JP3034579B2 - Developer supply and recovery device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention supplies an unused two-component developer to a developing container of an image forming apparatus, and collects used developer from the container. Related to the device.

[Conventional technology]

As a conventional developer supply / recovery device of this kind, for example, the one shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 is known. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 1 denotes a developing container, and a two-component developer composed of a toner and a carrier is stored in a developer storing portion 2 of the developing container 1. On the other hand, reference numeral 3 denotes an impeller for supplying the developer to the developer sleeve 4. The impeller 3 is provided with a developing container via shaft necks 5a and 5b formed integrally at both ends as shown in FIG. A hollow shaft 5 rotatably supported by one of the side walls 1a and 1b and a plurality of scraping blades 6 provided radially around the hollow shaft 5 over the entire length in the axial direction are provided. When the shaft 5 is driven by the drive source and the blade 6 rotates together with the hollow shaft 5 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7, the developer in the developer reservoir 2 is scraped up and supplied to the outer periphery of the developer sleeve 4. It has become. At the same time, the developer sleeve 4 rotating in the same direction as the impeller 3 attracts the doctor 7 to the outer periphery by the magnet provided therein, and the developer supplied to the outer periphery of the developer sleeve 4 by the doctor 7 has the layer thickness. Is conveyed to a developing position facing the photosensitive drum 8. Then, a developer is supplied to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 8 to perform development, and the developed developer is returned to the developer storage section 2 with the rotation of the developer sleeve 4. Further, the developer separated from the outer periphery of the developer sleeve 4 by the doctor 7 is returned to the developer storage section 2 along the separator 9, and the toner reduced by repeating the above-described operation is removed from the developer container 1. The toner is supplied via a toner supply roller 11 from a toner cartridge 10 provided at an upper portion.

In FIG. 8, one of the side walls 1a and 1b of the developing container 1 that supports both ends of the hollow shaft 5 is
Among the side walls 1b and 1c that support both ends of the rotating shaft 4a of the developer sleeve 4 shown in the figure, the side wall 1c is located outside of the side wall 1c in the axial direction of the impeller 3, so that the impeller 3 is It is provided so as to protrude from. Further, the cylindrical portion 12 covers the protruding end of the impeller 3 and integrally connects the side walls 1a and 1c.
The cylindrical portion 12 has a supply port 13 for supplying unused developer to the developer reservoir 2 at an upper portion, and a developing agent for developing used developer at a lower portion. A discharge port 14 for discharging from the agent reservoir 2 is provided. Further, a cylindrical cap 15 is rotatably fitted to the cylindrical portion 12 so as to cover the cylindrical portion 12 and the side wall 1a, and the cylindrical portion of the cap 15 has the same shape as the supply port 13 and the discharge port 14. An opening 16 having a shape is formed. Therefore, when the developer in the developer reservoir 2 is replaced, the cap 15 is rotated so that the opening 16 of the cap 15 coincides with the discharge port 14 as shown in FIG. The used developer can be collected in the collection container 17 through the discharge port 14 and the opening 16, and the opening 16 is made to coincide with the supply port 13, and as shown in FIG. Unused developer can be supplied from the new developer container 18 to the developer reservoir 2 through

On the other hand, in FIGS. 7 and 8, the impeller 3 is provided with a spiral developer moving member 19 along the outer periphery of the scraping blade 6 over the entire length, and both ends of the hollow shaft 5 are shafts. Closed by the necks 5a and 5b, a conveying screw 20 is provided coaxially in the hollow shaft 5. Then, with the rotation of the impeller 3, the developer in the developer storage section 2 is gradually moved to the one side of the shaft neck 5a by the developer moving member 19, and at the same time, the developer scraped up by the scraping blade 6 is hollow. The hollow shaft 5 passes through the inlet 5c formed on the shaft neck 5a side of the shaft 5.
Supplied within. The developer supplied into the hollow shaft 5 is conveyed in the hollow shaft 5 toward the other shaft neck 5b by the conveying screw 20, and is stored through the discharge port 5d formed on the shaft neck 5b side of the hollow shaft 5. It is discharged to the section 2. As a result, the developer is sufficiently stirred in the developing container 1 together with the toner supplied from the toner cartridge 10 to be uniformized.
Further, the used developer in the developer storage 2 is transferred to the developer moving member.
By 19, it can be fed laterally to the discharge port 14 of the cylindrical portion 12, and can be discharged to the collection container 17 through the discharge port 14 and the opening 16 as described above. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the unused developer supplied from the new developer container 18 through the opening 16 and the supply port 13 is developed in a state where it is made uniform by the action of the impeller 3 as described above. It is possible to store in the agent storage section 2. As described above, the method of using the impeller 3 to make the developer in the developer reservoir 2 uniform is a known method already proposed by the present applicant as dual cross mixing.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, in such a conventional developer supply / recovery device, the cap 15 fitted to the cylindrical portion 12 of the developing container 1 is rotated, and the opening 16 of the cap 15 and the cylindrical portion 12 are rotated.
The used developer is collected in a separate collection container 17 through a discharge port 14 of the printer, and the unused developer is similarly supplied from a separate new developer container 18 through an opening 16 and a supply port 13. Therefore, the operation is complicated and requires skill, and the replacement of the developer has to be relied on a specialized service person each time. For this reason, even if an image quality abnormality occurs due to the deterioration of the developer, the developer cannot be immediately applied, and there is a problem that the user has to stop the machine or use the machine with the poor image quality.

Also, a collection container 17 or a new developer container 18 and a cap
Since the opening 16 of 15 is not connected, the developer easily leaks to the outside, and it is difficult to align the opening 16 with the supply port 13 or the discharge port 14, and the supply of the developer in a state where it is not sufficiently opened, Since the discharging is performed, there is a problem that the leakage of the developer becomes remarkable.

Further, since both the new developer container 18 and the collection container 17 are made of an opaque material,
In 18, it is difficult to determine whether it is unused or used, and similarly, in the collection container 17,
There was a problem in that it was difficult to determine whether it was uncollected or collected.

[Object of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the related art, and is capable of supplying and recovering an unused developer and a used developer without leakage, respectively, and is a developer supply that can be easily attached and detached. It is another object of the present invention to provide a collection device, and to allow the presence or absence of the developer and the state of use thereof to be easily visually checked.

[Configuration of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 has an upper storage tank for storing unused developer and a lower recovery tank for collecting used developer, and a cylinder of the developing container. A tank body that is manually attached to and detached from the
A first rotary shutter rotatably provided on a tank body between the storage tank and the collection tank, and capable of opening the storage tank and the collection tank by rotation; and a developer provided on a cylindrical portion of the developing container. A supply port and a discharge port, a second rotary shutter rotatably fitted to the cylindrical portion and rotatably opening the supply port and the discharge port, and a front side of the storage tank and the collection tank. A viewing window provided on a wall and covered by a transparent member, and shutter driving means for rotating the first rotary shutter and the second rotary shutter on the back side of the tank body; A rotary shutter and a second rotary shutter have an engaging portion that engages with each other so as to be positioned in the circumferential direction;
When the tank main body is mounted on the cylindrical portion of the developing container, the first rotary shutter and the second rotary shutter synchronize, and a position where used developer can be collected from the developing container and an unused The first rotary shutter and the second rotary shutter are engaged with each other via the engagement portion so as to rotate to a position where the developer can be supplied to the developing container, and
It is characterized in that the presence or absence of the developer in each tank can be confirmed from the front side through a viewing window.

In this invention, the first and second rotary shutters are rotated only by attaching and detaching the tank body to and from the cylindrical portion of the developing container,
Unused and used developer can be supplied and recovered without leakage, respectively. Further, since the presence or absence of the developer in each tank can be viewed from the front side through the viewing window, the use state of the developer can be easily checked.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an upper non-transparent storage tank for storing unused developer and a lower transparent tank for collecting used developer are also provided for achieving the above object. A tank body having a collection tank, which is manually attached to and detached from the cylindrical portion of the developing container; and a tank body rotatably provided between the storage tank and the collection tank, and the storage tank and the collection tank are opened by the rotation. A first rotatable shutter, a supply port and a discharge port for the developer provided in the cylindrical portion of the developing container, and rotatably fitted to the cylindrical portion so as to be rotatable. A second rotary shutter capable of opening an outlet; and shutter driving means for rotating the first rotary shutter and the second rotary shutter on the back side of the tank main body. Second The rotary shutter has an engagement portion that engages with each other so as to be positioned in the circumferential direction. When the tank main body is mounted on the cylindrical portion of the developer container, the first rotary shutter and the second rotary shutter are synchronized. The first rotary shutter and the first rotary shutter through the engaging portion so as to rotate between a position where the used developer can be collected from the developing container and a position where the unused developer can be supplied to the developing container. The second rotary shutters are engaged with each other, and the presence or absence of the used developer in the collection tank, which can be seen through, and the upper and lower sides of the storage tank and the collection tank can be visually checked. .

In this invention, the first and second rotary shutters are rotated only by attaching and detaching the tank body to and from the cylindrical portion of the developing container,
Unused and used developer can be supplied and recovered without leakage, respectively. In addition, since the inside of the collection tank can be visually checked, the presence or absence of the used developer can be easily visually checked from the front side.Furthermore, when the tank body is attached to the cylindrical portion of the developing container, the inside of the storage tank cannot be seen through. The upper and lower sides of the tank main body can be easily visually checked from above and below the collection tank through which the inside can be seen.

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, a specific description will be given based on examples of the present invention.

FIGS. 1 to 3 are views showing an embodiment of the developer supply and recovery device according to the first aspect of the present invention.

 First, the configuration will be described.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numerals 21 and 22 denote a storage tank and a recovery tank provided on an apparatus main body 24 (tank main body) of a developer supply and recovery apparatus 23 in this embodiment, respectively. The statue tank 21 stores unused developer, and the collection tank 22 collects and stores used developer from a developing container 42 described later.
Between the storage tank 21 and the recovery tank 22, a cylindrical rotary shutter 25 (first rotary shutter) is rotatably inserted in the apparatus main body 24 (tank main body) in the horizontal direction. A first opening 26 is formed in the peripheral wall 25a in the radial direction. In FIG. 2, the left end of the rotary shutter 25 in the horizontal direction in the figure is bent outward to radiate, and
The rotary shutter 25 is slidably in contact with a shoulder 24b at the left end of an inner periphery 24a into which the rotary shutter 25 is inserted, and a spur gear 27 is formed at a right end of the rotary shutter 25. The rotary shutter 25 slides on the side surface 24c of the
The rotary shutter 25 is rotated while the outer surface of the peripheral wall 25a of the rotary shutter 25 is in sliding contact with the inner circumference 24a of the apparatus main body 24.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numerals 28 and 29 denote the bottom of the storage tank 21 and the head of the recovery tank 22, respectively.
The storage tank 21 is opened to the first opening 26 through the second opening 28 when the rotary shutter 25 rotates and the first opening 26 coincides with the second opening 28. When the first opening 26 coincides with the third opening 29,
The collection tank 22 is opened to the first opening 26 through the third opening 29. Side walls 30, 31 of the storage tank 21 and the recovery tank 22 facing the side surface 24c of the apparatus main body 24.
In the vertical direction, elongated viewing windows 32 and 33 are formed, respectively, and the viewing windows 32 and 33 are each formed of a plate-shaped transparent member 3.
The inside of the storage tank 21 and the collection tank 22 is visible through the transparent members 34 and 35 and the viewing windows 32 and 33.

On the other hand, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 41 denotes a side wall 42 of the developing container 42.
a cylindrical portion protruding from the cylindrical portion 41
Has a cylindrical cap 43 serving as a second rotary shutter.
Is rotatably mounted, and the side wall of the cap 43
A spur gear 44 is formed at the end on the 42a side. Reference numeral 45 denotes a motor (shutter driving means) fixed to a lower portion of the developing container 42. A pinion 46 is fixed to an output shaft 45a of the motor 45, and the pinion 46 meshes with a spur gear 44 of the cap 43. ing. Then, as shown by a virtual line in FIG.
When the rotary shutter 25 is rotatably fitted to the cap 43 of the cylindrical portion 41, the spur gear 27 meshes with the pinion 46, and the upper portion of the apparatus main body 24 shown in FIG. The guide rail 47 provided to protrude from the side wall 42a is inserted into the groove 24d formed in the groove 24d, and the apparatus main body 24 is fixed in the circumferential direction. Further, a pair of circumferential positioning pins 44a (engaging portions) projecting from the spur gear 44 of the cylindrical portion 41 so as to face the spur gear 27 of the rotary shutter 25 are connected to a pair of positioning holes 27b (engagement portions) of the spur gear 27. The first opening 26 of the rotary shutter 25 matches the opening 43a formed in the cylindrical portion of the cap 43. Then, the motor 45 is driven to drive the pinion.
46, the rotary shutter 25 is rotated via the spur gear 27, and simultaneously, the cap 43 is rotated via the pinion 46 and the spur gear 44 in synchronization with the rotary shutter 25, and the first opening 26 of the rotary shutter 25 is stored. When the position coincides with the second opening 28 of the tank 21, the motor 45 stops. At this time, the opening 43a of the cap 43 is
The unused developer in the storage tank 21 passes through the second opening 28 and the first opening 26, and further passes through the opening 43a of the cap 43 and the cylindrical portion 41. The developer is supplied to the developing container 42 through the supply port 41a. Further, the motor 45 is driven to rotate the rotary shutter 25 to the cap 43.
When the first opening 26 of the rotary shutter 25 coincides with the third opening 29 of the collection tank 22, the motor 45 stops.
At this time, the opening 43a of the cap 43 coincides with the discharge port 41b formed at the lower portion of the cylindrical portion 41, and therefore, the used developer in the developing container 42 is discharged from the discharge port 41b of the cylindrical portion 41 and the cap 43. Through the first opening 26a and the third opening
It is discharged to the collection tank 22 through the opening 29 and collected.
That is, the unused developer in the storage tank 21 is supplied to the developing container 42 through the second opening 28 and the first opening 26 by the rotation of the rotary shutter 25, and the first opening 26 and the third opening
The used developer in the developing container 42 is collected from the developing container 42 to the collecting tank 22 through 29. The motor 45 is constituted by a servo motor, a stepping motor, or the like, in order to correctly match the openings as described above.

In FIG. 2, the developing container 42 is provided with an impeller 3 having a configuration similar to that of FIG. 8 shown as a conventional example, and its function is the same as that of the conventional example. The same reference numerals are given to the drawings and detailed description is omitted.
Further, the configuration of the developing container 42 is the same as that of the developing container 1 shown in FIG. 7, and therefore, the components inside and adjacent to the developing container 42 are the same as those shown in FIG. Further, the above-described guide rail 47 shown in FIG. 2 is provided in the storage tank when the rotary shutter 25 is fitted on the cylindrical portion 41.
21 is positioned above and the recovery tank 22 is positioned and fixed below, so that the supply and discharge of the developer can be smoothly performed by its own weight. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The pin 24e protruding from the middle part is the rotary shutter 2
Although not shown at the same time as the external fitting of 5, the type may be a type that is inserted into a hole formed in the side wall 42a. Furthermore, a sensor may be provided on the above-described guide rail 47 or the pin 24e to detect whether or not these are set securely.

FIG. 3 is an external view of the developer supply / recovery device 23 having the above-described configuration and function. As shown in FIG. 3, the agent supply / recovery device 23 is formed to be lightweight and small, and can be operated with one hand. It is easy to carry and wear. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, in the middle portion of the apparatus main body 24, for example, a single concave portion 48 in which the right thumb is hooked on the left end in the figure and four concave portions 49a to 49 in which the remaining right hand is hooked on the right side. 49d. These recesses 48, 49a to 49d constitute a hand grip, and the developer supply / recovery device 23 can be easily attached to and detached from the cylindrical portion 41 of the developing container 42 by grasping the developer supply / recovery device 23 with the right hand. That is, the developer supply / recovery device 23 is configured to be easily attached to and detached from the cylindrical portion 41 of the developing container 42 by hand. Further, when the developer supply / recovery device 23 is mounted, unused developer is stored in the storage tank 21 through the transparent member 34 and the viewing window 32, or the recovery tank 22 is passed through the transparent member 35 and the viewing window 33. Whether or not the used developer can be collected from the developing container 42 can be visually confirmed. That is, the viewing windows 32, 33
The presence or absence of the developer in the storage tank 21 and the recovery tank 22 can be confirmed through this, so that it can be easily determined whether or not the developer supply / recovery device 23 is unused. The viewing windows 32 and 33 are the developer supply and recovery devices.
When the 23 is mounted on the cylindrical portion 41 with one hand, it is preferable to provide it on the front side, because it is easy to confirm the presence or absence of the developer, and the handling is more preferable.

 Next, the operation will be described.

In FIG. 2, when the developer in the developing container 42 is deteriorated and is replaced, the front door of the case for storing the developing container 42 is opened, though not shown, as shown in FIG. Then, the rotary shutter 25 is fitted over the cap 43 while the developer supply / recovery device 23 is gripped by one hand, and the developer supply / recovery device 23 is mounted on the cylindrical portion 41. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the unused developer stored in the storage tank 21 through the transparent member 34 and the viewing window 32 is also removed from the transparent member.
It is visually confirmed that the collection tank 22 is empty through the viewing window 35 and the viewing window 33. As a result, the developer supply and collection device 23
Is determined in advance to be unused.

When the storage tank 21 and the recovery tank 22 are upside down, the guide rail 47 is
Since it is not inserted into d, it cannot be mounted, and the developer supply / recovery device 23 is mounted upside down again, and the storage tank 21 is correctly mounted on the cylindrical portion 41 with the recovery tank 22 positioned above and the recovery tank 22 positioned below. be able to.

Simultaneously with the mounting of the developer supply / recovery device 23, the spur gear 27 meshes with the pinion 46, but by inserting the positioning pin 44a of the spur gear 44 into the positioning hole 27b of the spur gear 27, the rotating shutter 25 is rotated in the circumferential direction. , And the first opening 26 of the rotary shutter 25 coincides with the opening 43a of the cap 43. Then, the motor 45 is driven at the same time when the front door of the case is closed or when a switch (not shown) is closed. Accordingly, the cap 43 is rotated via the pinion 46 and the spur gear 44, and the rotary shutter 25 is rotated via the pinion 46 and the spur gear 27, respectively.
The first opening 26 and the opening 43a of the cap 43 are
The motor 45 stops in a state where it coincides with the discharge port 41b.

Next, the impeller 3 in the developing container 42 is driven, and the used developer in the developing container 42 is transferred to the developer moving member 19 of the impeller 3.
And is discharged to the collection tank 22 through the discharge port 41b, the opening 43a, the first opening 26, and the third opening 29, and collected.

After the collection of the used developer is completed, the motor 45 is driven again to rotate the cap 43 and the rotary shutter 25 together, and the first opening 26 and the opening 43a are connected to the supply port 41a of the cylindrical portion 41.
, The motor 45 stops. At the same time, the unused developer in the storage tank 21 is discharged from the second opening 28 and the first opening 2.
6, is supplied to the developing container 42 through the opening 43a and the supply port 41a, and is stored in the developing container 42 while being made uniform by the rotation of the impeller 3. When the supply of the unused developer is completed, the rotary shutter 25 and the cap 43 are driven again by the motor 45 to rotate, and the motor 45 is rotated in a state in which the first opening 26 and the opening 43a are right beside in FIG. Stops, and the rotary shutter 25 and the cap 43 are moved to the second opening 28 and the third opening 28, respectively.
The opening 29, the supply port 41a, and the discharge port 41b are closed to prevent leakage of the developer in the collection tank 22 and the developing container. When such a series of replacement of the developer is completed, the user opens the front door of the case again by a signal of an alarm provided separately, and as shown in FIG. Holding the device 23, the cylindrical portion 41 of the developing container 42
And the developer supply / recovery device 23 is disposed of.

When the user grips the developer supply / recovery device 23 with one hand, as shown in FIG.
Since the 48 and the concave portions 49a to 49d are formed in the apparatus main body 24, the attachment / detachment of the developer supply / recovery device 23 is easy. Further, when the used developer is collected, the collection tank 22 is connected to the developing container 42 through the discharge port 41b, the opening 43a, the first opening 26, and the third opening 29. Since the rotary shutter 25 blocks the developer from the outside, the developer does not leak to the outside. Similarly, when supplying unused developer, the passage connecting the storage tank 21 and the developing container 42 is provided with the rotary shutter 25 and the cap.
Since it is shielded from the outside by 43, the developer does not leak to the outside. The guide rail 47 is positioned outside the vertical position of the developer supply / recovery device 23,
It is needless to say that the rotation of the device main body 24 due to the rotation is prevented.

Thus, in this embodiment, each viewing window
Since the storage tank 21 and the collection tank 22 having 32 and 33 are provided vertically above and below the apparatus main body 24, and the rotary shutter 25 that fits outside the cylindrical portion 41 of the developing container 42 is provided, the rotary shutter 25 is rotated. Thus, the used developer can be collected from the developing container 42 to the collection tank 22 without leaking, and the unused developer can be supplied from the storage tank 21 to the developing container 42 without leaking. At this time, the presence / absence of the developer in the storage tank 21 and the recovery tank 22 can be confirmed through the viewing windows 32 and 33 before the developer supply / recovery device 23 is mounted, and the developer supply / recovery device 23 is cylindrically held with one hand. It can be easily attached to and detached from the part 41. Therefore, the developer in the developing container 42 can be replaced without the need for a specialized service person, without any leakage of the developer, and easily determining whether the developer is used or not used.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show an embodiment of the developer supply / recovery device according to the second aspect of the present invention.

Storage tank 51 and recovery tank 52 in this embodiment
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 showing one embodiment of the invention according to the above-mentioned claim 1, in which the viewing windows 32 and 33 in FIG. By removing 34 and 35, the side wall 53a of the storage tank 51 and the side wall 54a of the collection tank 52 are made flat. Further, the storage tank 51 is made of an internal non-transparent (opaque) material, and the collection tank 52 is made of an internal transparent (transparent) material. Therefore, it is possible to visually check the inside of the collection tank 52 from outside through the surrounding side walls 54a to 54d of the collection tank 52, and it is possible to check the presence or absence of the used developer from the front side,
The user can determine at a glance whether the developer is in use, that is, whether the developer is unused or used. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention. Therefore, in this embodiment, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained. Further, in this embodiment, since the collection tank 52 is transparent, it is possible to more surely check the upper and lower sides of these tanks and then mount the collection tank 52 on the cylindrical portion 41 of the developing container 42.

〔effect〕

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a storage tank and a collection tank each having a viewing window are provided on the upper and lower sides of the tank body, and a rotary shutter capable of engaging with both the cylindrical portion of the developing container and the tank body is provided. Because it is provided, the rotating shutter is rotated to supply and collect unused and used developer without leaking, and it is possible to check the presence or absence of developer through the view window and to easily attach and detach the device. can do. Therefore, it is possible to provide a developer supply / recovery device in which the developer can be replaced by the user alone, the developer does not leak, and the use and non-use can be easily determined.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a developer storage tank whose inside is not transparent and a recovery tank whose inside is transparent are provided along the top and bottom of the tank body. Since both are provided with rotary shutters that can be engaged with each other, the rotary shutter is rotated to supply and collect unused and used developer without leakage, and to collect used developer inside the collection tank. The presence or absence can be easily confirmed from the front side by visual inspection. Further, when the tank main body is mounted on the cylindrical portion of the developing container, the upper and lower sides thereof can be easily visually confirmed. Therefore,
It is possible to provide a developer supply / recovery device in which the developer can be replaced by the user alone, the developer is not leaked, and the use and non-use can be easily determined.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 to 3 are views showing an embodiment of a developer supply / recovery device according to the first aspect of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part of a front side thereof, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II, and FIG. 4 to 6 are views showing an embodiment of the developer supply / recovery device according to the second aspect of the present invention, wherein FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV, and FIG. 7 to 9 are views showing a conventional example, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the front view, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a principal part similar to FIG. 8 for explaining the operation. 21, 51 ... storage tank, 22, 52 ... recovery tank, 23 ... developer supply and recovery device, 24 ... device main body (tank main body), 25 ... rotary shutter (first rotary shutter), 25a ... ... peripheral wall, 27 ... spur gear, 27b ... positioning hole (engaging part), 29 ... third opening, 30, 31 ... side wall, 32, 33 ... view window, 34, 35 ... transparent member, 41: cylindrical portion, 42: developing container, 42a: side wall, 43: cap (second rotary shutter), 44: spur gear, 44a: positioning pin (engaging portion), 45: Motor (shutter drive means), 46 ... Pinion (shutter drive means), 54a-54d ... Side walls.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 15/08

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A tank body having an upper storage tank for storing unused developer and a lower recovery tank for collecting used developer, which is manually attached to and detached from a cylindrical portion of the developing container. A first rotary shutter rotatably provided on the tank body between the storage tank and the collection tank, and capable of opening the storage tank and the collection tank by rotation; and a first rotary shutter provided on the cylindrical portion of the developing container. A supply port and a discharge port for the developer, a second rotary shutter rotatably fitted to the cylindrical portion and capable of opening the supply port and the discharge port by rotation; and a front face of a storage tank and a recovery tank. A viewing window provided on the side wall and covered with a transparent member, and shutter driving means for rotating the first rotary shutter and the second rotary shutter on the back side of the tank body. The first rotary shutter and the second rotary shutter have an engaging portion that engages with each other so as to be circumferentially positionable. When the tank main body is mounted on a cylindrical portion of the developing container, the first rotary shutter and the second rotary shutter are connected to each other. So that the rotating shutter and the second rotating shutter rotate in synchronization with each other to a position where the used developer can be collected from the developing container and a position where the unused developer can be supplied to the developing container. The first rotary shutter and the second rotary shutter are engaged with each other via a joining portion, and the presence or absence of developer in each tank can be confirmed from the front side through a viewing window. Agent supply and recovery device. 2. An image forming apparatus comprising: an upper non-transparent storage tank for storing unused developer; and a lower transparent collection tank for collecting used developer. A first rotating shutter rotatably provided on the tank body between the storage tank and the collection tank and capable of opening the storage tank and the collection tank by rotation; and a cylindrical shape of the developing container. A developer supply port and a discharge port provided in the section; a second rotary shutter rotatably fitted to the cylindrical portion and rotatably opening the supply port and the discharge port; and the tank. Shutter driving means for rotating the first rotary shutter and the second rotary shutter on the back side of the main body, wherein the first rotary shutter and the second rotary shutter are circumferentially positionable with respect to each other. The first rotary shutter and the second rotary shutter synchronize with each other when the tank main body is mounted on the cylindrical portion of the developing container so that the used developer is developed. The first rotary shutter and the second rotary shutter are engaged with each other via the engagement portion so as to rotate to a position where the developer can be collected from the container and a position where unused developer can be supplied to the developer container. A developer supply / recovery device wherein the presence / absence of the used developer in the recovery tank and the upper and lower sides of the storage tank and the recovery tank can be visually confirmed.