JP4382005B2 - Developer supply container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer supply container, and more particularly to a developer supply container that is detachably attached to a developing device of an image forming apparatus.

  An electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a laser printer or a copying machine includes a developing device for supplying toner to a photosensitive drum. As a conventional developing device, a type in which a toner container filled with toner is detachably mounted is known.

  Here, FIGS. 1 to 5 show a conventional toner container and its predetermined portion.

  The toner container includes a container case 103 that is a casing, and a transport roller 113 that is rotatably disposed in the container case 103. The transport roller 113 is a rod-shaped member extending in the axial direction, and both end portions in the axial direction are rotatably supported by the container case 103 and are driven to rotate to transport the toner to a replenishing port 121 described later.

  The toner container 101 has a supply port 121 for supplying toner to the developing device side on the bottom surface portion, and further includes a container shutter 109 for opening and closing the supply port 121. The container shutter 109 is generally arranged coaxially with the transport roller 113, and both ends in the axial direction are rotatably supported by the container case 103, and the opening / closing disposed outside the one end side in the axial direction of the container case 103. It is connected to the member 107 and is operated when the toner container 101 is attached to the developing device, so that it rotates together with the container shutter 109 and opens and closes the supply port 121.

  In such a toner container 101, in general, the end of one end in the axial direction of the transport roller 113 is rotatably supported at one end in the axial direction of the container case 103, and the transport roller at the other end in the axial direction. A driving gear 115 for driving 113 is disposed outward, and the other axial end of the conveying roller 113 is connected. More specifically, a through hole 125 penetrating in the axial direction is formed in the other axial end portion of the container case 103, and the drive gear 115 is fitted into the through hole 125 to be inserted into the tip end. The part is connected to the other end of the transport roller 113 inside the container case.

  On the other hand, the other end of the container case 103 in the axial direction is formed with a protrusion 125a extending from the through hole 125 to the outer peripheral side and slightly extending toward the one end of the axial direction. The end portion is fitted to the inner peripheral portion of the protruding portion 125 a so as to be centered, and can be rotated coaxially with the conveying roller 113.

  By the way, the conventional toner container 101 of this type further includes a seal member 111 for preventing toner from leaking from the supply port 121. The seal member 111 is made of an elastic material, and the axial direction of the supply port 121. On both sides, the container shutter 109 and the container case 103 are arranged between the radial directions.

As a related technique, for example, a technique shown in Patent Document 1 has already been proposed.
Japanese Patent No. 3210529

  The container case 103 is generally obtained by molding plastic with a predetermined mold. In the conventional toner container 101, the container case 103 is integrated with a protrusion 125a extending from the through hole 125 to the outer peripheral side and extending in the axial direction. Since it is necessary to form, an undercut process is required which requires the work of moving the mold once in the axial direction after molding and then moving it away in the radial direction.

  Therefore, in the container case 103 after molding, there is a problem that a dimensional error of the protrusion 125a occurs, or a minute step 143 in the radial direction is formed in the peripheral portion.

  On the other hand, in the conventional toner container 101, a rib 105a extending downward from an upper lid 105 attached to the upper end portion of the container case 103 is formed instead of the protrusion, and the shaft of the container shutter 109 is formed by the lower end portion of the rib 105a. Although it can be considered that the other end portion in the direction is supported, in this case, an assembly error of the upper lid 105 with respect to the container case 103 may occur.

  When such a dimensional error or assembly error occurs, the elastic deformation amount of the seal member 111 varies, and depending on the product, toner leakage from the replenishing port 121 or rotational torque when the container shutter 109 is rotated. Inconvenience such as increase.

  An object of the present invention is to eliminate the occurrence of dimensional errors, assembly errors, and the like during manufacturing in a developer supply container that is detachably attached to a developing device of an image forming apparatus.

  Another object of the present invention is to prevent leakage of developer from the replenishing port and reduce the rotational torque of the shutter member in such a developer replenishing container.

  A developer supply container according to a first aspect includes a container main body, an opening / closing member, and a shutter member. The container main body is formed to extend in the axial direction, can be filled with a developer therein, has a replenishing port for replenishing the developer in the bottom surface portion, and is a cylinder that is penetrated in the axial direction on one end side in the axial direction Shaped through hole. The opening / closing member is rotatably disposed adjacent to the outside on the other axial end side of the container body and is rotated by an operation from the outside. The shutter member is disposed extending in the axial direction in the container body, the end on the other end side in the axial direction is connected to the opening / closing member, and can rotate integrally with the opening / closing member to open and close the supply port. An end portion on one end side in the direction has a boss portion that can be fitted to the inner peripheral portion of the through hole.

  In this developer supply container, when the opening / closing member is operated and rotated from the outside, the shutter member connected to the opening / closing member rotates integrally, thereby opening and closing the supply port. And the edge part of the axial direction other end side of a shutter member is rotatably supported by the boss | hub part being fittingly arrange | positioned in a through-hole.

  Here, at the time of manufacturing the container main body, it is only necessary to provide a through hole at the other end in the axial direction, and there is no need to provide a protruding portion or rib extending in the axial direction unlike a conventional developer supply container. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of dimensional errors during manufacturing, errors during assembly, and the like.

  In the present invention, the axial direction refers to, for example, the longitudinal direction of the developer supply container or the container body. Further, the term indicating the direction of the bottom or the like indicates a direction based on the developer supply container in a normal posture mounted on the developing device.

  In addition, the fitting does not include, for example, a mode in which two members that are in contact with each other are connected before they can be relatively rotated. Furthermore, the container body may or may not include an upper lid.

  A developer supply container according to a second aspect is the supply container according to the first aspect, wherein the shutter member has a cylindrical portion provided on the outer peripheral side of the rotation center thereof. The replenishing container further includes a sealing member that is disposed in a space between the container main body and the cylindrical portion in the radial direction on both axial sides of the replenishing port and has elasticity.

  In this type of developer supply container, generally, the seal member is compressed and deformed by being sandwiched between the container main body and the cylindrical portion of the shutter member, thereby preventing leakage of the developer. If a dimensional error or an assembly error occurs, the amount of deformation varies from product to product, and the developer leaks from the replenishing port, or the torque when the shutter member rotates increases.

  However, in the replenishing container according to claim 2, similar to the replenishing container according to claim 1, since the dimensional error and the assembling error are suppressed, such inconvenience can be avoided.

  The circumferential direction refers to a direction around the axial direction.

A developer replenishing container according to claim 3 is a replenishing container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the developer replenishing container includes a conveying member that extends in the axial direction in the container main body so as to be rotatable and can convey the developer toward the replenishing port. It has more. The shutter member has a cylindrical portion provided in a partial circumferential region on the outer peripheral side of the rotation center, and the conveying member is coaxially disposed on the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical portion .

  In this developer supply container, in particular, in a mode in which the shutter member and the conveying member are arranged coaxially, the occurrence of dimensional errors and assembly errors during manufacture is suppressed.

  According to the present invention, at the time of manufacturing the container main body, it is only necessary to provide a through hole at the other end in the axial direction, and there is no need to provide protrusions and ribs extending in the axial direction unlike a conventional developer supply container. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of dimensional errors during manufacturing, errors during assembly, and the like.

<Configuration of toner container>
6 to 13 show a toner container 1 (developer supply container) in which an embodiment of the present invention is employed, a predetermined portion thereof, or a peripheral portion thereof.

  The toner container 1 is a plastic supply container that is detachably attached to the developing device 41 of the image forming apparatus, and includes a container case (container body) 3, an upper lid 5, an opening / closing member 7, and a container shutter 9 ( A shutter member), a seal member 11, a conveying roller 13 (conveying member) and its driving gear 15, a paddle member 17 and its driving gear 19.

  The container case 3 is formed to extend in the axial direction (the axial direction of the transport roller or paddle member or the longitudinal direction of the toner container 1), and can be filled with toner. A supply port 21 for supplying toner to the developing device 41 is provided on the bottom surface of the container case 3. The container case 3 has side walls 23 and 25 at both axial ends, and the side walls 23 and 25 are provided with through holes 23a and 25a penetrating in the axial direction. In particular, the through hole 23a of the side wall 23 has a cylindrical inner peripheral portion having a portion slightly extending in the axial direction.

  The upper lid 5 is for closing the upper end portion of the container case 3 and is welded by ultrasonic welding, vibration welding or the like.

  The opening / closing member 7 is rotatably disposed adjacent to the outside of the side wall 23 of the container case 3. The opening / closing member 7 has a groove 7a. When the toner container 1 is mounted on the developing device 41, the rib 33a of the gear 33 that engages the operation lever 31 is engaged, and the operation lever 31 is moved to the front side ( It is rotated by rotating to the lower left side in FIG.

  The container shutter 9 is disposed so as to extend in the axial direction in the container case 3, the end on the side wall 23 side is connected to the opening / closing member 7, and can be rotated integrally with the opening / closing member 7. A sponge cushioning member 10 is sandwiched between an end of the container shutter 9 on the side wall 23 side and the side wall 23, and the container shutter 9 can move slightly in the axial direction.

  Further, the end of the container shutter 9 on the side wall 25 side has a boss 9a that extends from the center of rotation to the outer peripheral side and the inner peripheral portion slightly protrudes toward the side wall 25, and has a through hole 25a. It is fitted to the inner peripheral part and is rotatably supported.

  Furthermore, the container shutter 9 has a cylindrical portion 7b provided in a partial circumferential region on the outer peripheral side of the rotation center. The replenishing port 21 is opened and closed depending on the relative angular position between the cylindrical portion 7 b and the container case 3 generated by the rotation of the opening and closing member 7.

  The seal member 11 is disposed in two radial positions on the both sides in the axial direction of the replenishing port 21 made of an elastic member made of sponge, in a state in which the container case 3 and the cylindrical portion 7b are in pressure contact with each other in the radial direction. Yes.

  The transport roller 13 is for transporting the toner toward the replenishing port 21, and is rotatably disposed in the container case 3 so as to extend in the axial direction, and is driven to rotate integrally with the drive gear 15. The transport roller 13 is disposed coaxially with the container shutter 9, and an end portion on the side wall 23 side is supported by the container shutter 9, and an end portion on the side wall 25 side is disposed through the container shutter 9. It is directly connected to the tip of the drive gear 15.

  The drive gear 15 is disposed adjacent to the outside of the side wall 25 of the container case 3 and is engaged with the drive gear 19 of the paddle member 17.

  The paddle member 17 is for stirring the toner in the container case 3. The paddle member 17 extends in the axial direction in the container case 3, is rotatably arranged in parallel with the transport roller 13, and is integrated with the drive gear 19. To rotate.

  The driving gear 19 is disposed adjacent to the outside of the side wall 25 of the container case 3 and engages with a driving roller (not shown) of the developing device 41 in a state where the toner container 1 is mounted on the developing device 41. Then, it is rotationally driven by the drive roller, and the drive force is transmitted to the paddle member 17 and the drive gear 19.

<Operation of toner container>
Next, the operation of the toner container 1 will be described.

  The toner container 1 is commercialized by filling the container case 3 with toner in a factory or the like and then welding the upper lid 5. In the state before the toner container 1 is attached to the developing device 41, the container shutter 9 closes the supply port 21 so that the toner does not leak outside.

  When the toner container 1 is used, the toner container 1 is first attached to the developing device 41 from above, and the operating lever 31 is rotated forward to rotate the opening / closing member 7 and the container shutter 9 to supply the replenishing port. Open 21.

  In this state, when an image forming operation is performed, the driving roller is driven accordingly, whereby the paddle member 17 and the conveying roller 13 are rotationally driven, and the toner is collected to the supply port 21 while being agitated. The developing device 41 is replenished from the opening 21.

  In the toner container 1 described above, since the container case 3 does not have a protruding portion extending in the axial direction as in the conventional case, if a through-hole 25a is provided on the side wall 25 side at the time of manufacture, a configuration capable of centering is obtained. . Therefore, the mold can be removed by moving it in the radial direction, and it is possible to avoid the occurrence of a dimensional error of the protrusion as in the conventional case and the occurrence of a slight radial step on the bottom surface of the container case.

  In addition, since it is not necessary to provide a rib on the upper lid 5, it is possible to eliminate an error when the toner container 1 is assembled.

  This suppresses variations in the amount of compressive deformation of the seal member during manufacturing, and reduces the torque when the toner leaks from the supply port or the container shutter rotates relative to the container case depending on the product. it can.

<Other embodiments>
The seal member is not limited to a sponge member, and is not particularly limited as long as it is elastically deformable and can prevent toner leakage.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a conventional toner container with a part thereof omitted. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of the toner container in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a container shutter of the toner container in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the toner container of FIG. 1 with a part thereof omitted (an arrow indicates a direction in which the toner container is first moved when the mold is removed during manufacture of the container shutter). FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the toner container of FIG. FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view showing a toner container in which an embodiment of the present invention is employed. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of the toner container in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the toner container of FIG. 6 with a part thereof omitted. FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a container shutter of the toner container in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the toner container of FIG. 6 with a part thereof omitted. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a portion of the developing device to which the toner container of FIG. 6 is mounted (an arrow B is a direction in which the gear 33 is rotated by an operation toward the front side of the operation gear 31). FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the toner container of FIG. 6 and a developing device to which the toner container is mounted (an arrow indicates a mounting direction of the toner container). FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the toner container of FIG. 6 and a developing device to which the toner container is mounted.

Explanation of symbols

1 Toner container (developer supply container)
3 Container case (container body)
7 Opening / closing member 9 Container shutter (shutter member)
11 Seal member 13 Conveying roller (Conveying member)
21 Supply port 25 Side wall 25a Through hole

Claims (3)

A cylindrical through-hole that extends in the axial direction, can be filled with a developer, has a replenishment port in the bottom surface for replenishing the developer, and penetrates in the axial direction on one end side in the axial direction A container body having:
An opening / closing member that is rotatably arranged adjacent to the outside of the other end side in the axial direction of the container body, and is rotated by an operation from the outside,
In the container main body, it is arranged extending in the axial direction, the end on the other end side in the axial direction is connected to the opening / closing member, and can rotate integrally with the opening / closing member to open and close the supply port, An end on the one end side in the axial direction is a shutter member having a boss portion that can be fitted to the inner peripheral portion of the through hole;
A developer supply container. The shutter member has a cylindrical portion provided in a partial circumferential region on the outer peripheral side of the rotation center thereof,
A seal member that is arranged in the space between the container body and the cylindrical portion on the both sides in the axial direction of the replenishing port and has elasticity;
The developer supply container according to claim 1. It further includes a transport member that extends in the axial direction in the container body and is rotatably arranged, and is capable of transporting the developer toward the replenishing port,
The shutter member has a cylindrical portion provided in a partial circumferential region on the outer peripheral side of the rotation center.
And the conveying member is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical portion ,
The developer supply container according to claim 1 or 2.

Images