WO2023018441A1

WO2023018441A1 - Structure to drive toner conveying member and toner refill cartridge with one driving motor

Info

Publication number: WO2023018441A1
Application number: PCT/US2021/072956
Authority: WO
Inventors: Woongyong CHOI; Jiwon MOON; Yongkwan Cho
Original assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Priority date: 2021-08-12
Filing date: 2021-12-16
Publication date: 2023-02-16
Also published as: KR20230024746A

Abstract

In some examples, an image forming apparatus includes: a toner container to contain toner supplied from a toner refill cartridge through a mounting portion; a toner carrying member installed in the toner container to carry toner; a drive motor; and a power transmission member switchable between a power blocking position that blocks a rotational force of the drive motor from being transmitted to the toner carrying member, and a power connection position that transmits a rotational force of the drive motor to the toner carrying member, the power transmission member being switchable between the power blocking position and the power blocking position in association with mounting and removing the toner refill cartridge on and from the mounting portion.

Description

STRUCTURE TO DRIVE TONER CONVEYING MEMBER AND TONER REFILL

CARTRIDGE WITH ONE DRIVING MOTOR

BACKGROUND

[0001] An image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method is a printer that supplies toner to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor to form a visible toner image on the photoconductor, transfers the toner image to a print medium via an intermediate transfer medium or directly to a print medium, and then fixes the transferred toner image on the print medium.

[0002] A developing unit contains toner and supplies the toner to an electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor to form a visible toner image. When the toner contained in the developing unit is exhausted, the developing unit is removed from a main body of the image forming apparatus, and a new developing unit may be mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus. Alternatively, new toner may be refilled in the developing unit by using a toner refill kit (toner refill cartridge).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of an image forming apparatus.

[0004] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an example of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

[0005] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an example of a power transmission member.

[0006] FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a state in which, in an example of the power transmission member shown in FIG. 3, the power transmission member is switched to a power blocking position and a power connection position.

[0007] FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views of an example of a power transmission member, wherein FIG. 5 shows a state in which the power transmission member is located at a power connection position, and FIG. 6 shows a state in which the power transmission member is located at a power blocking position.

[0008] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an example of a power transmission member.

[0009] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an example of a toner refill cartridge. [0010] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of an example of a connecting member.

[0011] FIGS. 10 and 11 are front views illustrating an operation of a discharge shutter, wherein FIG. 10 shows a state in which the discharge shutter is located in a closed position, and FIG. 11 shows a state in which the discharge shutter is located in an open position.

[0012] FIGS. 12 and 13 are plan views illustrating operations of a discharge shutter and an inlet shutter, wherein FIG. 12 shows a state in which the discharge shutter and the inlet shutter are located at a closed position and a toner blocking position, respectively, and FIG. 13 shows a state in which the discharge shutter and the inlet shutter are located at an open position and a toner inlet position, respectively.

[0013] FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of an example of a power transmission member.

[0014] FIGS. 15 and 16 are views illustrating an operation of a one-way power transmitting portion, respectively showing states in which a drive motor rotates in forward and reverse directions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] In order to fill a developing unit with toner, a toner refill cartridge may be mounted on a mounting portion provided in an image forming apparatus. The toner refill cartridge is provided with a discharge shutter that opens and closes a toner outlet. An inlet shutter for opening and closing a toner inlet is provided at the mounting portion. When the toner refill cartridge is mounted in the mounting portion, the discharge shutter and the inlet shutter engage with each other. The discharge shutter receives a driving force from a main body of the image forming apparatus to open and close the toner outlet. The inlet shutter opens and closes the toner inlet together with the discharge shutter. Toner flows from the toner refill cartridge into a toner container of the developing unit through the toner outlet and the toner inlet. The toner container is provided with a toner carrying member for carrying toner. The toner carrying member may carry toner flowing from the toner refill cartridge into the toner container, and may carry the toner in the toner container to a developing portion. When toner filling in the toner container is completed, the toner outlet and the toner inlet are closed by the discharge shutter and the inlet shutter, and the toner refill cartridge is removed from the mounting portion. In this series of toner filling processes, the discharge shutter and the inlet shutter rotate in a forward direction and in a reverse direction, and the toner carrying member rotates in one direction. When a drive motor for actuating shutters (discharge shutters and inlet shutters) and a drive motor for driving the toner carrying member are separately provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus, the material cost of the image forming apparatus may be increased, and the size of the image forming apparatus may be increased.

[0016] In the image forming apparatus of the present examples, a structure is employed in which the shutters and the toner carrying member are driven by one drive motor. For example, the image forming apparatus may include a power transmission member that is switched between a power blocking position that blocks a rotational force of a drive motor from being transmitted to a toner carrying member, and a power connection position that transmits a rotational force of the drive motor to the toner carrying member. The power transmission member is switched between the power blocking position and the power connection position due to mounting a toner refill cartridge on the mounting portion and removing the toner refill cartridge from the mounting portion. In a state in which the toner refill cartridge is not mounted on the mounting portion, the rotational force of the drive motor may be transmitted to the toner carrying member by the power transmission member located at the power connection position. When the toner refill cartridge is mounted on the mounting portion, the power transmission member is converted to the power blocking position, and the rotational force of the drive motor transmitted is blocked from the toner carrying member. The rotational force of the drive motor is transmitted to the toner refill cartridge through a cartridge drive member, and the shutters and a stirring member inside the toner refill cartridge may be driven by the drive motor.

[0017] In some examples, the image forming apparatus may include a one-way power transmitting portion that transmits a rotational force in the forward direction of the drive motor to the toner carrying member. When the toner refill cartridge is mounted on the mounting portion, the toner refill cartridge and the cartridge drive member are connected to each other. When the drive motor rotates in the forward direction, a toner outlet and a toner inlet are opened by shutters connected to the cartridge drive member, and as the stirring member is rotated, toner is supplied from the toner refill cartridge to a toner container. At this time, the rotational force of the drive motor in the forward direction is transmitted to the toner carrying member by the one-way power transmitting portion, and the toner carrying member may supply toner into the toner container and from the toner container to a developing portion. When toner filling is completed, the drive motor rotates in the reverse direction, and the toner outlet and the toner inlet are closed by the shutters connected to the cartridge drive member. At this time, the rotational force of the drive motor in the reverse direction is blocked by the one-way power transmitting portion, and the toner carrying member is not rotated. When the toner refill cartridge is not mounted on the mounting portion, the drive motor rotates in the forward direction, and the rotational force of the drive motor may be transmitted to the toner carrying member by the oneway power transmitting portion. Accordingly, toner may be supplied from the toner container to the developing portion, and an image forming operation may be performed.

[0018] In some examples, the toner container may be provided in the developing unit. In further examples, the toner container may be a separate component from the developing unit, and in this case, the toner container may be connected to a developing portion of the developing unit. Hereinafter, examples of the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. Members having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions will not be given herein.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an example of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an example of the image forming apparatus may include a mounting portion 10 onto which a toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted, a toner container 230 for containing toner supplied from the toner refill cartridge 9 through the mounting portion 10, and a toner carrying member 231 installed in the toner container 230 to carry toner. The toner carrying member 231 is driven by a drive motor 500. A power transmission member 700 may be between the toner carrying member 231 and the drive motor 500. The power transmission member 700 may be switched to a power blocking position for blocking a rotational force of the drive motor 500 transmitted to the toner carrying member 231 , and a power connection position for transmitting a rotational force of the drive motor 500 to the toner carrying member 231 in association with mounting or removing the toner refill cartridge 9 onto or from the mounting portion 10. [0020] The mounting portion 10 provides an interface between the toner refill cartridge 9 and the toner container 230, which will be described further below, in order to refill the toner container 230 with toner. The mounting portion 10 is provided with an inlet shutter 11 (of FIG. 12) for selectively allowing the inflow of toner from the toner refill cartridge 9. A main body 1 of the image forming apparatus is provided with a communicating portion 8 so that the toner refill cartridge 9 may be mounted on the mounting portion 10 from the outside of the main body 1. For example, the communicating portion 8 may be provided on an upper surface of the main body 1. The mounting portion 10 is below the communicating portion 8. The toner refill cartridge 9 may be inserted into the communicating portion 8 from the upper side of the main body 1 and mounted on the mounting portion 10.

[0021] A cartridge drive member 600 may be rotated by the drive motor 500. When the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted on the mounting portion 10, the rotational force of the drive motor 500 may be transmitted to the toner refill cartridge 9 through the cartridge drive member 600. The toner refill cartridge 9 is provided with a discharge shutter 95 (of FIG. 8) that selectively allows toner to be discharged. The toner refill cartridge 9 may be provided with a stirring member 96 (of FIG. 8) that helps to discharge toner. The discharge shutter 95 and the stirring member 96 may be driven in connection with the cartridge drive member 600. When the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted on the mounting portion 10, the discharge shutter 95 and the inlet shutter 11 may be connected to each other and operated together. When the drive motor 500 is rotated, for example, in the forward direction, the discharge shutter 95 and the inlet shutter 11 are switched by the cartridge drive member 600 to a state allowing the discharge and inflow of toner, respectively, and toner contained in the toner refill cartridge 9 may be supplied to the toner container 230 through the mounting portion 10. The stirring member 96 stirs toner inside the toner refill cartridge 9 so that the toner is easily discharged. When the toner filling is completed, the drive motor 500 is rotated, for example, in the reverse direction, the discharge shutter 95 and the inlet shutter 11 are switched to a state that blocks the discharge and inflow of toner, respectively. Next, the toner refill cartridge 9 is removed from the mounting portion 10. Operations of the discharge shutter 95 and the inlet shutter 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 13.

[0022] The toner container 230 may be provided in a developing unit 2. The developing unit 2 may include the toner container 230 and a developing portion 210 (FIG. 2) that supplies toner supplied from the toner container 230 to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor to form a visible toner image on the photoconductor. The toner container 230 may be an independent (separate) member from the developing unit 2, and the toner container 230 may be connected to the developing unit 2 to supply toner to the developing portion 210. The toner carrying member 231 may carry toner supplied from the toner refill cartridge 9 into the toner container 230. The toner carrying member 231 may carry the toner in the toner container 230 to the developing portion 210. The toner carrying member 231 may include a shaft 231a and a conveying blade 231 w extending radially from the shaft 231a. The conveying blade 231 w is arranged in a longitudinal direction of the shaft 231a, and may include a plurality of conveying blades having different lengths in the radial direction. For example, a radial length of a plurality of conveying blades may decrease from the central portion of the shaft 231a in the longitudinal direction to both ends of the shaft 231 a.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 2, the developing unit 2 of the present example may include the developing portion 210 provided with a photosensitive drum 21 and a developing roller 22, a waste toner container 220 in which waste toner removed from the photosensitive drum 21 is contained, and the toner container 230 connected to the developing portion 210 and containing toner. The mounting portion 10 may be integrally formed with the developing unit 2 to provide an interface between the toner refill cartridge 9 and the developing unit 2. The waste toner removed from the photosensitive drum 21 by a cleaning member 26 is contained in the waste toner container 220. The waste toner is transferred into the waste toner container 220 by one or more waste toner transfer members 221 , 222, and 223. The toner container 230 is connected to the mounting portion 10 to contain toner. The toner container 230 is connected to the developing portion 210 by a toner supply 234 as shown by dashed lines in FIG. 2. The toner supply 234 is located outside an effective scanning width of light L so as not to interfere with the light L scanned in a main scanning direction by an optical scanner 4. The toner carrying member 231 for supplying toner to the developing portion 210 through the toner supply 234 is installed in the toner container 230. One or more relay members 232 and 233 may be installed between the toner carrying member 231 and the developing portion 210. The relay member 233 may carry toner in the main scanning direction and conveys the toner to the toner supply 234. The toner carrying member 231 may be driven by the drive motor 500, and the relay members 232 and 233 may be connected to the toner carrying member 231 and driven by, for example, a gear.

[0024] The photosensitive drum 21 is an example of a photoconductor in which an electrostatic latent image is formed. A charging roller 23 is an example of a charger that charges a surface of the photosensitive drum 21 to a uniform electric potential. A charging bias voltage is applied to the charging roller 23. The optical scanner 4 may scan the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 charged to a uniform electric potential with light modulated according to image information. As an example, the optical scanner 4 may include a laser scanning unit (LSU) in which light irradiated from a laser diode is deflected in a main scanning direction by using a polygon mirror to scan the photosensitive drum 21 . The developing roller 22 may supply toner to an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 to develop the electrostatic latent image. A supply roller 24 may attach toner to the developing roller 22. A supply bias voltage may be applied to the supply roller 24 to adhere toner to the developing roller 22. When a developing bias voltage is applied to the developing roller 22, toner moves and adheres to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 through a developing nip. A regulating member 25 regulates the amount of toner adhered to a surface of the developing roller 22. The cleaning member 26 removes residual toner and foreign matter from the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 before charging.

[0025] A transfer roller 5 is an example of a transfer unit that is located opposite the photosensitive drum 21 to form a transfer nip. A transfer bias voltage for transferring a toner image developed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 to a print medium P may be applied to a transfer roller 5. The print medium P drawn out from a loading unit 7 by a pickup roller 71 may be transferred by a feed roller 72 to a transfer nip where the transfer roller 5 and the photosensitive drum 21 face each other. The toner image transferred to a surface of the print medium P by the transfer roller 5 is maintained on the surface of the print medium P by electrostatic attraction. A fuser 6 forms a permanent print image on the print medium P by applying heat and pressure to the toner image and fixing the toner image on the print medium P. The print medium P on which printing is completed is discharged to the outside of the main body 1 by a discharge roller 73.

[0026] In order to reduce the number of parts and material cost of the image forming apparatus, the toner carrying member 231 may be driven by the drive motor 500. The toner carrying member 231 is rotated in one direction, for example, in a direction carrying toner to the developing portion 210. Additionally, the drive motor 500 can also rotate the discharge shutter 95 of the toner refill cartridge 9 and the inlet shutter 11 of the mounting portion 10 in a forward direction or a reverse direction to perform an opening operation or a closing operation. In this regard, the power transmission member 700 is between the drive motor 500 and the toner carrying member 231. The power transmission member 700 is switched to a power blocking position or a power connection position in association with mounting or removing the toner refill cartridge 9 onto or from the mounting portion 10. With such a configuration, in a toner refilling process, the drive motor 500 may drive the toner refill cartridge 9 while rotating in a forward or reverse direction. When toner refilling is not performed, that is, when the toner refill cartridge 9 is removed from the mounting portion 10, the drive motor 500 may be rotated in any one of a forward direction and a reverse direction to drive the toner carrying member 231 .

[0027] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an example of the power transmission member 700. FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a state in which, in an example of the power transmission member 700 shown in FIG. 3, the power transmission member 700 is switched between a power blocking position and a power connection position. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the cartridge drive member 600 may be moved to a first position (right side of FIG. 4) and a second position (left side of FIG. 4) in association with attachment and detachment operations of the toner refill cartridge 9. The first position and the second position may be positions spaced apart from each other along attachment or detachment directions of the toner refill cartridge 9, for example, along a vertical direction. The power transmission member 700 may be switched between the power blocking position and the power connection position as the cartridge drive member 600 is moved between the first position and the second position.

[0028] The cartridge drive member 600 includes a rotational force transmission portion 601 that transmits a rotational force to the toner refill cartridge 9 mounted on the mounting portion 10. The cartridge drive member 600 is supported by the support member 610 to be rotated together with the support member 610. The cartridge drive member 600 may be supported by the support member 610 to slide along the attachment or detachment directions (vertical direction or axial direction) of the toner refill cartridge 9. For example, the cartridge drive member 600 may include a first connection portion 602, and the support member 610 may include a second connection portion 611 having a shape complementary to the first connection portion 602. For example, the first connection portion 602 may be a spline shaft, and the second connection portion 611 may be a spline groove into which the spline shaft is slidably inserted in an axial direction. The drive motor 500 is connected to the support member 610 to rotate the support member 610, and the cartridge drive member 600 is rotated together with the support member 610. An elastic member 620 applies an elastic force to the cartridge drive member 600 to bias the cartridge drive member 600 to the second position. For example, the elastic member 620 may be implemented with a compression coil spring interposed between the support member 610 and the cartridge drive member 600. The cartridge drive member 600 is maintained at the second position by the elastic force of the elastic member 620. When the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted in the mounting portion 10, the toner refill cartridge 9 moves the cartridge drive member 600 to the first position by pressing the cartridge drive member 600 in a direction opposite to the elastic force of the elastic member 620. When the toner refill cartridge 9 is removed from the mounting portion 10, the cartridge drive member 600 is returned to the second position by the elastic force of the elastic member 620.

[0029] The power transmission member 700 is switched between the power blocking position and the power transmission position as the cartridge drive member 600 is moved between the first and second positions. The power transmission member 700 of the present example is provided on the cartridge drive member 600 and is rotated by the drive motor 500 together with the cartridge drive member 600. The power transmission member 700 slides with respect to the support member 610 together with the cartridge drive member 600 as the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted or removed onto or from the mounting portion 10. The power transmission member 700 may include, for example, a bevel gear 701. The bevel gear 701 may be integrally formed with the cartridge drive member 600, and may be coupled to the cartridge drive member 600. The shaft 231 a of the toner carrying member 231 extends to the outside of the toner container 230, and a bevel gear 231 b may be provided at an extended end of the shaft 231 a. The bevel gear 701 is spaced apart from the bevel gear 231 b or engages with the bevel gear 231 b depending on whether the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted on the mounting portion 10. [0030] When the toner refill cartridge 9 is not mounted on the mounting portion 10, the cartridge drive member 600 is located at the second position as shown in the left side of FIG. 4. In the second position of the cartridge drive member 600, the power transmission member 700 is in the power connection position, and the bevel gear 701 and the bevel gear 231 b are engaged with each other. When the drive motor 500 rotates in this state (the power transmission member in the power connection position), a rotational force of the drive motor 500 is transmitted to the toner carrying member 231 through the support member 610, the cartridge drive member 600, the bevel gear 701 , and the bevel gear 231 b, which rotates the toner carrying member 231. When the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted on the mounting portion 10, as shown in the right side of FIG. 4, the cartridge drive member 600 is pressed down by the toner refill cartridge 9 and slides to the first position. The power transmission member 700 slides together with the cartridge drive member 600 to the power blocking position, in which the bevel gear 701 is apart from the bevel gear 231 b. In this state (the power transmission member 700 in the power blocking position), even if the drive motor 500 rotates in a forward direction or a reverse direction, the rotational force of the drive motor 500 is not transmitted to the toner carrying member 231. The rotational force of the drive motor 500 is transmitted to the toner refill cartridge 9 through the rotational force transmission portion 601. An example of driving the toner refill cartridge 9 will be described further below.

[0031] FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views of an example of the power transmission member 700, where FIG. 5 shows a state in which the power transmission member 700 is at the power connection position, and FIG. 6 shows a state in which the power transmission member 700 is at the power blocking position. Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, an example of the power transmission member 700 may include a swing gear portion 710 capable of swinging between the power connection position (FIG. 5) and the power blocking position (FIG. 6) as the drive motor 500 rotates in a forward direction FD and a reverse direction RD. The swing gear portion 710 may interfere with the cartridge drive member 600 moving between the first position (FIG. 6) to the second position (FIG. 5).

[0032] For example, the cartridge drive member 600 may include the rotational force transmission portion 601 for transmitting a rotational force to the toner refill cartridge 9 mounted on the mounting portion 10 and a first interference portion 604. For example, the first interference portion 604 may be located on the opposite side of a gear 603 from the rotational force transmission portion 601 along the moving direction of the cartridge drive member 600 between the first and second positions. The cartridge drive member 600 is supported rotatably and movably to the first and second positions by a support structure (not shown). The cartridge drive member 600 may be rotated by the drive motor 500. The cartridge drive member 600 is provided with a gear 603 receiving a rotational force from the drive motor 500. For example, a rotational force of the drive motor 500 may be transmitted to the gear 603 via a gear 511 and a gear 512. The gear 512 may have a thickness in the vertical direction to maintain engagement with the gear 603 when the cartridge drive member 600 is moved between the first and second positions.

[0033] In an example, the swing gear portion 710 may include a swing bracket 711 swingably supported by a drive shaft 501 of the drive motor 500, a first swing gear 712 rotatably supported on the drive shaft 501 of the drive motor 500, a second swing gear 713 that is engaged with the first swing gear 712 and is rotatably supported by the swing bracket 711. According to the rotation direction of the drive motor 500, the swing gear portion 710 may swing between the power blocking position and the power connection position about the drive shaft 501 of the drive motor 500. When the swing gear portion 710 is at the power connection position (FIG. 5), the second swing gear 713 engages with a gear 231c installed on the shaft 231a of the toner carrying member 231. When the swing gear portion 710 is located at the power blocking position (FIG. 6), the second swing gear 713 is apart from the gear 231c.

[0034] An elastic member 715 applies an elastic force to the swing gear portion 710 to bias the swing gear portion 710 to the power connection position. The elastic member 715 may be implemented by, for example, a torsion coil spring. The swing bracket 711 is provided with a second interference portion 714 that interferes with the first interference portion 604. The elastic member 715 applies an elastic force to the swing gear portion 710 in a direction that causes the second interference portion 714 to contact the first interference portion 604. Due to the elastic force of the elastic member 715, the second interference portion 714 and the first interference portion 604 may be maintained in contact with each other. The elastic member 715 elastically biases the cartridge drive member 600 to the second position. In other words, the elastic member 715 applies an elastic force in a direction returning the cartridge drive member 600 from the first position to the second position when the swing gear portion 710 is switched from the power blocking position to the power connection position. Accordingly, in a state in which the toner refill cartridge 9 is not mounted on the mounting portion 10, the cartridge drive member 600 may be maintained in the second position (FIG. 5).

[0035] Referring to FIG. 5, in a state where the toner refill cartridge 9 is not mounted on the mounting portion 10, the swing gear portion 710 is located at the power connection position by the elastic force of the elastic member 715, and the second interference portion 714 pushes the first interference portion 604 so that the cartridge drive member 600 is located at the second position. In this state, when the drive motor 500 rotates in the forward direction FD, for example, the rotational force of the drive motor 500 is transmitted to the gear 231c through the first swing gear 712 and the second swing gear 713, and the toner carrying member 231 may be rotated.

[0036] When the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted in the mounting portion 10, the cartridge drive member 600 is pressed by the toner refill cartridge 9 to move from the second position to the first position (FIG. 6). As a result, the first interference portion 604 presses the second interference portion 714, and the swing gear portion 710 swings in a direction opposite to the elastic force of the elastic member 715 about the drive shaft 501 of the drive motor 500. When the cartridge drive member 600 reaches the first position, the swing gear portion 710 is located at the power blocking position as shown in FIG. 6. The second swing gear 713 is apart from the gear 231c. When the drive motor 500 is rotated in the forward direction FD, torque in a swinging direction to the power transmission position is applied to the swing gear portion 710. However, because the second interference portion 714 is in contact with the first interference portion 604 of the cartridge drive member 600 located at the first position, the swing gear portion 710 is maintained at the power blocking position. A rotational force in the forward direction FD or the reverse direction RD of the drive motor 500 may be transmitted to the toner refill cartridge 9 through the cartridge drive member 600.

[0037] When the toner refill cartridge 9 is removed from the mounting portion 10, the swing gear portion 710 swings from the power blocking position to the power connection position by the elastic force of the elastic member 715. As a result, the second interference portion 714 may push the first interference portion 604 to return the cartridge drive member 600 from the first position to the second position. The first interference portion 604 and the second interference portion 714 are maintained in contact with each other by the elastic force of the elastic member 715, and the cartridge drive member 600 is maintained in the second position.

[0038] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of an example of the power transmission member 700. The power transmission member 700 of the present example is different from the example of the power transmission member 700 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in that the power transmission member 700 of FIG. 7 includes the swing gear portion 710 supported to be swingable on a support shaft 716 orthogonal to the drive shaft 501 of the drive motor 500. Hereinafter, only the differences are described. Referring to FIG. 7, the support shaft 716 is orthogonal to the drive shaft 501 of the drive motor 500. The support shaft 716 may be parallel to the shaft 231a of the toner carrying member 231. The swing gear portion 710 is swingably supported by the support shaft 716. A worm gear 513 is installed on the drive shaft 501 of the drive motor 500. The worm gear 513 engages with the first swing gear 712 and the gear 512. The operation of the swing gear portion 710 depending on whether the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted on the mounting portion 10 is the same as described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0039] Hereinafter, an example of the toner refill cartridge 9 and an example of structures and operations of the discharge shutter 95 of the toner refill cartridge 9 and the inlet shutter 11 of the mounting portion 10 will be described. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an example of the toner refill cartridge 9. Referring to FIG. 8, the toner refill cartridge 9 includes a body 91 , a discharge shutter 95, a coupler 94, and a connecting member 93. The body 91 contains toner and has a toner outlet 914 through which the toner is discharged. A cover 92 is coupled to a tip portion of the body 91. The stirring member 96 is rotated inside the body 91 by receiving a rotational force from the coupler 94, and stirs toner inside the body 91 to expand voids in the toner, thereby increasing the fluidity of the toner. The coupler 94 is connected to the stirring member 96 through a drive shaft 97. The discharge shutter 95 is rotatably coupled to the body 91 about a central axis CX of the body 91 to open and close the toner outlet 914. The toner outlet 914 may be radially deviated from the central axis CX. The discharge shutter 95 may be provided with an opening 951 that is radially deviated from the central axis CX. When the discharge shutter 95 is rotated with respect to the central axis CX, the toner outlet 914 and the opening 951 may be misaligned or aligned with each other depending on the rotation phase. A sealing member 911 is interposed between the discharge shutter 95 and the toner outlet 914 to prevent toner leakage, and is rotated together with the discharge shutter 95. The opening 951 of the discharge shutter 95 is exposed to the outside through a sector-shaped first opening 921 provided in the cover 92. The coupler 94 is exposed to the outside through a second opening 922 provided in the cover 92. When the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted on the mounting portion 10, the coupler 94 is coupled to the rotational force transmission portion 601 of the cartridge drive member 600. The rotational force in the forward direction FD and the reverse direction RD of the drive motor 500 is transmitted to the coupler 94 through the cartridge drive member 600.

[0040] The discharge shutter 95 is rotated to an open position and a closed position for opening and closing, respectively, the toner outlet 914 according to the rotation direction of the coupler 94. An insertion portion 955 inserted into the first opening 921 is provided in the discharge shutter 95, and the opening 951 is provided in the insertion portion 955. When the discharge shutter 95 is located in the open position, the insertion portion 955 is in contact with one edge of the first opening 921 to block a discharge shutter 95 from rotating beyond the open position. When the discharge shutter 95 is located in the closed position, the insertion portion 955 is in contact with the other edge of the first opening 921 to block the discharge shutter 95 from rotating beyond the closed position.

[0041] The coupler 94 drives the discharge shutter 95 and the stirring member 96. The coupler 94 is connected to the discharge shutter 95 and the stirring member 96 by the connecting member 93. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of an example of the connecting member 93. Referring to FIG. 9, the connecting member 93 may include a driven gear 931 , a rotating member 932, a frictional force providing member 933, and a link member 934. The driven gear 931 is installed on the drive shaft 97 and is connected to the coupler 94. The stirring member 96 is connected to the drive shaft 97. When the driven gear 931 is rotated, a rotational force of the driven gear 931 may be transmitted to the stirring member 96 via the drive shaft 97 to rotate the stirring member 96. The rotating member 932 is supported by the driven gear 931 so that the rotating member 932 may be rotated coaxially with the driven gear 931. The rotating member 932 has a partial gear portion 932a corresponding to a rotation angle between an open position and a closed position of the discharge shutter 95, for example, about 90 degrees. The partial gear portion 932a may have a shape protruding from the rotating member 932 toward the link member 934. A concave seating portion 934a may be provided on the link member 934 so that the partial gear portion 932a may be seated on the link member 934. Accordingly, when the rotating member 932 is rotated, the link member 934 may also be rotated. The link member 934 is connected to the discharge shutter 95 to rotate the discharge shutter 95. For example, the link member 934 may be provided with a protrusion 934b, and the discharge shutter 95 may be provided with a concave portion 954 having a shape complementary to the protrusion 934b. The protrusion 934b is inserted into the concave portion 954. With this configuration, when the link member 934 is rotated, the discharge shutter 95 may also be rotated. The frictional force providing member 933 elastically presses the rotating member 932 to the driven gear 931 to provide a rotational frictional force between the rotating member 932 and the driven gear 931 . Accordingly, even if a gear portion 942 of the coupler 94 is not engaged with the partial gear portion 932a of the rotating member 932, when the driven gear 931 is rotated, the rotating member 932 may also be rotated. When the rotating member 932 is in a state that can no longer be rotated, a slip occurs between the rotating member 932 and the driven gear 931 , and in a state in which the rotating member 932 is stopped, the driven gear 931 may be rotated.

[0042] FIGS. 10 and 11 are front views illustrating an operation of the discharge shutter 95, where FIG. 10 shows a state in which the discharge shutter 95 is located in a closed position, and FIG. 11 shows a state in which the discharge shutter 95 is located in an open position. The operation of the discharge shutter 95 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. First, referring to FIG. 10, because the opening 951 is displaced from the toner outlet 914, the toner outlet 914 is in a closed state. The driven gear 931 is engaged with the gear portion 942 of the coupler 94, and the partial gear portion 932a of the rotating member 932 is not engaged with the gear portion 942. When the coupler 94 is rotated in the reverse direction RD in this state, by the frictional force provided by the frictional force providing member 933, a rotational force in direction B1 is applied to the discharge shutter 95 via the rotating member 932 and the link member 934. Because the insertion portion 955 of the discharge shutter 95 is inserted into the first opening 921 of the cover 92 and the insertion portion 955 is in contact with a first stopper 921a, the discharge shutter 95 is not rotated. Accordingly, the rotating member 932 is not rotated. A slip occurs between the driven gear 931 and the rotating member 932, and only the driven gear 931 is rotated in direction B1. Because the stirring member 96 is connected to the driven gear 931 , the stirring member 96 is rotated in direction B1 .

[0043] When the coupler 94 is rotated in the forward direction FD in the state shown in FIG. 10, a rotational force in direction B2 is applied to the driven gear 931. The rotational force in direction B2 is applied to the discharge shutter 95 via the rotating member 932 and the link member 934 by the frictional force provided by the frictional force providing member 933. The rotation of the discharge shutter 95 in direction B2 is allowed. The driven gear 931 , the rotating member 932, the link member 934, and the discharge shutter 95 are rotated in direction B2. When the partial gear portion 932a engages with the gear portion 942, the rotating member 932, the link member 934, and the discharge shutter 95 are rotated in direction B2.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 11 , when the discharge shutter 95 reaches the open position, the engagement of the partial gear portion 932a and the gear portion 942 is finished. The insertion portion 955 of the discharge shutter 95 is in contact with a second stopper 921 b, and the discharge shutter 95 is no longer rotated and is maintained in the second position. The opening 951 and the toner outlet 914 of the discharge shutter 95 are aligned to open the toner outlet 914. Because a slip occurs between the driven gear 931 and the rotating member 932, and only the driven gear 931 is rotated in direction B2 and the stirring member 96 is connected to a driven gear 931 , the stirring member 96 is rotated in direction B2. Toner is supplied from the body 91 to the mounting portion 10 through the toner outlet 914 and the opening 951. An inlet shutter structure of the mounting portion 10 will be described further below.

[0045] When the toner filling is completed, the discharge shutter 95 is switched back to the closed position. In the state shown in FIG. 11 , the coupler 94 is rotated in the reverse direction RD. The rotational force in direction B1 is applied to the driven gear 931 . The rotational force in direction B1 is applied to the discharge shutter 95 via the rotating member 932 and the link member 934 by a frictional force provided by the frictional force providing member 933. In the state shown in FIG. 11 , the rotation of the discharge shutter 95 in direction B1 is allowed. The driven gear 931 , the rotating member 932, the link member 934, and the discharge shutter 95 are rotated in direction B1. When the partial gear portion 932a engages with the gear portion 942, the rotating member 932, the link member 934, and the discharge shutter 95 are rotated in direction B1 by the gear portion 942. When the discharge shutter 95 reaches the closed position shown in FIG. 10, the insertion portion 955 of the discharge shutter 95 is in contact with the first stopper 921a, and the discharge shutter 95 is maintained in the closed position.

[0046] FIGS. 12 and 13 are schematic plan views illustrating operations of the discharge shutter 95 and the inlet shutter 11 , where FIG. 12 shows a state in which the discharge shutter 95 and the inlet shutter 11 are located at a closed position and a toner blocking position, respectively, and FIG. 13 shows a state in which the discharge shutter 95 and the inlet shutter 11 are located at an open position and a toner inlet position, respectively. Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, the mounting portion 10 is provided with an inlet 12 communicating with the toner container 230 and the inlet shutter 11 that opens and closes the inlet 12. The inlet shutter 11 has an opening 11b. When the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted in the mounting portion 10, the opening 11b of the inlet shutter 11 is aligned with the opening 951 of the discharge shutter 95. The inlet shutter 11 may be rotated to a toner blocking position (FIG. 12) in which the opening 11 b and the inlet 12 are misaligned. Further, the inlet shutter 11 may be rotated to a toner inlet position (FIG. 13) in which the opening 11 b and the inlet 12 are aligned with each other.

[0047] The inlet shutter 11 of the present example engages with the discharge shutter 95 of the toner refill cartridge 9 and switches to the toner blocking position and the toner inlet position together with the discharge shutter 95. For example, the inlet shutter 11 may be rotatably supported by the mounting portion 10 to the toner inlet position and the toner blocking position. The inlet shutter 11 may be provided with an engaging portion 11a having a shape complementary to the discharge shutter 95, for example, the insertion portion 955. When the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted in the mounting portion 10, the insertion portion 955 of the discharge shutter 95 is inserted into the engaging portion 11a, and when the discharge shutter 95 is rotated to the closed position and the open position, the inlet shutter 11 may also be rotated together with the discharge shutter 95 to the toner blocking position and toner inlet position, respectively. As described above, the discharge shutter 95 is connected to the cartridge drive member 600 provided in the main body 1 and is driven. As a result, the inlet shutter 11 may be driven by the cartridge drive member 600. Accordingly, the discharge shutter 95 and the stirring member 96 of the toner refill cartridge 9, and the inlet shutter 11 of the mounting portion 10 may be driven by one drive motor 500. [0048] Referring to FIG. 12, the discharge shutter 95 is in the closed position, and the inlet shutter 11 is in the toner blocking position. The opening 11 b of the inlet shutter 11 is aligned with the opening 951 of the discharge shutter 95, and is displaced from the inlet 12. For example, when the drive motor 500 rotates in the forward direction FD, a rotational force of the drive motor 500 in the forward direction FD is transmitted to the discharge shutter 95 by the cartridge drive member 600. When the discharge shutter 95 is rotated to the open position, the inlet shutter 11 is rotated together with the discharge shutter 95 to the toner inlet position. As shown in FIG. 13, the discharge shutter 95 and the inlet shutter 11 together reach the open position and the toner inlet position, respectively. The opening 951 of the discharge shutter 95 is aligned with the toner outlet 914 of the body 91 . The opening 11 b of the inlet shutter 11 is aligned with the opening 951 of the discharge shutter 95 and the inlet 12 of the mounting portion 10. Accordingly, toner may be supplied from the toner refill cartridge 9 to the mounting portion 10 through the toner outlet 914, the opening 951 , the opening 11 b, and the inlet 12. The rotational force of the drive motor 500 in the forward direction FD is transmitted to the stirring member 96 through the cartridge drive member 600, and as the stirring member 96 is rotated, the fluidity of toner inside the body 91 is increased. Accordingly, toner may be easily discharged from the body 91. Toner supplied to the mounting portion 10 through the inlet 12 is carried to the toner container 230 by the toner carrying member 231. When toner filling is completed, for example, the drive motor 500 is rotated in the reverse direction RD, and the rotational force of the drive motor 500 in the reverse direction RD is transmitted to the discharge shutter 95 by the cartridge drive member 600. The discharge shutter 95 is rotated back to the closed position, and the inlet shutter 11 is rotated together with the discharge shutter 95 to the toner blocking position.

[0049] As described above, by employing the power transmission member 700 that is switched between the power blocking position and the power connection position depending on whether the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted on the mounting portion 10, the toner carrying member 231 and the drive motor 500 may be selectively connected to each other. When the toner refill cartridge 9 is not mounted on the mounting portion 10, the power transmission member 700 is at the power connection position. Accordingly, by driving the drive motor 500 in either the forward direction FD or the reverse direction RD, the toner carrying member 231 may be rotated in a direction to carry toner into the toner container 230 and/or in a direction to carry toner in the toner container 230 to the developing portion 210. When the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted on the mounting portion 10, the power transmission member 700 is at the power blocking position, so that the rotational force of the drive motor 500 is not transmitted to the toner carrying member 231. The rotational force of the drive motor 500 is transmitted to the toner refill cartridge 9 through the cartridge drive member 600. Accordingly, by rotating the drive motor 500 in a forward direction or a reverse direction, the discharge shutter 95 of the toner refill cartridge 9 and the inlet shutter 11 of the mounting portion 10 may be driven.

[0050] In the above-described examples, when the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted on the mounting portion 10, the connection between the drive motor 500 and the toner carrying member 231 is released. As another method for driving the toner carrying member 231 and the toner refill cartridge 9 using one drive motor 500, the power transmission member 700 is interposed between the drive motor 500 and the toner carrying member 231 and may include a one-way power transmitting portion that transmits only a rotational force in one of the forward direction FD and reverse direction RD, for example, in the forward direction FD, to the toner carrying member 231.

[0051] FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of an example of the power transmission member 700. FIGS. 15 and 16 are views illustrating an operation of a one-way power transmitting portion 720, respectively showing states in which the drive motor 500 rotates in the forward direction FD and the reverse direction RD. In FIGS. 14 to 16, rotation directions of each member corresponding to the forward rotation FD and the reverse rotation RD of the drive motor 500 are indicated as FD and RD, respectively.

[0052] Referring to FIGS. 14 to 16, the cartridge drive member 600 is connected to a driving shaft of the drive motor 500. The cartridge drive member 600 includes the rotational force transmission portion 601 that transmits a rotational force of the drive motor 500 to the toner refill cartridge 9 when the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted on the mounting portion 10. A gear 605 is provided on the cartridge drive member 600. A gear 231 e engaged with the gear 605 is provided on the shaft 231a of the toner carrying member 231. The gear 605 and the gear 231 e may be, for example, bevel gears. The power transmission member 700 may include the one-way power transmitting portion 720 interposed between the gear 231 e and the toner carrying member 231 .

[0053] For example, the one-way power transmitting portion 720 may be implemented by a sun gear-satellite gear structure. The one-way power transmitting portion 720 may include a first member 721 that rotates by being connected to the gear 231 e and has a sun gear portion 721a, a satellite gear 723 engaged with the sun gear portion 721a, and a second member 722 that supports the satellite gear 723 and is fixed to the shaft 231a of the toner carrying member 231. A coupling groove 231 f may be provided in the gear 231 e, and a coupling protrusion 721 b engaged with the coupling groove 231f may be provided in the first member 721. The first member 721 is rotatably coupled to the shaft 231a of the toner carrying member 231. Accordingly, the gear 231 e and the first member 721 may be rotated together with respect to the shaft 231a of the toner carrying member 231 , with the shaft 231a of the toner carrying member 231 as an axis.

[0054] The second member 722 is coupled to the shaft 231a of the toner carrying member 231 so that the second member 722 and the toner carrying member 231 may be rotated together. For example, a D-cut portion 231 d is provided on the shaft 231a of the toner carrying member 231 , and a D-cut hole 722c having a shape complementary to that of the D-cut portion 231 d may be provided in the second member 722. The second member 722 is provided with an elongated hole-shaped guide portion 722a and a latch portion 722b. The guide portion 722a may have, for example, a long hole shape cut in the circumferential direction with the shaft 231a as the center. The satellite gear 723 is installed in the guide portion 722a to be rotated in engagement with the sun gear portion 721a. In the present example, three satellite gears 723 engage with the sun gear portion 721a. The latch portion 722b is provided to engage the satellite gear 723 when the first member 721 is rotated in the forward direction FD. The latch portion 722b may be located in the forward direction FD with respect to the guide portion 722a.

[0055] When the drive motor 500 rotates in the forward direction FD, the first member 721 is rotated together with the gear 231 e in the forward direction FD. The satellite gear 723 is rotated while being engaged with the sun gear portion 721a and moved in the forward direction FD along the guide portion 722a about the shaft 231a of the toner carrying member 231. As shown in FIG. 15, the satellite gear 723 is engaged with the latch portion 722b, and the satellite gear 723 is no longer rotated. Because the satellite gear 723 cannot be rotated in a state where the satellite gear 723 is caught by the latch portion 722b, a rotational force of the first member 721 is transmitted to the second member 722 through the sun gear portion 721a, the satellite gear 723, and the latch portion 722b. The second member 722 is rotated together with the first member 721 in the forward direction FD, and the toner carrying member 231 is rotated in the forward direction FD.

[0056] When the drive motor 500 rotates in the reverse direction RD, the first member 721 is rotated in the reverse direction RD together with the gear 231 e. The satellite gear 723 moves along the guide 722a in the reverse direction RD, which is a rotational direction of the sun gear portion 721a, and is apart from the latch portion 722b as shown in FIG. 16. Accordingly, even when the first member 721 is rotated in the reverse direction RD, the rotational force of the first member 721 is not transmitted to the second member 722. The second member 722 is not rotated, and the toner carrying member 231 is not rotated either.

[0057] With this configuration, only the rotational force of the drive motor 500 in the forward direction FD is transmitted to the toner carrying member 231. Accordingly, regardless of whether the toner refill cartridge 9 is mounted on the mounting portion 10, the toner carrying member 231 may be rotated only in a direction carrying toner to a developing portion. When mounted on the mounting portion 10 of the toner refill cartridge 9, the drive motor 500 may be rotated in the forward direction FD or the reverse direction RD as needed.

[0058] It should be understood that examples described herein should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each example should typically be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other examples. While one or more examples have been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1 . An image forming apparatus comprising: a mounting portion to mount a toner refill cartridge; a toner container to contain toner supplied from the toner refill cartridge through the mounting portion; a toner carrying member in the toner container to carry toner; a drive motor; and a power transmission member that is switchable between a power blocking position that blocks a rotational force of the drive motor from being transmitted to the toner carrying member, and a power connection position that transmits the rotational force of the drive motor to the toner carrying member, the power transmission member being switchable between the power blocking position and the power connection position in association with mounting the toner refill cartridge on the mounting portion and removing the toner refill cartridge from the mounting portion.

2. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a cartridge drive member including a rotational force transmission portion to transmit the rotational force of the drive motor to the toner refill cartridge mounted on the mounting portion, the cartridge drive member to move between a first position and a second position respectively as the toner refill cartridge is mounted on and removed from the mounting portion, wherein the drive motor is to rotate the cartridge drive member, and the power transmission member is switchable between the power blocking position and the power connection position in association with the movement of the cartridge drive member between the first position and the second position.

3. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein the cartridge drive member is to slide in attachment and detachment directions of the toner refill cartridge to move to the first and second positions.

4. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, comprising an elastic member to provide an elastic force to bias the cartridge drive member to the second position.

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5. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein the power transmission member is provided on the cartridge drive member and is rotatable by the drive motor together with the cartridge drive member.

6. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein the power transmission member comprises a swing gear portion to swing between the power connection position and the power blocking position as the drive motor rotates in forward and reverse directions, respectively, and the swing gear portion is to interfere with the cartridge drive member moving from the second position to the first position.

7. The image forming apparatus of claim 6, comprising an elastic member to apply an elastic force to bias the swing gear portion to the power connection position

8. The image forming apparatus of claim 7, wherein the cartridge drive member comprises a first interference portion, the swing gear portion comprises a second interference portion that to interfere with the first interference portion, and the elastic member applies an elastic force to the swing gear portion to cause the second interference portion to contact the first interference portion.

9. The image forming apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first interference portion and the second interference portion are maintained in contact with each other by the elastic force of the elastic member.

10. The image forming apparatus of claim 8, wherein the elastic member applies an elastic force in a direction to return the cartridge drive member to the second position from the first position when the swing gear portion is switched from the power blocking position to the power connection position.

11. The image forming apparatus of claim 2, wherein the mounting portion comprises an inlet shutter to engage with a discharge shutter of the toner refill cartridge, the inlet shutter switchable between a toner inlet position and a toner blocking position together with the discharge shutter being switched between an open position and a closed position, respectively, for opening and closing a toner outlet, respectively, and the cartridge drive member is to drive the discharge shutter.

12. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a developing unit including the toner container and a developing portion to supply toner supplied from the toner container to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor to form a visible toner image on the photoconductor.

13. An image forming apparatus comprising: a drive motor capable of driving in forward and reverse directions; a mounting portion to mount a toner refill cartridge; a toner container to contain toner supplied from the toner refill cartridge through the mounting portion; and a toner carrying member installed in the toner container to carry toner; a cartridge drive member provided in the mounting portion to transmit a rotational force of the drive motor to the toner refill cartridge when the toner refill cartridge is mounted in the mounting portion; and a one-way power transmitting portion interposed between the toner carrying member and the drive motor and to transmit the rotational force of the drive motor in one of the forward direction and the reverse direction to the toner carrying member.

14. The image forming apparatus of claim 13, wherein the mounting portion comprises an inlet shutter to engage with a discharge shutter of the toner refill cartridge, the inlet shutter switchable between a toner inlet position and a toner blocking position together with the discharge shutter being switched between an open position and a closed position, respectively, for opening and closing a toner outlet, respectively, and the cartridge drive member is to drive the discharge shutter.

15. The image forming apparatus of claim 13, comprising a developing unit including the toner container and a developing portion to supply toner supplied from the toner container to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor to form a visible toner image on the photoconductor.