside. Also, by closing the conduction hole, even if the container main body is rotated around the axis by mistake, the developer stored in the developer storage container can be reliably prevented from being guided to the outside through the conduction hole. it can. Further, since the developer storage container is mounted on the image forming apparatus with the conductive hole facing the developer supply port, the developer supply port and the conductive hole are opened, and the developer storage container is connected to the image forming apparatus. By mounting the container and rotating the container body around the axis, The developer stored in the developer storage container can be supplied to the developing section of the image forming apparatus through the conductive hole and the passage.
- the conduction hole faces the developer supply port of the image forming apparatus, and a peripheral portion facing the conduction hole of the developer storage container, and faces the developer supply port of the image forming apparatus. It is mounted on the image forming apparatus with the periphery and the seal achieved,
- the conduction hole opening / closing means switches the conduction hole to the open state in conjunction with the operation of switching the developer supply port to the open state by the supply port opening / closing means when the developer container is mounted on the image forming apparatus.
- the conduction hole opening / closing means opens the conduction hole in conjunction with the operation of switching the developer supply port to the open state by the supply port opening / closing means. Since the state is switched, it is not necessary to previously open the developer supply port and the conduction hole before mounting the developer container in the image forming apparatus. As a result, for example, before mounting the developer container on the image forming apparatus, the conduction hole is opened in advance, and the container body of the developer container is accidentally rotated around the axis, and It is possible to reliably prevent the developer stored in the developer storage container from being desirably guided to the outside through the conduction hole.
- a seal is formed between a peripheral portion of the developer container that faces the developer supply port of the image forming apparatus and a peripheral portion that faces the conductive hole of the developer storage container and a peripheral portion that faces the developer supply port of the image forming device.
- the present invention is characterized in that the support member can be divided into a plurality in the circumferential direction. According to the present invention, the support member can be divided into a plurality in the circumferential direction. Thus, when the container body is supported, the support member is divided in advance, and the divided support member is moved to a portion including the discharge hole of the container body or a portion including the concave portion and the discharge hole of the container body. By supporting the container body from the outside in the radial direction, the container body can be supported over the entire circumference, and such assembling work can be easily performed. Further, the invention is characterized in that the support member includes a support base having at least three or more contact portions on a virtual plane parallel to the axis.
- the support member since the support member includes the support base having at least three contact points on a virtual plane parallel to the axis, the support member applies the contact part of the support base to a horizontal plane.
- the contact allows the container body to be stably supported with its axis parallel to the horizontal plane.
- the present invention is characterized in that the container main body is provided with a connecting portion detachably connected to a driving source provided in the image forming apparatus.
- a connecting portion that is detachably connected to a driving source provided in the image forming apparatus is formed at one axial end of the container body.
- a connecting portion is provided at one axial end of the container body
- the length dimension from the support member of the container body to the end face at one axial end is formed to be smaller than the length dimension from the support member to the end face at the other axial end
- the support member is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body such that the conduction hole communicates with a developer supply port communicating with the developing section of the image forming apparatus main body.
- the support member is disposed substantially at the center of the container body in the axial direction
- the support member is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body such that the conduction hole of the support member communicates with the developer supply port.
- the member is disposed at the center of the front rear surface of the image forming apparatus main body.
- the container body extends from the center of the front of the image forming apparatus to the front, and from the center of the front to the back of the image forming apparatus. Can be.
- the rear part of the main body of the image forming apparatus is reduced. In this case, it is possible to secure an area for providing a drive unit connected to the connection unit at one end in the axial direction of the container body.
- the present invention is an image forming apparatus characterized in that the above-mentioned developer container is detachably mounted. According to the present invention, the image forming apparatus can be detachably mounted with the developer accommodating container that achieves the above-described operation.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a developer container 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a front view showing the developer container 30.
- FIG. 3 is a side view showing the developer accommodating container 30.
- FIG. 4 is a front view showing the container body 31.
- FIG. 5 is a front view showing the first container section 33.
- FIG. 6 is a right side view showing the first container section 33.
- FIG. 7 is a front view showing the second container section 34.
- FIG. 8 is a left side view showing the second container part 34.
- FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the connecting member 35.
- FIG. 10 is a front view showing the connecting member 35.
- FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the connecting member 35.
- FIG. 12 is a front view showing the support member 32.
- FIG. 13 is a right side view showing the support member 32.
- FIG. 14 is an exploded front view showing the support member 32.
- FIG. 15 is an exploded right side view showing the support member 32.
- FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along a section line S 16 -S 16 in FIG.
- FIG. 17 is a front view showing a state where the developer accommodating container 30 is assembled.
- FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line S 18 -S 18 in FIG.
- FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line S 19 -S 19 in FIG.
- FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line S 20 —S 20 in FIG.
- FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the developer accommodating container 30 accommodating the developer, taken along a virtual plane including the rotation axis L31.
- Fig. 22 shows the developer container 30 containing the developer attached to the rotation axis L31. It is sectional drawing at the time of cutting
- FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an image forming apparatus 70 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 24 is an enlarged sectional view showing the vicinity of the toner hopper 72.
- FIG. 25 is an enlarged plan view showing the vicinity of the toner hopper 72.
- FIG. 26 is an enlarged perspective view of the main body side connecting portion 83.
- FIG. 27 is a perspective view showing a developer container 130 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 28 is a front view showing the developer storage container 130.
- FIG. 28 is a front view showing the developer storage container 130.
- FIG. 29 is a left side view showing the developer accommodating container 130.
- FIG. 30 is a front view showing the container body 13 1.
- FIG. 31 is a left side view showing the container body 13 1.
- FIG. 32 is a right side view showing the container body 13 1.
- FIG. 33 is a perspective view showing the third container portion 135.
- FIG. 34 is an enlarged front view showing the vicinity of the third container section 135.
- FIG. 35A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S 3 51 -S 35 1 of FIG. 34.
- 35B is a cross-sectional view as viewed from the section line S352-S352 of FIG.
- FIG. 36 is a front view showing the support members 132.
- FIG. 37 is a right side view showing the support member 132. As shown in FIG.
- FIG. 38 is an exploded right side view showing the support member 132.
- FIG. 39 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line S 39 -S 39 in FIG.
- FIG. 40A is a front view showing the sealing material 147, and FIG.
- FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a cross section perpendicular to the circumferential direction of FIG.
- FIG. 41 is a front view showing a state where the developer accommodating container 130 is assembled.
- FIG. 42 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line S42-S42 in FIG.
- FIG. 43 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line S43-S43 in FIG.
- FIG. 44 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line S44-S44 in FIG.
- FIGS. 45A and 45B are enlarged views of section XLV in FIG.
- FIGS. 46A and 46B show the third container part 13 of the container body 13 1 when the container body 13 1 is rotating in the rotation direction R about the rotation axis L 13 1.
- FIG. 9 is a view for explaining an operation until the developer in 5 is led to a conduction hole 15 1 of a support member 13 2.
- FIG. 47A and FIG. 47B show the third container part 13 of the container body 13 1 when the container body 13 1 is rotating in the rotation direction R around the rotation axis L 13 1.
- FIG. 9 is a view for explaining an operation until the developer in 5 is led to a conduction hole 15 1 of a support member 13 2.
- FIG. 48 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of developer discharged from the developer container 130 and time.
- FIG. 49 is a graph showing another relationship between the amount of the developer discharged from the developer container 130 and the time.
- FIG. 50 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an image forming apparatus 7OA according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 51 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the toner hopper 172.
- FIG. 52 is an enlarged plan view showing the vicinity of a single hopper 172.
- FIG. 53 is an enlarged perspective view of the body-side connecting portion 183.
- FIG. 54 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an image forming apparatus 70B according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 55 is an enlarged sectional view showing the vicinity of the toner hopper 17 A.
- FIG. 56 is an enlarged plan view showing the vicinity of the toner hopper 172A.
- FIGS. 57A to 57C schematically show the switching operation of the shutter section 165 and the main body shutter section 197 when the developer accommodating container 130 is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 71. It is a top view.
- FIG. 58 is a cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus 2 to which a toner cartridge 1 according to a first conventional technique is mounted.
- FIG. 59 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the developing unit 3 of the toner cartridge 2 and the image forming apparatus 2.
- FIG. 6OA is a cross-sectional view showing a second conventional toner bottle 15.
- FIG. 60B is a perspective view showing the toner bottle 15.
- FIG. 61 is a perspective view showing a developer supply container 20 according to a third conventional technique.
- FIG. 62 is a perspective view showing a fourth conventional toner cartridge 25.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a developer container 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a front view showing the developer container 30.
- FIG. 3 is a side view showing the developer accommodating container 30.
- the developer container 30 includes a container body 31 and a support member 32.
- the container body 31 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and stores a developer such as a toner used for forming an electrophotographic image.
- the support member 32 supports the container body 31 so as to be rotatable around its axis L31.
- the developer container 30 can store, for example, 140 grams of developer.
- FIG. 4 is a front view showing the container body 31.
- the container body 31 is configured to include a first container portion 33, a second container portion 34, and a connecting member 35.
- the length A0 of the container body 31 in the direction of the axis L31 may be, for example, 450 mm.
- FIG. 5 is a front view showing the first container section 33.
- FIG. 6 is a right side view showing the first container section 33.
- the first container part 33 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape.
- the axial length dimension A33 of the first container section 33 may be, for example, 150 millimeters.
- the first container portion 33 protrudes radially inward from the inner peripheral portion, and extends from the bottom portion 33a, which is one end in the axial direction, to the open end 33b, which is the other end in the axial direction.
- the first projection piece 36 that has been spirally extended is provided. More specifically, the first protruding piece 36, when viewed from the bottom 33a, is centered on the axis L33 of the first container 33 from the bottom 33a toward the open end 33b.
- the pitch A1 of the first projection pieces 36 may be, for example, 30 mm. Further, the amount A2 of projection of the first projection piece 36 radially inward from the remaining portion of the inner peripheral portion may be, for example, 6 mm.
- a fitting projection 37 is formed on the bottom 33a of the first container portion 33, which is a connecting portion projecting from the opening end 33b toward the bottom 33a. More specifically, the fitting convex portion 37 has a cross section perpendicular to the axis L33 of the first container portion 33, and has a cross shape. A minute is formed to pass through the axis L33.
- the protrusion amount A3 in the direction of the axis L33 from the remaining portion of the bottom portion 33a of the fitting protrusion 37 may be, for example, 8 mm.
- the surface 33c where the outer peripheral surface and the end surface communicate with each other at the bottom portion 33a of the first container portion 33 is inclined inward in the radial direction from the open end portion 33b toward the bottom portion 33a.
- a flange portion protruding outward in the radial direction and extending all around in the circumferential direction is provided at an outer peripheral portion at a position spaced from the end surface of the first container portion 33 to the bottom portion 33 a from the end surface of the open end portion 33 b. Is provided. Further, an external thread is engraved on an outer peripheral portion extending from an end face of the open end portion 33 b of the first container portion 33 to the flange portion 38.
- Such a first container part 33 may be manufactured by blow molding a synthetic resin such as polyethylene, for example.
- FIG. 7 is a front view showing the second container section 34.
- FIG. FIG. 8 is a left side view showing the second container part 34.
- the first container part 33 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape.
- the axial length A 34 of the second container portion 34 may be, for example, 2 15 millimeters.
- the second container portion 34 protrudes radially inward from the inner peripheral portion, and extends from the bottom portion 34a, which is the other end in the axial direction, to the open end 34b, which is one end in the axial direction.
- a second protruding piece 39 that has been spirally extended is provided.
- the second protrusion 39 when viewed from the bottom 34 a, has an axis L 3 4 of the second container 34, as the force approaches the bottom 34 a and the open end 34 b. It is formed to extend spirally so as to rotate counterclockwise around the center. The second protrusion 39 is formed to extend in the opposite direction to the first protrusion 36.
- the pitch A4 of the second protrusions 39 may be, for example, 30 mm.
- the amount A5 of the second protrusion 39 protruding radially inward from the remaining portion of the inner peripheral portion may be, for example, 6 mm.
- a surface 34 c of the bottom 34 a of the second container portion 34 where the outer peripheral surface and the end face communicate with each other is a curved surface that inclines radially inward from the open end 34 b to the bottom 34 a. It is formed in a shape.
- the outer peripheral portion at a position spaced apart from the end surface of the second container portion 34 at the open end portion 34 b near the bottom portion 34 a has a flange portion 4 projecting outward in the radial direction and extending all around the circumferential direction. 0 is provided. Further, an external thread is engraved on the outer peripheral portion extending from the end face of the open end portion 34 of the second container portion 34 to the flange portion 40. This Such a second container part 34 is manufactured in the same manner as the first container part 33.
- the length A 34 of the second container portion 34 in the axial direction is set to be longer than the length A 33 of the first container portion 33 in the axial direction, for example, 30 mm or more.
- the axial length A33 of the first container part 33 may be, for example, 150 mm, and the axial length A34 of the second container part 34 may be, for example, 21. It may be 0 millimeters.
- the inner diameter D 33 of the inner peripheral part of the first container part 33 except for the first protrusion piece 36 and the inner diameter D 34 of the inner peripheral part of the second container part 33 except the second protrusion piece 39 are: For example, it may be 105 mm.
- FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the connecting member 35.
- FIG. 10 is a front view showing the connecting member 35.
- FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the connecting member 35.
- FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line S 11 —S 11 of FIG.
- the connecting member 35 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. More specifically, the connecting member 35 includes a connecting member main body 41 and a lifting member 42.
- the connecting member main body 41 includes a first cylindrical portion 43, a second cylindrical portion 44, and a rib 45.
- the first cylindrical portion 43 and the second cylindrical portion 44 are formed in a cylindrical shape.
- An internal thread is engraved on the inner periphery of the first cylindrical portion 43 and the second cylindrical portion 44.
- the length A35 of the connecting member 35 in the axial direction may be, for example, 80 mm.
- the rib 45 has a substantially + -shaped cross section perpendicular to the axis L35.
- the first cylindrical portion 43 is fixed to one end of the rib 45 in the axial direction, and the second cylindrical portion 44 is fixed to the other end of the rib 45 at an axial distance from the first cylindrical portion 43.
- the rib 45 includes, in detail, a shaft portion 46, a first stirring plate 47a, a second stirring plate 47b, a third stirring plate 47c, and a fourth stirring plate 47d. Is done.
- the shaft portion 46 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and its axis and the axis of the rib 45 are coaxial.
- the first to fourth stirring plate members 47a to 47d are generally formed in a flat plate shape.
- the first to fourth stirring plate members 47 a to 47 d are fixed to the shaft portion so as to project radially outward from the shaft portion 46.
- the second stirring plate material 47b when viewed in the axial direction from one axial end of the rib 45, the second stirring plate material 47b is counterclockwise around the axis L35 from the first stirring plate material 47a.
- 3rd stir plate 4 7c is disposed at a position displaced 90 degrees counterclockwise around the axis L35 from the second stirring plate material 47b, and the fourth stirring plate material 47d is the third stirring plate material 47c. From axis L
- the first to fourth stirring plate members 47 a to 47 d at the radially outer end of the rib 45 and the central portion in the axial direction are retracted more inward in the radial direction than the remaining portion.
- the first to fourth stirring plate members 47 a to 47 d are formed in a substantially U-shape that is opened radially outward of the rib 45.
- the first to fourth stirring plate members 47 a to 47 d corresponding to one axial end of the radially outer end of the rib 45 are fixed to the inner peripheral portion of the first cylindrical portion 43.
- the first to fourth stirring plate members 47 a to 47 d corresponding to the other ends in the axial direction at the radially outer ends of the ribs 45 are fixed to the inner peripheral portion of the second cylindrical portion 44.
- the lifting member 42 is a resilient, rectangular sheet-like member, and is made of, for example, a polymer resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (abbreviation: PET).
- PET polyethylene terephthalate
- two lifting members 42 are provided.
- One lifting member 42 has one end bonded to the radially outer end of the second stirring plate 47 b between the first cylindrical portion 43 and the second cylindrical portion 44. It is fixed by an agent and is provided so as to extend substantially in the circumferential direction from the second stirring plate member 47b to the first stirring plate member 47a.
- the other lifting member 42 is fixed to the free end of the fourth stirring plate 47 d between the first cylindrical portion 43 and the second cylindrical portion 44 by an adhesive, and the fourth stirring plate 4 7d to 3rd stir plate
- each lifting member 42 It is provided so as to extend substantially in one circumferential direction toward 47 c.
- the free end portion 42 a of each lifting member 42 is bent with respect to the remaining portion so as to protrude radially outward from the first and second cylindrical portions 43, 44.
- the length from the end fixed to the stirring member of each lifting member 42 to the free end 42a is the first and second cylinders extending from the first stirring plate 47a to the second stirring plate 47b.
- the length is set shorter than the circumferential length of the parts 43 and 44. Therefore, between the first cylindrical portion 43 and the second cylindrical portion 44 of the connecting member 35, at least between the second stirring plate 47b and the third stirring plate 47c and the fourth stirring plate 4c.
- the space between 7 d and the first stirring plate 47 a is in the same state as the state where a discharge hole penetrating in the radial direction is provided. Referring to FIG.
- the axis L33 of the first container part 33, the axis L34 of the second container part 34, and the axis L35 of the connecting member 35 are arranged coaxially.
- the first container portion 33, the second container portion 34, and the connecting member 35 are detachably connected to each other. For example, when all of the stored developer is discharged, the first If any one of the container part 33, the second container part 34, and the connecting member 35 is worn or damaged, it is possible to replace only the worn and damaged one and store the developer again. Therefore, the recyclability of the developer container 30 can be improved.
- the bottom 33a of the first container 33 is the one end 33a of the container 31 in the axial direction
- the bottom 34a of the second container 34 is the other end of the container 31 in the axial direction. 3 4 a
- the first container portion 33, the second container portion 34, and the connecting member 35 are connected to form the container body 32.
- the connecting member 35 is disposed at an axially intermediate portion of the container main body 31 excluding the axially opposite ends 33a and 34a. Therefore, the discharge hole of the connecting member 35 is disposed at the axially intermediate portion of the container body 31 except for the axially opposite ends 33a and 34a.
- the axis L32 of the container body 32 is composed of the axis 33 of the first container part 33, the axis L34 of the second container part 34, and the axis L35 of the connecting member 35.
- FIG. 12 is a front view showing the support member 32.
- FIG. 13 is a right side view showing the support member 32.
- the support member 32 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and supports the portion including at least the connecting member 35 of the container body 31 configured as described above over the entire circumference from the outside in the radial direction. It has a peripheral part 48.
- the inner peripheral portion 48 has a cylindrical inner peripheral surface centered on the axis L32.
- the support member 32 includes a support base 49 having at least three or more contact portions 49a on an imaginary plane parallel to the axis L32. Support 4 9
- the contact portion 49a may be formed in, for example, two rectangular planes whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the axis L32.
- the axis L48 of the inner peripheral portion 48 of the support member 32 can be arranged in parallel with the horizontal surface.
- the axial length A32 of the support member 32 is set to be larger than the axial length A35 of the connecting member 35.
- the length A32 of the support member 32 in the axial direction may be, for example, 100 mm.
- a discharge portion 50 projecting radially outward perpendicular to the direction in which the support base 49 projects is formed.
- a conduction hole 51 that penetrates in the radial direction and that opens in an oval shape extending in a direction parallel to the axis L32 of the support member is formed.
- the inner diameter in the longitudinal direction of the conduction hole 51 is set smaller than the axial dimension of the free end portion 42 a of the lifting member 42 of the connecting member 35.
- the conduction hole 51 is located above the support base 49 and is orthogonal to the axis L 48 of the inner peripheral portion 48 of the support member 32 and in a horizontal plane. It penetrates in parallel directions.
- the support member 32 is formed with a protruding portion 52 protruding outward in the radial direction which is the opposite direction to the discharge portion 50.
- the support member 32 has a first guide piece 53 projecting outward in the radial direction opposite to the support table 49 and extending in parallel with the axis L32. Further, it projects in the center part of the support base 4-9, at a position axially symmetric with respect to the axis L32 with respect to the first guide piece 53, in the same radial outward direction as the direction in which the support base 49 projects.
- a second guide piece 54 extending to the axis L32 is formed. The second guide piece 54 does not protrude radially outward from the support 49.
- FIG. 14 is an exploded front view showing the support member 32.
- FIG. 15 is an exploded right side view showing the support member 32.
- the support member 32 When the support member 32 is installed on a virtual plane that is perpendicular to the radial direction and on a horizontal plane, the support member 32 can be divided into two by a virtual plane that passes through the axis L32 and is parallel to the horizontal plane. It can be divided into a first support portion 55 above and a second support portion 56 below the virtual plane.
- the first support portion 55 is formed by the first guide piece 53 and the discharge portion 50 of the support member 32.
- the second support portion 56 includes a support 49, a second guide piece 54, a portion 50 b on the support 49 side of the discharge portion 50, and a support 4 of the protrusion 52 in the support member 32.
- a groove 51a that is depressed toward the first guide piece 53 is formed in a portion 50a of the discharge part 50 of the first support part 55 on the first guide piece 53 side.
- a groove 51 b that is depressed toward the support 49 is formed in a portion 50 b on the support 49 side of the discharge portion 50 of the second support 56.
- the first support part 55 and the second support part 56 are connected by a screw member 57.
- a portion 50a of the discharge portion 50 of the first support portion 55 on the first guide piece 53 side and a portion of the discharge portion 50 of the second support portion 56 on the support stand 49 side are provided.
- 5 0 b is connected by a screw member 5 7, and a portion 5 of the protrusion 52 of the first support portion 55 on the first guide piece 53 side 5
- the groove 51 a of the first guide piece 53 side of the discharge portion 50 of the first support portion 55, the groove 51 a of the 50 a, and the support base 49 of the discharge portion 50 of the second support portion 56 are formed.
- the conduction hole 51 is formed by the groove 51 b of the side portion 50 b.
- FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S 16 —S 16 in FIG. Support member
- a first protrusion 58 projecting inward in the radial direction is provided at one end in the axial direction of the inner peripheral portion 48 of 32, and a second protrusion projecting inward in the radial direction is provided at the other end in the axial direction.
- Protrusions 59 are provided.
- the inner diameter of the first convex portion 58 and the second convex portion 59 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the outer peripheral portion of each of the first and second container portions 3 3 3 4 except for the flange portions 3 8 and 40 ⁇ Set.
- annular first seal member 60 is provided radially inward at one axial end of the inner peripheral portion 48 of the support member 32 at the other axial end of the first convex portion 58. It is fixed so as to protrude and extend over the entire circumference.
- annular second seal member 61 protrudes radially inward at one axial end side of the second convex portion 59 at the other axial end of the inner peripheral portion 48 of the support member 32. And is fixed so as to extend over the entire circumference. More specifically, the first sealing material 60 of the inner peripheral portion 48 of the support member 32 is fixed.
- the first and second seal members 60 and 61 are made of a synthetic resin having elasticity, such as silicone rubber.
- the first and second convex portions 58, 59 of the inner peripheral portion 48 of the support member 32, the first and second seal materials 60, 61, and the inner diameter of the portion excluding the recess are:
- the outer diameter of the first and second cylindrical portions 43, 44 of the connecting member 35 is set to be larger than the outer diameter.
- FIG. 17 is a front view showing a state where the developer accommodating container 30 is assembled.
- FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line S 18 —S 18 in FIG.
- the support member 32 is divided into a first support portion 55 and a second support portion 56.
- the portion including the connecting member 35 of the container body 31 is sandwiched by the first support portion 55 and the second support portion 56 from the outside in the radial direction.
- the first support portion 55 and the second support portion 56 are connected by the screw member 57.
- the container body 31 is supported by the support member 32 over the entire circumference from the outside in the radial direction.
- FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line S 19 -S 19 in FIG.
- FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line S 20 -S 20 in FIG.
- the container body 31 is rotatable around the axis L31 with respect to the support member 32.
- the axis L31 of the container body 31 may be referred to as a rotation axis L31.
- L 3 1 is parallel.
- the support member 32 is disposed between the two flange portions 38, 40 of the container body 31.
- the distance between the flange portion 38 of the first container portion 33 and the first convex portion 58 of the support member 32 in the direction of the axis L 31 and the flange portion 40 of the second container portion 34 and the support member The distance between the second convex portion 59 and the second convex portion 59 in the direction of the axis L 31 is such that the developer can be prevented from passing therethrough. Is set smaller. At this time, the displacement of the container body 31 in the direction of the rotation axis L 31 1 and the other direction with respect to the support member 32 is prevented.
- the first convex portion 58 of the support member 32 is disposed between the flange portion 38 of the first container portion 33 and the end surface of the connecting member 35 at one end in the axial direction.
- the inner peripheral surface of the first protrusion 58 of the support member 32 faces the other end 33 b of the first container 33 in the axial direction.
- the second convex portion 59 of the support member 32 is disposed between the flange portion 40 of the second container portion 34 and the end surface on the other axial side of the connecting member 35.
- the distance between the inner peripheral surface of the first convex portion 58 and the other axial end 33b of the first container portion 33, and the inner peripheral surface of the second convex portion 59 and the second container portion 34 is set small enough to prevent the developer from passing therethrough.
- the first sealing material 60 is resilient on the outer peripheral portion of the connecting member 35, specifically, on the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion 43 of the connecting member 35, from the radially outer side to the entire circumferential direction.
- the second sealing material 61 is resiliently disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the connecting member 35, specifically, on the outer peripheral surface of the second cylindrical portion 44 of the connecting member 35 from the radially outer side to the entire circumferential direction. Abut.
- Reference numeral 35 is slidable with respect to the first and second sealing materials 60, 61.
- each lifting member 42 of the connecting member 35 is attached to the inner peripheral portion 48 of the support member 32 between the first seal member 60 and the second seal member 61. ⁇ Abuts spontaneously. At this time, the remaining portion of the lifting member 42 except for the free end portion 42a of each lifting member 42 is separated from the inner peripheral portion 48 of the support member 32, and A space 62 is formed between the remaining portion of the lifting member 42 except for the free end portion 42 a and the inner peripheral portion 48 of the support member 32. ⁇ Excluding the free end 4 2 a of the lifting member 4 2 ⁇ The widest distance A 62 between the remaining portion of the lifting member 42 and the inner periphery 48 of the support member 32 is, for example, 8 mm Is set to. As described above, a seal is achieved between the free end portion 4 2 a of each lifting member 42 of the connecting member 35 and the inner peripheral portion 48 of the support member 32, and the free end portion 42 a Is slidable relative to the circumferential portion 48.
- FIG. 21 shows the developer container 30 containing the developer, including the rotation axis L31.
- FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view when cut along a virtual plane.
- the container main body 31 is rotated counterclockwise about the rotation axis L31 as viewed from the first container part 33 to the second container part 34.
- the developer in the developer layer 63 of the first container part 33 is first transported from the first container part 33 to the connecting member 35 along the axis L31 by the first projection piece 36. Transported in direction C1.
- the developer in the developer layer 63 of the second container portion 34 is transported by the second projection piece 39 along the axis L31 from the second container portion 34 to the connecting member 35 in the second transport direction. Transported in direction C2.
- the connecting member 35 the developer traveling in the first transport direction C1 and the developer traveling in the second transport direction C2 collide with each other, whereby the developer is agitated.
- the developer conveyed to the connecting member 35 of the container body 31 is provided to the inner peripheral portion 48 of the support member 32 via the connecting member 35.
- the developer When the developer is conveyed, the developer is transferred from the inner peripheral portions of the first and second container portions 33, 34 including the first and second projection pieces 36, 39 to the connecting member 35.
- the heading power is given.
- the first and second projecting pieces 36, 39 are radially inward from the inner peripheral portions of the first and second container portions 33, 34.
- the developer disposed within the projecting amounts A 2 and A 5 is mainly stirred by the rotation of the container body 31, and the balance is maintained in the container body 31.
- FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view when the developer container 30 in which the developer is stored is cut along a virtual plane perpendicular to the rotation axis L31.
- the developer that collides with the connecting member 35 becomes a gas layer 6 4 by the first to fourth stirring plates 47 a to 47 d of the rib 45 of the connecting member 35. Is stirred with the gas.
- the portions of the first to fourth stirring plates 47 a to 47 d corresponding to the radially outer end of the lip 45 and the central portion in the axial direction are more radially inward than the remaining portion. They have been evacuated.
- the predetermined strength of the rib 45 is maintained, and the contact area of the developer layer 63, which collides from the circumferential direction by rotation, with the developer is reduced.
- the resistance from the developer can be reduced.
- the developer conveyed to the connecting member 35 is provided to the inner peripheral portion 48 of the supporting member 32 via the connecting member 35, and the lifting member excluding the free end portion 42a of the lifting member 42 is provided.
- the remaining portion of 42 and the inner peripheral portion 48 of the support member 32 flow into a space 62 serving as a holding portion formed in cooperation.
- the developer flowing into the space 62 is held by the lifting member 42 and the inner peripheral portion of the supporting member 32 with the rotation of the container body 31, and the free end of the lifting member 42 is held.
- the portion 42 a is lifted along the inner peripheral portion 48 of the support member 32.
- the amount of the developer retained in the space 62 in this way is, for example, about 6 grams.
- the developer in the space 62 is angularly displaced around the rotation axis L 31, is conveyed to a position facing the conduction hole 51 of the support member 32, and is discharged to the outside through the conduction hole 51. Guided and discharged. Since the developer is discharged in this manner, even if the amount of the developer in the container body 31 is such that the upper surface 63 a of the developer layer 63 is below the conduction hole 51, The lifting member 42 can be discharged from the conduction hole 51. Thereby, all of the developer stored in the developer storage container 30 can be discharged as much as possible.
- the developer container 30 of the present embodiment it is possible to rotate around the rotation axis L31 while stably supporting the container body 31 by the support member 32.
- a cylindrical container such as the prior art, in which the developer is stored, stands upright so that the axis is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, the developer under the container may be agglomerated. There is.
- the container if the container is placed on a horizontal surface such that its axis is parallel to the horizontal surface, the container will roll.
- the axis L31 of the container body 31 is stably arranged parallel to the horizontal plane by setting the support 49 of the support member 32 on a horizontal surface. be able to.
- the developer stored in the developer storage container 30 is partially agglomerated, for example, when the user rotates the container body 31 with the conduction hole 51 closed, The developer can be easily stirred to form a powder.
- the outer peripheral surface and the end surface at both axial end portions 33a, 34a of the container body 31 are Since the surfaces 33c and 34c are formed in a curved shape inclined inward in the radial direction as described above, both ends 3 3a and 34 of the container body 31 in the axial direction are formed. If one of the a is installed on a horizontal surface and the developer container 30 is erected on the horizontal surface so that the axis L31 is perpendicular to the horizontal surface, it is easy to fall over. This prevents the user from standing and leaving the developer storage container 30 with the axis L31 perpendicular to the horizontal plane, thereby preventing the stored developer from aggregating. Can be reduced.
- the supporting member 32 supports at least a portion including the connecting member 35 of the container main body 31 over the entire circumference from the outside in the radial direction. I have. Further, since the sealing members 60 and 61 are provided between the container body 31 and the support member 32, even if the container body 31 is rotated, the developing is performed from between the container body 31 and the support member 32. The agent can be prevented from leaking.
- FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an image forming apparatus 70 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 24 is an enlarged sectional view showing the vicinity of the toner hopper 72.
- FIG. 25 is an enlarged plan view showing the vicinity of the toner hopper 72.
- FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 70 viewed from the front exterior part 71a side, and the thickness is omitted for easy understanding.
- the front exterior part 71a is a part where the user normally faces when the user uses the image forming apparatus 70.
- the rear exterior part 71b is a part of the image forming apparatus 70 that is on the back side with respect to the front exterior part 71a when viewed from the user on the front exterior part 71a side.
- the image forming apparatus 70 is installed on a horizontal plane, and a normal direction E, which is a direction from the front exterior part 71a to the rear exterior part 71b, is parallel to the horizontal plane.
- An electrophotographic recording type image forming apparatus 70 such as a printer apparatus and a copying apparatus includes the above-described developer container 30 and the image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “apparatus main body”) 71.
- the developer container 30 can be attached to and detached from a toner hopper 72 provided in the apparatus main body 71 via a container opening / closing opening (not shown) provided on the front exterior part 71 a of the apparatus main body 71. Is attached.
- the image forming apparatus main body 71 is located on the rear exterior part 71 b side relative to the front exterior part 71 a. 3 is provided, and an opening that penetrates in the thickness direction and can pass through the developer accommodating container 30 is formed.
- the image forming apparatus main body 71 is provided with a housing rear part 94 on the front exterior part 71 a side of the rear exterior part 71 b.
- Various components of the image forming apparatus main body 71 are held by a casing (all not shown) including a casing front part 93 and a casing rear part 94.
- the toner hopper 72 includes a housing 73, a developer supply unit 74, a stirring member 75, and a supply roller 76.
- the inner space of the housing 73 is divided by the developer supply unit 74 into at least a container housing space 77 and a stirring space 78.
- the container accommodation space 77 is open to the front exterior part 71 a of the device main body 71.
- the stirring space 78 is a substantially closed space.
- the developer container 30 is arranged in the container space 77.
- a first guide recess 79 is formed in the upper wall 73 a of the housing 73 facing the container housing space 77, which is depressed upward and extends in the frontal direction E of the device main body 71. .
- the first guide piece 53 of the support member 32 of the developer container 30 is parallel to the longitudinal direction, in other words, the front direction E of the apparatus body 71.
- the mounting direction E1 in the direction from the front exterior portion 71a to the rear exterior portion 71b can be slidably fitted in a detaching direction E2 opposite to the mounting direction E1.
- the lower wall portion 73 b facing the upper wall portion 73 a of the housing 73 facing the container accommodation space 77 is depressed downward and in the frontal direction E of the device body 71.
- An extended second guide recess 80 is formed.
- the second guide recess 80 is formed so that the second guide piece 54 of the support member 32 of the developer container 30 is in the longitudinal direction, in other words, the mounting direction E1 and the detaching direction E2 of the apparatus main body 71. Can be slidably fitted.
- the developer supply section 74 is a plate-shaped member that divides the inner space of the housing 73 into a container housing space 77 and a stirring space 780, and penetrates in the thickness direction thereof to form a container housing space.
- a communication hole 81 that communicates 77 with the stirring space 78 is provided.
- a guide member 82 projecting into the container accommodation space 77 is provided below the communication hole 81 of the developer supply section 74.
- FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing the main body side connecting portion 83 in an enlarged manner.
- Device main unit 7 1 The driving force for rotating the container body 31 of the developer container 30 from the driving source 84 such as a motor is transmitted to the main body side connecting portion 83 via a reduction gear 85 such as a gear. .
- the main body side connecting portion 83 includes a rotating shaft 86, a joint receiving portion 87 and a spring member 88.
- the rotating shaft 86 has its axis L 86 parallel to the normal back direction E of the device main body 71, and a housing serving as a back wall of the housing 73 on the back exterior part 71 b of the device main body 71.
- a free end portion is rotatably inserted into a bearing portion 89 provided through the body rear portion 94 in the thickness direction, and the free end portion is disposed in the container accommodation space 77.
- the joint receiving portion 87 is formed in a substantially disk shape, faces the container housing space 77, and is integrally rotatable with the rotating shaft 86 so as to be rotatable around the axis L86, so that the free end of the rotating shaft 86 is formed. Connected to.
- a fitting recess 90 extending substantially in a cross shape that intersects with the axis L86 is formed on a surface portion 87a opposite to a surface portion facing the housing back surface portion 94. .
- the fitting concave portion 90 can receive the fitting convex portion 37 of the container body 31. Further, the hand receiving portion 87 can be displaced in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 86 without falling off from the free end of the rotating shaft 86.
- a spring member 88 realized by a compression coil spring or the like is disposed between the housing rear portion 94 and the joint receiving portion 87, and obstructs rotation of the rotating shaft 86 and the joint receiving portion 87.
- the joint receiving portion 87 biases the spring force in the direction away from the housing rear portion 94.
- a coupling structure is formed by the axial end portion 33 a including the fitting projection 37 of the container main body 31 of the developer storage container 30 and the joint receiving portion 87 of the main body side connecting portion 83. Is done.
- the developer container 30 When attaching the developer container 30 to the apparatus main body 7 1, the developer container 30 is set so that the rotation axis L 31 and the mounting direction E 1 are parallel to each other, and the front exterior 7 Insert the toner hopper 72 from 1 a into the container storage space 77 of the toner hopper 72.
- the first guide piece 53 of the support member 32 of the developer container 30 is fitted into the first guide recess 79 of the housing 73, and the second guide piece 54 of the support member 32 is fitted. Is fitted in the second guide recess 80 of the housing 73 to prevent displacement of the support member 32 in directions other than the mounting direction E1 and the detaching direction E2.
- the developer accommodating container 30 is displaced in the mounting direction E 1, and the conduction hole 51 of the discharge portion 50 of the support member 32 and the communication hole 8 of the developer supply portion 7 4
- the support member 32 releases the restriction on the displacement in the mounting direction E1 and the detaching direction E2.
- a regulating member is provided (not shown).
- the discharge hole 50 of the support member 32 of the developer storage container 30 is provided with a conduction hole 51 of the discharge portion 50 when the developer storage container 30 is separated from the apparatus main body 71.
- the blocking of the conduction hole 51 of the discharge unit 50 is released, and the conduction hole 51 and the toner hopper 7 2 are released.
- a shutter is provided to communicate with the communication hole of the developer supply section 74 (not shown).
- the conduction hole 51 of the discharge portion 50 of the support member 32 and the developer supply portion 7 of the toner hopper 72 are mounted.
- the vertical alignment with the 4 communication holes 81 can be performed.
- a communication hole 8 facing the periphery of the conduction hole 51 of the discharge portion 50 of the support member 32 of the developer storage container 30 and the container storage space 7 7 of the developer supply portion 7 4 of the toner hopper 7 2 At least one of the surroundings of 1 is provided with a sealing material for preventing the developer flowing down from the through hole 51 into the communicating hole 81 from leaking out of the stirring space 78 (not shown). ).
- the developing section 200 is arranged at the center of the frontal direction E. This is because the photosensitive drum 202 of the apparatus main body 71 is disposed at the center of the apparatus main body 71 in the frontal direction E. Also, the drive units such as the drive unit 84 for rotating the main body side connection unit 83, the agitating member 75, and the supply roller 76, the reduction gear 85, etc. It is arranged between the exterior part 71b. Therefore, in a state where the developer storage container 30 is located at the mounting position, the support member 32 of the developer storage container 30 is located on the front of the apparatus main body 71.
- Direction E Located at the center.
- the length dimension from the support member 32 of the container body 31 to the end face of the axial end 33a where the fitting projection 37 is formed is: It is formed smaller than the length from the support member 32 to the end face of the other axial end 34 a.
- a toner bottle 1 provided with an opening 18 connected to a driving source while discharging the developer at one axial end 15a is provided.
- the opening 18 is arranged in the vicinity of the developer supply port, that is, at the center of the image forming apparatus main body in the frontal direction.
- the dimension of the conventional toner bottle 15 in the axial direction is set based on the dimension from the central portion in the front-rear direction to the front portion of the image forming apparatus main body, so that it is difficult to increase the capacity of the container. is there.
- the support member 32 is disposed substantially at the center of the container body 31 in the axial direction. In the mounted state, the support member 32 is disposed at the center of the main body 71 in the frontal direction E. As a result, the container main body 31 is extended from the center of the front side E of the apparatus main body 71 to the front, and from the center of the front side E to the back of the apparatus main body 71, compared with the conventional toner bottle 15. The capacity can be extremely large. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 25, the other end 34 a of the developer accommodating container 30 in the axial direction protrudes toward the front exterior part 71 a from the housing front part 93.
- the length from the support member 32 of the container body 31 to the one end in the axial direction 33a is smaller than the length from the support member 32 to the other end in the axial direction 34a.
- the drive unit including the drive source 84 and the reduction gear 85 connected to the fitting protrusion 37 of the axial end portion 33 a of the container body 31 on the rear portion of the device body 71 Can be secured.
- the developer storage container 30 effectively utilizes the space in the housing body 71 and increases the amount of stored developer as much as possible. Play.
- the fitting recess 90 of the joint receiving portion 87 is rotated. And development In a state where the fitting projection 37 of the agent container 30 is fitted, the container main body 31 rotates around the rotation axis L31 as it is. When the fitting recess 90 of the joint receiving portion 87 and the fitting convex portion 37 of the developer storage container 30 are not fitted, the fitting recess 9 of the joint receiving portion 87 is not provided.
- the stirring member 75 and the supply roller 76 extend in the front-back direction E of the apparatus main body 71 with an interval therebetween, and are disposed in the stirring space 78.
- the stirring member 75 is rotatable around a stirring axis L75 parallel to the front-back direction E, and has a flexible protrusion member 91 extending in the direction of the stirring axis L75. Further, the stirring member 75 rotates in a clockwise direction J1 around the stirring axis L75 when viewed from the front of the device main body 71 by a driving force from a driving source 84 provided in the device main body 71.
- the supply roller 76 is rotatable around a supply axis L76 parallel to the front-back direction E, and its outer peripheral surface is made of, for example, a porous resin such as sponge.
- the supply roller 76 rotates in a clockwise direction J2 around a stirring axis L76 when viewed from the front of the apparatus main body 71 by a driving force from a driving source 84 provided in the apparatus main body 71.
- a stirring wall portion 92 that is substantially U-shaped and formed in the shape of an inner peripheral surface of a partial cylinder that opens upward is provided.
- the stirring member 75 rotates, the developer supplied from the communication hole 81 and stirred in the stirring space 78 is stirred, and the free end of the ejection member 91 comes into contact with the stirring wall 92. Meanwhile, the developer contained in the stirring space 78 is extracted and supplied to the supply roller 76. Therefore, the supply roller 76 is supplied with the developer in the form of fine powder in a substantially uniform manner in the direction of the axis L76. Further, even if the remaining amount of the developer stored in the stirring space 78 becomes small, the developer is supplied to the supply roller 76 as it is removed by the extraction member 91, so that the developer is not supplied to the supply roller 76. The developer remaining in the stirring space 78 can be reduced as much as possible. The developer supplied to the supply roller 76 is supplied to the developing section 200 in a favorable state by the rotation of the supply roller 76.
- the apparatus main body 71 further includes a developing unit 200, a recording paper cassette 201, a photosensitive drum 202, a charging unit 203, a laser exposure unit 204, and a fixing unit 205.
- the developing section 200 stirs the toner, which is a developer supplied from the toner hopper 72, and the carrier, which is a magnetic particle prepared in advance, to generate a two-component developer.
- the recording paper cassette 201 holds recording paper on which an image is to be formed.
- the photoconductor drum 202 is a cylindrical drum having a photoconductor provided on an outer peripheral portion thereof, and is rotated around its axis by a driving force from the driving unit.
- the charging section 203 charges the photoconductor of the photoconductor drum 202 to give photosensitivity.
- the laser exposure unit 204 exposes the charged photoconductor drum 202 to a laser beam image to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor.
- the developing unit 200 agitates the two-component developer, supplies the two-component developer to the photoconductor of the photoconductor drum 202 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed, develops the electrostatic latent image, and develops the electrostatic latent image. A toner image corresponding to the image is formed.
- the photoconductor drum 202 transfers the toner image on the photoconductor drum 202 to recording paper fed from the recording paper cassette 201.
- the fixing unit 205 fixes the toner image on the recording paper to which the toner image has been transferred onto the recording paper.
- the recording paper on which the toner image has been fixed and the image has been formed is discharged to a discharge tray 206.
- the supply roller 76 is formed of a sponge at the outer periphery thereof, and its rotation is controlled. As a result, the supply roller 76 supplies an appropriate amount of toner in a fine powder state to the developing unit 200.
- the control of the container body 31 of the developer container 30 and the stirring member 75 and the supply roller 76 of the toner hopper 72 will be briefly described below.
- the toner remaining in the stirring space 78 of the toner hopper 72 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “toner”) has decreased, and the remaining toner amount provided on the stirring wall 92 has been detected.
- the control unit (not shown) controls the drive source 84 to rotate the container body 31 of the developer storage container 30 to supply the toner to the stirring space 78. Even if the container body 31 is rotated for a predetermined time, the stirring space 7
- the control unit stops the rotation of the container body 31 and replaces the developer container 30 with a display unit (not shown). A message is displayed to notify the user. At this point, a considerable amount of developer is stored in the orange stirring space 78 of the toner hopper 72. While the developer is stored in the stirring space 78 of the toner hopper 72, the user detaches the empty developer storage container 30 from the apparatus main body 71 to newly store the developer. Attach the proper developer container 30 to the apparatus main body 71.
- the developer necessary for image formation is contained in the stirring space 78 of the toner hopper 72, so that the image forming The developer can be supplied to the apparatus main body 71 without interrupting the operation.
- the support member 3 2 of 30 and the second container portion 34 are gripped to form the fitting projection 37. It is very easy to insert the toner hopper 72 into the container housing space 77 of the toner hopper 72 in the mounting direction E1. When detaching the developer container 30 from the apparatus main body 71, the user It is very simple to hold the second container ′ part 34 of the agent container 30 and pull it out in the release direction E2.
- the developer container 3 in order to stir the stored developer to prevent agglomeration, the developer container 3 according to the present embodiment is used, although the user swings the large and large toner cartridge 1 up and down and left and right in the past. At 0, the user only has to rotate the container body 31 around the rotation axis L31, which is very easy. Further, the developer accommodating container 30 of the present embodiment has a very simple structure for stirring the accommodated developer as compared with the conventional toner cartridge 1. In the developer container 30, a seal is achieved between the container body 31 and the support member 32, and the developer container 30 is attached to the apparatus main body 71 at a mounting position.
- the container of the toner hopper 72 is provided.
- the leakage of the developer in the storage space 77 can be prevented as much as possible. Therefore, when the user replaces the developer storage container 30, it is possible to prevent the hands from being stained by the developer as much as possible.
- the developer storage container 30 is substantially cylindrical, it can be stored in an elongated rectangular parallelepiped packaging box, and can be transported and interpolated as compared with the first prior art toner cartridge 1. Is very easy.
- FIG. 27 is a perspective view showing a developer container 130 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 28 is a front view showing the developer accommodating container 130.
- FIG. 29 is a left side view showing the developer accommodating container 130.
- the developer storage container 130 includes a container main body 131 and a support member 132.
- the container body 13 1 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and stores a developer such as toner used for electrophotographic image formation.
- the support member 13 2 supports the container body 13 1 so as to be rotatable around its axis L 13 1.
- the developer storage container 130 can store, for example, 140 grams of the developer.
- FIG. 30 is a front view showing the container body 13 1.
- Fig. 31 shows the container body 13 1 It is a left view shown.
- FIG. 32 is a right side view showing the container body 13 1.
- the container body 13 1 is configured to include a first container portion 133, a second container portion 134, and a third container portion 135.
- the length A 13 1 in the direction of the axis L 13 31 of the container body 13 1 may be, for example, 458 mm.
- the first container part 133 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape.
- the axial length A133 of the first container portion 133 may be, for example, 160 mm.
- the first container portion 133 projects radially inward from the inner periphery thereof, and the first container portion 133 extends from the bottom portion 133 a, which is one axial end, to the other axial end.
- a first protruding piece 136 is provided, which extends spirally toward the open end portion 133b which is a portion. More specifically, when viewed from the bottom 1 33 a of the first container section 13 3, the first protrusion 1 3 6 is formed from the bottom 1 3 3 a toward the open end 1 3 3 b as viewed from the bottom 1 3 3 a. It is formed to extend spirally so as to rotate counterclockwise about the axis L133 of the container part 133.
- the bottom part 133 of the first container part 133 has a connecting part projecting from the opening end part 133 b toward the bottom part 133 a.
- the number of the fitting projections 1337 is plural, and two in this embodiment.
- the supply port 1 4 5 passes through the center of the bottom 1 3 3 a of the first container 1 3 3 a in the direction of the rotation axis L 1 3 1, and the axis L 1 3 3 of the first container 1 3 3 It is formed so that it may open in a circular shape coaxial with.
- the supply port 145 is formed according to its shape, and the supply lid 146 that can be attached to and detached from the supply port 145 achieves a seal with the supply port 145.
- the container is attached so that it does not come off by the rotation of the container body 13 1.
- the supply lid 1 4 6 from the supply port 1 4 5
- the inner space and the outer space of the container body 1 3 1 communicate with each other, and in this state, the developer is supplied to the container body 1 3 1 Can be.
- the fitting projections 1 3 7 are arranged radially outward from the inlet 1 4 5 at symmetrical positions with respect to the axis L 1 3 3 of the first container 1 3 3.
- the fitting projection 1337 is a clock having a rotation axis L131 as a center when viewed from the bottom 1333a of the first container section 133.
- the rotating portion R 37a on the upstream side in the rotating direction R is formed to have a plane extending perpendicularly to the circumferential direction.
- the downstream portion in the rotational direction R of the fitting convex portion 137 is formed so as to be inclined toward the other end portion in the axial direction as going toward the downstream in the rotational direction R.
- the amount of projection A137 in the direction of the axis L133 from the remaining portion of the bottom 133a of the fitting projection 133 may be, for example, 8 mm.
- Such a fitting projection 1337 can be attached to and detached from a body-side connecting portion 183 (see FIG. 53) provided in the image forming apparatuses 7OA and 70B described later.
- the bottom surface 133c of the first container portion 133 at which the outer peripheral surface and the end surface communicate with each other extends from the open end portion 133b to the bottom portion 133, as shown in FIG. It is formed in a curved shape that inclines radially inward toward a.
- the second container part 134 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape.
- the axial length A134 of the second container portion 134 may be, for example, 210 mm.
- the second container part 134 projects radially inward from the inner periphery thereof, and also has one end in the axial direction from the bottom part 134a which is the other end in the axial direction.
- a second protruding piece 139 is provided which extends spirally toward the open end portion 134b which is a portion. More specifically, the second protruding piece 13 9 is, as viewed from the bottom 13 4 a of the second container section 13 4, the second projection piece 13 9 extending from the bottom 13 4 a toward the open end 13 4 b.
- the second protrusion 13 9 is formed to extend in the opposite direction to the first protrusion 13 6.
- the pitch A11 of the first projection pieces 1336 of the first container part 133 and the second projection pieces 139 of the second container part 134 may be, for example, 30 mm.
- the amount A 12 of radial protrusion in the radial direction from the remaining portion of the inner peripheral portion of the first protrusion 13 6 and the second protrusion 13 9 may be, for example, 6 millimeters.
- At least the surface communicating with the outer peripheral surface and the end surface of the bottom portion 134a of the second container portion 134 is inclined inward in the radial direction from the open end portion 134b to the bottom portion 134a. It is formed in the shape of a curved surface.
- the end surface 1 34 c of the bottom 1 3 4 a of the second container portion 1 3 4 is formed so that the center thereof is directed toward the open end 1 3 4 b and the bottom 1 3 4 a. It is formed in a partially spherical shape that protrudes.
- Open second container 1 3 4 In the outer peripheral portion at a position spaced from the end surface of the mouth end 1 3 4 b toward the bottom 1 3 4 a, guide projection pieces 140 projecting outward in the radial direction are spaced apart in the circumferential direction. A plurality, two in this embodiment, are provided. The axial dimension of the guide projection piece 140 may be, for example, 2.5 millimeters.
- the axial length A1 3 4 of the second container 1 3 4 is set longer than the axial length A 1 3 of the first container 1 33, for example, 30 mm or more. It is.
- the axial length dimension A133 of the first container part 133 may be, for example, 150 mm
- the axial length dimension of the second container part 134 may be, for example, 150 mm.
- the dimension A 1 34 may be, for example, 2 15 mm.
- the inner diameter D 1 34 may be, for example, 105 millimeters.
- FIG. 33 is a perspective view showing the third container portion 135.
- FIG. FIG. 34 is an enlarged front view showing the vicinity of the third container portion 135.
- FIG. 35A is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line S 3 51 1 to S 3 51 of FIG. 34
- FIG. 35 B is a section line S 35 52 _S 3 of FIG. 34. It is sectional drawing seen from 52.
- FIG. 30 is also referred to.
- the third container part 135 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. More specifically, the third container portion 135 has a first concave portion 141 and a second concave portion 142, which are concave portions that are depressed inward in the radial direction, at an axially intermediate portion of an outer peripheral portion thereof.
- the axial length dimension A135 of the third container part 135 may be, for example, 80 millimeters.
- the inner diameter D 1 35 of the third container section 1 35 except for the first concave section 1 41 and the second concave section 1 42 is the remaining first container section 133 and the second container section 1. It is formed larger than the inner diameters D 1 3 3 and D 1 3 4 of 34.
- the inner diameter D135 of the third container portion 135 excluding the first concave portion 141 and the second concave portion 142 may be, for example, 110 mm.
- the first recessed portion 141 is formed to extend in the rotation direction R, and has a smaller axial dimension W141 compared to the dimension A141 in the rotation direction R, and is located downstream of the rotation direction R. Has an end wall portion 141a intersecting with the rotation direction R.
- the drain holes 1 4 3 It is formed on a part of the end wall part 141 a on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the one-time part 141.
- the second recessed part 14 2 is formed to extend in the rotation direction R, and has a smaller dimension W 14 2 in the axial direction than the dimension A 14 2 in the rotation direction R.
- the first to third container sections 135 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction.
- the dimension A 1 4 1 of the first recess 1 4 1 in the rotational direction is at least a quarter of the outer peripheral length of the third container 1 3 5 excluding the first recess 1 4 1 and the second recess 1 4 2, Desirably less than half.
- the dimension A144 in the rotation direction R of the first concave portion 141 may be, for example, 120 millimeters, and the dimension W144 in the axial direction may be, for example, 30 millimeters.
- the dimension A144 of the second concave portion 1443 in the rotation direction R may be, for example, 30 mm, and the dimension W144 of the axial direction may be, for example, 120 mm.
- the first concave portion 141 further has a bottom wall portion 141b, a first side wall portion 141c, and a second side wall portion 141d.
- the bottom wall portion 141b of the first concave portion 141 extends in the rotation direction R, and the downstream end of the rotation direction R communicates with the radially inner portion of the end wall portion 141a to rotate.
- Direction R The upstream end is between the first recess 14 1 and the second recess 14 2, and excluding the first recess 14 1 and the second recess 14 2. Communicates smoothly with the outer periphery.
- Rotation direction R of bottom wall 1 4 1 b of first recess 1 4 1 Rotation direction R Rotation direction between downstream end R Upstream end R Central portion is the first recess 1 4 1 and 2 It is arranged radially inward of the third container part 135 except for the recessed part 142, and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having the axis L135 of the third container part 135 as an axis. .
- the radius of curvature of the outer peripheral portion at the center in the rotation direction R of the bottom wall portion 141b of the first concave portion 141 may be, for example, 49 mm.
- the first side wall portion 141c of the first concave portion 141 is disposed on one axial end side of the first concave portion 141, extends in the rotational direction R, and has a downstream end in the rotational direction R.
- the wall portion 141a communicates with one axial end
- the radial inner portion communicates with the axial end of the bottom wall 141b
- the radial outer portion communicates with the first recess 1
- the third container portion 135 excluding the first and second recesses 142 communicates with the outer peripheral portion at one end in the axial direction.
- the second side wall portion 141d of the first concave portion 141 is disposed on the other end side in the axial direction of the first concave portion 141, and the rotation direction Direction, the downstream end of the rotation direction R communicates with the other axial end of the end wall portion 141a, and the radially inner portion thereof extends in the axial direction of the bottom wall portion 141b.
- the radially outer portion communicates with the end portion, and communicates with the outer peripheral portion of the other axial end of the third container portion 135 except for the first concave portion 141 and the second concave portion 142.
- the first side wall portion 14 1 c and the second side wall portion 141 d of the first recess are provided so as to stand radially outward from the bottom wall portion 141 b, and the bottom wall portion 14 1b is perpendicular to the first side wall portion 141c, and the bottom wall portion 141b and the second side wall portion 141d are perpendicular.
- the discharge hole 144 is an intermediate portion in the axial direction of the end wall portion 141 of the first concave portion 141, and is opened radially outward in a rectangular shape having the axial direction as a longitudinal direction. It is formed. Therefore, the discharge hole 14 3 is located at the end wall portion 14 1 a of the first concave portion 14 1 in the rotation direction R of the bottom wall portion 14 1 b of the first concave portion 14 1 b in the radial direction outside the downstream end portion. In the direction of rotation of the first side wall portion 141c, in the axial direction from the other end in the axial direction from the downstream end, and in the direction of rotation of the second side wall portion 141d in the axial direction from the downstream end. It is open near one end.
- the surface on the radially outer side of the discharge hole 144 is exclusive of the first concave portion 141 and the second concave portion 142 on the downstream side in the rotation direction R of the first concave portion 141. It communicates smoothly with the inner peripheral surface of the third container part 135.
- the second recessed part 142 has a bottom wall part 142b and a first side wall part 142c and a second side wall part 142d.
- the bottom wall portion 144b of the second concave portion 142 extends in the rotation direction R, and its upstream end portion in the rotational direction R and downstream end portion in the rotational direction R have the first concave portion 141 and the second concave portion. It is smoothly communicated with the outer periphery of the third container part 135 between the two concave parts 142 except for the first M part 141 and the second concave part 142.
- the central portion is the first concave portion 14 1 (2) It is arranged radially inward of the third container part (13) except for the recess (14) and is formed in a partially cylindrical shape with the axis L1 (35) of the third container part (13) as the axis. Is done.
- the radius of curvature of the outer peripheral portion at the center in the rotational direction R of the bottom wall portion 142b of the second concave portion 142 may be, for example, 49 mm.
- the first side wall portion 142c of the second concave portion 142 is disposed on one axial end side of the second concave portion 142, extends in the rotation direction R, and has a radially inward portion formed of the bottom wall portion 1. 4 2b axis
- the radially outer portion communicates with the outer peripheral portion of one axial end of the third container portion 135 except for the first concave portion 141 and the second concave portion 142.
- the second side wall portion 14 2 d of the second concave portion 14 2 is disposed on the other axial side of the second concave portion 14 2, and the radially inner portion thereof is the axis of the bottom wall portion 14 2 b.
- the other end in the radial direction communicates with the outer periphery of the other end in the axial direction of the third container part 135 except the first concave part 141 and the second concave part 142. I do.
- the first side wall portion 142c and the second side wall portion 142d of the second concave portion are provided so as to stand radially outward from the bottom wall portion 142b, and the bottom wall portion is provided.
- the first wall portion 142b and the first side wall portion 142c are perpendicular to each other, and the bottom wall portion 142b and the second side wall portion 142d are perpendicular to each other.
- the outer periphery of one end in the axial direction and the other end in the axial direction except for the first concave portion 14 1 and the second concave portion 14 2 of the third container portion 1 3 5 A plurality of discharge guide pieces 144 protruding in the circumferential direction are provided at regular intervals in the circumferential direction, spaced from one another in the circumferential direction. More specifically, the discharge guide piece 144 provided at one axial end of the third container part 135 is inclined in the rotational direction R from the other axial end to one axial end.
- the discharge guide piece 144 provided at the other end in the axial direction of the third container part 135 is, in detail, inclined in the rotation direction R from one end in the axial direction to the other end in the axial direction. I have.
- the amount of protrusion of the discharge guide piece 144 in the radially outward direction from the outer peripheral portion of the third container portion 135 except for the first concave portion 141 and the second concave portion 142 is, for example, It may be one millimeter.
- the longitudinal dimension of the discharge plan inner piece 144 may be 24 millimeters, and the angle formed between the longitudinal direction of the discharge guide piece 144 and the width direction of the third container portion 1336. ⁇ may be, for example, 30 degrees.
- the container body 1 3 1 is connected to one end of the third container 1 3 5 in the axial direction and the open end 1 3 3 b of the first container 1 3 3.
- the other end and the open end 134b of the second container part 134 are integrally formed so as to be connected.
- Such a container body 131 may be manufactured by blow molding a synthetic resin such as polyethylene, for example. As a result, the container body 131 can be easily manufactured, and the number of components of the developer container 130 can be reduced. Can be
- the bottom part 1 33 a of the first container part 133 is the axial end part 133 a of the container body 131, and the bottom part 134a of the second container part 134 is the axis line of the container body 131.
- the other end in the direction is 134a.
- the first container part 133, the second container part 134, and the third container part 135 are connected such that the axes L133, L134, and L135 are coaxial.
- a container body 13 1 is formed.
- the third container portion 135 is disposed at an axially middle portion of the container main body 131 except for both ends 133a and 134a in the axial direction.
- the first container recess 14 1, the second container recess 142, and the discharge hole 1 43 of the third container portion 135 are located in the axial direction except for the axial ends 13 3 a, 13 4 a of the container body 13 1. It is arranged in the middle part.
- the axis L 1 3 1 of the container body 1 3 1 is the axis L 1 33 of the first container 1 33, the axis L 1 34 of the second container 1 34 and the axis L of the third container 1 35 Consists of 1 3 5
- FIG. 36 is a front view showing the support members 132.
- FIG. FIG. 37 is a right side view showing the support member 132.
- the support member 13 2 is formed substantially in a cylindrical shape, and extends at least a portion of the container main body 13 1 including the third container portion 135 configured as described above from the outside in the radial direction to the entire circumference. It has an inner peripheral portion 148 for support.
- the inner peripheral portion 148 has a cylindrical inner peripheral surface centered on the axis L132.
- the support member 1332 includes a support base 149 having at least three or more contact portions 149a on an imaginary plane parallel to the axis L132.
- the contact portion 149a of the support 149 may be formed, for example, on two rectangular planes whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the axis L132. By contacting the contact portion 149a of the support 149 with a horizontal surface, the axis L148 of the inner peripheral portion 148 of the support member 132 can be arranged in parallel with the horizontal surface.
- the axial length A133 of the support member 132 is set to be larger than the axial length A135 of the third container part 135.
- the axial dimension A 1 32 of the support member 1 32 may be, for example, 100 millimeters.
- the support member 1332 has a discharge portion 150 protruding in a first horizontal direction F11 which is a horizontal direction in the upper portion thereof. Is done.
- a conduction hole 151 that penetrates along one horizontal direction F11 and opens in an oval shape extending in a direction parallel to the axis L132 of the support member is formed.
- the inner diameter in the longitudinal direction of the conduction hole 1 5 1 is the axial dimension W 1 4 1 of the first recess 1 4 1 of the container body 13 1 and the axial dimension W 1 4 of the second recess 1 4 2 Set to 2 or more.
- the discharge portion 150 of the support member 132 is provided with a shutter member 1 serving as a conductive hole opening / closing means for switching an opening on the downstream side of the conductive hole 1501 in the first horizontal direction F1 1 between an open state and a closed state. 6 5 are provided.
- the shirt part 165 includes a shirt part 165a and a shirt part guide part 165b.
- the shutter guide portion 1 65 b extends in a second horizontal direction which is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction, and a conduction hole 15 1 1 is formed at an upstream end of the second horizontal direction B l 1. It is open.
- the shirt 1165a slides on the shirt guide 1165 in the second horizontal direction B11 and the second horizontal direction B1 2 opposite to the second horizontal direction B11. It is displaceably supported.
- the shutter 165 a slides along the shutter guide 165 b, so that the conduction hole 155 shown in the two-dot chain line in FIG. It can be arranged at the closed position P 1 where the downstream opening is closed, and at the open position P 2 where the downstream opening of the conduction hole 15 1 in the first horizontal direction F 1 1 is opened. .
- the shutter 16a is restricted from sliding to the downstream in the second horizontal direction B1 2 downstream from the closed position P1 in the second horizontal direction, and the shutter guide portion 1665b is moved in the second horizontal direction. Sliding displacement from the downstream end in one direction B11 in one direction B11 in the second horizontal direction is regulated.
- the open position P2 is located in the second horizontal direction B1 1 downstream of the closed position P1 in the second horizontal direction B1 1 and the second horizontal direction B1 1 of the shutter guide portion 1 65b in the second horizontal direction B11.
- One in the horizontal direction Bl 1 is on the upstream side.
- the shirt 16.5a is arranged at the open position P2 by sliding and displacing in the second horizontal direction B11 while being arranged at the closed position P1, and is arranged at the open position P2. Is slid in the second horizontal direction, the other direction B12, in the closed state P1.
- the support member 132 is provided with a lead-out member 138 as a lead-out means and a sealing sheet 166 as a sealing means.
- the lead-out member 13 8 is made of a polymer resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (abbreviation: PET), and is flexible and resilient.
- PET polyethylene terephthalate
- the sealing sheet 16 6 is formed in a flexible sheet made of, for example, polyethylene or the like, and has a base end portion in the first horizontal direction F 11 upstream of the conduction hole 15 1 of the support member 13 2.
- the base end of the lead-out member 138 is stacked on the upper surface of the base end of the sealing sheet 166. A more detailed description of the lead-out member 138 and the sealing sheet 166 will be described later.
- two connecting protrusions 152 are formed on the support member 132 so as to protrude radially outward.
- One of the connecting protrusions 15 2 is disposed above the discharge portion 150 with the support base 14 9 installed in a horizontal plane, and the other connecting protrusion 15 2 is connected to the axis L 1.
- the support member 1332 is disposed below the discharge portion 150 with the support base 1449 installed in a horizontal plane, and protrudes in one direction F11 in the first horizontal direction.
- a first guide piece 15 3 extending parallel to 13 2 is formed.
- the support member 1332 is disposed above the discharge portion 150 with the support base 1449 installed in a horizontal plane, and in a direction opposite to the first horizontal direction F11.
- a second guide piece 154 is formed to protrude in the first horizontal other direction F12 and extend parallel to the axis L1332.
- FIG. 38 is an exploded right side view showing the support member 132.
- the support member 1 32 can be divided into two in a virtual plane that is inclined upward along the axis L 13 2 in the first horizontal direction F 11 1 while being installed on a horizontal plane, Specifically, it can be divided into a first support portion 155 below the virtual plane and a second support portion 156 above the virtual plane.
- the first support part 15 5 is formed of a first guide piece 15 3, a discharge part 150, one part of each connecting projection 15 2 5 a of the support member 13 2, and a support base 14. 9 and a portion 148 a of the inner peripheral portion 148 on the first guide piece 153 side.
- the second support portion 156 includes a second guide piece 154 of the support member 132, the other portion 155 b of the connecting projection 154, and a support base 1 of the inner peripheral portion 148. 4 9 side part 1 4 8a is included.
- the first support part 15 5 and the second support part 15 6 are detachable with the screw member 15 7 Linked to In detail, one part 15 2 a of each connecting protrusion 15 2 of the first support part 15 5 and the other part 15 5 of each connection protrusion 15 2 of the second support part 15 6 2b is connected by a screw member 157.
- the support member 13 2 is divided in advance, and the divided support member 13 2 is inserted into the first and second concave portions of the container body 13 1.
- the container body 131 can be supported over the entire circumference. It can be done easily.
- FIG. 39 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line S 39 —S 39 in FIG. 37. See also Figure 37.
- a first support projection 158 is provided at one axial end of the inner peripheral portion 148 of the support member 132 so as to protrude inward in the radial direction and extend over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction.
- a second support convex portion 159 is provided which protrudes inward in the radial direction and extends over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction.
- the other end in the axial direction of the inner peripheral portion 148 of the support member 132 is provided with the second support protrusion 159 on the other end side in the axial direction than the second support protrusion 159.
- a third support protrusion 160 is provided at an interval, protruding inward in the radial direction and extending over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction.
- the axial distance between the second support projections 159 and the third support projections 160 is the axial dimension of the guide projection pieces 140 of the second container section 134 of the container body 131. It may be set slightly larger than, for example, 3 mm.
- Each of the first and second support projections 158 and 159 has a plurality of support projection pieces 161 projecting inward in the radial direction at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. In the embodiment, four are formed.
- the distal end portion of the support projection piece 161 on the radially inward side has a support surface that curves into a cylindrical outer peripheral surface shape.
- Each of the support protrusions 16 1 of the first support protrusion 15 8 and the second support protrusion 15 9 is formed of an imaginary circle passing through the distal end of each guide protrusion 14 0 about the axis L 13 2.
- the diameter is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the outer peripheral portion of the first container portion 133 and the outer diameter of the outer peripheral portion of the second container portion 134 except for the guide protrusion 140. It may be millimeters.
- the inner diameter of the third support convex portion 160 is set slightly larger than the outer diameter of the outer peripheral portion of the second container portion 134 except for the guide protrusion 140, and is, for example, 107 mm. There may be. At the one end in the axial direction of the inner peripheral portion 148 of the support member 132, adjacent to the other end of the first support projection 158 in the axial direction, it is depressed outward in the radial direction, and the entire circumference in the circumferential direction.
- a first support recess 167 extending across is provided. At the other end in the axial direction of the inner peripheral portion 148 of the inner peripheral portion 148 of the support member 132, adjacent to the one end of the second support convex portion 159 in the axial direction, it is depressed outward in the radial direction and is entirely circumferentially depressed.
- a second support recess 168 extending circumferentially is provided. Further, between the second support protrusion 159 and the third support protrusion 160 at the other end in the axial direction of the inner peripheral portion 148 of the support member 132, it is depressed outward in the radial direction.
- a third support recess 169 is provided extending over the entire circumference.
- the axial dimension of the first support recess 167 and the second support recess 168 may be, for example, 7 millimeters.
- the axial dimension of the third support location 169 is set slightly larger than the axial dimension of the guide projection piece 140 of the second container part 134 of the container body 131, for example, 3 mm. It may be.
- FIG. 4OA is a front view showing the sealing material 147
- FIG. 40B is a diagram showing a cross section of the sealing material 147 perpendicular to the circumferential direction.
- the sealing material 147 as the sealing means is made of a synthetic resin having flexibility and elasticity, such as silicon rubber. As shown in FIG. 4OA, the sealing material 147 is formed substantially in an annular shape.
- the seal material 147 includes a base portion 147a and a contact portion 147b as shown in FIG. 40B.
- the base portion 147a of the sealing material 147 is formed to have a rectangular cross section perpendicular to the circumferential direction with respect to the axis L147.
- the contact portion 144b of the sealing material 147 is one end in the axial direction of the base portion 147a and has a radius from the radially inner portion to the other end in the axial direction from the other end in the axial direction. It protrudes so as to incline outward in the direction.
- the diameter of the inner circumference of the base 1 4 7a of the sealing material 1 4 7 is the outer circumference of the first vessel 1 3 3 of the container body 1 3 1 and the guide projection 1 4 It is set smaller than the outer diameter of the outer peripheral portion excluding the above, and may be, for example, 99 mm.
- the diameter of the outer periphery of the base 1 47 a and the abutment 1 4 7 b of the sealing material 1 4 7 is set at the third container 1
- the diameter may be set to be equal to or larger than the diameter of a virtual circle passing through the outer peripheral portion of each of the discharge guide pieces 144 of 33, for example, 115 mm.
- the sealing material 1 4 7 The dimension is set to be less than or equal to the dimension in the axial direction of the first and second support recesses 167, 168 of the support member 132, and may be, for example, 6 mm.
- FIG. 41 is a front view showing a state where the developer accommodating container 130 is assembled.
- FIG. 42 is a cross-sectional view taken along a section line S42-S42 in FIG. Developer storage container 1
- the support member 1332 Before assembling the support member 30, the support member 1332 is divided into a first support portion 155 and a second support portion 156. At this time, one of the two sealing materials 1 4 7
- the base 1 4 7 a of the seal material 1 4 7 is oriented in the axial direction of the third container 1 3 5 It is attached to the first container part 133 of the container body 131 so as to be in close contact with the end face of one end part.
- the other sealing material 147 is wound in close contact with the opening end portion 134b of the second container portion 134, closer to one axial end side than the guide projection piece 140.
- the base 1 4 7a of the sealing material 1 4 7 is brought into close contact with the end surface of the other end in the axial direction of the third container 1 3 5 so that the second container 1 3 4 of the container main body 1 3 1 Installing.
- the portion including the third container portion 135 of the container main body 131 is sandwiched by the first support portion 155 and the second support portion 156 from the outside in the radial direction. In this state, the first support 1
- FIG. 43 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S43-S43 in FIG.
- the container body 13 1 is supported by the support member 13 2, the axis L 1 3 2 of the axis 1 3 1 of the container body 13 1 and the inner peripheral portion 14 8 of the support member 13 2 And the container body 13 1 is rotatable around the axis L 13 1 with respect to the support member 13 2.
- the support base 14 9 of the support member 13 2 is set on a horizontal surface, the first and second container portions 13 3 and 13 4 of the container body 13 1 are separated from the horizontal plane.
- the horizontal plane is parallel to the axis of rotation L 13 1.
- each support projection piece 16 1 of the first support projection 15 8 is brought into contact with the outer periphery of the first container section 13 3, and the second support projection 15
- Each of the support projections 16 of 9 contacts the outer peripheral portion of the second container section 134 except for the guide projection 140.
- the outer peripheral portion of the first container portion 133 is substantially supported at four points at equal intervals in the circumferential direction by the respective support protrusions 161 of the first support convex portion 158.
- No. 2 The support projections 161 of the support projections 159 support approximately four points at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.
- the sealing material 1 4 7 of the first container 1 3 3 fits into the first supporting recess 1 6 7 of the support member 1 3 2, and the contact portion 1 4 7 b of the sealing material 1 4 7
- the support projection 158 elastically contacts the other end face in the axial direction over the entire circumference.
- the sealing material 1 4 7 of the second container portion 1 3 4 fits into the second support recess 1 6 8 of the support member 1 3 2, and the contact portion 1 4 7 b of the sealing material 1 4 7
- One end in the axial direction of the support protrusion 159 is spontaneously abutted over the entire circumference.
- the first and second recesses 14 1, 14 2 of the container body 13 1 and the discharge holes 14 3 and the conduction holes 15 of the support member 13 2 are formed. Rather, between the container body 131 and the support member 132 at one end in the axial direction and at the other end in the axial direction of the container body 131, a see-through is achieved over the entire circumferential direction.
- the guide protrusions 140 of the second container part 1 34 of the container body 1 3 1 are fitted into the third support recesses 1 69 of the support member 1 32 in the axial direction with respect to the support member 1 32.
- the fitting is performed with the slide displacement regulated. Thereby, the sliding displacement of the container body 13 1 in the axial direction with respect to the support member 132 is restricted.
- the outer peripheral portion of each discharge guide piece 144 of the third container portion 135 of the container body 133 contacts the inner peripheral portion 148 of the support member 132. In this way, the support member 13 2 rotates the portion of the container body 13 1 including at least the first concave portion 14 1 around the rotation axis L 13 1 over the entire circumference from the outside in the radial direction. Support.
- FIG. 44 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S44-S44 in FIG.
- FIG. 45 and FIG. 45B are enlarged views of section XLV in FIG.
- FIGS. 44 and 45A are views when the container body 13 1 is in an initial state with respect to the support member 13 2.
- the conduction hole 15 1 of the support member 13 2 is disposed above the axis L 13 1 of the container body 13 1 in a state where it is mounted on the image forming apparatuses 7 OA and 7 OB described later. More specifically, the conduction hole 151, as shown in FIG. When mounted on the devices 70A and 70B, an imaginary straight line 2 10 connecting the axis L 13 1 of the container body 13 1 to the center of the through hole 15 1 is positioned with respect to the horizontal plane 21 1
- the angle ⁇ is, for example,
- the lead-out member 1338 is provided at the base end portion 1338a at a portion facing the upstream end portion of the conduction hole 151 of the support member 132 in the first horizontal direction F1 1 at the base end portion 1338a, and in the rotational direction.
- the free end portion 1338b of the lead-out member 1338 has at least the bottom wall portion 141b of the first concave portion 141 of the third container portion 135 of the container body 131. It contacts the outer peripheral surface of the bottom wall part 142 b of the concave part 142 at an angle ⁇ ⁇ ⁇ exceeding 90 degrees.
- the angle 0 is defined by the surface facing the free end 1 38 b of the lead-out member 1 38 and the bottom wall 1 4 1 b, 1 4 2 b of each recess 1 4 1, 1 4 2 Is the angle formed by the outer peripheral surface of the lens.
- the sealing sheet 1666 is provided at a portion facing the upstream end of the conduction hole 151 of the support member 132 in the first horizontal direction F11 at the base end 1666a.
- the portion 1 66 b excluding the base end portion 1 66 a of the sealing sheet 16 6 It is provided so as to cover at least the end wall portion 141a and is detachable by, for example, heat welding. In this way, in the initial state, the discharge hole 144 is closed by the portion 166b except the base end 166a of the sealing sheet 166.
- the container body 13 1 is rotated in the rotational direction R around the rotation axis L 13 1, so that a portion 1 66 b except for the base end 16 a of the sealing sheet 16 6 Is separated from the end wall portion 141a of the first concave portion 141, and the discharge hole 144 is opened.
- a portion 1 66 b excluding the base end 1 66 a of the sealing sheet 1 66 detached from the end wall portion 1 41 a of the first recess 1 41 is Conductor hole for support member 1 3 2 It is arranged between the third container portion 135 of the container body 131 and the inner peripheral portion 148 of the support member 132 on the downstream side in the rotation direction R of 151. This allows the user to easily open the discharge hole 144 by rotating the container body 131 without directly removing the sealing sheet 166.
- the inner space of the container body 13 1 is filled with the developer layer occupied by the developer and the developer.
- Two layers are formed: a gas layer occupied by gas above the layer.
- the container body 13 1 is rotated clockwise around the rotation axis L 13 31 by looking at the second container portion 13 4 from the first container portion 13 3.
- the developer in the developer layer of the first container part 133 is moved from the first container part 133 to the third container part 135 along the rotation axis L133 by the first projection piece 133. Is transported in the first transport direction C 11 (see FIG. 28) toward.
- the developer in the developer layer of the second container portion 134 is moved from the second container portion 134 to the third container portion 139 along the rotation axis L133 by the second protrusion 131.
- the paper is transported in the second transport direction C 12 toward 35 (see FIG. 28).
- the stored developer can be conveyed toward the discharge hole 144.
- the developer traveling in the first transport direction C11 and the developer traveling in the second transport direction C12 collide with each other, and thereby the developer is dispensed. Can be stirred.
- the developer When the developer is conveyed, the developer contains the first and second projections 13 6 and 13 9 from the inner periphery of the first and second container portions 13 3 and 13 4 A force is applied to the container part 135.
- the first and second protrusions 1 36, 1 39 from the inner peripheral portions of the first and second container portions 133, 1 34 The developer disposed within a radially inwardly protruding amount A12 of the developer is mainly stirred by the rotation of the container body 131, and the balance is maintained in the container body 131.
- FIG. 46A to FIG. 46B and FIG. 47A to FIG. 47B show the container body when the container body 13 1 is rotating in the rotation direction R about the rotation axis L 13 1.
- the operation until the developer in the third container part 1 35 of 1 3 1 is led to the conduction hole 1 51 of the support member 1 32 will be described. It is a figure for clarification. See also Fig. 33, Fig. 35A to Fig. 35B and Fig. 43.
- the first concave portion 14 1 of the third container portion 13 1 and the support member 1 A first holding space 162a facing the inner peripheral portion 148 of 32 is formed.
- the first holding space 16 2 a is a substantially closed space except for the discharge hole 144, and is disposed on the upstream side in the rotation direction R of the discharge hole 144, and the discharge hole 14. It communicates with the space inside the container body 1 3 through 3.
- a second holding space 162b facing the second concave portion 141 of the third container portion 131 and the inner peripheral portion 148 of the support member 132 is formed.
- the second holding space 16 2 b is a substantially closed space.
- the discharge hole 144 is an intermediate portion in the axial direction of the end wall portion 141a of the first concave portion 141, and the axial direction is the longitudinal direction toward the outside in the radial direction. It is formed with a rectangular opening. Therefore, the discharge hole 144 is located at the end wall portion 141a of the first concave portion 141 in the rotation direction R of the bottom wall portion 141b of the first concave portion 141a. It is closer to the outside, and is closer to the other end in the axial direction than the downstream end in the rotation direction R of the first side wall part 141 c, and is more than the downstream end in the rotation direction R of the second side wall part 141 d. It is open near one end in the axial direction.
- the developer when the discharge hole 144 is opened entirely in the end wall portion 141a, the developer is turned into the first concave portion of the container body 131 by rotating the container body 131 in the rotation direction R. It is discharged from the discharge hole 144 to the first holding space 162a so as to be densely extruded along the inner peripheral portion 148 of the portion 141 and the support member 132. In such a state, the container body 13 1 is further rotated in the rotation direction R, so that the first holding space 1 There is a danger that the developer held in 62 a will be pressed by the first concave portion 141 of the container body 131 and the inner peripheral portion 148 of the support member 132 and aggregate. .
- the discharge hole 144 is formed in a part of the end wall portion 141 a of the first concave portion 141, in other words, the opening of the discharge hole 144 Since the area is formed to be smaller than the area of the end wall portion 141a, the developer is diffused in the vicinity of the discharge hole 144 in the first holding space 162a so as to be diffused. Discharged to space 16 2 a. As a result, the developer discharged into the second holding space 162a can be made into a powder, and the aggregation of the developer due to the rotation of the container body 131, as described above, is minimized. Can be prevented.
- the surface on the radially outward side of the discharge hole 144 is located on the downstream side in the rotation direction R of the first concave portion 141, except for the first concave portion 141 and the second concave portion 1442. It smoothly communicates with the inner peripheral surface of 135. As a result, even if the amount of developer stored in the container body 13 1 becomes extremely small, the developer flows through the discharge hole 144 3 in the rotation direction R downstream of the first holding space 16 2 a. It can easily flow into the part.
- the developer in the developer layer 16 3 in the container body 13 1 is discharged through the discharge hole 14 3.
- the first holding space 16 2 a is arranged below the upper surface 16 3 a of the developer layer 16 3 in the container body 13 1.
- a predetermined amount of the developer is held in the first holding space 162a.
- the amount of the developer held in the first holding space 162a may be, for example, 6 grams.
- the lead-out member 138 slides with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the first recessed part 141 so as to wipe the developer from the outer peripheral surface of the bottom wall part 141 b, so that the first holding space
- the developer held in the 162a can be led to the conduction hole 155 as much as possible.
- the developer guided to the conduction hole 151 is guided to the outside of the developer container 130 and discharged. In this way, every time the container body 13 1 makes one rotation in the rotational direction around the axis of rotation L 13 1, the above-mentioned predetermined amount of developer is discharged to the outside.
- the portion excluding the first and second concave portions 14 1 and 14 2 of the third container portion 13 1 and the inner peripheral portion 1 48 of the support member 13 2 In order to reduce the frictional force that hinders rotation of the main body 13 1 around the rotation axis L 13 1, the body 13 1 is not entirely in contact over the entire circumference. Therefore, there is no possibility that the developer held in the first holding space 162a leaks out of the first holding space 162a as described above.
- the discharge guide piece 1 4 4 is provided at one end in the axial direction and the outer peripheral portion at the other end in the axial direction except for the first concave portion 14 1 and the second concave portion 14 2 of the third container portion 135. Is provided.
- the discharge guide piece 144 provided at one end in the axial direction of the third container part 135 is inclined in the rotation direction R from the other end in the axial direction to one end in the axial direction.
- the discharge guide piece 144 provided at the other end in the axial direction of 135 is inclined in the rotation direction R from the one end in the axial direction to the other end in the axial direction.
- the developer held in the first holding space 162a should rotate in the rotation direction of the first holding space 162a. R If it leaks from the upstream part, the developer and the discharge guide pieces 144 Therefore, the developer gathered in the middle portion in the axial direction is held in the second holding space 162.
- the container body 13 1 rotates in the rotation direction R
- the free end portion 13 38 b of the lead-out member 13 38 of the support member 13 2 shown in FIG. 47A is moved to the second holding space 16 2 b. And enters the rotation direction R upstream, and resiliently contacts the outer peripheral surface of the bottom wall 144 b of the second recess 144 at an angle 0 exceeding 90 degrees. While sliding against the outer peripheral surface.
- the developer held in the second holding space 16 2 b on the upstream side in the rotation direction R with respect to the lead-out member 1 38 becomes the support member by rotating the container body 13 1 in the rotation direction R. It flows toward 132, is guided to the conduction hole 1501, is guided to the outside of the developer container 130, and is discharged.
- the container body 13 1 makes one rotation in the rotational direction R around the axis of rotation L 13 1, even if the developer leaks out of the first holding space 16 2 a, Since the leaked developer is held by the second holding space 162b, the above-mentioned predetermined amount of the developer can be discharged to the outside as reliably as possible.
- the support member 13 2 protrudes above the support member 13 in one horizontal direction, one direction F 11.
- a discharge portion 150 is formed, and an intermediate portion in the axial direction of the support member 132 in the discharge portion 150 penetrates along the first horizontal direction one direction F 11, and the axis L of the support member
- An oval-shaped conductive hole 151 extending in a direction parallel to 13 2 is formed.
- the upper surface 16 3 a of the developer layer 16 3 a has the same height as the conduction hole 15 1 or from the conduction hole 15 1 Since the developer is also disposed at the lower side, it is possible to reliably prevent the developer from undesirably flowing out of the container main body 131 into the conduction hole 151.
- FIG. 48 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of developer discharged from the developer container 130 and time.
- the curve HI indicates that the inside diameter D 135 of the third container part 135 of the container body 131 is the inside diameter D 133 of the first and second container parts 133, 134.
- 3 shows the relationship between the amount of developer discharged from the developer storage container 130 and the time when the toner is formed in a size of D 1 34 or less.
- Curve H2 is the inner diameter D3 of the third container part 135 of the container body 131, and the inner diameter D133 of the first and second container parts 133, 134. The relationship between the amount of the developer discharged from the developer storage container 130 and the time when the size is larger than 133 and D134 is shown.
- the inner diameter D135 of the third container part 135 of the container body 131 is the inner diameter D133, D133 of the first and second container parts 133,134.
- the developer conveyed toward the discharge hole 14 4 by the rotation of the container body 13 1 is discharged when the rotation of the container body 13 1 is stopped. Comes away from 3.
- the amount of the developer stored in the container body 131 becomes extremely small, a sufficient amount of the developer is discharged immediately after the rotation of the container body 131 resumes. 4 It is difficult to transport to 3.
- the inner diameter of the third container part 134 of the container body 131 is the same as the remaining part of the first and second container parts 133, 1 Since the inner diameter of D3 is larger than D1 3 3 and D1 3 4, when the amount of developer stored in the container body 13 1 becomes very small, the third container section is temporarily stopped. The developer conveyed to 135 can be prevented from separating from the third container section 135 as much as possible. As a result, even when the amount of developer stored in the container body 131 becomes extremely small, a sufficient amount of developer is discharged immediately after the rotation of the container body 131 resumes. It is possible to transport as much as possible to 1 4 3. Further, all the developer stored in the container body 13 1 can be discharged to the outside as much as possible.
- the inner diameter D135 of the third container portion 135 of the container body 131 is changed to the inner diameter D133, of the first and second container portions 1333, 1334.
- the inner diameter D1 of the third container portion 135 of the container body 131 is the force D1 of the first and second container portions 133, 134.
- FIG. 49 is a graph showing another relationship between the amount of developer discharged from the developer container 130 and time.
- the curve H 3 indicates that the conduction hole 15 1 is disposed below the axis L 13 1 of the container body 13 1 in a state in which the hole is mounted on the image forming apparatuses 7 OA and 70 B to be described later.
- the relationship between the amount of the developer discharged from the developer container 130 and the time in the case where the developer is discharged is shown.
- Curve H4 represents the development in the case where the conduction hole 151 is disposed above the axis L131 of the container body 131, in a state of being mounted on the image forming apparatus 70A, 7OB.
- the relationship between the amount of developer discharged from the developer container 130 and time is shown.
- the developer accommodating container 130 of the present embodiment can discharge the developer stably for a longer time.
- the upper surface 163a of the developer layer 163 is positioned vertically.
- the position is almost the same as the conductive hole 15 1 or lower than the conductive hole 15 1.
- a virtual straight line 2 10 that connects the axis L 13 1 of the container body 13 1 to the center of the conductive hole 15 1 is mounted on the horizontal plane 2 1 1 while being mounted on the image forming apparatuses 70 A and 7 OB.
- the angle ⁇ is less than 30 degrees, the amount of discharged toner tends to increase when a large amount of developer exists in the developer container 130. This has been shown by the inventors' experiments.
- the angle ⁇ exceeds 70 degrees, when the amount of the developer in the developer container 130 decreases, the discharge amount may decrease.
- the developer container 130 of the present embodiment it is possible to rotate around the rotation axis L 13 1 while stably supporting the container body 13 1 by the support member 13 2. it can. If a cylindrical container, such as the prior art, in which developer is stored, is left standing with its axis perpendicular to the horizontal plane, the risk of aggregation of the developer below the container may occur. There is. In order to prevent such agglomeration of the developer as much as possible, if the container is placed on a horizontal surface so that its axis is parallel to the horizontal surface, the container will roll.
- the support L 1 49 of the support member 13 2 is set on a horizontal plane, so that the axis L 13 1 of the container main body 13 1 is parallel to the horizontal plane. It can be arranged stably. Also, even if the developer contained in the developer storage container 130 is partially agglomerated, for example, the user may place the shutter 1665a of the shutter section 165 at the closed position P1. By rotating the container body 131, the developer can be easily stirred and turned into a powder.
- the surfaces 13 3 c, 13 4 c at the ends 13 3 a, 13 4 a in the axial direction of the container body 13 1 communicating with the outer peripheral surface and the end surface are radially inward as described above. Since it is formed in a curved shape that is inclined, either one of the ends 13 3 a and 13 4 a in the axial direction of the container body 13 1 is installed on a horizontal plane, and the axis L 13 1 is placed on the horizontal plane. Even if the developer container 130 is set upright on a horizontal surface so as to be vertical, it is easy to fall down. This prevents the user from standing and leaving the developer storage container 130 with the axis 1311 perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and prevents the stored developer from aggregating. Can be reduced.
- the support member 13 2 extends the entire portion of the container main body 13 1 including at least the third container portion 135 from the radial outside. We support for a long time. Further, two sealing members 147 are provided between the container body 13 1 and the support member 13 2 to achieve the seal as described above, so that the container body 13 1 rotates. However, the developer 1-6 1 is located between the container body 13 1 and the support member 13 2 Can be prevented from leaking.
- the amount of discharged developer depends on the volume of the first holding space 162a and the rotation speed of the container body 1331.
- two HO locations are provided: the first and second recesses 141, 142, and the discharge hole is provided only in the first recess 141.
- the second recess 14 2 is formed in the same shape as the first recess 14 1, and the discharge hole 14 is formed. 3 may be provided. Further, the number of recesses and the number of discharge holes may be further increased.
- FIG. 50 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an image forming apparatus 7OA according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 51 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the toner hopper 172.
- FIG. 52 is an enlarged plan view showing the vicinity of the toner hopper 172.
- FIG. 50 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 7OA as viewed from the front exterior part 71a side, and the thickness is omitted for easy understanding. Further, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus 7OA is installed on a horizontal plane, and a frontal direction E, which is a direction from the front exterior part 71a to the rear exterior part 71b, is parallel to the horizontal plane. Note that, in the embodiment of the present invention, portions corresponding to the configuration of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.
- An electrophotographic recording type image forming apparatus such as a printer apparatus and a copying apparatus 7 OA includes the developer container 130 described above and the image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as “apparatus main body”) 7 1 including.
- the developer storage container 130 is connected to a toner hopper 172 provided in the apparatus main body 71 via a container opening / closing opening (not shown) provided on the front exterior part 71a of the apparatus main body 71. It is attached detachably.
- the image forming apparatus main body 71 has a housing front face portion 93 provided on the rear exterior portion 71b side of the front exterior portion 71a, and penetrates in the thickness direction to pass the developer accommodating container 130. Possible openings are formed.
- the image forming apparatus main body 71 is provided with a housing back part 94 on the front exterior part 71 a side of the rear exterior part 71 b.
- Various components of the image forming apparatus main body 71 are held by a casing (all not shown) including a casing front part 93 and a casing rear part 94.
- the toner hopper 172 includes a housing 173, a developer supply unit 174, a stirring member 175, and a supply roller 176.
- the inner space of the housing 173 is divided at least into a container housing space 177 and a stirring space 178 by a developer supply section 174.
- the container accommodation space 177 is open to the front exterior part 71 a of the apparatus main body 71.
- the stirring space 178 is a substantially closed space.
- the developer container 130 is arranged in the container space 177.
- the first guide piece 15 3 of the support member 13 2 of the developer storage container 130 can be fitted into the upper wall 17 3 a of the housing 17 3 facing the container storage space 17 7.
- a first guide recess 179 is formed which extends in the normal direction E of the device main body 71.
- the first guide recess 1 79 is formed such that the first guide piece 15 3 of the support member 13 2 of the developer container 130 is in the longitudinal direction, in other words, in the forward direction E of the apparatus main body 7 1.
- a lower wall portion 173b facing the upper wall portion 173a of the housing 173 facing the container storage space 177 has a support member 133 of the developer storage container 130.
- a second guide recess 180 extending in the front-back direction E of the device main body 71 into which the second guide piece 154 can be fitted is formed.
- the second guide piece 154 of the support member 132 of the developer container 130 is oriented in the longitudinal direction, in other words, the mounting direction E111 of the apparatus main body 71. And slidable in the disengagement direction E12.
- the developer supply section 174 is a plate-like member that divides the internal space of the housing 173 into a container accommodation space 177 and a stirring space 178, and penetrates in the thickness direction thereof.
- a communication hole 181 is provided for communicating the container housing space 17 7 and the stirring space 17 8.
- a guide member 182 projecting into the container housing space 177 is provided below the communication hole 1871 of the developer supply section 174.
- FIG. 53 is an enlarged perspective view of the main body side connecting portion 183.
- the driving force for rotating the container body 13 1 of the developer container 130 from the drive source 84 such as the motor of the apparatus body 71 1 is supplied to the main body through a reduction gear 85 such as a gear.
- the main body side connection part 18 3 is composed of the rotating shaft 18 6, the joint receiving part 18 7 and the spring member. It is composed including 1 8 8.
- the rotation axis 1886 is arranged such that its axis L186 is parallel to the normal back direction E of the device main body 71, and the housing 1 on the back exterior part 71b side of the device main body 71.
- the bearing is provided rotatably through a bearing part 189 provided in the thickness direction through the case back part 94, which is the back wall part of the case 73, and its free end is placed in the container housing space 177. Is done.
- the joint receiving portion 187 is formed in a substantially disk shape, faces the container housing space 177, and is rotatable about the axis L 186 integrally with the rotating shaft 186. Connected to the free end of 6.
- the surface opposite to the surface facing the housing back part 94 of the joint receiving part 187 is located in the center of the center part 187a, and the axis L 186 of the rotating shaft 186 is set as the axis back of the housing.
- auxiliary place 196 which is depressed on the side of the part 94 and into which a supply port part 144 in which the supply lid 144 of the developer storage container 130 is fitted is fitted.
- auxiliary recess 196 of the surface portion 187a of the joint receiving portion 187 the rotating shafts 1
- a plurality of fitting recesses 190 are formed, which are arranged symmetrically with respect to the axis L186 of the substrate 86 and are depressed toward the housing rear portion 94 side.
- These mating recesses 190 have shapes corresponding to the mating projections 13 7 of the container body 13 1, and the mating projections 13 7 of the container body 13 1 By fitting into the concave portion 190, the fitting convex portion 1337 and the fitting concave portion 190 are fitted.
- the joint receiving portion 187 can be displaced in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 186 without falling off from the free end of the rotating shaft 186.
- a spring member 188 realized by a compression coil spring or the like is disposed between the housing rear portion 94 and the joint receiving portion 187, and rotates the rotating shaft 186 and the joint receiving portion 187.
- the joint receiving portion 187 urges the spring force in the direction away from the housing rear portion 94 without hindering the operation.
- One end 13 3a in the axial direction including the fitting projection 13 7 of the container body 13 1 of the developer storage container 13 and the joint receiving portion 18 7 of the connecting portion 18 3 on the main body side.
- a coupling structure is formed. Therefore, the fitting convex portion 1337 of the container main body 131 can be detachably connected to the joint receiving portion 187 of the main body side connecting portion 183.
- the developer container 130 When attaching the developer container 130 to the device body 71, the developer container 130 is set so that the rotation axis L1 31 and the mounting direction E11 are parallel to each other. Front Enter the container storage space 1 77 of the toner hopper 1 72 from the exterior 7 1 a. This and The first guide piece 15 3 of the support member 13 2 of the developer storage container 13 is fitted into the first guide recess 17 9 of the housing 17 3, and the second Guide piece 15 5 is fitted into second guide recess 18 0 of housing 17 3 to prevent displacement in directions other than mounting direction E 1 1 and release direction E 1 2 of support member 13 2 I do.
- the developer container 130 is displaced in the mounting direction E11, and the communicating hole 151 of the discharge portion 150 of the support member 132 is connected to the communication hole of the developer supply portion 174. 1 Place it at the mounting position where it communicates with 1.
- the joint receiving portion 1 87 of the main body side connecting portion 1 8 3 is pressed and contracted in the mounting direction E 1 1 by the fitting projection 1 3 7 of the container main body 1 3 1, and the spring member 18 8 is compressed. Is done.
- the support member 13 2 restricts the displacement in the mounting direction E 11 and the detaching direction E 12 and regulates the displacement.
- a restriction member for releasing is provided (not shown).
- the shutter section 1 6 5 of the developer storage container 1 3 0 1 6 5 a There is provided a shutter displacing means for displacing the slide (not shown).
- the rotation axis L 13 1 and the mounting direction E 11 1 parallel, the container storage space 1 of the toner hopper 1 7 2 from the front exterior 7 1 a of the device main body 7 1 7 7
- the shutter 16 5 a arranged at the closed position P 1 is slid in the second horizontal direction B 11 1 by the shutter displacement means, and the developer container 1 3 0
- the shutter 16.5a is positioned at the open position P2.
- the developer storage container 130 mounted on the apparatus main body 71 and disposed at the mounting position is displaced in the detaching direction E12 to detach the developer storage container 130 from the apparatus main body 71.
- the shutter displacing means slides the shutter 165a disposed at the open position P2 in the second horizontal direction B12 and disposes it at the closed position P1. Also, around the discharge hole 150 of the support member 133 of the developer container 130, around the conduction hole 150 of the toner container 150, and in the container storage space 177 of the developer supply portion 174 of the toner hopper 172. At least one of the surroundings of the communicating hole 181, facing the seal hole, is a sealing material to prevent the developer flowing down from the conducting hole 15 1 into the communicating hole 18 1 from leaking out of the stirring space 17 8 (Not shown).
- the drive units such as the main body side connecting part 18 3, the stirring member 17 5 and the supply roller 17 6 for rotating the supply roller 17 6 In 1, it is arranged between the housing back part 94 and the back exterior part 71 b. Therefore, in a state where the developer storage container 130 is located at the mounting position, the support member 132 of the developer storage container 130 is disposed at the front-back direction E intermediate portion of the apparatus main body 71. .
- the length from the support member 13 2 of the container main body 13 1 to one end in the axial direction 1 3 3a where the fitting projection 1 37 is formed is defined as the length.
- the dimension is formed smaller than the length from the support member 132 to the end face of the other end 134a in the axial direction.
- a toner bottle provided with an opening 18 connected to a driving source while discharging the developer at one end 15a in the axial direction as in the first related art.
- the opening 18 is arranged near the developer supply port, that is, at the intermediate portion in the front-back direction of the image forming apparatus main body.
- the dimension of the conventional toner bottle 15 in the axial direction is set based on the dimension from the middle part in the front-back direction of the image forming apparatus main body to the front part, so it is difficult to increase the capacity of the container.
- the support member 13 2 is disposed at the axially intermediate portion of the container main body 13 1, the mounting in the image forming apparatus main body 7 1 In a state where the support member 13 is mounted at the position, the support member 13 2 is disposed at an intermediate portion in the frontal direction E of the apparatus main body 71.
- the container main body 13 1 extends from the front-back direction E middle portion of the apparatus main body 7 1 to the front portion, and also extends from the front-back direction E middle portion to the back surface, as compared with the conventional toner bottle 15.
- the capacity can be very large.
- the other end 13 4 a in the axial direction of 0 protrudes more toward the front exterior part 71 a than the housing front part 93.
- the length from the support member 13 2 of the container body 13 1 to the end face 13 3 a in the axial direction is the length from the support member 13 2 to the end face 13 3 a of the other end in the axial direction.
- the drive source 84 and the drive source 84 connected to the fitting projection 133 of the axial end 133 a of the container body 131 on the back of the device body 71 It is possible to secure an area where the drive unit including the reduction gear 85 is provided.
- the developer storage container 130 has two unparalleled effects of effectively utilizing the space in the apparatus main body 71 and increasing the amount of stored developer as much as possible.
- the fitting recess of the joint receiving portion 187 is formed.
- the container main body 131 rotates around the rotation axis L131, as it is.
- the fitting concave portion 190 of the joint receiving portion 187 is not fitted with the fitting convex portion 137 of the developer container 130, the fitting of the joint receiving portion 187 is not performed.
- the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating container 130 is supported by the supporting member 1.
- the supporting member 1 Through the communication hole 1 51 of the discharge section 1 50 and the communication hole 18 1 of the developer supply section 17 4 of the toner hopper 17 2 and the toner hopper 17 2, it is supplied and stored in the stirring space 1 78. You.
- the stirring member 175 and the supply roller 176 extend in the front-back direction E of the apparatus main body 71 at an interval from each other, and are disposed in the stirring space 178.
- the stirring member 175 is rotatable about a stirring axis L175 parallel to the normal direction E, and extends in the direction of the stirring axis L175 to form a flexible ejection member 191.
- the stirring member 1 75 By the driving force from the drive source 84 provided in the main body 71, the main body 71 rotates in a clockwise direction J11 around the stirring axis L175 as viewed from the front of the main body 71.
- the supply roller 176 is rotatable around a supply axis L 176 parallel to the normal direction E, and its outer peripheral surface is made of a porous resin such as a sponge. Further, the supply roller 1 176 is moved in a counterclockwise direction J 1 2 around the stirring axis L 176 when viewed from the front of the apparatus body 71 by a driving force from a driving source 84 provided in the apparatus body 71. Rotate.
- An agitating wall portion 192 having a vertical cross-sectional shape substantially U-shaped and formed in an inner peripheral surface shape of a partial cylinder opened upward is provided.
- the stirring member 175 rotates, the developer supplied from the communication hole 181 and stirred in the stirring space 178 is stirred, and the free end of the ejection member 191 has a stirring wall portion.
- the developer contained in the stirring space 178 is discharged while being in contact with 192, and is supplied to the supply port roller 176. Therefore, the supply roller 176 is supplied with the developer in the form of fine powder in a substantially uniform manner in the direction of the axis L176.
- the developer is supplied to the supply roller 176 as it is opened by the extraction member 191, so that the supply roller 176 is supplied.
- the developer remaining in the stirring space 178 without being given to the developer can be reduced as much as possible.
- the developer supplied to the supply roller 176 is supplied to the developing section 200 in a favorable state by the rotation of the supply roller 176.
- the supply port roller 176 is formed of a sponge on the outer periphery, and its rotation is controlled. Have been. As a result, the supply roller 176 supplies an appropriate amount of toner in a fine powder state to the developing unit 200.
- the control of the container main body 131 of the developer container 130 and the stirring member 175 and the supply roller 176 of the toner hopper 170 will be briefly described below.
- the fact that the amount of the developer (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “toner-J”) contained in the stirring space 1178 of the toner hopper 172 has been reduced indicates that the toner remaining on the stirring wall 1992 has been reduced.
- the control section controls the drive source 84 to rotate the container body 131 of the developer storage container 130 to agitate the toner.
- the control unit stops the rotation of the container main body 131 and displays a message indicating that the developer storage container 130 is to be replaced on a display unit (not shown) to notify the user.
- a considerable amount of developer is stored in the stirring space 1178 of the toner hopper 172. While the developer is being stored in the stirring space 1 78 of the toner hopper 17 2, the user removes the empty developer storage container 130 from the apparatus main body 71 and the developer is removed. Attach the newly stored developer storage container 130 to the main body 71.
- the image forming apparatus 7OA is in the process of forming an image on recording paper, it is necessary for image formation. Since the developer is stored in the stirring space 178 of the toner hopper 172, the developer can be supplied to the apparatus main body 71 without interrupting the image forming operation.
- the developer container 130 is used.
- the user only needs to replace the container, for example, the user holds the support member 132 of the developer storage container 130 and the second container portion 134 to form the fitting projection 1337. It is only necessary to insert the toner container from the first container section 13 3 into the container receiving space 17 7 of the toner hopper 17 2 from the housing front section 9 3 of the apparatus main body 7 1 in the mounting direction E 11 1. It is simple. When detaching the developer container 130 from the apparatus main body 71, the user holds the second container portion 134 of the developer container 130 and removes the developer container 130. It only needs to be pulled out in the direction E 1 2, which is very simple.
- the developer container 1 in order to stir the stored developer to prevent agglomeration, the developer container 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is used although the user swings the large and large toner cartridge 1 up and down and left and right in the past. In the case of 30, the user only has to rotate the container body 13 1 around the rotation axis L 13 1, which is very easy.
- the developer accommodating container 130 of the present embodiment has a very simple structure for stirring the accommodated developer as compared with the conventional toner cartridge 1. In the developer container 130, a seal is achieved between the container body 131 and the support member 132, and the developer container 130 is attached to the apparatus main body 71 in the mounting position.
- the developer storage container 130 is substantially cylindrical, it can be stored in an elongated rectangular parallelepiped packaging box, and can be transported and captured as compared with the toner cartridge 1 of the first prior art. It is extremely easy to do so.
- the developer container 130 does not increase the rotational force for rotating the container body 131 so much, and further reduces the amount of developer discharged per rotation of the container body 131.
- the amount is as constant as possible.
- the developer can be supplied to the stirring space 178 with a constant discharge amount of the developer per unit as much as possible, the torque of the drive source 84 can be reduced, and the drive source 84 is, for example, small. Motor.
- FIG. 54 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an image forming apparatus 70B according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 55 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the toner hopper 172A.
- FIG. 56 is an enlarged plan view showing the vicinity of the toner hopper 172A.
- Figure 54 shows the image shape
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the forming device 7OB as viewed from the front exterior portion 71a side, and the thickness is omitted for easy understanding.
- image forming apparatus 70B is installed on a horizontal plane, and normal direction E, which is a direction from front exterior section 71a to rear exterior section 71b, is parallel to the horizontal plane.
- normal direction E which is a direction from front exterior section 71a to rear exterior section 71b
- the electrophotographic recording type image forming apparatus such as a printer apparatus and a copying apparatus 70 B is composed of the above-described developer container 130 and the image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “apparatus main body”). Including 1.
- the developer accommodating container 130 has a toner hopper 172A provided in the apparatus main body 71 and an openable / closable container opening / closing opening (not shown) provided in the front exterior part 71a of the apparatus main body 71. It is detachably mounted via the camera.
- the image forming apparatus main body 71 has a housing front part 93 provided on the back exterior part 71 b side of the front exterior part 71 a, and penetrates in a thickness direction to insert the developer storage container 130.
- the image forming apparatus main body 71 is provided with a housing back part 94 on the front exterior part 71 a side of the rear exterior part 71 b.
- Various components of the image forming apparatus main body 71 are held by a casing (all not shown) including a casing front part 93 and a casing rear part 94.
- Toner hopper 17 2 A is housing 17 3, developer supply section 17 4, stirring member
- the configuration of the toner hopper 17A is similar to the configuration of the toner hopper 172 of the above-described embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
- FIGS. 57A to 57C schematically show the switching operation of the shutter section 165 and the main body shutter section 197 when the developer accommodating container 130 is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 71. It is a top view.
- the apparatus main body 71 has a supply port for opening and closing a developer supply port 1997 connected through a communication hole 181, which guides the developer to the developing section 200. 198 are provided.
- the main body shutter portion 198 has a shutter 198a which is slidably displaceable in the mounting direction E11 and the detaching direction E12 and supported by the developer supply portion 174.
- the developer accommodating container 130 has a conductive hole 1501 facing the developer supply port 1997. It is mounted on the apparatus main body 71, and at this time, the developer accommodating container 130 is arranged at the mounting position. Further, at this time, the developer storage container 130 is, in more detail, connected to the conductive hole 155 of the developer storage container 130, facing the developer supply port 197 of the device main body 71. The peripheral portion facing the surface 151 and the peripheral portion facing the developer supply port 197 of the device main body 71 are mounted on the device main body 71 in a state where sealing has been achieved.
- the developer supply port of the main body of the main body 71 of the developer storage container 130 is provided. In conjunction with the switching operation of 197 to the open state, the conduction hole 181 is switched to the open state.
- the conduction hole 151 is closed by the shirt part 165 of the developer container 130, and the device body 71 is closed.
- the developer accommodating container 130 is accommodated in the container accommodating space 177 of the apparatus main body 71 in a state where the developer supply port 197 is closed by the main body shutter portion 198.
- the first guide piece 153 of the developer container 130 is fitted into the first guide cover 179 of the apparatus main body 71, and the second guide piece 154 of the developer container 130 is fitted.
- the developer accommodating container 130 is fitted in the second guide recess 180 of the apparatus main body 71, and is slid in the mounting direction E11. Subsequently, as shown in FIG.
- the shutter portion of the developer storage container 130 is moved.
- the shutter 165a of 165 further slides in the detaching direction E12 to open the conduction hole 151.
- the shutter 1980a of the main body shutter section 1980 of the apparatus main body 71 further slides in the mounting direction E11, and the developer supply port 1997 is opened.
- the conduction hole 15 1 faces the developer supply port 19 7 of the device main body 7 1, and the peripheral portion facing the conduction hole 15 1 of the developer storage container 13 0, and the device body 7
- the seal with the peripheral portion facing the developer supply port 1997 of 1 is achieved.
- the apparatus main body 71 has a main body closing part for switching the developer supply port 197 connected to the developing part 200 to the open state and the closed state through the communication hole 181, which leads the developer to the developing part 200. Since the 198 is provided, the developer can be supplied to the image portion 200 by opening the developer supply port 197. Even if the developer flows backward from the developing section 200 to the developer supply port 197 via the communication hole 181, the developer can be developed by closing the developer supply port 197. Leakage of the developer flowing backward from the developer supply port 197 can be reliably prevented.
- the discharge portion 150 of the support member 132 of the developer container 130 is provided with a shutter portion 165 for switching the conduction hole 155 between an open state and a closed state.
- the developer stored in the developer container 1 3 0 is guided to the outside from the conduction hole 1 5 1. be able to. Also, by closing the conduction hole 151, even if the container body 131 is accidentally rotated around the axis L131, the developer stored in the developer storage container 130 is opened. It can be reliably prevented from being guided to the outside from 15 1.
- the developer storage container 130 is mounted on the apparatus main body 71 with the conduction hole 155 facing the developer supply port 197, so that the developer supply port 197 and the conduction hole 1 5 1
- the developer container 130 is mounted on the apparatus main body 71, and the container main body 131 is rotated around the axis L133, whereby the developer container 130 is opened.
- the shutter portion 165 of the developer container 130 is supplied with the developer by the main body shutter portion 198 of the main body 71. Since the conduction hole 155 is switched to the open state in conjunction with the switching operation of the opening 197 to the open state, the developer is supplied before the developer container 130 is mounted on the main body 71 of the apparatus. It is not necessary to keep the opening 1997 and the conducting hole 1515 open. As a result, for example, before mounting the developer storage container 130 on the apparatus main body 71, the conduction hole 155 is opened in advance, and the developer storage container 130 is erroneously opened. When the main body 13 1 is rotated around the axis L 13 1, the developer is undesirably stored in the developer storage container 130.
- the developer container 130 has a peripheral portion in which the conduction hole 15 1 faces the developer supply port 19 7 of the apparatus main body 71 and faces the conduction hole 15 1 of the developer storage container 130.
- the device main body 71 is mounted on the device main body 71 in a state where the peripheral portion facing the developer supply port 197 achieves a seal.
- the container main body 13 1 is rotated around the axis L 13 1 while the developer storage container 130 is mounted on the apparatus main body 71, and is stored in the developer storage container 130.
- the developer is supplied to the developing section 200 of the apparatus main body 71 through the conduction hole 15 1 and the communication hole 18 1, the leakage of the developer to an undesired place is surely prevented. be able to.
- the two-component development was used, but the invention is applicable to only one developing system. It is possible.
- the support member supports the container body at the axially intermediate portion of the container body, so that the container body rotating around the axis can be stabilized even when a driving force for rotating the container body is applied to the container body.
- the support member is provided with a conduction hole for guiding the developer discharged from the discharge hole of the container body to the outside. As a result, the developer that is conveyed toward the discharge hole by the rotation of the container body and discharged from the discharge hole is guided to the outside through the conduction hole. Can be.
- the discharge hole also rotates with the rotation of the container, and discharges from such a rotating discharge hole.
- the developer contained in the container body is guided to the outside from the conduction hole of the support member that does not rotate with the container body, so that the developer from between the non-displaced conduction hole and the image forming apparatus is developed. It is possible to easily prevent leakage of the agent as much as possible. Further, by simply rotating the container body, the developer contained in the container body can be simultaneously transported and discharged to the outside.
- the container main body since the discharge hole of the container main body is provided at a substantially intermediate portion in the axial direction, the container main body is housed at one axial end of the container main body conveyed toward the discharge hole by rotating the container main body.
- the developer and the developer stored at the other axial end of the container body collide with each other near the discharge hole in the container body.
- the conveyed developer is pressed against the inner wall perpendicular to the axis of the one end in the axial direction of the container and aggregates. There is.
- the developer accommodated in the container body from one side in the axial direction, When the developer from the side collides with each other, S can be stirred. As a result, even if the developer stored in the container body is agglomerated, the developer can be stirred and turned into powder by rotating the container body.
- the container main body is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, a second container portion formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and formed in a cylindrical shape, and provided with a discharge hole. And a connecting member.
- One end in the axial direction of the connecting member is detachably connected to the opening end of the first container.
- the other end in the axial direction of the connecting member is detachably connected to the opening end of the second container.
- the inner peripheral portion of the first container portion protrudes inward in the radial direction and extends spirally in one direction around the axis from the bottom toward the opening.
- One projection is provided. This rotates the container body around the axis, so that the developer stored in the first container portion at one axial end of the container body is conveyed toward the discharge hole of the connecting member by the first projection piece. Can be easily realized. Also the
- a second protrusion that projects inward in the radial direction and that extends spirally from the bottom toward the opening in a direction opposite to the one direction about the axis centered on the axis. A part is provided. This rotates the container body around the axis, so that the developer stored in the second container portion at the other axial end of the container body is discharged by the second projecting piece into the discharge hole of the connecting member. Can be easily realized. In this way, at the intermediate portion in the axial direction near the discharge hole in the container body, the developer accommodated in the container body from one side in the axial direction and the developer from the other side in the axial direction collide with each other. Stirring can be easily realized.
- the discharge hole and the conduction hole also extend over the entire circumferential direction between the container body and the support member at one axial end and the other axial end of the container main body. Since the sealing means is provided, it is possible to prevent the developer from leaking from between the container body and the support member.
- a holding portion for holding the developer between the outer peripheral portion of the container main body and the inner peripheral portion of the support member is provided on the discharge hole of the container main body on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the container main body. It is.
- the holding portion on the upstream side in the rotation direction with respect to the discharge hole of the container body is arranged at a position facing the conduction hole, and the developing agent held by the holding portion passes through the conduction hole. And can be discharged from the conduction hole.
- the container body when the container body is arranged so that its axis is parallel to the horizontal plane and the conduction hole of the support member is arranged near the center in the vertical direction, even if the amount of developer stored in the container body is reduced. Further, the developer remaining below the connecting member of the container body is also held by the holding portion and transported to the conduction hole. As a result, the amount of developer remaining without being conveyed to the conduction hole is reduced, and As far as possible, all the developer can be guided to the outside through the conductive holes.
- the container main body rotatably supported around the axis by the support member when the container main body rotatably supported around the axis by the support member is rotated around the axis, the stored developer is moved toward the discharge hole provided in the outer peripheral portion of the container main body. Conveyed.
- the support member supports the container main body, even if a driving force for rotating the container main body is applied to the container main body, the container main body rotating around the axis can be stably supported.
- the outer periphery of the container body is provided with a concave portion that is depressed inward in the radial direction, the supporting member supports at least the portion including the concave portion of the container body so as to be rotatable around the axis.
- a space facing the concave portion and the discharge hole of the container body and the inner peripheral portion of the support member is formed.
- the developer conveyed toward the discharge hole by the rotation of the container body and discharged from the discharge hole is discharged to the holding space.
- the support member is provided with a conduction hole for guiding the developer discharged from the discharge hole of the container body to the outside. Since the volume of the space does not change, the amount of the developer discharged from the discharge hole to the holding space and held therein can also change depending on the amount of the developer stored in the container body. Can be prevented as much as possible.
- the container body rotates, the developer is discharged from the discharge hole into the holding space, and the amount of the developer based on the volume of the holding space is held in the holding space. Since the developer held in the holding space is guided to the outside by the conduction hole, the amount of the developer discharged to the outside every time the container body makes one rotation is made as constant as possible. it can.
- the discharge hole also rotates with the rotation of the container, and discharges from such a rotating discharge hole. In order to prevent the developer from leaking to an undesired portion, it is necessary to provide a sealing means between the rotating container and the image forming apparatus.
- the developing agent accommodated in the container main body is guided to the outside from the conduction hole of the support member that does not rotate with the container main body. It is possible to easily prevent leakage of the developer as much as possible. Further, by simply rotating the container body, the developer contained in the container body can be simultaneously transported and discharged to the outside.
- the amount of the developer stored in the container Although it depends on the amount of developer discharged to the outside of the container when it is rotated, the developer discharged from the discharge hole is held in the holding space where the volume does not change, so that the developer is stored in the container. The amount of the developer discharged to the outside each time the container body makes one rotation can be made as constant as possible without depending on the amount of the developer.
- the discharge hole is formed on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the concave portion, the developer in the container main body is rotated from the discharge hole to the holding space by rotating the container body in the rotation direction. Can be easily discharged.
- the concave portion is formed to extend in the rotational direction, and is formed to have a smaller dimension in the axial direction than the dimension in the rotational direction. Therefore, the holding space also extends in the rotational direction and is smaller than the dimension in the rotational direction. Since the size in the axial direction is formed to be small, it is possible to prevent the developer held in the holding space from returning to the inside of the container body through the discharge hole as much as possible. Further, since the holding space is formed to extend in the rotation direction as described above, it is possible to hold a desired amount of the developer in the holding space by appropriately setting the size of the recess in the rotation direction. .
- the recess has an end wall at the end on the downstream side in the rotation direction, which crosses the rotation direction, and the discharge hole is formed in a part of the end wall.
- the discharge hole is formed in a part of the end wall.
- the discharge hole is formed in a part of the end wall portion, in other words, since the opening area of the discharge hole is formed smaller than the area of the end wall portion, the developer is formed in the discharge hole in the holding space. In the vicinity, it is discharged into the holding space as it diffuses. As a result, the developer discharged into the holding space can be made into powder, and the aggregation of the developer due to the rotation of the container body as described above can be prevented as much as possible. Thereby, the powdery developer can be guided to the outside through the conduction hole.
- the inner peripheral portion of the support member is discharged from the discharge hole of the container body.
- Means for guiding the developer to the conduction hole is provided.
- the deriving means is formed in a sheet shape having flexibility and resilience, is provided at a portion facing the conduction hole of the support member at the base end, and is provided on the upstream side in the rotation direction.
- the free end can elastically contact the outer peripheral surface of the concave portion of the container body. While the container body is rotating, it is held in the holding space on the downstream side in the rotation direction by the free end of the lead-out means extending to the upstream side in the rotation direction and abutting against the outer peripheral surface of the concave portion of the container body.
- the developer is removed from the outer peripheral surface of the concave portion in such a manner as to be sequentially removed from the developing agent, guided to the base end portion, and further guided to the conduction hole. In this way, the developer discharged from the discharge hole of the container body and held in the holding space can be surely guided to the conduction hole by the lead-out means.
- the free end of the deriving means contacts the outer peripheral surface of the recess at an angle exceeding 190 degrees. Accordingly, in a state where the container body is rotating, the deriving means prevents the free end from being radially moved in the rotation direction downstream from the outer peripheral surface of the concave portion due to the frictional force received from the outer peripheral surface of the concave portion. The free end can be stably brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the concave portion. As a result, the developer discharged from the discharge hole of the container body and held in the holding space can be surely guided to the conduction hole by the lead-out means.
- the sealing means closes the discharge hole when the container body is in the initial state with respect to the support member, and opens the discharge hole by rotating the container body from the initial state. .
- This makes it possible to easily prevent the developer from being undesirably discharged from the container body in the initial state, and to easily rotate the container body without the user directly removing the sealing means. By opening the discharge hole, the developer in the container body can be discharged.
- the container main body is conveyed toward the discharge hole by the rotation of the container main body.
- Stored developer and stored at the other axial end of container body The discharged developer collides with each other near the discharge hole in the container body.
- the conveyed developer is pressed against the inner wall perpendicular to the axis of the one end in the axial direction of the container and aggregates. is there.
- the developer is accommodated in the container main body from one side in the axial direction near the discharge hole in the container main body, that is, at the substantially axially intermediate portion where there is no wall surface perpendicular to the axis as in the conventional case,
- the developer can be agitated by colliding with the developer from the other side.
- the developer can be stirred and turned into powder by rotating the container main body.
- the container main body is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, a second container portion formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and provided with a discharge hole. 3rd container part.
- One end in the axial direction of the third container is connected to the open end of the first container, and the other end in the axial direction is connected to the open end of the second container to be integrally formed.
- a concave portion discharge hole is provided at the intermediate portion in the axial direction, and a cylindrical container body having both ends in the axial direction closed can be realized.
- the container body including the first container portion, the second container portion, and the third container portion can be easily manufactured by integrally molding the container body by, for example, blow molding. This makes it possible to reduce the number of components of the developer container.
- the inner peripheral portion of the first container portion protrudes inward in the radial direction and extends spirally in one direction around the axis from the bottom toward the opening.
- One projection is provided. This rotates the container body around the axis, so that the developer stored in the first container portion at one axial end of the container body is directed to the discharge hole of the third container portion by the first projection piece. Can be easily realized.
- the inner peripheral portion of the second container portion protrudes inward in the radial direction, and extends spirally from the bottom toward the opening in a direction opposite to the one direction with the axis as the center. A projection is provided.
- the entire circumference in the circumferential direction is provided between the container body and the support member at one end in the axial direction and at the other end in the axial direction of the container main body with respect to the concave portion and the discharge hole of the container main body and the conduction hole of the support member. Since the sealing means is provided to extend over, the developer can be prevented from leaking from between the container body and the support member.
- the inner diameter of the third container portion of the container body is formed larger than the inner diameter of the remaining portion. Even if the developer in powder form is placed on a horizontal surface, for example, as a sharp mountain, it has the property of quickly becoming a gentle mountain. For example, if the inside diameter of the third container part of the container body is smaller than the inside diameter of the remaining part, the developer transported toward the discharge hole by the rotation of the container body will stop when the rotation of the container body stops. However, it comes away from the third container part. In such a case, when the amount of the developer stored in the container main body becomes very small, a sufficient amount of the developer may be conveyed toward the discharge hole immediately after the rotation of the container main body resumes. It will be difficult.
- the developer once conveyed to the third container portion is separated from the third container portion. Can be prevented as much as possible.
- a sufficient amount of the developer is conveyed toward the discharge hole immediately after the rotation of the container main body is resumed. Is possible as much as possible. Further, it becomes possible to discharge all the developer stored in the container body to the outside as much as possible.
- the recesses are formed in the inner peripheral portion of the recess and the support member where the discharge hole of the container body is formed. Even if the developer leaks from the holding space to the upstream side in the rotation direction, even if the developer leaks to the upstream side in the rotation direction at an interval in the circumferential direction of the recess, the developer faces the inner periphery of the support member. The leaked developer can be held by the holding space. As a result, the amount of the developer discharged to the outside per one rotation of the container body can be made as constant as possible.
- the container is supported by the support member so as to be rotatable around the axis.
- the container main body is rotated around the axis, the stored developer is conveyed toward a discharge hole provided in the outer peripheral portion of the container main body.
- the support member is formed with a conduction hole for guiding the developer discharged from the discharge hole of the container body to the outside.
- the discharge hole also rotates with the rotation of the container, and the discharge hole rotates from such a rotating discharge hole.
- the discharge hole rotates from such a rotating discharge hole.
- the developer contained in the container body is guided to the outside from the conduction hole of the support member that does not rotate with the container body, the developer from between the non-displaced conduction hole and the image forming apparatus is developed. It is possible to easily prevent leakage of the agent as much as possible.
- the conductive hole is arranged above the axis of the container body when mounted on the image forming apparatus.
- the amount of the developer guided to the outside from the conductive hole is determined by the weight of the developer layer, in other words, Depends on the amount of developer stored, the greater the amount of developer stored, the greater the amount of developer guided to the outside, and the lower the amount of developer stored, The amount of developer guided to the outside is also reduced.
- the supply amount of the developer to the image forming apparatus main body is stored by arranging the conduction hole above the axis of the container main body in a state of being mounted on the image forming apparatus as in the present invention.
- the developer can be supplied to the main body of the image forming apparatus while keeping the amount as constant as possible regardless of the amount of the developer.
- an angle formed by a virtual straight line connecting the axis of the container body to the center of the conduction hole with respect to a horizontal plane in a state where the container is mounted on the image forming apparatus is not less than 30 degrees and not more than 70 degrees.
- the angle formed by the virtual straight line connecting the axis of the container body to the center of the through hole with respect to the horizontal plane is less than 30 degrees when mounted on the image forming apparatus, the developer is stored in the developer container.
- the angle exceeds 70 degrees, the amount of discharged toner may decrease when the amount of the developer in the developer container decreases. Therefore, when mounted on the image forming apparatus, the angle formed by a virtual straight line connecting the axis of the container body to the center of the conduction hole with respect to the horizontal plane is as follows:
- the amount of developer supplied to the image forming apparatus main body is made as constant as possible irrespective of the amount of stored developer, thereby forming an image of the developer. It can be supplied to the device body.
- the image forming apparatus main body is provided with a supply port opening / closing means for switching the developer supply port connected through a passage for guiding the developer to the developing unit between an open state and a closed state.
- a supply port opening / closing means for switching the developer supply port connected through a passage for guiding the developer to the developing unit between an open state and a closed state.
- the developing agent By opening the conduction hole and rotating the container body about the axis, the developing agent is moved from the conduction hole to the developing agent.
- the developer stored in the storage container can be guided to the outside. Also, by closing the conduction hole, even if the container main body is accidentally rotated around the axis, it is possible to reliably prevent the developer stored in the developer storage container from being guided outside through the conduction hole. it can. Further, since the developer storage container is mounted on the image forming apparatus with the conductive hole facing the developer supply port, the developer supply port and the conductive hole are opened to form the developer storage container. By mounting on the apparatus and rotating the container body about the axis, the developer stored in the developer storage container can be supplied to the developing section of the image forming apparatus via the conduction hole and the passage.
- the conduction hole opening / closing means is connected to the operation of switching the developer supply port to the open state by the supply port opening / closing means. Since the developer is switched to the open state, it is not necessary to open the developer supply port and the conduction hole in advance before mounting the developer storage container in the image forming apparatus. Thus, for example, before mounting the developer storage container in the image forming apparatus, the conduction hole is opened in advance, and the container main body of the developer storage container is accidentally rotated around the axis. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably prevent the developer stored in the developer storage container from being undesirably guided to the outside through the conduction hole.
- the conduction hole faces the developer supply port of the image forming apparatus, and a peripheral portion facing the conduction hole of the developer storage container and a peripheral portion facing the developer supply port of the image formation device. With the seal achieved, it is mounted on the image forming apparatus. With this, in a state where the developer storage container is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the container main body is rotated around the axis, and the developer stored in the developer storage container is formed into an image through the conduction hole and the passage. When the developer is supplied to the developing section of the apparatus, it is possible to reliably prevent the developer from leaking to an undesired place.
- the support member can be divided into a plurality in the circumferential direction.
- the support member is divided in advance, and the divided support member is divided into a portion including the discharge hole of the container body or a portion including the concave portion and the discharge hole of the container body.
- the support member since the support member includes the support base having at least three or more contact parts on a virtual plane parallel to the axis, the support member sets the contact part of the support base in a horizontal plane. The contact allows the container body to be stably supported with its axis parallel to the horizontal plane.
- a connecting portion detachably connected to a driving source provided in the image forming apparatus is formed at one axial end of the container body.
- the support member is disposed substantially at the center of the container body in the axial direction, the support member is attached to the image forming apparatus main body such that the conduction hole of the support member communicates with the developer supply port.
- the support member is disposed at the center of the front rear surface of the image forming apparatus main body.
- the container body can be extended from the front central portion of the main body of the image forming apparatus to the front portion, and can also be extended from the central portion of the front rear surface to the rear surface.
- the length from the support member of the container body to the end face at one end in the axial direction is the length dimension from the support member to the end face at the other end in the axial direction.
- the image forming apparatus can be detachably mounted with the developer accommodating container that achieves the above-described effects.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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EP04719118A EP1610189A4 (en) | 2003-03-10 | 2004-03-10 | RECEIVER RECEPTION TANK AND IMAGE FORMING DEVICE |
US10/548,445 US7522866B2 (en) | 2003-03-10 | 2004-03-10 | Developer container and image forming apparatus |
Applications Claiming Priority (6)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2003-063887 | 2003-03-10 | ||
JP2003063887A JP4180406B2 (ja) | 2003-03-10 | 2003-03-10 | 現像剤収納容器 |
JP2003108198A JP4180425B2 (ja) | 2003-04-11 | 2003-04-11 | 現像剤収納容器および画像形成装置 |
JP2003-108198 | 2003-04-11 | ||
JP2003118983A JP4180431B2 (ja) | 2003-04-23 | 2003-04-23 | 現像剤収納容器および画像形成装置 |
JP2003-118983 | 2003-04-23 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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WO2004081673A1 true WO2004081673A1 (ja) | 2004-09-23 |
Family
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Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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PCT/JP2004/003131 WO2004081673A1 (ja) | 2003-03-10 | 2004-03-10 | 現像剤収納容器および画像形成装置 |
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US (1) | US7522866B2 (ja) |
EP (1) | EP1610189A4 (ja) |
WO (1) | WO2004081673A1 (ja) |
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US7024135B2 (en) | 2003-10-17 | 2006-04-04 | Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha | Developer container and image forming apparatus |
US7295798B2 (en) | 2004-07-07 | 2007-11-13 | Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha | Developer supply device and image forming apparatus including the same |
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JP4640972B2 (ja) | 2005-09-12 | 2011-03-02 | シャープ株式会社 | 画像形成装置、トナー残量検出プログラム、及び記録媒体 |
JP4376852B2 (ja) * | 2005-10-07 | 2009-12-02 | シャープ株式会社 | 現像剤補給装置 |
JP4376851B2 (ja) * | 2005-10-07 | 2009-12-02 | シャープ株式会社 | 現像剤補給装置 |
JP4376853B2 (ja) * | 2005-10-07 | 2009-12-02 | シャープ株式会社 | 現像剤補給装置 |
JP4679360B2 (ja) * | 2005-12-22 | 2011-04-27 | シャープ株式会社 | トナー補給装置およびこれを用いた現像装置 |
JP4641937B2 (ja) * | 2005-12-27 | 2011-03-02 | シャープ株式会社 | トナー補給装置を備えた画像形成装置 |
JP4580993B2 (ja) * | 2008-01-11 | 2010-11-17 | シャープ株式会社 | 流動体収容装置および画像形成装置 |
JP4593655B2 (ja) * | 2008-06-27 | 2010-12-08 | シャープ株式会社 | トナーカートリッジおよびこれを用いたプロセスユニットと画像形成装置 |
US7958796B2 (en) * | 2008-11-12 | 2011-06-14 | Hiwin Technologies Corp. | Screw-driven fan device |
JP4868033B2 (ja) | 2009-06-30 | 2012-02-01 | ブラザー工業株式会社 | 現像剤カートリッジおよび現像装置 |
JP5029659B2 (ja) * | 2009-06-30 | 2012-09-19 | ブラザー工業株式会社 | 現像装置および現像剤カートリッジ |
JP5158142B2 (ja) * | 2010-07-01 | 2013-03-06 | コニカミノルタビジネステクノロジーズ株式会社 | 画像形成装置および現像装置 |
JP6025631B2 (ja) | 2013-03-22 | 2016-11-16 | キヤノン株式会社 | 現像剤補給容器 |
JP6108959B2 (ja) * | 2013-05-27 | 2017-04-05 | キヤノン株式会社 | 現像剤容器、現像装置、現像剤補給カートリッジ、プロセスカートリッジ、画像形成装置 |
JP6774166B2 (ja) * | 2015-03-18 | 2020-10-21 | 富士ゼロックス株式会社 | 現像剤の収容容器 |
JP7003523B2 (ja) * | 2017-09-21 | 2022-01-20 | 京セラドキュメントソリューションズ株式会社 | 画像形成装置 |
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US7295798B2 (en) | 2004-07-07 | 2007-11-13 | Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha | Developer supply device and image forming apparatus including the same |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP1610189A4 (en) | 2010-03-10 |
US7522866B2 (en) | 2009-04-21 |
EP1610189A1 (en) | 2005-12-28 |
US20060133856A1 (en) | 2006-06-22 |
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