Patent Grant
11249421
The present invention relates to a powder container for containing a developer which is a powder to be used in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, a copy machine, or a multi-functional machine equipped with multiple functions, and a powder supply device and an image forming apparatus including the powder container.
In an image forming apparatus in which a developing device using a powdery toner visualizes an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier, the toner in the developing device is consumed with formation of images. Thus, conventionally, an image forming apparatus has been known which includes a toner supply device including a toner container as a powder container containing a toner, and configured to supply the developing device with the toner contained in the toner container.
In a toner supply device thus configured, an opening formed at an end of the toner container is closed by a plug member to prevent a toner in the toner container from spilling out during storage or transportation, and the plug member is removed when the toner supply device is mounted to a main body of an image forming apparatus. Such a toner container, and a toner supply device and an image forming apparatus which include the toner container are disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.
A toner container is replaced with a new one when the toner in the toner container is used up. In the case of a toner container having a plug member, once the plug member is removed, the toner still remaining in the toner container may spill or fly out of the opening during the replacement. In addition, since a toner container is longer in an axis line direction, an ideal and preferable storage condition for the toner container is that the toner container is stored with its axis line placed horizontal. In contrast, if the toner container is stored in a standing state with the opening facing downward, the toner clumps together due to its own weight around the opening. This phenomenon obstructs toner discharge from the toner container set in a device main body and easily causes unstable toner discharge or transport. Hence, there is a need for a new structure.
An object of the present invention is to provide a powder container having a new structure capable of stable discharge and transport of a powder contained in a container by enabling the powder to be reliably discharged to the outside of the package while preventing the powder from spilling and flying out of the container, and also to provide a powder supply device and an image forming apparatus.
To accomplish the above object, a powder container configured to contain powder to be used in an image forming apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a container body configured to transport powder contained therein from first end side to a second end side thereof by self-rotating, a nozzle receiver having a nozzle receiving hole arranged on the second end side of the container body and configured to allow a transport nozzle having a powder receiving inlet to be inserted therein, and a supply port arranged in at least a part of the nozzle receiver and configured to supply the powder in the container body to the powder receiving inlet, and an shutter supported by the nozzle receiver and configured to open and close the nozzle receiving hole by sliding in response to insertion of the transport nozzle into the nozzle receiver.
According to the present invention, since a powder container includes: a nozzle receiver having a nozzle receiving hole arranged on the second end side of a container body and configured to allow a transport nozzle having a powder receiving inlet to be inserted therein, and a supply port arranged in at least a part of the nozzle receiver and configured to supply the powder in the container body to the powder receiving inlet; and an shutter supported by the nozzle receiver and configured to open and close the nozzle receiving hole by sliding in response to an insertion of the transport nozzle into the nozzle receiver. The nozzle receiving hole is closed until the transport nozzle is inserted, and any powder accumulated near the supply port is pushed away when the shutter slides. Consequently, a space is secured around the supply port, which enables reliable supply of the powder from the supply port to the powder receiving inlet. Thus, the powder container is capable of reliably discharging the powder contained in the container to the outside of the container while preventing the powder from spilling and flying out from the container.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments and modifications, constitutional elements such as members or components, which have the same function or shape, are assigned the same symbol as long as they can be distinguished, and any overlapping description thereof will be omitted.
First, an overall configuration and operation of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described. As shown in
The toner containers 38Y, 38M, 38C, 38K contain powdery toners of respective colors. When the toner containers 38Y, 38M, 38C, 38K are attached to the toner container housing section 31, toner supply devices 160Y, 160M, 160C, 160K, which are powder supply devices facing the inside of the toner container housing section 31, supply (refill) the toners of the colors to developing devices in the imaging sections 6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K, respectively.
In this embodiment, as the imaging sections, the toner containers, and the toner supply device have approximately an identical configuration except toner colors, one configuration representative of each of them will be described hereinafter.
As shown in
In addition, other three imaging sections 6M, 6C, 6K also have an almost same configuration as the imaging section 6Y corresponding to yellow, except that a toner color to be used is different, and form images corresponding to respective toner colors.
In
Then, on the surface of the photoconductor drum 1Y, laser beam L emitted from an exposure device 7 (see
The surface of the photoconductor drum 1Y after the development reaches a position opposed to the intermediate transfer belt 8 and a primary transfer bias roller 9Y where the toner image on the photoconductive drum 1Y is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 8 (Primary transfer step). Then, there remains untransferred toner, albeit only slightly, on the photoconductor drum 1Y.
The surface of the photoconductor drum 1Y after the primary transfer reaches a position opposed to a cleaning device 2, where the untransferred toner remaining on the photoconductor drum 1Y is mechanically collected by a cleaning blade 2a (Cleaning step). The surface of the photoconductor drum 1Y reaches a position opposed to the diselectrification section, where any remaining potential on the photoconductor drum 1Y is removed. Now, a series of the imaging process performed on the photoconductor drum 1Y ends.
In addition, the imaging process described above is similarly performed to the yellow imaging section 6Y in other imaging sections 6M, 6C, 6K as well. More specifically, from the exposure device 7 arranged below the imaging section, laser beam L based on image information is emitted onto the photoconductor drums of the respective imaging sections 6M, 6C, 6K. Particularly, while emitting laser beam from a light source and scanning the laser beam L with a polygon mirror which is rotationally driven, the exposure device 7 irradiates it onto each photoconductive drum 1 via a plurality of optical elements. Then, a toner image of each color formed on each photoconductive drum after the development step is superposed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 and transferred. Thus, a color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt.
The intermediate transfer unit comprises the intermediate transfer belt 8, four primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, 9K, a secondary transfer backup roller 12, a plurality of tension rollers, and an intermediate transfer cleaning section and the like. The intermediate transfer belt is not only stretched/supported, but also endlessly moved in the arrow direction in
The four primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K, respectively sandwich the intermediate transfer belt with the photoconductor drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K, and form primary transfer nips. To the primary transfer bias roller 9Y, 9M, 9C, 9K is applied transfer bias opposite to toner polarity.
The intermediate transfer belt 8 runs in the arrow direction, and sequentially passes through the primary transfer nip of each primary transfer bias roller. Thus, the toner images of respective colors on the photoconductor drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K are superposed on the intermediate transfer belt 8, and primarily transferred.
The intermediate transfer belt 8 on which the toner images of the respective colors are superposed and transferred to reach a position opposed to the secondary transfer roller 11. At this position, a secondary transfer backup roller 12 sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 8 with the secondary transfer roller 11, and forms secondary transfer nips. The four-color toner images formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 are transferred on a recording medium P such as transfer paper, etc. carried to positions of the secondary transfer nips. Then, there remains untransferred toner which was not transferred to the recording medium P. The intermediate transfer belt reaches a position of the intermediate transfer cleaning section, where the untransferred toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is collected. Thus, a series of the transfer process performed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 ends.
The recording medium P transferred to positions of the secondary transfer nips is that transferred from a paper feed section 16, which is arranged in the lower part of the body 100 of the image forming apparatus, via a paper feed roller 17 or a pair of resist rollers 18 and the like. Particularly, multiple sheets of recording medium P such as transfer paper and the like are stacked and stored in the paper feed section 16. Then, when the paper feed roller 17 is rotationally driven in anticlockwise direction in
The recording medium P transferred to the pair of resist rollers once stops at a position of a roller nip of the pair of resist rollers which stopped the rotational drive. Then, the pair of resist rollers 18 is rotationally driven in line with timing of the color image on the intermediate transfer belt 8, and the recording medium P is transported to the secondary transfer nips. Thus, a desired color image is transferred onto the recording medium P. The recording medium P the color image of which was transferred at the position of the secondary transfer nips is transported to a position of a fixing section 20. Then, at this position, due to heat and pressure of a fixing belt and a pressurization roller, the color image transferred onto the surface is fixed on the recording medium P.
The recording medium P after the fixing is discharged to outside of the device by way of the inter-roller space of a pair of paper ejection rollers 19. The recording medium P ejected to outside of the device by the pair of paper ejection rollers 19 is sequentially stacked as output images on a stack section 30. Then, a series of image forming process on the image forming apparatus completes.
Next, with reference to
The developing device thus configured operates in the following manner. The sleeve of the developing roller 21Y is turning in a direction of an arrow in
Then, the toner supplied into the developer container 24Y circulates in the two developer containers 23Y, 24Y, while being mixed and agitated by the two transport screws 25Y together with the developer YG (which is movement in a vertical direction on
The developer YG carried on the developing roller 21Y is transported in the direction shown by the arrow in
Now, toner supply devices 160Y, 160M, 160C, 160K and toner containers 38Y, 38M, 38C, 38K will be described. Respective toner supply devices and toner containers have an identical configuration, except a color of a toner in a toner container to be set. Thus, they will be described as a toner supply device 160 and a toner container 38 with no toner-color-identifying letter, Y, M, C, K, attached.
As shown in
A toner container 38A shown in
The tubular container body 138 has helical projections 138c, which protrude toward the inside of the container, formed from a first end side 138a to the second end side 138b on its circumferential surface, and is configured to transport a toner contained therein from the first end side 138a to the second end side 138b as the container body 138 rotates.
On an end face of the second end side 138 b of the container body 138 are formed an opening 138d into which the nozzle receiver 139 is inserted, lift-up sections 138e, 138f for lifting up any toner transported by the helical projection 138c and accumulating in a lower part of the second end side 138b or any toner which has accumulated in the lower part of the second end side 138b from the beginning, in the container because of rotation of the container body 138, and a driving part, for example, a gear 143 to which a driving force for rotating the container body 138 is transmitted. In the embodiment, the lift-up sections 138e, 138f are such arranged that they are opposed to each other with their phases offset 180 degrees. Although there are multiple lift-up sections 138e, 138f in the embodiment, there may be any one of the lift-up sections 138e, 138f, which may be arranged as four lift-up sections with their phases offset 90 degrees. Alternatively, the lift-up sections may be increased to four or more, and may have a number and a shape which allow them to supply a toner to a supply port 139b and the powder receiving inlet 170, to be described below, from above them.
The nozzle receiver 139 forms approximately a cylindrical shape extending in a longitudinal direction of the container body 138. As shown in
The shutter 140 is a tubular shape and inserted into the nozzle receiver 139. The shutter 140 is movably supported in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle receiver 139, as it supports a pin 141, which diametrically penetrates, in each slit 139c of the nozzle receiver 139. A coil spring 142 which is an urging member is interposed between the end face 139d of the nozzle receiver 139 located opposite to the nozzle receiving hole 139a and the shutter 140. The shutter 140 is urged by the coil spring 142 to a position to close the nozzle receiving hole 139a (closed position), as shown in
The toner container 38A such configured is attached by sliding it from the front side to the back side of the body 100 of the image forming apparatus so that the second end side 138b of the container body 138 is located in the back side of a toner container storage 31.
The toner container 38B shown in
The toner container 38B such configured is attached by sliding it from the front side to the back side of the body 100 of the image forming apparatus so that the second end side 138b of the container body 138 is located in the back side of a toner container storage section 31.
There are two types of supply devices 160: One is used with the toner container 38A shown in
Each of toner supply devices 160 has the toner container 38A, 38B, a toner nozzle 162, and a transport path 161 connected to the transport nozzle 162 and a developing device 5 and transporting a toner supplied to the transport nozzle to the developing device 5. The transport nozzle 162 is arranged in the back side of the toner container storage section 31 (the body 100 of the image forming apparatus) to be opposed to the shutter 140 which is inserted into the toner container storage section 31. A sub hopper 163 for storing a toner to be transported by the transport nozzle 162 is provided between the transport nozzle 162 and the transport path 161, and the toner is supplied to the transport path 161 via the sub hopper 163.
As shown in
The transport nozzle 162 includes a tubular nozzle section 165 to be inserted into the nozzle receiver 139 of the toner container 38A, 38B, a connection path 166 connecting the nozzle section 165 and the sub hopper 163, a transport screw 167 arranged in the nozzle section 165 and transporting the toner supplied from the tonner containers 38A, 38B to the connection path 166, a seal member 168 forming a seal surface by contacting the seal member 144 of the shutter 140, and a coil spring 169 as an urging device.
The nozzle 165 extends in the longitudinal direction of the toner container, and its outer circumference can be inserted into the nozzle receiver 139 from the nozzle receiving hole 139a. On the outer circumferential surface on the tip side of the nozzle section 165 is formed a powder receiving inlet 170 which receives a toner from the supply port 139b of the tonner container 38A, 38B and guides it to the transport screw 167. A length of the nozzle section 165 is set so that the powder receiving inlet 170 can be opposed to the supply port 139b when the nozzle section is inserted into the nozzle receiver 139.
The connection path 166 is formed integrally with a base end of the nozzle section 165 located on the opposite side of the powder receiving inlet 170, and in communication with the nozzle section 165. The powder receiving inlet 170 is such formed that it is located on a top face of the nozzle section 165.
A screw section 167a being formed from the tip of the nozzle section 165 to the connection path 166, and the transport screw 167 is rotatably supported by the nozzle section 165. The seal member 168, formed of a sponge and shaped like a ring, is attached to a holder 171 supported movably in the longitudinal direction in the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle section 165.
In the coil spring 169, one end 169a is latched to the holder 171 held slidably on the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle section 165 and rotatably about the axis center, and the other end 169b is latched to a spring receiving member 172 held on the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle section 165. In this state, the coil spring 169 urges the seal member 168 toward a seal member 144 (to a direction in which the holder 171 moves away from the spring receiving member 172).
The powder receiving inlet 170 is formed to be opposed to the supply port 139b of the nozzle receiver 139, when the nozzle section 165 is inserted into the container body 138 from the nozzle receiving hole 139a of the nozzle receiver 139.
A drive device 180 of the toner supply device 160 will be described. As shown in
For the toner supply device 160 shown in
In the toner supply device 160 shown in
In contrast, if the toner container 38B shown in
In the embodiment shown in
With reference to
When the toner container 38A, 38B is further moved to the back side, as shown in
With the toner container 38A, 38B such configured, as the toner container 38A, 38B has the nozzle receiver 139 arranged on the second end side 138b of the container body 138 and configured to allow the nozzle section 165 of the transport nozzle 162 having the powder receiving inlet 170 to be inserted therein and supply the toner in the container body 138 to the powder receiving inlet 170, and the shutter 140 supported by the nozzle receiver 139 to be able to open and close the nozzle receiving hole 139a and sliding in response to an insertion of the nozzle section 165 into the nozzle receiver 139 to open and close at least the nozzle receiving hole 139a and the supply port 139b leading to the nozzle receiving hole 139a in the embodiment, the nozzle receiving hole 139a and the supply port 139b are kept in a closed state until the nozzle section 165 is inserted into the nozzle receiver 139. When the shutter 140 slides in response to the insertion of the nozzle section 165 into the nozzle receiver 139, the nozzle receiving hole 139a is opened and the shutter 140 pushes away any toner accumulated around the supply port 139b into the container. Consequently, a space is secured around the supply port 139b, which enables reliable supply of toner T to the powder receiving inlet 170. Thus, the toner contained in the container can be reliably discharged to the outside of the container, while preventing the toner T from spilling and flying.
When the image forming apparatus is actuated with the toner container 38A, 38B located at the mounted position, and when a toner supply signal is outputted from the control device, the drive motor shown in
When the toner container 38A, 38B rotates, the toner contained in the container is transported to the second end side 138b by an action of a helical groove 138c and also the transported toner T is mixed with a toner accumulated in the lower part of the second end side 138b.
The supply port 139b formed in the nozzle receiver 139 and the lift-up section 138f of the container are in a fixed positional relationship. Thus, as shown in
The powder receiving inlet 170 provided in the nozzle section 165 and the supply port 139b formed in the nozzle receiver 139 are in a fixed positional relationship. Thus, as shown in
That is to say, in the case of the toner container 38A, the toner T in the container is supplied into the nozzle section 165 only while the powder receiving inlet 170 of the nozzle section 165 and the supply port 139b of the nozzle receiver 139 overlap in one turn of the container. In the case of the toner container 38B, the toner T in the container is supplied into the nozzle section 165 every time the lift-up sections 138e, 138f pass over the powder receiving inlet 170 of the nozzle section 165 and the supply port 139b provided in the nozzle receiver 139, positions of which match, in one turn of the container.
The toner T supplied into the nozzle section 165 is transported by the transport screw 167 toward the connection path 166, and drops on the connection path 166. The dropped toner T is fed into the transport path 161 via the sub hopper 163 shown in
A toner container 38C, 38D, as a powder container, is made by adding a loosening member 190 for breaking down the toner accumulated near the supply port 139b to the toner container 38A, 38B as shown in
As shown in
In summary, the loosening member 190 is a member protruding from the nozzle receiver 139 toward the inside of the container body 138 and configured to be movable in the moving direction of the shutter 140 in conjunction with opening and closing operations of the shutter 140.
The loosening member 190 is mounted to the shutter 140 so as to be arranged on the inner end 140d side of the shutter 140. When the shutter 140 occupies the closed position as shown in
With the configuration provided with such a loosening member 190, as shown in
Since the loosening member 190 as shown in
A form of the loosening member shall not be limited to a ring shape. For example, it may be a loosening member 190B, as shown in
Now, toner supply devices 160Y, 160M, 160C, 160K and toner containers 38Y, 38M, 38C, 38K according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter. As the toner supply devices and toner containers have an identical configuration, except a color of a toner in a toner container to be set, they will be described as a toner supply device 160 and a toner container 38 with no toner-color-identifying letter, Y, M, C, K, attached.
The toner container 38A shown in
The tubular container body 138 has helical projections 138, which protrude toward the inside of the container, formed from the first end side 138a to the second end side 138b on its circumferential surface, and is configured to transport a toner contained therein from the first end side 138a to the second end side 138b as the container body 138 rotates.
An end face of the second end side 138 b of the container body 138 is provided with an opening 138d into which the nozzle receiver 139 is inserted, lift-up sections 138e, 138f, and a gear 143 to which driving force for rotating the container body 138 is transmitted. A toner transported by the helical projection 138c and accumulated in a lower part of the second end side 138b or a toner accumulated in the lower part of the second end side 138b from the beginning is lifted up by the lift-up sections 138e, 138f with the rotation of the container body 138. In the embodiment, the lift-up sections 138e, 138f are arranged opposed to each other with their phases offset by 180 degrees. Although there are plural lift-up sections 138e, 138f in the embodiment, there may be any one of the lift-up sections 138e, 138f, or may be four lift-up sections arranged as with their phases offset by 90 degrees. Alternatively, four or more lift-up sections may be provided. The lift-up sections may have any number and any shape as long as the number and the shape allow a toner to be supplied from above to a supply port 139b and the powder receiving inlet 170 to be described below.
The nozzle receiver 139 includes a main body tubular section 139c formed as an almost cylindrical shape extending in a longitudinal direction of the container body 138, a ring-shaped bottomed mount section 139d formed on one end of the main body tubular section 139c and configured to be mounted to the container body 138, and the nozzle receiving hole (insertion section) 139a which is in communication with the main body tubular section 138c and into which the transport nozzle is inserted. Then, the nozzle receiving hole 139a and the main body tubular section 139c are arranged on a coaxial line, and formed so that the center of the mount section 139d corresponds to the center of rotation O of the container body 138. The nozzle receiving hole 139a and the main body tubular section 139c are formed so that the central part thereof is offset downward with respect to the center of the mount section 139d (the center of rotation O of the container body 138). The supply port 139b communicating with the nozzle receiving hole 139a via the main body tubular section 139c opens and is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the main body tubular section 139c.
In the embodiment, the central part of the nozzle receiving hole 139a is arranged at the lowest position on the upstream side of the rotation direction of the container body 138. In the embodiment, the container body 138 rotates in an anti-clockwise direction in
The supply port 139b is such formed that at least a part thereof is located in the moving range of the shutter 140. A ring-shaped seal member formed of a sponge member for preventing a toner from spilling is mounted between the nozzle receiver 139a and the container body 138.
As shown in
The main body tubular section 139c is located in an internal space where at least the supply port 139b is opposed to the lift-up sections 138e, 13f when the nozzle receiver 139 is mounted to the container body 138, and formed to length whereby the supply port 139b can ensure a stroke of the shutter 140 when the opening shutter 140 occupies an open position shown in
The shutter 140 is a tubular member and configured to not only close the nozzle receiving hole 139a but also block a communication state of the supply port 139b when it occupies the closed position. The shutter 140 is mounted to the main body tubular section 139c via a stopper member, and prevented from jumping out of the main body tubular section 139c when it occupies the closed position. The shutter 140 is configured to slide into the container body from the closed position as shown in
The toner container 38 such configured is mounted by being slid from the front side to the back side of a main body of an image forming apparatus main body 100, so that the second end side 138b of the container body 138 is located in the back side of a toner container storage section 31. This direction shall be a mounting direction.
The transport path 161 includes a hose 161A, and a transport screw 161B arranged in the hose 161A and transporting the toner from the sub hopper 163 to the developing device 5 by rotating.
The transport nozzle 162 includes a tubular nozzle section 165 to be inserted into the nozzle receiver 139 of the toner containers 38, a connection path connecting the nozzle section 165 and the sub hopper 163, a transport screw 167 arranged in the nozzle section 165 and transporting the toner supplied from the tonner container 38 to the connection path 166, and a seal member.
The nozzle 165 extends in the longitudinal direction of the toner container, and its outer circumference can be inserted into the nozzle receiver 139 from the nozzle receiving hole 139a. On the outer circumferential surface on the tip side of the nozzle section 165 is formed a powder receiving inlet 170 which receives a toner from the supply port 139b of the tonner container 38 and guides it to the transport screw 167. A length of the nozzle section 165 is set so that the powder receiving inlet 170 can be opposed to the supply port 139b when the nozzle section is inserted into the nozzle receiver 139. A convex section 165a is formed at the tip of the nozzle section 165 so that it enters into a recessed section 140b of the shutter 140.
The connection path 166 is formed integrally with a base end of the nozzle section 165 located on the opposite side of the powder receiving inlet 170, and in communication with the nozzle section 165. The powder receiving inlet 170 is such formed that it is located on a top face of the nozzle section 165. The transport screw 167 has a screw section 167a formed from the tip side of the nozzle section 165 to the connection path 166, and is rotatably supported by the nozzle section 165.
The powder receiving inlet 170 is formed so that it is opposed to the supply port 139b of the nozzle receiver 139, when the nozzle section 165 is inserted into the container body 138 from the nozzle receiving hole 139a of the nozzle receiver 139.
A description of the drive device 180 of the toner supply device 160 will be omitted as it is identical to the first embodiment.
With reference to
When the toner container 38 is further moved to the mounting direction, as shown in
With the toner container 38 such configured, as the toner container 38 has the nozzle receiver 139 arranged on the second end side 138b of the container body 138 and having a supply port 139b configured to allow the nozzle section 165 of the transport nozzle 162 having the powder receiving inlet 170 to be inserted therein and to supply the toner in the container body 138 to the powder receiving inlet 170, and the shutter 140 supported by the nozzle receiver 139 to be able to open and close the nozzle receiving hole 139a and sliding in response to insertion of the nozzle section 165 of the transport nozzle 162 into the nozzle receiving hole 139a of the nozzle receiver 139 to open at least the nozzle receiving hole 139a and the supply port 139b connected to the nozzle receiving hole 139a in the embodiment, and to close the nozzle receiving hole 139a in response to disengagement of the nozzle section 165 from the nozzle receiving hole 139a, the nozzle receiving hole 139a and the supply port 139b are kept in a closed state until the nozzle section 165 is inserted into the nozzle receiving hole 139a of the nozzle receiver 139. Thus, when the nozzle section 165 of the transport nozzle 162 is disengaged from the nozzle receiving hole 139a to replace the toner container 38, any spilling or flying of the powder can be prevented as the nozzle receiving hole 139a and the supply port 139 are kept in the closed state by the shutter 140.
When the container body 138 rotates, not only the toner contained in the container body 138 is transported to the second end side 138b by action of a helical groove 138c but also the transported toner T is mixed with a toner T accumulated in the lower part of the second end side 138b.
As shown in
As shown in
In the embodiment, as the nozzle receiving hole 139a is arranged inside the outer circumference of the container body 138, and the center of the nozzle receiving hole 139a O1 is offset from the center of rotation O of the container body 138, the transport nozzle can be freely arranged. Thus, such free layout of the transport nozzle 162 enables downsizing and cost reduction of the device main body. In addition, if a central part O1 of the nozzle receiving hole 139a is offset from the center of rotation O of the container body, the supply port 139b can efficiently collect any toner dropping from the inner wall of the contain main body 138 because the nozzle receiving hole 139a is located closer to the vicinity of the inner wall of the contain main body than when the it is arranged at the center of rotation O of the container body 138.
As the device main body can be downsized, the container body 138 may be more easily made larger. Thus, as volume of filled toner can be increased, a replacement cycle of the toner container 38 can be extended.
As the supply port 139b is provided in the nozzle receiver 139 so that it is opposed to the lift-up sections 138e, 138f in the container body 138, the supply port 139b can efficiently collect the toner T which is stirred up by the lift-up sections 138e, 138f and drops due to its weight.
On the one hand, when the toner container 38 is disengaged from the toner container storage section 31, the toner container 38 is moved to the front side from the mounted position as shown in
As shown in
The loosening member 290 occupies a first position where it occupies the second end side 138b of the container body 138 rather than the end of the supply port 139b when the shutter 140 occupies the closed position. It occupies a second position where it occupies the first end side 138a of the container body 138 rather than the supply port 139b when the shutter occupies the open position of the container body 138. Specifically, the loosening member 290 moves to the first position and the second position as the shutter 140 moves.
With the configuration including such a loosening member 290, as shown in
A loosening member shall not be limited to a pin, and may be a ring member 19 having a through-hole 291a formed at the center, as shown in
In each embodiment, although the central part O1 of the nozzle receiving hole 139a is arranged at the lowest position on the upstream side of the rotation direction of the container body 138, with respect to the center of rotation O of the toner container 38 (container body 138), arrangement of the nozzle receiving hole 139a is not limited to this position, and as shown in
Such an arrangement of the nozzle receiving hole 139a enables efficient collection of the toner stirred up by the lift-up section 138e or 138f as a result of rotation of the container body 138.
In each mode described above, the toner container 38 is a recessed helical groove 138c formed in the container body 138, and configured to transport a toner in the container body 138 from the first end side 138a of the container to the second end side 138b into which the nozzle section 165 of the transport nozzle 162 is inserted. However, a powder container to which the present invention applies shall not be limited to this configuration. For example, a well-known agitator for transporting toner by rotating in the container body 138 may be arranged as an additional member in the container body 138. Or, in place of the above-mentioned helical groove 138c whose outer side is concave and whose inner side is convex, a helical convex section having a convex inner side and without making the outer side concave may be provided in the container body 138 to transport the toner.
The powder container to be used in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention has a container body for transporting powder contained therein from the first end side to the second end side thereof by self-rotating; a nozzle receiver having a nozzle receiving hole rotatably arranged on the second end side of the contain main body and configured to allow a transport nozzle having a powder receiving inlet to be inserted therein, and a supply port arranged in at least a part of the nozzle receiver and configured to supply the powder in the container body to the powder receiving inlet; and an shutter which is movable in a direction to open and close the nozzle receiving hole, and configured to open the nozzle receiving hole in response to insertion of the transport nozzle into the nozzle receiving hole and to close the nozzle receiving hole in response to disengagement of the transport nozzle from the nozzle receiving hole, wherein the nozzle receiving hole is arranged inside the outer circumference of the container body, and a central part of the nozzle receiving hole is offset from the center of rotation of the container body.
In addition, the nozzle receiver 139 is rotatably supported to the container body 138, and the central part O1 of the nozzle receiving hole 139a is offset from the center of rotation O of the toner container 38 (container body 138). In this case, the transport nozzle 162 and the nozzle receiving hole 139a may be displaced from each other in a circumferential direction when the toner container 38 is mounted to the toner container 31 (the image forming apparatus main body 100).
To avoid this, in the embodiment, the toner container 38 is provided with a structure to align the nozzle receiving hole 139a with the position of the transport nozzle 162. Specifically, as shown in
Thus, as shown in
In the embodiment, the inclined surface 390 is formed in the nozzle receiver 139, and the nozzle receiver 139 is rotated with the inclined surface 390 being in contact with the nozzle section 165 to automatically align the nozzle receiving hole 139a with the nozzle section 165. However, the method of changing the position of the nozzle receiving hole 139a is not limited to this. For example, a convex section may be provided to the nozzle receiver 139 to be attached to the container body 138 and a recessed section which has a wider receiving port and gradually narrows inside may be provided to the body 100 of the image forming apparatus. Then, the nozzle section 165 and the nozzle receiving hole 139a can be set in the proper positions by using these convex and recessed sections. In addition, in the case where the nozzle section 165 is arranged opposed to the lowest position in the end face 139f of the nozzle receiver 139, the nozzle receiver 139 may be configured to have its own center of gravity at the nozzle receiving hole 139a, and the nozzle receiving hole 139a of the nozzle receiver 139 can be always set in the lowest position by utilizing the weight (gravity) of the nozzle receiving hole 139a.
Furthermore, as shown in
A configuration of the nozzle receiver 239 is same as the nozzle receiver 139, except for the mini hopper 240. As shown in
As shown in
When the toner container 138 having the nozzle receiver such configured is pushed into the mount position as shown in
As such, if the container body 138 includes the nozzle receiver 239, an area for receiving the toner stirred up by the lift-up sections 138e, 138f and dropping by its own weight when the container body 138 rotates increases, thereby being able to collect the toner more efficiently and store the collected toner in the mini hopper 240. Consequently, the amount of toner to be transported by the transport screw 167 from the supply port 139b via the powder receiving inlet 170 can be stabilized.
As described above, the powder supply device according to the second embodiment has a powder container, a transport nozzle inserted into the powder container, and configured to have a powder receiving inlet to which powdery tonner is supplied from a supply port of the powder container, and a transport path connected to the transport nozzle and a developing device and configured to transport the toner supplied to the transport nozzle to the developing device, wherein the above-mentioned nozzle receiver is rotatably supported to the container body as a powder container, a central part of the nozzle receiving hole is offset from the center of rotation of the container body, and the supply port is arranged to be located within the container body.
The image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment includes the above-mentioned powder supply device.
According to the second embodiment, since the nozzle receiving hole is arranged inside the outer circumference of the container body, and the central part of the nozzle receiving hole is offset from the center of rotation of the container body, the transport nozzle can be freely arranged, thus enabling downsizing or cost reduction of the device main body through free layout or freeing of the transport nozzle. In addition, if the central part of the nozzle receiving hole is offset from the center of rotation of the container body, the supply port can efficiently collect any toner dropping from the inner wall of the container body because the nozzle receiving hole is located closer to the vicinity of the inner wall of the contain main body than when the it is arranged at the center of rotation of the container body.
As described above, with the invention according to the first embodiment of this case and the invention according to the second embodiment, as the toner container has a nozzle receiver having a nozzle receiving hole arranged on the second end side of the container body and configured to allow a transport nozzle having a powder receiving inlet to be inserted therein or removed therefrom, and a supply port arranged in at least a part of the nozzle receiver and configured to supply the powder in the container body to the powder receiving inlet; and an shutter being movable in a direction to open and close the nozzle receiving hole and configured to open the nozzle receiving hole in response to insertion of the transport nozzle into the nozzle receiving hole and to close the nozzle receiving hole in response to disengagement of the transport nozzle from the nozzle receiving hole, the toner container can prevent any spilling or flying of the powder when the toner container is replaced, because the nozzle receiving hole is closed by the shutter when the transport nozzle is disengaged from the nozzle receiving hole for replacement.
In the aforementioned embodiments, it should be noted that the powder receiving inlet of the transport nozzle is communicated with the supply port at a position toward the container body over the gear in an axial direction of the container body. In a conventional toner bottle including at one end thereof an opening and a driven gear mounted on the end where the opening is provided. So, it is necessary to attach to and remove the toner bottle from an apparatus, and engage the driven gear with a driving gear provided in the apparatus. Therefore, the bottle is provided with a step that a diameter of the end of the bottle on which the driven gear is disposed must be set to be smaller than that of the other portion of the bottle. This results in the opening having a small diameter. Consequently, in the conventional toner bottle, when a toner is discharged from the bottle through the opening, because the opening has a small diameter, the toner is difficult to be incorporated in the bottle. In the embodiments according to the present invention, because the toner is contained in the container through the transport nozzle, it can be accomplished easily to discharge the toner from the container without requiring any complex procedure.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, various changes and modifications can be made to the embodiments.
5: (Y, M, C, K) Developing devices
38: (A to D) Powder containers
138: Container body
138
a: First end side
138
b: Second end side
138
e,
138
f: Lift-up sections
139, 239: Nozzle receiver s
139
a: Nozzle receiving hole
139
b: Supply port
139
f: End face of nozzle receiver
140: Shutter (Shutter)
160: Powder supply device (Toner supply device)
161: Transport path
162: Transport nozzle
170: Powder receiving inlet
190(A to D): Loosening members
190
d: Opening penetrating in the moving direction
195: Multiple vane members
196: Pin
240: Powder storage section
240
a: Opening of powder storage section
390: Inclined surface
390
b: Deepest section
T: Powder
O: Center of rotation of container body
O1: Central part of nozzle receiving hole
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No.3492856
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-270370 | Dec 2010 | JP | national |
| 2011-197303 | Sep 2011 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/140,148, filed Jan. 4, 2021, which is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/589,140, filed Oct. 1, 2019 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,908,531), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/377,256, filed Apr. 8, 2019 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,466,623), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/962,387, filed Apr. 25, 2018 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,281,843), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/383,141, filed Dec. 19, 2016 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,983,509), which is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/881,317, filed Oct. 13, 2015 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,547,258), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/991,250, filed Jun. 3, 2013 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,482,987), which is a national stage of PCT/JP2011/078626, filed Dec. 2, 2011, and based on and claims the priority benefit of each of Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2010-270370, filed on Dec. 3, 2010 and 2011-197303, filed on Sep. 9, 2011. The disclosures of each of the above are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20210364949 A1 | Nov 2021 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16589140 | Oct 2019 | US |
| Child | 17140148 | US | |
| Parent | 14881317 | Oct 2015 | US |
| Child | 15383141 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17140148 | Jan 2021 | US |
| Child | 17392285 | US | |
| Parent | 16377256 | Apr 2019 | US |
| Child | 16589140 | US | |
| Parent | 15962387 | Apr 2018 | US |
| Child | 16377256 | US | |
| Parent | 15383141 | Dec 2016 | US |
| Child | 15962387 | US | |
| Parent | 13991250 | US | |
| Child | 14881317 | US |
