TONER CARTRIDGE, AGITATING MEMBER, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS FOR USE THEREWITH

Abstract

An agitator includes a film formed with one or more slits. The film may be partitioned into two or more areas by the slits, substantially equally in an axial direction of a rotating shaft of the film. In both ends of a film holding member, supporting plates may be disposed at positions facing outer ends of both end areas of the film with respect to the axial direction. With this structure, during rotation of the agitator, greater stress may be produced in the outer end of each end area than in an inner end of each end area and a center area in its entirety. Thus, a component applied in a direction along the rotating shaft may be applied to a direction in which developer is fed, so that an adequate amount of developer may be supplied.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative aspects of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the following figures in which like elements are labeled with like numbers and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a general structure of a laser printer as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a developer cartridge shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the developer cartridge taken along the line A-A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an agitator shown in FIG. 2 viewed from a film side;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the opposite side of the agitator from that shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the agitator shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the agitator shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a developer cartridge according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the developer cartridge taken along the line B-B of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an agitator having three slits shown in FIG. 8 viewed from a film side;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the opposite side of the agitator from that shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is front view of the agitator shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a rear view of the agitator shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an agitator having a slit viewed from a film side according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the opposite side of the agitator from that shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a front view of the agitator shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a rear view of the agitator shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an agitator to which rectangle shaped thickness regulating sheets are adhered, viewed from a film side, according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of an agitator to which right triangle shaped thickness regulating sheets are adhered, viewed from a film side, according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of an agitator including two films according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the opposite side of the agitator from that shown in FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a front view of the agitator shown in FIG. 20;

FIG. 23 is a rear view of the agitator shown in FIG. 20; and

FIG. 24 is a rear side of an agitator having different length supporting plates in each area according to another embodiment of the invention.

Claims

1. A toner cartridge comprising: a toner storing portion configured to store toner therein;a rotating shaft rotatably disposed in the toner storing portion; anda flexible member attached to the rotating shaft at a base end, the flexible member extending along a longitudinal direction of the rotating shaft, the flexible member configured to bend at a free end, the flexible member including a slit, the slit extending toward the rotating shaft from the free end of the flexible member, the flexible member configured to have different flexibility at a first end and at a second end of at least one of a plurality of areas of the flexible member partitioned by the slit upon a rotation of the flexible member about the rotating shaft, the first end and the second end being separated from each other along the rotating shaft.

2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising: a supporting member disposed on the rotating shaft,wherein the supporting member applies stress to the first end or the second end.

3. The toner cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the supporting member extends in a direction orthogonal to the rotating shaft and is shorter than the flexible member with respect to the direction orthogonal to the rotating shaft.

4. The toner cartridge according to claim 3, further comprising: another flexible member, wherein the flexible members extend in opposite directions from the rotating shaft,the supporting member being disposed in the first end of the first flexible member, and the supporting member being disposed in the second end of the second flexible member.

5. The toner cartridge according to claim 3, further comprising: another supporting member.

6. The toner cartridge according to claim 5, wherein one supporting member is disposed to apply stress to the first end, another supporting member is disposed to apply stress to the second end, andthe supporting member disposed to apply stress to the first end is longer than the supporting member disposed to apply stress to the second end.

7. The toner cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the flexible member includes two or more slits, and the supporting members are disposed to apply stress to each end area.

8. The toner cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the supporting members are disposed to apply stress to corresponding ends of the flexible member with respect to the longitudinal direction.

9. The toner cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the flexible member includes two or more slits.

10. The toner cartridge according to claim 9, wherein the supporting members are provided equal in number to said two or more slits.

11. The toner cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the flexible member includes two or more slits.

12. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the flexible member is a sheet of film, and the first end is different in thickness from the second end.

13. The toner cartridge according to claim 12, further comprising: a thickness regulating member affixed to the first end or the second end, the thickness regulating member being made of the same material as the film with the same thickness as the film.

14. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising: a developing portion formed adjacent to the toner storing portion and communicating with the toner storing portion via a toner supply opening; anda developing roller disposed in the developing portion and configured to carry toner supplied from the toner storing portion via the toner supply opening to the developing portion.

15. The toner cartridge according to claim 14, wherein the toner storing portion communicates with the developing portion via a toner returning opening.

16. An agitating member disposed in a toner storing portion and configured to mix toner stored in the toner storing portion, the agitating member comprising: a rotating shaft rotatably disposed in the toner storing portion; anda flexible member attached to the rotating shaft at a base end, the flexible member extending along a longitudinal direction of the rotating shaft, the flexible member configured to bend at a free end, which is opposite the base end, the flexible member including a slit, the slit extending toward the rotating shaft from the free end of the flexible member, the flexible member configured to have different flexibility at a first end and a second end of at least one of a plurality of areas of the flexible member partitioned by the slit upon a rotation of the flexible member on the rotating shaft, the first end and the second end being separated from each other along the rotating shaft.

17. An image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a recording medium, comprising: a photosensitive member to which an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image to be formed on the recording medium is formed;a toner storing portion configured to store toner therein;a rotating shaft rotatably disposed in the toner storing portion;a flexible member attached to the rotating shaft at a base end, the flexible member extending along a longitudinal direction of the rotating shaft, the flexible member configured to bend at a free end, the flexible member including a slit, the slit extending toward the rotating shaft from the free end of the flexible member, the flexible member configured to have different flexibility at a first end and at a second end of at least one of a plurality of areas of the flexible member partitioned by the slit upon a rotation of the flexible member on the rotating shaft, the first end and the second end being separated from each other along the rotating shaft;a developing portion formed adjacent to the toner storing portion, the developing portion communicating with the toner storing portion via a toner supply opening; anda developing roller disposed in the developing portion, the developing roller configured to carry toner supplied from the toner storing portion via the toner supply opening to the developing portion, supply the toner to the photosensitive member, and develop the electrostatic latent image with toner.