Packaging member, toner storage container, and packaging method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a packaging member that suppresses aggregation of toner in a toner storage container due to vibration during conveyance, a toner storage container, and a packaging method. A toner storage container (10) that has a long container main body portion (11) and a large-size portion (12) that is larger in size than the container main body portion in a direction orthogonal to the length direction at one end side of the container main body portion is housed in a packaging member (20). The packaging member includes a case portion (21) that houses the toner storage container with a gap between the container main body portion and the large-size portion, a first pressing portion (22) that presses the container main body portion so that the container main body portion abuts against a first receiving portion in the case portion with a first abutting force, and a second pressing portion (23) that presses the large-size portion so that the large-size portion abuts against a second receiving portion in the case portion with a second abutting force that is smaller than the first abutting force.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to packaging components, toner storage containers, and packaging methods. Background Technology

[0002] Previously, it was known that there was a packaging component for an inner container for storing toner, which had an elongated container body and a larger portion at one end of the container body that was larger in size in a direction orthogonal to the length direction compared to the container body.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a packaging box (packaging component) containing a toner bottle (toner storage container). The toner bottle has a long, cylindrical container body (container body portion) and a cap mounted on one end along its length. However, the diameter of the cap of the toner bottle inside the packaging box is smaller than that of the container body. The packaging box is formed by bending corrugated cardboard. Inside the packaging box, there are four buffer walls that contact the circumferential surface of the toner bottle's container body from four directions. These four buffer walls do not contact the cap of the toner bottle, creating a gap between the cap and the packaging box.

[0004] However, in the case of a toner storage container that has a larger size portion in the direction orthogonal to the length direction than the container body and is packaged with packaging components, the toner in the toner storage container may condense due to vibration during transportation, which may cause abnormal images during use.

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-121604 Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned issues, the present invention provides a packaging component for containing a toner storage container. The toner storage container has an elongated container body and a larger portion at one end of the container body, in a direction orthogonal to the length direction, which is larger than the container body. The packaging component is characterized by comprising: a box portion that encloses the toner storage container with a gap between itself and the container body and the larger portion; a first pressing portion that presses the container body to abut against a first bearing portion within the box portion with a first abutting force; and a second pressing portion that presses the larger portion to abut against a second bearing portion within the box portion with a second abutting force smaller than the first abutting force.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the agglomeration of toner in the toner storage container caused by vibration during transportation. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1The image shown is a top view of the toner bottle in the embodiment.

[0009] Figure 2 The diagram shown is an illustrative illustration of the toner bottle's condition inside the packaging box, viewed from a horizontal perspective.

[0010] Figure 3 The image shown is a cross-sectional view of the packaging box before its manufacture, viewed from the length direction.

[0011] Figure 4 The image shown is a cross-sectional view of the packaging box after it has been manufactured, viewed from the length direction.

[0012] Figure 5 The image shows... Figure 2 The diagram on the left shows the interior of the box.

[0013] Figure 6 The diagram shown illustrates the gap between the toner bottle and the box.

[0014] Figure 7 The graph shows the results of measuring the magnitude of the acceleration (impact) caused by vibration during transportation of the toner bottles packaged inside the box.

[0015] Figure 8 The diagram shown is a partial unfolded view of the first and second flaps of the packaging box according to the embodiment.

[0016] Figure 9 The diagram shown illustrates the length of the first flap in the longitudinal direction.

[0017] Figure 10 The graph shows the measurement results of abnormal images occurring when a toner bottle, packaged in a box, is used in an image forming apparatus after vibration is applied to it. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Furthermore, in each figure, the same or similar parts are given the same symbol, and their detailed descriptions are appropriately omitted.

[0020] Figure 1 The image shown is a top view of the toner storage container body, namely the toner bottle 10, in this embodiment.

[0021] The toner bottle 10 is designed to be removable from the toner bottle housing of the image forming apparatus. When the toner bottle 10 in the image forming apparatus reaches the end of its lifespan, such as when the toner inside is almost completely consumed and the bottle is empty, a new toner bottle 10 is replaced. Furthermore, the color of the toner contained in the toner bottle 10 is arbitrary.

[0022] The toner bottle 10 is mainly composed of a generally cylindrical bottle body 11, which is a long, narrow container body, and a generally cylindrical bottle cap 12, which is a large-sized portion, located at one end of the bottle body 11 along its length. The bottle cap 12 is larger than the bottle body 11 in the radial direction (outer diameter).

[0023] The toner contained in the toner bottle 10 is housed inside the bottle body 11. One end of the bottle body 11 has an opening along its length, through which the toner contained within the bottle body 11 is discharged into the space inside the bottle cap 12. Additionally, a gripping part 13 is provided at the other end of the bottle body 11 along its length for the user to hold during loading and unloading operations of the toner bottle 10.

[0024] Furthermore, a spiral protrusion 11a (which appears as a spiral groove when viewed from the outer circumferential surface) is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the bottle body 11. This spiral protrusion 11a is used to drive the bottle body 11 to rotate in a predetermined direction, thereby discharging the toner from the opening of the bottle body 11 into the space inside the bottle cap 12. Such a bottle body 11 can be manufactured by blow molding.

[0025] The bottle cap 12 includes a retainer 12a for mounting the bottle cap 12 at the opening of the bottle body 11, and a shield 12b as an opening and closing component. Additionally, a chip retaining portion is provided on the side (circumferential surface) of the bottle cap 12 for retaining an ID chip 14, which is an electronic component, and the ID chip 14 is held in this chip retaining portion. Furthermore, a chip protection portion 15 for protecting the ID chip is provided on the outer side of the ID chip 14 in the longitudinal direction.

[0026] The interior of the bottle cap 12 communicates with the bottle body 11 via an opening in the bottle body 11. The toner discharged from the opening into the bottle cap 12 exits through a toner outlet located on the side of the bottle cap 12. This toner outlet is sealed by a shield 12b when not in use.

[0027] With the toner bottle 10 installed in the image forming apparatus, the cap 12 remains non-rotating relative to the bottle receiving portion of the image forming apparatus. Furthermore, when the toner bottle 10 is installed in the image forming apparatus, the shield 12b is opened, and the toner outlet of the cap 12 communicates with the toner receiving port in the toner replenishment device within the image forming apparatus. When using the toner bottle 10, the bottle body 11 is driven to rotate, but the cap 12 does not rotate.

[0028] Next, the toner storage container in which the toner bottle 10 is enclosed in the packaging box 20, which is a packaging component, will be described.

[0029] The toner bottle 10 may fall from any direction during transportation, so it is contained in the packaging box 20, which is a packaging component, in order to preserve the product.

[0030] Figure 2 The diagram shows the state of the toner bottle 10 inside the packaging box 20 when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the length direction, i.e., a horizontal direction when the packaging box 20 is placed in a proper position (hereinafter referred to as "horizontal").

[0031] Figure 3 The image shown is a cross-sectional view of the packaging box 20 before it is made, viewed from the length direction.

[0032] Figure 4 The image shown is a cross-sectional view of the packaging box 20 after it has been manufactured, viewed from the length direction.

[0033] Figure 5 The image shows... Figure 2 The diagram on the left shows the interior of the box 20.

[0034] The packaging box 20 in this embodiment is made of corrugated cardboard. The packaging box 20 is manufactured by cutting, slitting, folding, etc., flat corrugated cardboard and then shaping it into a box. Furthermore, the material of the packaging box 20 is not limited to corrugated cardboard; examples include flexible sheets such as plastic corrugated cardboard, thick paper, plastic sheets, and plastic foam sheets.

[0035] like Figure 3 As shown, before use, the packaging box 20 is in a state where the two first folds 21a are bent and folded into a flat shape. When using the packaging box 20, by... Figure 3 The state shown Figure 3 Pull the second fold 21b from the left or right, or from... Figure 3 Pressing in from top to bottom Figure 3 The packaging box 20 in the shown state is folded by folding the second fold 21b to form the box. Figure 4The usage state is shown. Based on this configuration, the structure is simple, and in the automated equipment for the toner filling process of the toner bottle 10, the storage process of the toner bottle 10 in the packaging box 20 can also be realized, which can shorten the production cycle of the process.

[0036] The packaging box 20 in its use state has a box section 21, which encloses the toner bottle 10 with a gap between the box section 21 and the bottle body 11 and cap 12. This gap refers to the vertical distance between the bottle body 11 and cap 12 and the inner wall of the packaging box 20 when the packaging box 20 is placed in a proper position. This gap allows for smooth insertion and removal of the toner bottle 10 from the box section 21 of the packaging box 20. Furthermore, in this embodiment, as... Figure 6 As shown, the maximum value of this gap is the gap A+B between the bottle body 11 and the inner wall of the packaging box 20.

[0037] like Figure 4 As shown, the box section 21 is a hollow tetrahedral prism with a roughly square cross-sectional shape when viewed from the longitudinal direction, and its four sides are formed by the first folded portion 21a and the second folded portion 21b. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the box section 21 is not limited to a roughly square shape, but can also be triangular or polygonal.

[0038] As described above, the toner bottle 10 in this embodiment has a cap 12 with an external dimension larger than the bottle body 11 at one end along its length. In such a toner bottle 10, the gap between the inner wall of the box 21 and the bottle body 11 is greater than the gap between the inner wall of the box 21 and the cap 12. Therefore, during the transport of the toner storage container, in which the toner bottle 10 is enclosed in the packaging box 20, the vibration amplitude caused by vibration during transport is greater for the bottle body 11 than for the cap 12. Furthermore, in such a toner bottle 10, during vibration during transport, rotational torque is easily generated around the cap 12, which abuts against the inner wall of the box 21. Therefore, due to vibration during transport, the impact transmitted to the toner contained in the bottle body 11 is relatively large.

[0039] Figure 7 The graph shown is a result of measuring the magnitude of the acceleration (impact) caused by vibration during transportation in the toner bottle 10 packaged inside the packaging box 20.

[0040] This graph shows data F for the side end (front end) of the cap 12 of the toner bottle 10, data C for the central portion (central portion) of the toner bottle 10 along its length, and data R for the side end (rear end) of the bottle body 11 of the toner bottle 10. For example... Figure 7As shown in the graph, the magnitude of the acceleration (impact) generated in the toner bottle 10 is greater at the side end (rear end) of the bottle body 11 than at the side end (front end) of the bottle cap 12 and at the center of the length direction (central part).

[0041] When a large impact is transmitted to the toner contained within the bottle body 11, the air between the toner particles within the bottle body 11 is easily expelled, causing the toner particles to easily come into close contact. As a result, especially when left in a high-temperature environment for a long time, toner agglomeration can easily occur within the bottle body 11. Then, when this agglomerated toner is sent to the toner replenishment device of the image forming apparatus for image forming operations, it can easily cause problems such as abnormal images.

[0042] As a method to solve this problem, it is preferable to hold both the bottle body 11 and the cap 12 of the toner bottle 10 in a manner that prevents them from moving easily within the housing 21. Therefore, in this embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which both the bottle body 11 and the cap 12 of the toner bottle 10 are held in a manner that prevents them from moving easily within the housing 21.

[0043] Specifically, such as Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, when the toner bottle 10 is enclosed within the box section 21, the packaging box 20 has a first flap 22 that serves as a first pressing part for pressing the bottle body 11, such that the bottle body 11 of the toner bottle 10 abuts against the bottom surface of the inner wall of the box section 21 (the lower vertical side of the inner wall when the packaging box 20 is placed in a proper position), which serves as a first bearing part. Figure 2 As shown, the first flap 22 is configured to extend from one end along the length direction ( Figure 2 (middle right) towards the other end ( Figure 2 (Left side) The main body 11 of the toner bottle 10 near the box 21.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the toner bottle 10 is enclosed within the box section 21, the packaging box 20 has a second flap 23 that serves as a second pressing part for pressing the bottle cap 12, such that the cap 12 of the toner bottle 10 abuts against the bottom surface of the inner wall of the box section 21 (the lower vertical side of the inner wall when the packaging box 20 is placed in a proper position), which acts as a second bearing part. Figure 2 As shown, the second flap 23 is configured to extend from the other end in the longitudinal direction ( Figure 2 (middle left) towards one end ( Figure 2 (Right side) The main body 11 of the toner bottle 10 near the box 21.

[0045] Figure 8 The diagram shown is a partial unfolded view of the first flap 22 and the second flap 23 of the packaging box 20.

[0046] like Figure 8 As shown, in this embodiment, the packaging box 20 extends the material of one of the four sides 21a and 21b of the box portion 21 (one of the second folding portions 21b), and this extended portion serves as the first flap 22, the second flap 23, and the adhesive portion 21c. Thus, by bending the second folding portion 21b and bonding the adhesive portion 21c to the inner wall of the box portion 21, the end of the first flap 22 in the direction orthogonal to the length direction is supported by the box portion 21 (see reference). Figure 4 ).

[0047] Here, in the aforementioned extended portion, the third fold 21d, which forms the boundary line between the adhesive portion 21c and the first flap 22, is as follows: Figure 8 As shown, the second fold 21b is formed at an angle relative to the edge constituting the box portion 21. This angle allows for better adhesion when the adhesive portion 21c is bonded to the inner wall surface of the box portion 21. Figure 2 As shown, the first flap 22 is configured to extend from one end in the longitudinal direction ( Figure 2 (middle right) towards the other end ( Figure 2 (Left side) The main body 11 of the toner bottle 10 near the box 21.

[0048] In the box section 21 of this embodiment, the inlet / outlet for pulling out and pushing in the toner bottle 10 relative to the box section 21 is provided at one end in the longitudinal direction on the side of the bottle cap 12 of the toner bottle 10. Figure 2 (The right end of the middle section). When the toner bottle 10 is inserted from the inlet / outlet of the box section 21 in its use state from the end of the bottle body section 11 on one side (the end of the grip section 13 on one side), the end of the bottle body section 11 on the grip section 13 side contacts the first flap 22 during insertion. When the toner bottle 10 is further inserted from this state, the bottle body section 11 moves forward while deforming the first flap 22. Then, when the insertion is completed, the end of the bottle body section 11 on the grip section 13 side is clamped between the first flap 22 and the bottom surface of the inner wall of the box section 21.

[0049] Therefore, the end of the bottle body 11 on the gripping part 13 side is pushed by the first flap 22, so that it abuts against the bottom surface of the inner wall of the box 21 with a first abutting force. The magnitude of this first abutting force is also sufficient to correspond to the weight of the bottle body 11 filled with toner, so that even vibrations during transportation can prevent the bottle body 11 from leaving the bottom surface of the inner wall of the box 21, and the bottle body 11 will not vibrate inside the box 21.

[0050] In particular, in this embodiment, when the packaging box 20 is placed in a proper position, the first flap 22 is configured to push the bottle body 11 upward from the vertical direction. As a result, the weight of the bottle body 11, which is filled with toner and has its own weight, also comes into play, making it difficult for the bottle body 11 to detach from the bottom of the inner wall of the box 21. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the bottle body 11 from swaying within the box 21 due to vibrations during transportation.

[0051] After inserting the toner bottle 10 into the insertion end position inside the box section 21, the fourth fold 21e, which serves as the boundary between the first flap 22 and the second flap 23, in the aforementioned extended portion is bent. Thus, as... Figure 2 As shown, the second flap 23 abuts against and pushes the cap 12 of the toner bottle 10. The cap 12, pushed by the second flap 23, comes into contact with the bottom surface of the inner wall of the box section 21 with a second abutting force.

[0052] While the magnitude of this second abutting force is smaller than the first abutting force when the bottle body 11 abuts against the bottom inner wall of the box 21 due to the pushing force of the first flap 22, it is still sufficiently large. That is, the bottle cap 12 is lighter than the bottle body 11 filled with toner. Therefore, in order to suppress the shaking of the bottle cap 12 caused by vibrations during transportation, the second abutting force that brings the bottle cap 12 against the bottom inner wall of the box 21 does not need to be as large as the first abutting force in the case of the bottle body 11. Therefore, even with the configuration of the second flap 23 as in this embodiment, a second abutting force sufficient to suppress the shaking of the bottle cap 12 caused by vibrations during transportation can be obtained.

[0053] The second flap 23 could also be configured to push with a force as great as that of the first flap 22, but it is extremely difficult to achieve this with a simple configuration within the limited space of the box section 21. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the bottle body 11 and the cap 12 in the toner bottle 10 can be held in a way that prevents them from moving with a simple configuration.

[0054] Furthermore, in the packaging box 20 of this embodiment, the second flap 23 that pushes the bottle cap 12 is configured not to push the ID chip 14 provided on the side (circumferential surface) of the bottle cap 12. Specifically, as Figure 2 As shown, the length of the second flap 23 is set such that the length of its leading edge does not reach the length of the ID chip 14 housed in the toner bottle 10 within the housing 21. This suppresses the impact of vibrations during transport on the ID chip 14 via the second flap 23, and also prevents ID chip malfunctions during transport.

[0055] In addition, in this embodiment, such as Figure 9As shown, the length Lf of the first flap 22 is preferably more than 90% of the length Lb of the toner bottle 10. This allows for greater pushing force and improves the suppression of vibrations in the bottle body 11, which is filled with toner and has weight.

[0056] Figure 10 The graph shown is a measurement result of the occurrence of abnormal images when the toner bottle 10, which is packaged in the packaging box 20, is used in the image forming apparatus to form an image after vibration is applied.

[0057] The graph shows the measurement results for the maximum gap between the inner wall of the box section 21 in the packaging box 20 and the toner bottle 10 (here, the gap A+B between the inner wall of the box section 21 and the bottle body 11 of the toner bottle 10) being 18 mm and 14 mm. In this measurement, the number of meteor-shaped or black dot-like anomalous images produced by the agglomerated toner was counted. Therefore, the more anomalous images there are, the more toner agglomerated within the toner bottle 10 can be considered.

[0058] like Figure 10 The graphs shown indicate that the number of abnormal images is higher when the maximum gap is 14 mm compared to when the maximum gap is 18 mm. Therefore, in the packaging box 20 of this embodiment, it is preferable to set the maximum gap to 14 mm or less.

[0059] The above explanation is just one example; the various methods below each have their own unique effects.

[0060] [First Method]

[0061] The first approach relates to a packaging component (e.g., a box 20) for containing a toner storage container (e.g., a toner bottle 10), the toner storage container having an elongated container body (e.g., a bottle body 11) and a larger portion (e.g., a bottle cap 12) whose dimension (e.g., outer diameter) in a direction orthogonal to the length direction at one end of the container body is larger than that of the container body. The packaging component is characterized by comprising: a box portion 21 that contains the toner storage container with a gap between it and the container body and the larger portion; a first pressing portion (e.g., a first flap 22) that presses the container body so that the container body abuts against a first bearing portion (e.g., the inner wall bottom surface of the box portion 21) within the box portion with a first abutting force; and a second pressing portion (e.g., a second flap 23) that presses the larger portion so that the larger portion abuts against a second bearing portion (e.g., the inner wall bottom surface of the box portion 21) within the box portion with a second abutting force smaller than the first abutting force.

[0062] In the case of a toner storage container with a larger portion at one end of the main body than the main body, the gap between the box and the main body is larger than the gap between the box and the larger portion. Therefore, the main body experiences greater vibration amplitude during transport compared to the larger portion. Furthermore, vibrations during transport can easily generate rotational torque around the larger portion that abuts against the inner wall of the box. Consequently, the impact of vibrations transmitted to the toner within the main body during transport is greater, air between toner particles is easily expelled, and toner particles tend to come into close contact. In this state, especially during prolonged exposure to high temperatures, toner aggregation can easily occur, leading to abnormal images due to the aggregated toner.

[0063] As a solution to this problem, it is preferable that not only the main body of the toner container but also the larger portion is held in a manner that prevents it from easily moving within the box. This is because in a configuration where the larger portion moves easily within the box, the swaying of the larger portion would be amplified by vibrations during transport. This amplified swaying of the larger portion would then be transmitted to the held main body of the container, potentially causing it to sway significantly. Therefore, in this embodiment, a first pressing part is provided to push the main body of the toner container against a first supporting part within the box, and a second pressing part is provided to push the larger portion of the toner container against a second supporting part within the box.

[0064] However, since the container body contains the colorant, it is heavier than the larger portion. Therefore, in order to suppress the swaying of the container body caused by vibrations during transportation, the container body must abut against the first bearing portion of the box with a larger abutting force (first abutting force), which requires the first pushing part to push against the container body with a larger pushing force. At this time, if the second pushing part is also configured to push with a pushing force of the same magnitude as the first pushing part, it is difficult to achieve this with a simple configuration within the limited space of the box. On the other hand, since the larger portion is lighter than the container body, the abutting force (second abutting force) required for the larger portion to abut against the second bearing portion of the box does not need to be as large as the first abutting force required for the container body.

[0065] Therefore, in this configuration, the second abutting force of the large-sized portion generated by the pushing force of the second pressing part is less than the first abutting force of the container body generated by the pushing force of the first pressing part. Thus, even within a limited space such as inside the box, the first abutting force of the container body generated by the pushing force of the first pressing part can be sufficiently large with a simple configuration, and the second pressing part can also exert a sufficiently large second abutting force on the large-sized portion. Therefore, the agglomeration of toner within the toner container due to vibration during transportation can be suppressed with a simple configuration.

[0066] [Second Method]

[0067] The second method is characterized in that, in the first method, when the packaging component is placed in a regular posture, the first pressing part and the second pressing part push the container body and the large-size part from the vertical direction.

[0068] Therefore, the weight of the container body and the large-size portion also comes into play, enabling the container body and the aforementioned large-size portion to come into contact with the first and second bearing portions. This further suppresses the shaking of the container body and the large-size portion within the box due to vibrations during transportation.

[0069] [Third Method]

[0070] The third approach is characterized in that, in the first or second approach, the maximum value of the gap is less than 14 mm.

[0071] This further suppresses the agglomeration of toner in the toner collection container caused by vibration during transport.

[0072] [Fourth Method]

[0073] The fourth method is characterized in that, in any of the first to third methods, the first pressing part or the second pressing part is configured not to press the electronic components (e.g., ID chip 14) disposed in the toner containing container.

[0074] Therefore, it is possible to suppress the impact of vibrations during transportation on electronic components via the first or second pressing part, and to suppress the malfunction of electronic components during transportation.

[0075] [Fifth Method]

[0076] The fifth method is characterized in that, in any of the first to fourth methods, the first pressing part is configured such that its end in a direction orthogonal to the length direction is supported by the box part, and it approaches the container body of the toner receiving container from one end side to the other end side in the length direction, and the length of the first pressing part in the length direction is more than 90% of the length of the toner receiving part in the length direction.

[0077] As a result, it is easier to achieve a greater pushing force from the first pushing component, thereby improving the suppression of shaking of the bottle body 11, which is filled with toner and has weight.

[0078] [Sixth Method]

[0079] The sixth method is characterized in that, in any of the first to fifth methods, at least one of the first pressing part and the second pressing part is integrally formed with the box part.

[0080] Therefore, the first and second pressing parts can be manufactured as a single unit with the housing, thus achieving lower manufacturing costs. Furthermore, since the positional accuracy of the first and second pressing parts relative to the housing can be improved, a more suitable abutment force can be obtained.

[0081] [Seventh Method]

[0082] The seventh method is characterized in that, in any of the first to sixth methods, the box portion has an inlet / outlet at one end along the length direction of the larger portion of the toner storage container, allowing the toner storage container to be pulled out and pushed in.

[0083] This makes it easy to insert the toner storage container into the box section equipped with the first pressing part.

[0084] [Eighth Method]

[0085] The eighth method is characterized in that, in the seventh method, the first pressing part is configured to approach the container body of the toner storage container from one end side to the other end side in the length direction, and the second pressing part is configured to approach the large-sized part of the toner storage container from the other end side to the one end side in the length direction.

[0086] Therefore, when the toner storage container is taken out from the above-mentioned inlet / outlet, it is easy to make the toner storage container not get stuck by the first or second pushing part, which can improve the removability of the toner storage container.

[0087] [Ninth Method]

[0088] The ninth embodiment is a toner storage container, comprising: a toner storage container body (e.g., a powder bottle 10), a long container body portion (e.g., a bottle body portion 11) and a large-sized portion (e.g., a bottle cap 12) whose dimension (e.g., outer diameter) in a direction orthogonal to the length direction at one end of the container body portion is larger than that of the container body portion, and a packaging component (e.g., a packaging box 20) that encloses the toner storage container body, characterized in that the packaging component is the packaging component described in any of the first to sixth embodiments.

[0089] Therefore, in a toner storage container where the main body of the toner storage container is enclosed within a packaging component, the toner agglomeration within the toner storage container due to vibration during transportation can be suppressed with a simple structure.

[0090] [Tenth Method]

[0091] The tenth method is a packaging method for packaging a toner storage container (e.g., toner bottle 10) using a packaging component (e.g., a packaging box 20). The toner storage container has an elongated container body (e.g., a bottle body 11) and a larger portion (e.g., a bottle cap 12) whose dimension (e.g., outer diameter) in a direction perpendicular to the length direction at one end of the container body is larger than that of the container body. The packaging method is characterized by including: within the box portion 21 of the packaging component, the toner is disposed of with a gap between the container body and the larger portion. The steps include: pressing the container body with a first pressing part (e.g., first flap 22) of the packaging component, causing the container body to abut against a first bearing part (e.g., the bottom surface of the inner wall of box 21) with a first abutting force; and pressing the large-size part with a second pressing part (e.g., second flap 23) of the packaging component (e.g., packaging box 20), causing the large-size part to abut against a second bearing part (e.g., the bottom surface of the inner wall of box 21) with a second abutting force smaller than the first abutting force.

[0092] Therefore, it is possible to suppress the coagulation of toner in the toner storage container caused by vibration during transportation with a simple structure.

Claims

1. A packaging component for an inner container of toner, the toner container having an elongated main body and a larger portion at one end of the main body, the toner container having a dimension larger than the main body in a direction orthogonal to the length direction, the packaging component being characterized by comprising: The box section, which has a gap between itself and the main body of the container and the large-sized section, encloses the toner storage container; The first pushing part pushes the container body part so that the container body part abuts against the first bearing part inside the box part with a first abutting force, and The second pushing part pushes the large-sized part so that the large-sized part abuts against the second bearing part inside the box with a second abutting force smaller than the first abutting force.

2. The packaging component according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the packaging component is positioned in a proper posture, the first pressing part and the second pressing part push the container body and the large-size part from the vertical direction.

3. The packaging component according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The maximum value of the gap is less than 14 mm.

4. The packaging component according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first or second pressing part is configured not to press the electronic components disposed in the toner storage container.

5. The packaging component according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first pushing part is configured such that its end in a direction orthogonal to the length direction is supported by the box part, and it approaches the container body of the toner storage container from one end to the other end in the length direction. The length of the first pressing part is more than 90% of the length of the toner storage container.

6. The packaging component according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: At least one of the first pressing part and the second pressing part is integrally formed with the box part.

7. The packaging component according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The box section has an inlet / outlet at one end along the length of the larger portion of the toner storage container, allowing the toner storage container to be pulled out and pushed in.

8. The packaging component according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first pressing part is configured to approach the container body of the toner storage container from one end along its length toward the other end. The second pressing portion is configured to approach the large portion of the toner storage container from the other end side in the length direction toward the one end side.

9. A toner storage container, comprising: The toner container body has a long, narrow main body and a larger portion at one end of the main body, which is larger than the main body in a direction perpendicular to its length. The packaging component that encloses the main body of the toner storage container. The characteristic feature is that the packaging component is the packaging component according to claim 1 or 2.

10. A packaging method for packaging a toner storage container using a packaging component, the toner storage container having an elongated container body and a larger portion at one end of the container body, the portion having a dimension larger than the container body in a direction orthogonal to the length direction, the packaging method being characterized by comprising: The step of containing the toner in the inner packaging of the box section of the packaging component, with a gap between the main body of the container and the large-size section; The steps of pressing the container body with the first pressing part of the packaging component, causing the container body to abut against the first bearing part inside the box with a first abutting force, and... The step of pressing the large-size portion with the second pressing part of the packaging component, so that the large-size portion abuts against the second bearing part inside the box with a second abutting force smaller than the first abutting force.

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