Patent Application
20110038647
The present invention relates to a toner cartridge for supplying toner to a developing section in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile, and a copying machine.
There has widely been used an image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine, a facsimile, and a printer, that uses an electrophotographic system to form an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductive member, develop the electrostatic latent image using a toner which is a developer, and transfer an obtained toner image onto a transfer sheet. In order to enable continuous image forming operation, the image forming apparatus of this type has a mechanism in which a toner is supplied to a developing section in such a manner as to prevent the developing section to run out of the toner.
As a method that supplies a toner to the developing section of an image forming apparatus, there is known the method in which a toner supply container containing a toner in the main body thereof is provided in the image forming apparatus, and the container main body is rotated to convey the toner outside through a toner supply port of the container main body.
The toner supply container disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is constituted by a cylindrical container body containing a toner therein and a toner discharge unit having a toner discharge port for discharging the toner contained in the container main body outside the toner supply container. An opening having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the container main body is formed in one end surface of the container main body, and the container main body and toner discharge unit are engaged with each other at an engagement portion in a state where the edge of the opening and a seal member provided in a seal member installation portion in the toner discharge unit contact each other. The container body has a spiral groove on the inner peripheral surface thereof. When the toner supply container is attached to the image forming apparatus substantially horizontally, and the container main body is rotated in a predetermined direction about the axis line thereof in a frictional sliding manner with respect to the seal member, the toner contained in the container main body is sequentially migrated toward the opening side by means of the spiral groove to be fed into the opening. The toner that has reached the opening is pushed out from the opening into the toner discharge unit and then discharged outside through the toner discharge port of the toner discharge unit.
When the toner in the container main body is consumed and used up after the repetition of an image forming process, the empty toner supply container is removed from the image forming apparatus, and another toner supply container having a container main body filled with a toner is attached to the image forming apparatus. In terms of effective use of resources, the removed toner supply container is preferably reused.
In the case where the toner supply container is reused, the seal member, which is deteriorated or deformed with age, is preferably replaced with new one so as to ensure sealing performance. However, in the existing toner supply container, the seal member is brought into close contact with the seal member installation surface of the seal member installation portion or inner wall of the toner supply container, making it difficult to pinch the seal member when the seal member is removed from the seal member installation surface. Thus, it takes time and effort to remove the seal member from the seal member installation surface.
In order to make it easier to remove the seal member from the seal member installation portion, a method can be considered in which a portion around the seal member installation portion is constituted by a plurality of parts so as to be disassembled. However, the number of parts is increased to increase the cost of the toner supply container.
[Patent Literature 1] Japanese Patent (JP-B) No. 3628539
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a toner cartridge capable of being easily remove a seal member from a surface of a seal member installation without increasing a cost.
Means for solving the above problems are as follow:
According to the present invention, a non-contact portion which is not in contact with the seal member installation surface is formed on the surface of the seal member that faces the seal member installation surface, so that there is a portion where is not in contact with the seal member installation surface on the surface of the seal member in the state where the seal member has been installed to the seal member installation surface. Further, a space is so provided in the engaging member so as to extend from the surface of the seal member on which the edge of the mouth portion is frictionally slid to the non-contact portion. In other words, a space for allowing pinching of the portion of the seal member that is not contact with the seal member installation surface is provided. As a result, when the seal member is removed from the seal member installation surface, it is possible to easily pinch, by a jig or finger, the portion of the seal member where is free from any contact with the seal member installation surface through the space. Since the portion of the seal member that is not in contact with the seal member installation surface can be easily retained in this manner, the seal member is easily removed from the seal member installation surface, and as a result, the time and effort required for removing the seal member from the seal member installation surface can be reduced.
Further, there is no need to disassemble the portion adjacent to the seal member installation surface in the engaging member for easy removal of the seal member from the seal member installation surface and, therefore, there is no need to increase the number of parts for making the engaging member easy to disassemble, thereby suppressing an increase in cost.
As described above, according to the present invention, the seal member can be easily removed from the seal member installation surface without increasing the cost.
A toner container unit 30 shown in
The supplying section 2 includes an outer sleeve 2a and an inner sleeve 2b. The outer sleeve 2a is formed into a cylinder and has a toner supply port 5 on the side surface thereof and a plurality of protrusions extending from the inner peripheral surface thereof on a connecting side 4 with the container main body 1. The inner sleeve 2b is formed into a cylinder having one end portion sealed by a flange and has a toner supply port 15 on the side surface thereof at a portion corresponding to the toner supply port 5 of the outer sleeve 2a. When assembling the supplying section 2, the inner sleeve 2b is inserted into the outer sleeve 2a so as to achieve engagement between the outer peripheral surface of the inner sleeve 2b and inner surface of the outer sleeve 2a with each other.
When assembling the toner container unit 30, a suitable jig is used to fix a seal member 3 to a seal member installation portion 9 in the inner sleeve 2b of the supplying section 2. The seal member 3 may be fixed to the seal member installation portion 9 using an adhesive or a double-sided adhesive tape, or may be attached to a groove formed in a predetermined position of the supplying section 2.
An example of a jig 17 for use in installation of the seal member 3 in the seal member installation portion 9 is shown in
After the installation of the seal member 3 to the seal member installation portion 9 in the supplying section 2, the mouth portion 16 of the container main body 1 is inserted into the supplying section 2 through the end portion of the supplying section 2 on the side having the protrusions formed on the outer sleeve 2a of the supplying section 2. Then, the container ring 6 formed at the leading end of the mouth portion 16 is latched to the protrusions 7 of the supplying section 2 in a state where the edge of the mouth portion 16 is brought into press-contact with the seal member 3 so as to be slidably moved relative to the same to allow the container main body 1 to be attached to the supplying section 2 in a freely rotatable manner, whereby assembly of the toner container unit 30 is completed.
As the seal member 3, ring-shaped foamed polyurethane (LE 20 made by Inoac Corporation) having a thickness of 2 mm to 5 mm, or a similar material may be used.
Further, the container main body 1 is press-fit to the seal member 3 so as to reduce the thickness of the seal member 3 by 10% to 70%, whereby satisfactory toner sealing performance can be obtained. This desirably prevents toner from leaking from a space between the seal member 3 and edge of the opening of the container main body 1.
When the toner container unit 30 filled with toner is mounted to a developing unit of an image forming apparatus, the toner container unit 30 is inserted into respective developing sections with the drive force receiving portion 8 of the container main body 1 facing the developing unit, the drive force receiving portion 8 is coupled to the drive force transmitting means of the respective developing sections, the toner supply port 5 of the supplying section 2 is positioned, and then the toner container unit 30 is fixed to the respective developing sections.
When a latent image formed on a photoconductor is developed using the developing unit to which the toner container unit 30 has been mounted, a torque output from the drive force transmitting means of the respective developing sections is transmitted to the drive force receiving portion 8 formed in the container main body 1 of the toner container unit 30, causing the container main body 1 to rotate. While the container main body 1 is in rotation, the spiral groove formed in the circumferential portion of the container main body 1 also rotates. As a result, the toner contained in the container main body 1 is sequentially conveyed toward the supplying section 2 and then supplied to the developing sections through the toner supply port 5.
Some of characteristic points of the toner container unit 30 according to the present embodiment will next be described.
Alternatively, as shown in
In the present embodiment, ring-shaped foamed polyurethane having a thickness of 2 mm to 5 mm is used as the seal member 3. However, in the case where the seal member 3 made of an elastic member such as the foamed polyurethane is used, the seal member 3 may be damaged (e.g., torn off) when the seal member 3 is peeled off from the seal member installation portion 9, resulting in extra time and effort to peel off the seal member 3.
Further, there may be a case where only such a seal member 3 is not enough to retain the shape of the seal member 3 itself. When the shape of the seal member 3 cannot be retained, a new seal member 3 to be installed to the seal member installation portion 9 may be stuck to, not the seal member installation surface 10 of the seal member installation portion 9, but the wall of the supplying section 2, resulting in a failure of proper installation of the seal member 3 to the seal member installation portion 9.
In view of the above, in the present embodiment, a PET film 11 is provided to the seal member 3 as a shape retaining member for retaining the shape of the seal member 3. A structure of the seal member 3 according to the present embodiment is shown in
By providing the PET film 11 to the seal member 3 as described above, it is possible to prevent the seal member 3 from being damaged (e.g., torn off) when the seal member 3 is peeled off from the seal member installation portion 9. Further, by providing the PET film 11, the shape of the seal member 3 can be retained. Thus, when the seal member 3 is installed to the seal member installation portion 9 at the time of replacement or the like, it is possible to prevent the seal member 3 from being stuck to a portion other than the seal member installation surface 10 of the seal member installation portion 9. This increases workability when the seal member 3 is installed, thereby achieving proper installation of the seal member 3 to the seal member installation portion 9.
A member used for retaining the shape of the seal member 3 is not limited to the PET film 11 but any member may be used as long as it has rigidity and can retain the shape of the seal member 3.
Further, as shown in
As shown in
When the seal member 3 is removed from the seal member installation portion 9, it is necessary to release an engagement between the container main body 1 and supplying section 2 for detachment of the supplying section 2 from the container main body 1. When the engagement between the protrusions 7 of the supplying section 2 and container ring 6 of the container main body 1 for removal of the container main body 1 is released from the supplying section 2 by force, the container main body 1 or supplying section 2 may be deformed or damaged.
In view of this, in the present embodiment, slits 19 are formed by cutting out in a U-like shape the wall of the supplying section 2 adjacent to the protrusions 7 so as to surround the respective protrusions 7 as shown in
Further, in the present embodiment, a convex lib 13 is formed on the bottom portion of each protrusion 7 as shown in
In the case where polystyrene is used as a material of the supplying section 2, the dimension of the convex lib 13 is set to 2 mm or more in width, 2 mm or more in height, and 1 mm or more in thickness so that a satisfactory mechanical strength can be obtained. Such a dimension is preferable to the convex lib 13 also in terms of reuse of the supplying section 2.
In place of the convex lib 13, a concave 14 concaved from the bottom portion of each protrusion 7 toward the upper portion may be formed as shown in
Further, in the present embodiment, the width of a wall for holding each protrusion 7 is made larger than the width of the protrusion 7 as shown in
In view of this, as shown in
Note that in the case where polystyrene is used as a material of the supplying section 2, it is preferable that a ratio (protrusion width: wall width) between the width of each protrusion 7 and width of the wall for holding the protrusion 7 is set to 1:1.1 or more.
A configuration of the toner container unit 30 according to the present embodiment is substantially the same as the configuration of the toner container unit 30 according to the first embodiment, and hence, the description will be made of only a characteristic point.
In the present embodiment, as shown in
As described above, according to the first and second embodiments described above, there is provided the toner container unit 30, i.e. the toner cartridge, containing the container main body 1 which is a toner container for containing a toner therein and the supplying section 2 which is an engaging member. The supplying section 2 is engaged with the container main body 1 so as to cover the mouth portion 16 which is an opening formed in the container main body 1 and is, at the same time, rotatably supported by the container main body 1 while the seal member 3 which is a ring-shaped seal member installed to the seal member installation surface 10, 22 provided in the supplying section 2 itself is frictionally slid on the edge of the mouth portion 16 of the container main body 1. With this configuration, the toner contained in the container main body 1 is conveyed, by the rotation of the container main body 1, into the supplying section 2 through the mouth portion 16, and is then discharged outside the supplying section 2. In the supplying section 2, the non-contact portion 23, 24 that is not in contact with the seal member installation surface 10, 22 is formed on the surface of the seal member 3 which faces the seal member installation surface 10, 22 so as to provide a space extending from the surface of the seal member 3 on which the edge of the mouth portion 16 is frictionally slid to the non-contact portion 23, 24. Since the non-contact portion 23, 24 that is not in contact with the seal member installation surface 10, 22 is formed on the surface of the seal member 3 which faces the seal member installation surface 10, 22, there exists a portion that is not contact with the seal member installation surface 10, 22 on the surface of the seal member 3 in a state where the seal member 3 has been installed to the seal member installation surface 10, 22. Further, the supplying section 2 has a space extending from the surface of the seal member 3 on which the edge of the mouth portion 16 is frictionally slid to the non-contact portion 23, 24. Thus, it is possible to pinch the seal member 3 through the space from the surface of the seal member 3 on which the edge of the mouth portion 16 is frictionally slid and non-contact portion 23, 24 of the seal member 3, thus making it possible to easily remove the seal member 3 from the seal member installation surface 10, 22 of the seal member installation portion 9, 21, which reduces time and effort required for removing the seal member 3 from the seal member installation surface 10, 22. Further, there is no need to disassemble the portion adjacent to the seal member installation surface in the supplying section 2 and, therefore, there is no need to increase the number of parts for making the supplying section 2 easy to disassemble, thereby suppressing an increase in cost. As a result, a configuration is obtained in which the seal member 3 can be easily removed from the seal member installation surface 10, 22 without increasing the cost.
Further, according to the first embodiment, the non-contact portion 23 is formed on the outer circumferential side of the ring-shaped seal member 3, so that it is possible to prevent the size of the opening of the mouth portion 16 of the container main body 1 from being reduced.
Further, according to the second embodiment, the non-contact portion 24 is formed on the inner circumferential side of the ring-shaped seal member 3, so that it is possible to easily install the seal member 3 to the seal member installation surface 22 by inserting the seal member 3 with its outer circumferential edge surface along the side wall of the supply section 2.
Further, according to the first and second embodiments, the space is so provided in the supplying section 2 as to surround the surface of the seal member 3 on which the edge of the mouth portion 16 is frictionally slid, circumferential edge of the seal member 3 at the side where the non-contact portion is provided, and non-contact portion of the seal member 3, so that it is possible to easily set a jig for removing the seal member or the like through the space. As a result, it is possible to easily pinch the seal member 3 by a jig or the like, thus making it possible to easily remove the seal member 3 from the seal member installation portion 9, 21 without taking time and effort.
Further, according to the first and second embodiments, an adhesive member is provided to adhere the seal member 3 to the seal member installation surface 10, 22. This prevents the seal member 3 from being displaced from the proper position when the container main body 1 is rotated and frictionally slid on the seal member 3, thereby ensuring sealing performance of the seal member 3.
Further, according to the first and second embodiment, since the PET film 11 which is a shape retaining member for retaining the shape of the seal member 3 is provided between the seal member 3 and the adhesive member, the shape of the seal member 3 can be retained. Thus, when the seal member 3 is installed at the time of replacement or the like, it is possible to prevent the seal member 3 from being stuck to a portion other than the seal member installation surface 10, 22 of the seal member installation portion 9, 21 or from being damaged.
Further, according to the first and second embodiments, the wall adjacent to the protrusions 7 has U-shaped slits in such manner as to surround the respective protrusions 7. That is, the wall of the supplying section 2 adjacent to the protrusions 7 is supported at only one end in the toner container axial direction, so that the wall of the supplying section 2 adjacent to the protrusions 7 can be elastically deformed with the one end in the toner container axial direction working as a supporting point. Thus, by elastically deforming the wall of the supplying section 2 adjacent to the protrusions 7, it is possible to easily release the engagement between the protrusions 7 and container ring 6 without forcibly releasing the engagement. As a result, it is possible to prevent the container main body 1 or supplying section 2 from being deformed or damaged at the time of disassembly.
Further, according to the first and second embodiments, the convex lib 13 or concave 14 for enabling each protrusion 7 to be held from outside of the supplying section 2 is formed on the bottom portion of the protrusion 7. When a jig is used to release the engagement between the container ring 6 and protrusions 7, the jig can be hooked onto and can hold the convex lib 13 or concave 14 formed on the bottom portion of each protrusion 7 from outside thereof. Thus, it is possible to easily release the engagement between the container ring 6 and protrusions 7 by using the jig. This increases ease of disassembly between the container main body 1 and supplying section 2, thereby reducing time and effort required for the disassembly work.
Further, according to the first and second embodiments, the width of the wall for holding each protrusion 7 is made larger than the width of the protrusion 7. Thus, a stress applied at the time of assembly or disassembly is dispersed in the wall side. This increases the mechanical strength to prevent occurrence of a crack in the wall or damage of the wall.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-068234 | Mar 2008 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2009/055562 | 3/16/2009 | WO | 00 | 9/15/2010 |
