JP3242271B2 - Sponge roller - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technique for improving a sponge roller which is widely used in a wide variety of fields, for example, for conveying recording paper of an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The above-mentioned image forming apparatus is used for conveying, separating or discharging recording paper, conveying collected toner from the surface of a photoreceptor, transferring / charging, and supplying toner to a developing device. For example, various types of sponge rollers corresponding to the functions, such as for use, are provided at various locations.

[0003]

Generally, these sponge rollers are formed by fitting a long cylindrical or a plurality of roller-shaped sponge roller members to a rotating shaft by means of bonding. However, once the sponge roller member is adhered to the rotating shaft, it is very difficult to separate the sponge roller member from the rotating shaft.

For this reason, when a sponge roller member is worn over time and replaced with a new sponge roller, especially in a sponge roller for conveying and replenishing toner, the porosity may be reduced due to clogging of toner. The sponge roller is frequently replaced because the sponge roller is deteriorated.However, in order to recycle the rotating shaft of the replaced sponge roller, it is very difficult or impossible to separate the roller members. At present, they had to be discarded, which was very uneconomical.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has developed a rational technique for easily separating a roller member from a rotating shaft, thereby enabling easy recycling of the rotating shaft. And a sponge roller.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a method in which at least one sponge roller member such as a long cylinder or a plurality of rollers is held on a rotating shaft. In the sponge roller, a linear member having a ring-shaped portion connected to one end thereof is provided between the rotary shaft and the roller member, with the one end of the rotating shaft being inserted through the ring-shaped portion. It is characterized in that the other end of the linear member is led out from the end face on the other end of the rotation shaft of the roller member.

[0007]

According to the above feature, when the other end of the linear member provided on the sponge roller is pulled, the ring-shaped portion connected to one end of the linear member moves while being in close contact with the rotating shaft. The sponge roller member is separated from the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft, and the ring-shaped portion is divided between the bonding surfaces of the roller member and the rotating shaft, thereby forming an edge of the sponge roller member bonded to the rotating shaft. Will be cut off.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a sponge roller according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sponge roller is used for conveying, separating or discharging recording paper in an electrophotographic copying machine, and for a photosensitive device in a cleaning device. It is used for transporting the collected toner from the body surface, for transferring and charging arranged around the photosensitive member, and for replenishing the developing device with toner.

This sponge roller is formed by holding a long and cylindrical sponge roller member 1 on a metal rotary shaft 2 by means of bonding. At the time of bonding, a loop r is formed at one end of the linear member 3 such as a piano wire, and the other end of the linear member 3 is inserted through the loop r so that one end of the linear member 3 A ring-shaped portion 4 for holding the rotating shaft 2 so as to be reduced in diameter is formed.

Then, one end of the rotary shaft 2 is inserted through the ring-shaped portion 4 so that the linear member 3 extends to the other end of the rotary shaft 2 and wraps the linear member 3. The sponge roller member 1 is adhesively fitted to the rotating shaft 2, and at this time, the other end of the linear member 3 extending from the end surface of the roller member 1 at the other end of the rotating shaft is a sponge. The other end of the linear member 3 is wound around the rotating shaft 2 so as not to hinder the rotation of the roller, and the linear member 3 is fixed to the rotating shaft 2 with an adhesive capable of easily releasing the fixing.

According to the sponge roller having such a configuration, the sponge roller member 1 is worn over time or the porosity of the sponge roller member 1 is reduced due to clogging of the toner. When the sponge roller is replaced with a new one, the replaced used sponge roller is fixed to, for example, a vise, and the other end of the linear member 3 provided on the sponge roller is pulled. 4 moves between the sponge roller member 1 and the rotating shaft 2 while being in close contact with the rotating shaft 2.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sponge roller member 1 is peeled off from the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 2.
The ring-shaped portion 4 moves so as to be divided between the bonding surfaces of the roller member 1 and the rotating shaft 2, whereby the edge of the bonding of the sponge roller member 1 to the rotating shaft 2 is cut off. When the sponge roller member 1 is cut along the entire length of the sponge roller member 1, the sponge roller member 1 is simply loosely fitted and held with respect to the rotating shaft 2. The sponge roller member 1 can be easily separated from the rotating shaft 2.

As the ring-shaped portion 4, a loop r is formed at one end of the linear member 3 and the other end of the linear member 3 is inserted through the loop r. As the ring is pulled, the ring-shaped portion 4 is tightened,
If there is a concern that the ring-shaped portion 4 secures the rotating shaft 2, the linear member 3 may be fixed to the ring-shaped portion 4 so that the diameter of the ring-shaped portion 4 is not reduced. Alternatively, as shown in FIG.
Alternatively, the ring-shaped cutter may be configured to be connected to the linear member 3.

In each of the above embodiments,
The number of the linear members 3 is not limited to one.
For example, two linear members 3 are provided with a phase of 180 degrees, or, as shown by a virtual line in FIG.
It is possible to make a change such as giving three phases with a phase of 0 degrees. In this way, by making a plurality of linear members 3 and pulling them almost simultaneously, the ring-shaped part 4 is translated. That is, the edge of the sponge roller member 1 bonded to the rotating shaft 2 can be cut off without causing the ring-shaped portion 4 to be twisted, which is preferable.

In each of the above embodiments, one cylindrical sponge roller member 1 is held on the rotating shaft 2.
The sponge roller to which the present invention is applied is not limited to this. For example, a sponge roller in which a plurality of roller-shaped sponge roller members are held on a single rotating shaft may be used. At this time, the other end of the linear member having the ring-shaped portion connected to the one end can be led out from the end face of the other end of the rotating shaft of the roller member (that is, the end face of the outermost roller member). It is vital.

Further, in the embodiment, the linear member 3 is stretched over the peripheral surface of the rotary shaft 2 and the roller member 1 is bonded to the rotary shaft 2 so as to enclose the linear member 3. At this time, the concave portion into which the linear member 3 is inserted is formed over the entire length of the inner surface portion of the roller member 1 or is formed over the peripheral surface portion of the rotating shaft 2, for example, between the bearing portions. It is preferable that the linear member 3 is recessed into the sponge member because the sponge roller member 1 can be prevented from being locally compressed and deformed.

[0017]

As described above, according to the sponge roller according to the present invention, an epoch-making in which the edge of the adhesion between the rotating shaft and the sponge roller member is achieved by simply pulling the linear member. With the introduction of the technology, the separation of the sponge roller member from the rotating shaft, which has heretofore been difficult, can be achieved very easily, thereby reducing the cost of recycling the rotating shaft and consequently saving resources. At the same time, it has contributed to reducing the amount of waste that leads to pollution.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sponge roller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a part of the rotary shaft and a sponge roller member are cut off with a part thereof cut away.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the ring-shaped portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... sponge roller member, 2 ... rotating shaft, 3 ... linear member, 4 ... ring-shaped part.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65H 5/06

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A sponge roller comprising at least one sponge roller member held on a rotating shaft,
A linear member having a ring-shaped portion connected to one end thereof is provided between the rotary shaft and the roller member in a state where one end of the rotating shaft is inserted through the ring-shaped portion. A sponge roller wherein the other end is led out from an end face of the other end of the rotation shaft of the roller member.