This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-053822 filed on Mar. 26, 2021.
The present disclosure relates to a recovery container and a powder coating device.
Japanese Patent No. 6551093 discloses a powder recovery container that is to be detachably attached to an image forming device.
There is a powder recovery container to be attached to an attachment target. In the recovery container, a pair of insertion portions that protrude (move in a protruding direction) in directions mutually opposite to each other in a direction intersecting an attachment direction is provided, and the recovery container is attached to the attachment target by inserting the pair of insertion portions into a corresponding opening of the attachment target. However, an attachment posture of the attached recovery container may not be stable.
Aspects of non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure relate to stabilizing an attachment posture of a container body as compared with a configuration in which the attachment posture of the container body is kept only by a pair of insertion portions protruding in directions mutually opposite to each other in a direction intersecting an attachment direction.
Aspects of certain non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure address the above advantages and/or other advantages not described above. However, aspects of the non-limiting embodiments are not required to address the advantages described above, and aspects of the non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure may not address advantages described above.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a recovery container including: a container body that is attachable to and detachable from an attachment target and capable of accommodating a powder; a first insertion portion that is provided at the container body, is capable of protruding from ore of two wall portions of the container body at opposite sides in a direction intersecting an attachment direction of the container body, and is to be inserted into a first opening provided in a portion of the attachment target facing the one of the two wall portions by movement in a protruding direction of the first insertion portion; a second insertion portion that is provided at the container body, is capable of protruding from other of the two wall portions to a side opposite to the first insertion portion, and is to be inserted into a second opening provided in a portion of the attachment target facing the other of the two wall portions by movement in a protruding direction of the second insertion portion; and a third insertion portion that is provided at the container body, is capable of protruding from the other of the two wall portions to a side same as the second insertion portion, and is to be inserted into a third opening provided in a portion of the attachment target facing the other of the two wall portions by movement in a protruding direction of the third insertion portion.
Exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention will be described in detail based on the following figures, wherein:
A recovery container and a powder coating device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.
First, an image forming device 10, which is an example of a powder coating device according to the exemplary embodiment, will be described, and then a recovery container 60 used in the image forming device 10 will be described.
First, the image forming device 10 according to the present exemplary embodiment will be described.
As illustrated in
When the image forming device 10 is viewed from a side on which a user (not shown) stands, a device width direction, a device height direction, and a device depth direction are referred to as an X direction, a Y direction, and a Z direction, respectively in the following description. The X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction are orthogonal to one another. In addition, when it is necessary to distinguish one side and the other side in each of the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction, in a front view of the image forming device 10, an upper side of the image forming device 10 is described as a +Y side, a lower side thereof is described as a −Y side, a right side thereof is described as a +X side, a left side thereof is described as a −X side, a back side thereof is described as a +Z side, and a front side thereof is described as a −Z direction. The Y direction is an example of a gravity direction. The X direction and the Z direction are examples of a horizontal direction.
As illustrated in
In
As illustrated in
In addition, in a state where the recovery container 60 is detached, an operation lever 38 provided in the developing device 18 is operated so that the operation lever 38 is retracted from a detachment path of the photoconductor unit 30. Thereafter, the photoconductor unit 30 is pulled out toward the front side in the device depth direction, thereby detaching the photoconductor unit 30 from the housing 11.
Next, an operation of the image forming device 10 will be described.
An operation of each unit of the image forming device 10 is controlled by the control unit 20. In the image forming device 10, the developing device 18 develops a latent image on the photoconductor 12 with a developer serving as a colorant, which is an example of a powder transported from the toner cartridge 28, thereby forming a toner image as an example of a developer image. Further, in the image forming device 10, the transfer device 22 transfers the toner image to a recording medium P, and thereafter the toner image is fixed to the recording medium P by the fixing device 24.
As an example, the developer includes, as main components, a toner serving as an example of a colorant that is charged to a negative polarity and an iron carrier serving as an example of a magnetic body that is charged to a positive polarity, and further includes an additive. The toner is made of for example, a polyester resin
Next, the recovery container 60 of the pre sent exemplary embodiment will be described in detail.
With the recovery container 60 of the present exemplary embodiment, the developer used in the developing device 18, the developer removed from an intermediate transfer belt 36, and the developer removed from the photoconductor 12 are recovered, and thereafter the recovered developer is collected and is discharged from an external discharge port 68 (see
As illustrated in
The container body 62 has a box shape. Specifically, the container body 62 has a box shape in which a length in a width direction is longer than a length in a thickness direction. Inside the container body 62, a recovery path 64 for recovering the developer is provided. The container body 62 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 50 of the housing 11 so as to be attached to the housing 11. As described above, since the shape of the accommodating portion 50 corresponds to the outer shape of the recovery container 60 (container body 62), the photoconductor 12 and the transfer device 22 are covered by the container body 62 in a state where the container body 62 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 50.
The recovery path 64 is a passage portion for collecting the developer recovered from the recovery port 66, which will be described later, and transporting the collected developer to the external discharge port 68. The recovery path 64 includes branch passages (not shown) extending downward respectively from plural recovery ports 66, and a main passage 64A into which the branch passages merge. The main passage 64A is provided in a lower portion of the container body 62, and extends from one side (a right side in
The external discharge port 68 (see
An opening/closing shutter 72, which is an example of an opening/closing part that closes the external discharge port 68 by being biased in the attachment direction E by a spring member (not shown) (a coil spring, for example), is provided at a portion of the bottom portion 62A of the container body 62 that corresponds to the external discharge port 68. The opening/closing shutter 72 is pushed and opened by a flange portion 52A of the recovery port 52 in an attached state where the container body 62 is attached to the housing 11. Specifically, when the container body 62 is moved in the attachment direction E with respect to the housing 11, as illustrated in
A guide portion 74 that guides movement of the opening/closing shutter 72 of the container body 62 is provided on an opposite side of the external discharge port 68, with the opening/closing shutter 72 being sandwiched therebetween. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
A connector 86 (see
Plural recovery ports 66 for recovering the developer from the housing 11 side are provided in the rear portion 62E of the container body 62. These recovery ports 66 are provided on the recovery path 64 of the container body 62. In addition, these recovery ports 66 may be connected to a developer discharge portion 40 serving as an example of a powder discharge portion on the housing 11 side. In a state where the recovery port 66 and the developer discharge portion 40 are connected to each other, the developer discharged from the developer discharge portion 40 is recovered at the recovery port 66 and sent to the recovery path 64 (from the branch passage to the main passage 64A). Specifically, with the recovery port 66 of the present exemplary embodiment, the developer used in the developing device 18, the developer removed from the intermediate transfer belt 36, and the developer removed from the photoconductor 12 are recovered. A recovery port for recovering the developer discharged from the developer discharge portion 40 of the developing device 18 is denoted by a reference sign 66A (see
The recovery port 66A may be opened and closed by an opening/closing shutter 67 biased in the attachment direction E by a coil spring serving as an example of a biasing member (not shown). In the attached state where the container body 62 is attached to the housing 11, the opening/closing shutter 67 is pushed toward a side opposite to the attachment direction E by a peripheral portion of the developer discharge portion 40 to open the recovery port 66A (see
In addition, an attachment/detachment handle 100 serving as an example of a first grip portion is provided at the side portion 62B on one side (the right side in
The other end portion 100C of the attachment/detachment handle 100 projects further toward the other s ide in the thickness direction of the container body 62 (the front side in the device depth direction) with respect to the front surface 62DA of the container body 62. That is, since a part of the gripping plate portion 100E projects to the front side in the device depth direction with respect to the front surface 62DA, it is easy to operate the attachment/detachment handle 100 when detaching the recovery container 60 from the housing 11.
A projection 90, which is an example of a first hook portion, is provided on a surface of the attachment/detachment handle 100 on a side opposite to the container body 62 side. Specifically, the projection 90 is provided on a surface 100A on the other end portion 100C side of the attachment/detachment handle 100. More specifically, the projection 90 is provided at an end portion of the inclined plate portion 100D on the gripping plate portion 100E side. Note that, in the projection 90 of the present exemplary embodiment, a groove portion (recessed portion) that extends along the attachment direction E is formed at a middle portion in the height direction of the container body 62, but the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. The projection 90 is hooked to a hooked portion 54A formed on a side wall surface 50C (a wall surface on the right side in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In addition, an attachment/detachment handle 104 serving as an example of a second grip portion is provided at the side portion 62C of the container body 62 on the other side (the left side in
The other end portion 104C of the attachment/detachment handle 104 projects further toward the other s ide in the thickness direction of the container body 62 (the front side in the device depth direction) with respect to the front surface 62DA of the container body 62. That is, since a part of the gripping plate portion 104E projects to the front side in the device depth direction with respect to the front surface 62DA, it is easy to operate the attachment/detachment handle 104 when detaching the recovery container 60 from the housing 11.
A projection 106, which is an example of a second hook portion, is provided on a surface of the attachment/detachment handle 104 on a side opposite to the container body 62 side. Specifically, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
Here, the projection 90 and the projection 106 of the recovery container 60 are hooked to the hooked portion 54A and the hooked portion (not shown), respectively, so that the recovery container 60 is held (attached) in the housing 11. Further, the other end portions 100C and 104C of the respective attachment/detachment handle 100 and the attachment/detachment handle 104 on both side s of the recovery container 60 are gripped and pressed toward the inner side in the width direction, whereby the projection 90 and the projection 106 are detached from the hooked portion 54A and the hooked portion (not shown) (the hooking is released). In this state, the recovery container 60 is pulled from the housing 11 toward the side opposite 1D the attachment direction E so that the recovery container 60 is detached from the housing 11.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In addition, the lock portion 102A is provided with a restriction portion 110 that restricts approach of the attachment/detachment handle 100 to the side portion 62B when the lock portion 102A is in a protruding state. Specifically, the restriction portion 110 is integrally formed with a periphery of the lock portion 102A. The restriction portion 110 is a portion protruding from the side surface 102AB of the lock portion 102A. Therefore, in interlocking with the operation of the lock portion 102A protruding outward in the width direction of the container body 62 from the side portion 62B, the restriction portion 110 also moves outward in the width direction of the container body 62. Here, when the recovery container 60 is attached to the housing 11 and the lock member 102 is in a locked state, a restriction surface 110A (a surface on an outer side in the width direction of the container body 62) of the restriction portion 110 faces a back surface of the attachment/detachment handle 100. Therefore, in the locked state by the lock member 102, the movement of the attachment/detachment handle 100 toward the inner side in the width direction of the container body 62 is restricted (as an example, prevented) by the restriction portion 110, and thus an erroneous operation of the attachment/detachment handle 100 is prevented.
As illustrated in
The lock portion 102B is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as illustrated in
In addition, the lock portion 102B is provided with a restriction portion 111 that restricts approach of the attachment/detachment handle 104 to the side portion 62C when the lock portion 102B is in a protruding state. Specifically, the restriction portion 111 is integrally formed with a periphery of the lock portion 102B. The restriction portion III is a portion protruding from the side surface 102BB of the lock portion 102B. Therefore, in interlocking with the operation of the lock portion 102B protruding outward in the width direction of the container body 62 from the side portion 62C, the restriction portion 111 also moves outward in the width direction of the container body 62. Here, in a state where the recovery container 60 is attached to the housing 11 and locked by the lock member 102, a restriction surface 111A of the restriction portion 111 (a surface on an outer side in the width direction of the container body 62) faces a back surface of the attachment/detachment handle 104. Therefore, when the lock member 102 is in the locked state, the movement of the attachment/detachment handle 104 toward the inner side in the width direction of the container body 62 is restricted (as an example, prevented) by the restriction portion 111, and thus an erroneous operation of the attachment/detachment handle 104 is prevented.
As illustrated in
The lock portion 102C is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as illustrated in
As illustrated in
A protruding operation of each of the lock portion 102A, the lock portion 102B, and the lock portion 102C is in interlocking with the operation of the operation handle 88. That is, by operating the operation handle 88, the lock portion 102A, the lock portion 102B, and the lock portion 102C may be made to protrude outward in the width direction of the container body 62.
As illustrated in
When viewed from the attachment direction E of the container body 62, the lock portion 102B and the connector 86 overlap each other in the height direction of the container body 62. In other words, the lock portion 102B is disposed on an outer side in the width direction of the container body 62 with respect to the connector 86 (see
In addition, the lock member 102 includes a lock portion 102D that slides in the width direction of the container body 62 from a state of being accommodated in an accommodating portion 63 provided in an upper portion 62F of the container body 62 and protrudes to the upper portion 62F of the container body 62. The accommodating portion 63 is a portion that protrudes upward in the height direction of the container body 62 from the upper portion 62F of the container body 62, and is capable of accommodating the lock portion 102D. The lock portion 102D comes out of the accommodating portion 63 by sliding to the other side in the width direction of the container body 62 from the state of being accommodated in the accommodating portion 63, and enters a state of protruding to the upper portion 62F of the container body 62.
The lock portion 102D slides in the width direction of the container body 62 by the operation of the operation handle 88 and protrudes to the upper portion 62F of the container body 62, thereby being hooked to a hooked portion (not shown) provided on a ceiling surface 50D of the accommodating portion 50. The lock portion 102D protrudes from the container body 62 together with the lock portion 102A, the lock portion 102B, and the lock portion 102C in interlocking with the operation of the operation handle 88.
The lock portion 102A may be configured to move linearly in the width direction of the container body 62 and protrude outward in the width direction from the side portion 62B by the operation of the operation handle 88, or may be configured to protrude outward in the width direction from the side portion 62B by rotational movement. The lock portion 102B, the lock portion 102C, and the lock portion 102D may have the same configuration as the lock portion 102A.
The operation handle 88 is provided in the front portion 62D of the container body 62. The operation handle 88 is coupled to the lock member 102. By operating the operation handle 88, it is possible to switch between locking (keeping of an attached state) and unlocking (release of the attached state) of the recovery container 60 by the lock member 102 by an interlocking mechanism (not shown). Specifically, when the operation handle 88 is rotated clockwise in a state where the recovery container 60 is attached to the housing 11, the lock member 102 is operated by an operation force of the operation handle 88, and the lock portion 102A, the lock portion 102B, and the lock portion 102C protrude from the container body 62 so that the attachment state of the collection container 60 to the housing 11 is locked. At this time, an opening/closing mechanism (not shown) included in the interlocking mechanism is operated by the operation of the operation handle 88, and the recovery port 66A is opened. In addition, the primary transfer roller 34, which is separated from the photoconductor 12, is brought close to the photoconductor 12 by a moving mechanism (not shown). On the other hand, when the operation handle 88 is rotated counterclockwise, the lock member 102 is operated by the operation force of the operation handle 88, and the attachment state of the recovery container 60 to the housing 11 is unlocked. At this time, the opening/closing mechanism (not shown) is operated by the operation of the operation handle 88, and the recovery port 66A is blocked. In addition, the primary transfer roller 34 is separated from the photoconductor 12 by the moving mechanism (not shown).
Next, an operation of the present exemplary embodiment will be described.
In the recovery container 60, when the operation handle 88 is operated, the lock portion 102A and the lock portion 102C of the lock member 102 protrude in mutually opposite directions in the width direction of the container body 62, and the lock portion 102B protrudes in the same direction as the lock portion 102C. When the lock portion 102A is inserted into the opening 55, the lock portion 102B is inserted into the opening 56, and the lock portion 102C is inserted into the opening 57, the recovery container 60 is locked to the housing 11.
Here, in the recovery container 60, since the recovery container 60 is locked to the housing 11 at least at three portions of the lock portion 102A, the lock portion 102B, and the lock portion 102C, it is possible to stabilize an attachment posture of the container body 62 as compared with a configuration in which the attachment posture of the container body 62 is kept only by the pair of lock portions 102A and 102C protruding in mutually opposite directions in the width direction of the container body 62. For example, rotation of the container body 62 with the width direction of the container body 62 serving as a rotation axis may be restricted.
In the recovery container 60, the container body 62 has a shape in which the length of the container body 62 in the height direction is longer than the length of the container body 62 in the thickness direction, and the lock portion 102B and the lock portion 102C are disposed to be separated from each other in the height direction of the container body 62. Therefore, in the recovery container 60, the attachment posture of the container body 62 may be stabilized as compared with a configuration in which the lock portion 102B and the lock portion 102C are disposed to be separated from each other in the thickness direction of the container body 62.
In the recovery container 60, the lock portion 102A, the lock portion 102B, and the lock portion 102C are disposed so as to be deviated from one another in the height direction of the container body 62. Therefore, in the recovery container 60, the attachment posture of the container body 62 may be stabilized as compared with a configuration in which the lock portion 102A and the lock portion 102B or the lock portion 102A and the lock portion 102C are located at the same position in the height direction of the container body 62.
In the recovery container 60, the protruding operation of each of the lock portion 102A, the lock portion 102B, and the lock portion 102C s interlocked with the operation of the operation handle 88. Therefore, with respect to the recovery container 60, the container body 62 may be attached to the attachment target by a single operation, as compared with a configuration in which the protruding operations of the lock portion 102A, the lock portion 102B, and the lock portion 102C are performed by separate operation members.
In the recovery container 60, the attachment/detachment handle 100 and the projection 90 are provided on the side portion 62B of the container body 62, and the attachment/detachment handle 104 and the projection 106 are provided on the side portion 62C. When the recovery container 60 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 50, the projection 90 is hooked to the hooked portion 54A, the projection 106 is hooked to the hooked portion (not shown), and the recovery container 60 is temporarily attached (temporarily fixed) to the accommodating portion 50. When the operation handle 88 is operated in this state, the recovery container 60 is locked (stably fixed) to the housing 11.
In the recovery container 60, the lock portion 102B in a protruding state penetrates the attachment/detachment handle 104. Therefore, in the recovery container 60, the lock portion 102B may be set freely at a position with respect to the side portion 62C as compared with a configuration in which the lock portion 102B is disposed at a position avoiding the attachment/detachment handle 104.
In the recovery container 60, the lock portion 102A in a protruding state penetrates the attachment/detachment handle 100. Therefore, in the recovery container 60, the lock portion 102A may be set freely at a position with respect to the side portion 62B as compared with a configuration in which the lock portion 102A is disposed at a position avoiding the attachment/detachment handle 100.
In the recovery container 60, the lock portion 102B is provided with the restriction portion 111 that restricts approach of the attachment/detachment handle 104 to the side portion 62C when the lock portion 102B is in a protruding state. Therefore, in the recovery container 60, when the operation handle 88 is in the locked state, the approach of the attachment/detachment handle 104 to the side portion 62C is restricted by the contact with the restriction portion 111, and thus the operation of the attachment/detachment handle 104 to the inner side in the width direction of the container body 62 is restricted. Therefore, in the recovery container 60, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation of the attachment/detachment handle 104.
In the recovery container 60, the lock portion 102A is provided with the restriction portion 110 that restricts approach of the attachment/detachment handle 100 to the side portion 62B when the lock portion 102A is in a protruding state. Therefore, in the recovery container 60, when the operation handle 88 is in the locked state, the approach of the attachment/detachment handle 100 to the side portion 62B is restricted by the contact with the restriction portion 110, and thus the operation of the attachment/detachment handle 100 to the inner side in the width direction of the container body 62 is restricted. Therefore, in the recovery container 60, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation of the attachment/detachment handle 100.
In the recovery container 60, the transporting auger 70 is provided in the container body 62, and the connector 86 is provided in the side portion 62C side of the rear portion 62E of the container body 62. Therefore, in the recovery container 60, it is possible to prevent a fitting failure between the rotation driving unit (not shown) provided in the housing 11 and the connector 86 of the container body 62, as compared with a configuration in which the connector 86 is provided in the side portion 62B of the rear portion 62E of the container body 62.
In the recovery container 60, the lock portion 102B and the connector 86 overlap each other in the height direction of the container body 62 as viewed from the attachment direction E. Therefore, in the recovery container 60, as compared with a configuration in which the lock portion 102B and the connector 86 are separated from each other in the height direction of the container body 62 as viewed from the attachment direction E, it is possible to prevent a fitting failure between the rotation driving unit (not shown) provided in the housing 11 and the connector 86 of the container body 62.
In the image forming device 10, since the recovery container 60 is used, the colorant discharged from the developing device 18 may be recovered by the recovery container 60, as compared with a configuration in which a recovery container in which the attachment posture of the container body is kept by only a pair of insertion portions protruding in mutually opposite directions to each other in the width direction of the container body 62 is used.
In the recovery container 60 of the above-described exemplary embodiment, the developer once recovered by the recovery container 60 is discharged from the external discharge port 68 to the recovery bottle 58 attached to the housing 11 through the recovery port 52, but the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. Instead of providing the external discharge port 68 in the recovery container 60, the recovery container 60 may be replaced by a new one after a certain amount of developer is recovered.
In the recovery container 60 of the exemplary embodiment described above, the lock portion 102B is configured to protrude from the side portion 62C of the container body 62, but the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. For example, the lock portion 102B may be configured to protrude from the side portion 62B of the container body 60. Also in this case, since the container body 62 is locked to the housing 11 at least at three portions by the lock portion 102A, the lock portion 102B, and the lock portion 102C, the same operation as that of the above-described exemplary embodiment may be obtained.
In the recovery container 60 of the exemplary embodiment described above, the lock portion 102A, the lock portion 102B, and the lock portion 102C are configured to operate by operating one operation handle 88, but the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. For example, the lock portion 102A, the lock portion 102B, and the lock portion 102C may be operated by plural handles.
In the recovery container 60 of the exemplary embodiment described above, the attachment/detachment handle 100 and the attachment/detachment handle 104 are provided at the container body 62, but the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration, and the attachment/detachment handle 100 and the attachment/detachment handle 104 may not be provided at the container body 62. Also in this case, since the container body 62 is locked to the housing 11 at least at three portions by the lock portion 102A, the lock portion 102B, and the lock portion 102C, the same operation as that of the exemplary embodiment above-described may be obtained.
In the exemplary embodiment described above, the recovery container of the present disclosure is applied to the image forming device 10, but the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. The recovery container of the present disclosure may be applied to a device that forms an image by a method different from that of the image forming device 10, or is not limited to the image forming device 10, as long as the recovery container is used for recovering a powder. For example, the recovery container of the present disclosure may be used in a device for coating or applying a powder (a powdery foodstuff, an additive, or the like) to food or the like.
The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention has been provided for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention defined by the following claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2021-053822 | Mar 2021 | JP | national |