Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6456811
-
Patent Number
6,456,811
-
Date Filed
Friday, October 12, 200122 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, September 24, 200221 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Dickstein, Shapiro, Morin & Oshinksky, LLP
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 399 262
- 399 260
- 399 258
- 399 120
- 222 DIG 1
- 222 167
- 222 325
- 141 346
- 141 363
- 141 383
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A toner bottle is provided with a cylindrical bottle portion with an opening at one end, a cylindrical cap holding portion connected to the opening of the bottle portion, and a cap member attached to the cap holding portion in a manner enabling itself to slide in the peripheral direction and the axial direction of the cap holding portion. Toner is housed in the cylindrical bottle portion. The cap holding portion has a cylindrical body with a toner supply port formed for emitting the toner housed in the bottle portion, and a latching claw projecting from the outer surface of the cylindrical body at a position higher than the toner supply port. First and second grooves extending in the peripheral direction to which the latching claw is latched are formed in the inner surface of the cap member. An opening from which the toner housed in the bottle portion is emitted is formed to the cap member between the first and second grooves.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner bottle for supplying toner to a development apparatus to be used for development in copying machines, printers, facsimiles and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional toner bottle for supplying toner to a development apparatus has a toner supply port for smoothly supplying toner into a development apparatus. The toner supply port of the toner bottle is normally closed by an adhesive sheet. Therefore, when supplying toner to a development apparatus, the adhesive sheet must be peeled.
In a series of operations for peeling the adhesive sheet, in some cases, toner in the toner bottle splashes and stains the periphery. In addition, since the toner bottle is handled in a condition where the toner supply port is left opened when attaching or detaching the toner bottle to or from the development apparatus, the toner may spill. Furthermore, when attaching the toner bottle to a development apparatus, hands or the periphery may be stained by mistake.
Recently, equipment with a development apparatus such as printers, facsimiles and the like has become common, and various people operate development apparatuses. Therefore, a demand for development of an inexpensive toner bottle which can be easily operated has increased.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 10-207207, a toner bottle having a shutter that is made from an elastic material and rotatively disposed is disclosed. In this conventional toner bottle, the shutter opens when the bottle is attached to a toner supplying means, however, at any other time than this, the toner supply port of the toner bottle is closed by the shutter. The supply port of the toner bottle is securely closed by elastic deformation of the shutter, whereby toner leakage is prevented.
However, in the abovementioned conventional toner bottle, when the toner bottle is taken out from the development apparatus, if the shutter is touched by mistake, the opening of the shutter and the toner supply port of the toner bottle coincide with each other, and toner splashes to the outside.
Other proposals for toner bottles have also been made in which the toner supply port is mechanically opened and closed, and the toner supply port is closed by an elastic material. However, there are problems in these cases such as an increase in cost, difficult operations, and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide a toner bottle in which toner leakage and spillage can be prevented when the toner bottle is attached to a development apparatus. Another object of the invention is to provide a toner bottle in which toner that has remained inside when the toner bottle is detached from a development apparatus is prevented from leaking.
A toner bottle according to the present invention comprises a cylindrical bottle portion with an opening at one end, a cylindrical cap holding portion connected to the opening of the bottle portion, and a cap member attached to the cap holding portion in a manner enabling itself to slide in the peripheral direction and the axial direction of the cap holding portion. Toner is housed in the cylindrical bottle portion. The cap holding portion has a cylindrical body with a toner supply port formed for emitting the toner housed in the bottle portion, and a latching claw projecting from the outer surface of the cylindrical body at a position higher than the toner supply port. First and second grooves extending in the peripheral direction to which the latching claw is latched are formed in the inner surface of the cap member. An opening from which the toner housed in the bottle portion is emitted is formed to the cap member between the first and second grooves.
According to the present invention, before the toner bottle is attached to a development apparatus, the toner supply port is closed by the cap member. When attaching the toner bottle to a development apparatus, strong pressing makes the cap member slide, and the toner supply port of the toner bottle and the opening of the cap member coincide with each other.
When the toner bottle is taken out from the development apparatus, by rotating the toner bottle, the opening of the cap member and the toner supply port of the cylindrical body deviate from each other, and the toner supply port is closed by the cap member.
The cap member may be structured so as not to rotate reversely, so that the opening and toner supply port never coincide with each other again.
Thus, the operation of the toner bottle according to the present invention is easy. In addition, the toner bottle according to the present invention can be manufactured at a low cost. Furthermore, splash of the toner when the toner bottle is attached and detached can be prevented. Therefore, hands and the periphery can be prevented from being stained.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a front view showing a toner bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a front view showing a bottle main body
11
;
FIG. 3
is a front view showing a cap member
15
;
FIG. 4
is a plan view showing the cap member
15
;
FIG. 5
is a sectional view along the A—A line in
FIG. 3
;
FIG. 6
is a front view showing a stopper member
17
;
FIG. 7
is a plan view showing the stopper member
17
;
FIG. 8
is a front view showing a condition where the toner bottle according to the embodiment of the present invention is attached to a development apparatus; and
FIG. 9
is a front view showing a condition where the toner bottle according to the embodiment of the present invention is taken out from the development apparatus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the invention is explained in detail with reference to the attached drawings.
FIG. 1
is a front view showing a toner bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention. In
FIG. 1
, a condition of an unused toner bottle is shown.
The toner bottle according to the present embodiment is provided with a bottle main body
11
, a cap member
15
for covering an opening of the bottle main body
11
, and a stopper member
17
for stopping movement of the cap member
15
.
FIG. 2
is a front view showing the bottle main body
11
. The bottle main body
11
may be provided with a nearly cylindrical bottle portion
21
whose bottom is closed, and a cylindrical cap holding portion
23
connected to the upper opening end of the bottle portion
21
. To the cap holding portion
23
, the cap member
15
is attached in a manner enabling itself to slide in the peripheral direction and axial direction of the cap holding portion
23
.
The outer diameter of the cap holding portion
23
is smaller than the inner diameter of the upper opening end of the bottle portion
21
. Therefore, a stepped portion
25
is formed between the bottle portion
21
and cap holding portion
23
. The connecting portion between the upper opening end of the bottle portion
21
and the lower end of the cap holding portion
23
is made from the same material as that of the bottle portion
21
and cap holding portion
23
.
On the outer circumferential surface at the upper part of the bottle portion
21
, a plurality of projections
28
a
and
28
b
are studded along the peripheral direction. The cap holding portion
23
is provided with cylindrical body
31
c
, and at the upper part of this cylindrical body
31
c
, toner supply port
29
for discharging toner housed in the bottle portion
21
outward is formed. Toner emitted from this toner supply port
29
is supplied to the development apparatus. A plurality of latching claws
31
a
and
31
b
are projectingly provided on the outer circumferential surface near the upper end of the cylindrical body
31
c
. The latching claws
31
a
and
31
b
are shaped into, for example, roughly triangular prisms so that the projection amount becomes smaller toward the upper side.
FIG. 3
is a front view showing the cap member
15
.
FIG. 4
is a plan view showing the cap member
15
. The cap member
15
is provided with a cylindrical cap frame
41
and a cap top plate
43
closing the upper end of the cap frame
41
.
The inner diameter of the cap frame
41
almost coincides with the outer diameter of the cap holding portion
23
. The dimension in the axial direction of the cap frame
41
almost coincides with the dimension in the axial direction of the cap holding portion
23
.
In the inner surface of the cap frame
41
, a first circular groove
45
and a second circular groove
46
are formed along the peripheral direction. The first groove
45
is positioned at the cap top plate
43
side of the cap frame
41
. The second groove
46
is positioned at the lower end side of the cap frame
41
. The grooves
45
and
46
become shallower toward the upper side, and the latching claws
31
a
and
31
b
are latched in the grooves
45
and
46
. The first groove
45
and second groove
46
are formed in parallel to each other. A notched portion
49
is formed at a part of the outer circumferential surface of the cap frame
41
.
Opening
51
is formed to the cap frame
41
between the first groove
45
and second groove
46
. The opening
51
is positioned nearer to the first groove
45
rather than the second groove
46
. When the position of the opening
51
coincides with the position of the toner supply port
29
, it becomes possible to supply toner housed inside the bottle portion
21
to a development apparatus.
FIG. 5
is a sectional view along the A—A line in FIG.
3
. In the first groove
45
, a plurality of claws
53
a
and
53
b
are formed so as to project inward from the lower end of the first groove
45
. In
FIG. 5
, the two claws
53
a
and
53
b
oppose each other in the diameter direction. Furthermore, either one of claw
53
a
or
53
b
is positioned, for example, immediately above the opening
51
.
FIG. 6
is a front view showing the stopper member
17
.
FIG. 7
is a plan view showing the stopper member
17
. The stopper member
17
is made from, for example, a resin material having elasticity. The stopper member
17
is provided with a C-shaped stopper portion
61
to be attached to the outer circumferential surface of the cap holding portion
23
in an elastic manner, and a handle
63
projecting outward from the intermediate portion of the stopper portion
61
.
The stopper portion
61
has a form along the outer circumferential surface of the cap holding portion
23
, and is comprised of a pair of arms
61
a
and
61
b
extending in an arc shape from the handle
63
. By pressing the front ends of the arms
61
a
and
61
b
against the outer circumferential surface of the cap holding portion
23
from the opening portions between the arms
61
a
and
61
b
, the stopper member
17
is attached to the cap holding portion
23
along the outer circumferential surface between the lower end of the cap member
15
and the stepped portion
25
of the bottle portion
21
. In addition, to remove the stopper member
17
from the cap holding portion
23
, by taking the handle
63
by the fingers, the stopper member
17
may be pulled out from the cap holding portion
23
.
Next, the operation of the toner bottle thus constructed is explained.
In the condition of the toner bottle before use, that is, in the condition shown in
FIG. 1
, since the stopper member
17
is mounted to the cap holding member
23
, downward movement of the cap member
15
is prevented by the stopper member
17
. Therefore, the position of the toner supply port
29
and the position of the opening
51
never coincide with each other. In other words, since the toner supply port
29
is always closed by the cap member
15
, toner never spill out of the toner supply portion
29
.
In addition, since the latching claws
31
a
and
31
b
are latched in the second groove
46
, the cap member
25
does not come off the cap holding portion
23
. That is, the projection amounts of the latching claws
31
a
and
31
b
become smaller toward the upper side, the second groove
46
is formed so as to be shallower toward the upper side, and the latching claws
31
a
and
31
b
are latched in the second groove
46
, so that the cap member
15
never move upward with respect to the cap holding portion
23
although it may move downward.
FIG. 8
is a front view showing a condition where the toner bottle according to the embodiment of the present invention is attached to a development apparatus.
The stopper member
17
is removed immediately before attaching the toner bottle to the development apparatus.
Then, when the toner bottle is strongly pressed into the development apparatus, the latching claws
31
a
and
31
b
are released from the second groove
46
, and the cap member
15
is pressed into the stepped portion
25
side of the bottle main body
11
. As a result, the latching claws
31
a
and
31
b
are latched into the first groove
45
, and the height of the opening
51
and the height of the toner supply port
29
coincide with each other.
Next, the notched portion
49
is latched on a projection (not shown) inside the development apparatus to fix the rotation, and a finger is hooked on the projections
28
a
and
28
b
to rotate the bottle main body
11
itself, whereby the position of the opening
51
and the position of the toner supply port
29
are matched with each other. Thereby, toner housed in the bottle portion
21
can be supplied to the development apparatus.
FIG. 9
is a front view showing a condition when the toner bottle relating to the embodiment of the invention is taken out of the development apparatus.
After supplying toner to the development apparatus, while the cap member
15
is fixed to the development apparatus, the bottle main body
11
is rotated by 90 degrees, for example. At this time, since the cap member
15
does not rotate, the cap member
15
rotates by 90 degrees with respect to the cap holding portion
23
. As a result, the toner supply port
29
is closed by the cap member
15
. Therefore, the position of the opening
51
and the position of the toner supply port
29
never coincide with each other thereafter.
According to the toner bottle of the embodiment, when attaching the toner bottle to a development apparatus, the toner bottle may be pushed into the development apparatus upon removing the stopper member
17
, so that toner does not spill out during this operation. In addition, when detaching the toner bottle, the toner supply port
29
can be closed before detaching the toner bottle. Furthermore, after the toner supply port
29
is closed, the toner supply port
29
never opens, so that there is no fear of spilling toner remaining inside the bottle portion
21
.
In the abovementioned embodiment, the cap member
15
is directly attached to the cap holding portion
23
of the bottle main body
11
, however, a sealing member made from rubber or the like may be provided in the space between the cap member
15
and cap holding portion
23
. This provision of the sealing member makes prevention from toner spilling more secure.
Opposite to the abovementioned embodiment, even a construction, in which the cap member
15
is rotated when attaching the toner bottle to a development apparatus, and the cap member
15
is pulled up when removing the toner bottle from the development apparatus, can obtain the same effects as in the abovementioned embodiment.
Claims
- 1. A toner bottle comprising:a cylindrical bottle portion with an opening at one end, in said cylindrical bottle portion toner being housed; a cylindrical cap holding portion connected to said opening of said bottle portion, said cap holding portion having a cylindrical body with a toner supply port formed for emitting said toner housed in said bottle portion, and a latching claw projecting from the outer surface of said cylindrical body at a position higher than said toner supply port; and a cap member attached to said cap holding portion in a manner enabling itself to slide in the peripheral direction and the axial direction of said cap holding portion, first and second grooves extending in the peripheral direction to which said latching claw is latched being formed in the inner surface of said cap member, and an opening from which said toner housed in said bottle portion is emitted being formed to said cap member between said first and second grooves.
- 2. The toner bottle according to claim 1, wherein said first groove is positioned higher than said opening, and the distance between said opening and first groove is shorter than the distance between said opening and second groove.
- 3. The toner bottle according to claim 1, wherein a notch for fixation to a development apparatus is formed on the outer surface of said cap member.
- 4. The toner bottle according to claim 1, wherein the outer diameter of said cap holding portion is smaller than the inner diameter of said opening of the bottle portion, and a step exists between said bottle portion and cap holding portion.
- 5. The toner bottle according to claim 4, further comprising a stopper member which is attachable and detachable to and from said cap holding portion, said stopper member being attached between the lower end of said cap member and said step before use.
- 6. The toner bottle according to claim 5, wherein said stopper member is made from a resin material having elasticity.
- 7. The toner bottle according to claim 6, wherein said stopper member comprises a stopper portion for holding said cap holding portion and a handle projecting outward from the center of both ends of said stopper portion.
- 8. The toner bottle according to claim 1, which further comprising a projection projecting from said bottle portion.
- 9. The toner bottle according to claim 1, wherein said latching claw and said first and second grooves are formed so that said first and second grooves prevent said cap member from moving upward over said latching claw after said latching claw is latched in either said first groove or said second groove.
- 10. The toner bottle according to claim 1, wherein said first groove is positioned higher than said opening, and said cap member is provided with a claw projecting from the lower part of said first groove.
- 11. The toner bottle according to claim 1, further comprising a sealing member provided between said cap member and cap holding portion.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
2000-312851 |
Oct 2000 |
JP |
|
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
5867757 |
Okazaki et al. |
Feb 1999 |
A |
6256469 |
Taniyama et al. |
Jul 2001 |
B1 |
6298208 |
Kawamura et al. |
Oct 2001 |
B1 |
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
10-207207 |
Aug 1998 |
JP |