Toner container and image forming system

Abstract

To provide a new one form of a toner container removably attached to an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A toner container has: a toner storage unit; a discharge part that is provided with an opening; a rotating member that is rotatable in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction being an opposite direction to the first rotation direction; and a projection that projects downward. The projection has a first downward surface and a second downward surface directed downward, and an upward surface directed upward. The first downward surface and the second downward surface extend to move upward as moving toward the first rotation direction. At least a part of the first downward surface is configured to be located at a position closer to a central axis than the second downward surface in a radial direction, the position different from the second downward surface in a circumferential direction of a virtual circle. At least a part of the upward surface is located above at least a part of the second downward surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 57

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a toner container and an image forming system that can be attached to an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to replenish the image forming apparatus with toner used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a configuration using a toner container detachable from the image forming apparatus is known (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent document]

[0003] [Patent document 1] WO2020100699A2 [Outline of the Invention] [Problems to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, users have demanded various uses of image forming apparatuses. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a new form of a toner container that can be attached to an image forming apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner container, comprising: a storage portion configured to store toner; a rotating member rotatable in a first rotating direction about a central axis as a rotation axis with respect to the ejecting part and in a second rotating direction opposite to the first rotating direction; a protrusion located below the opening of the discharge section when at least part of the section is below the storage section and the toner container is oriented in a predetermined direction in which the central axis is directed in the direction of gravity. a projecting portion having an inner peripheral surface facing inward in a radial direction of an imaginary circle centered on the central axis and projecting downward; When the toner container is oriented in the predetermined direction, the protrusion is located outside the inner circumferential surface and inside the opening of the discharging portion in the radial direction. , a first downward surface and a second downward surface facing downward, and an upward surface facing upward, wherein the first downward surface and the second downward surface increase upward in the first rotation direction. at least a portion of the first downward surface is positioned closer to the center axis than the second downward surface in the radial direction, and extends toward the second downward surface in the circumferential direction of the virtual circle. At least part of the upward surface is located above at least part of the second downward surface.

Effect of the invention

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a new form of a toner container that can be attached to an image forming apparatus. [Brief description of the drawing]

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

[0008] Exemplary embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0009] <Example 1> BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] (Image forming device system) FIG. 1(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an image forming system 1000 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view of the image forming system 1000. FIG.

[0011] The image forming system 1000 includes an image forming apparatus 1 and a toner pack 100 (toner container, toner cartridge) that can be attached to the image forming apparatus 1 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 without the toner pack 100 attached.

[0012] The toner pack 100 contains toner to be attached to the attachment portion 106 of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. A detailed configuration of the toner pack 100 will be described later. The toner pack 100 is mounted by moving the toner pack 100 in the mounting direction M shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the mounting direction M of the toner pack 100 is the direction of gravity, but it may be a direction inclined to the direction of gravity.

[0013] (image forming device) The image forming apparatus 1 is a monochrome printer that forms an image on a recording material P based on image information input from an external device. The recording material P includes various sheet materials of different materials, such as paper such as plain paper and thick paper, plastic film such as overhead projector sheets, special-shaped sheets such as envelopes and index paper, and cloth.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the image forming apparatus 1 has the following configuration. The image forming unit 10 that forms a toner image on the recording material P, the pickup roller 65 that feeds the recording material P to the image forming unit 10, and the toner image formed by the image forming unit 10 is fixed onto the recording material P. and a pair of discharge rollers 80 .

[0015] The image forming section 10 includes a scanner unit 11, an electrophotographic process unit 20, a transfer roller 12 for transferring a toner image as a developer image formed on a photosensitive drum 21 of the process unit 20 onto a recording material P, have. The process unit 20 has a photosensitive drum 21 , a charging roller 22 , a pre-exposure section 23 , and a developing device 30 (developing unit, developing section) including the developing roller 31 .

[0016] The photosensitive drum 21 (image carrier) is a cylindrical photosensitive member. The photosensitive drum 21 of this embodiment has a drum-shaped substrate made of aluminum and a photosensitive layer formed of a negatively charged organic photosensitive member. Further, the photosensitive drum 21 is rotationally driven by a motor in a predetermined rotational direction (clockwise direction in the drawing) at a predetermined process speed.

[0017] The charging roller 22 contacts the photosensitive drum 21 with a predetermined pressing force to form a charging portion. Further, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is uniformly charged to a predetermined potential by applying a desired charging voltage from the charging high-voltage power supply. In this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 21 is negatively charged by the charging roller 22 . The pre-exposure unit 23 eliminates the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 21 before reaching the charging unit in order to generate stable discharge in the charging unit.

[0018] The scanner unit 11 as an exposure unit scans and exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 by irradiating the photosensitive drum 21 with laser light corresponding to image information input from an external device using a polygon mirror. This exposure forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 according to the image information. Note that the scanner unit 11 is not limited to a laser scanner device, and for example, an LED exposure device having an LED array in which a plurality of LEDs are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 21 may be employed.

[0019] The developing device 30 includes a developing roller 31 as a developer carrying member that carries a developer, a developing container 32 (developing frame) as a frame of the developing device 30, and a supply capable of supplying developer to the developing roller 31. a roller 33; The developing roller 31 and the supply roller 33 are rotatably supported by the developer container 32 . Further, the developing roller 31 is arranged at the opening of the developing container 32 so as to face the photosensitive drum 21 . The supply roller 33 is rotatably in contact with the developing roller 31 , and the toner as the developer contained in the developer container 32 is supplied to the surface of the developing roller 31 by the supply roller 33 . Note that the supply roller 33 is not necessarily required as long as the toner can be sufficiently supplied to the developing roller 31 .

[0020] The developing device 30 of the present embodiment uses a contact developing method as a developing method. That is, the toner layer carried on the developing roller 31 contacts the photosensitive drum 21 in the developing portion (developing area) where the photosensitive drum 21 and the developing roller 31 face each other. A development voltage is applied to the development roller 31 by a development high voltage power supply. Under the developing voltage, the toner carried on the developing roller 31 is transferred from the developing roller 31 to the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 according to the potential distribution on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21, thereby developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image. Note that the present embodiment employs a reversal development method. That is, a toner image is formed by the toner adhering to the surface region of the photosensitive drum 21, which has been charged in the charging process and then exposed in the exposure process to reduce the amount of charge.

[0021] Further, in the present embodiment, toner having a particle size of 6 μm and a normal charge polarity of negative polarity is used. As an example of the toner of this embodiment, a polymerized toner produced by a polymerization method is used. Further, the toner of the present embodiment does not contain a magnetic component, and is a so-called non-magnetic one-component developer in which the toner is carried on the developing roller 31 mainly by an intermolecular force or an electrostatic force (mirror image force). However, a one-component developer containing a magnetic component may also be used. In addition to the toner particles, the one-component developer may contain additives (for example, wax or fine silica particles) for adjusting the fluidity and charging performance of the toner. Alternatively, a two-component developer composed of a non-magnetic toner and a magnetic carrier may be used as the developer. When a developer having magnetism is used, for example, a cylindrical developing sleeve having a magnet arranged inside is used as the developer carrier.

[0022] The developer container 32 has a toner storage chamber 36 (second storage portion, main storage portion) that stores toner. Inside the toner storage chamber 36, a stirring member 34 (toner conveying member) is provided. The stirring member 34 is driven by a motor (not shown) to rotate, thereby stirring the toner in the developing container 32 and conveying the toner toward the developing roller 31 and the supply roller 33 . Further, the stirring member 34 has a role of circulating the toner stripped off from the developing roller 31, which is not used for development, within the developing container and uniformizing the toner within the developing container. Note that the stirring member 34 is not limited to a rotating form. For example, a stirring member that swings may be employed.

[0023] A developing blade 35 for regulating the amount of toner carried on the developing roller 31 is arranged at the opening of the developing container 32 where the developing roller 31 is arranged. The toner supplied to the surface of the developing roller 31 passes through the portion facing the developing blade 35 as the developing roller 31 rotates, thereby forming a uniform thin layer and being negatively charged by triboelectrification. .

[0024] Next, the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. When an image forming command is input to the image forming apparatus 1, an image forming process by the image forming section 10 is started based on image information input from an external computer connected to the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. The scanner unit 11 irradiates the photosensitive drum 21 with laser light based on the input image information. At this time, the photosensitive drum 21 is charged in advance by the charging roller 22, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 21 by being irradiated with laser light. After that, the developing roller 31 develops this electrostatic latent image to form a toner image on the photosensitive drum 21 .

[0025] In parallel with the image forming process described above, the recording material P is sent out by the pickup roller 65 and conveyed toward the transfer nip formed by the transfer roller 12 and the photosensitive drum 21 .

[0026] A transfer voltage is applied to the transfer roller 12 from a transfer high-voltage power supply, and the toner image carried on the photosensitive drum 21 is transferred onto the recording material P. As shown in FIG. The recording material P onto which the toner image has been transferred is heated and pressurized when passing through the fixing section 70 . As a result, the toner particles are melted and then fixed, whereby the toner image is fixed on the recording material P. The recording material P that has passed through the fixing unit 70 is discharged to the outside (outside the machine) of the image forming apparatus 1 by a discharge roller pair 80 as a discharging unit, and is discharged to a discharge tray as a stacking unit formed in the upper part of the image forming apparatus 1. Loaded on 81.

[0027] A top cover 82 as a stacking tray is provided on the top of the image forming apparatus 1, and a discharge tray 81 as a stacking surface is formed on the upper surface of the top cover 82. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 2, the top cover 82 is provided with an opening / closing member 83 which is supported so as to be able to open and close around a rotating shaft 83a extending in the front-rear direction. The discharge tray 81 of the top cover 82 is formed with an opening 82a that opens upward. As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting portion 106 for mounting the toner pack 100 is exposed from the opening 82a.

[0028] The opening / closing member 83 has a closed position covering the mounting portion 106 so that the toner pack 100 cannot be mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, an open position exposing the mounting portion 106 so that the toner pack 100 can be mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, and configured to be movable between The opening / closing member 83 functions as part of the discharge tray 81 in the closed position. The opening / closing member 83 and the opening 82a are formed on the left side of the discharge tray 81 when viewed from the front of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. The front side of the image forming apparatus 1 described here is the upstream side of the image forming apparatus 1 in the direction in which the recording material P is sent out by the pickup roller 65 . The opening / closing member 83 is opened leftward by putting a finger through the groove 82b provided in the top cover 82. As shown in FIG.

[0029] The opening 82a of the discharge tray 81 is opened so as to expose the mounting section 106 formed on the upper portion of the image forming apparatus 1, and the user can access the mounting section 106 by opening the opening / closing member 83. can be done. In the present embodiment, a direct replenishing method is a method in which the user replenishes toner from the toner pack 100 attached to the attachment unit 106 to the developing device 30 while the developing device 30 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1. is employed. At least a portion of the toner pack 100 is exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 while being attached to the attachment portion 106 of the image forming apparatus 1 .

[0030] When the remaining amount of toner in the process unit 20 becomes low, it is not necessary to remove the process unit 20 from the image forming apparatus 1 and replace it with a new process unit, thereby improving usability. In addition, toner can be supplied to the developing container 32 at a lower cost than replacing the entire process unit 20 . Note that the direct replenishment method eliminates the need to replace various rollers, gears, etc., compared to the case where only the developing device 30 of the process unit 20 is replaced, thereby reducing costs.

[0031] (Toner pack mounting part) First, the configuration of the mounting portion 106 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8. FIG. In this embodiment, the mounting section 106 is a unit for mounting the toner pack 100 .

[0032] FIG. 3(a) is an exploded perspective view of the mounting portion 106. FIG. FIG. 3(b) is an exploded perspective view of the mounting portion 106 viewed from a direction different from that of FIG. 3(a). 4(a) and 5(a) are a perspective view and a view of the mounting portion 106 viewed from the mounting direction M, respectively, showing the appearance of the mounting portion 106 when the operating lever 108 is in the closed position. 4(b) and 5(b) are a perspective view and a view of the mounting portion 106 from the mounting direction M, respectively, showing the appearance of the mounting portion 106 when the operating lever 108 is in the open position. 6 is a perspective view of the mounting portion 106 viewed from the downstream side in the mounting direction M. FIG.

[0033] 7A is a perspective view of the device-side shutter 109 viewed from the upstream side in the mounting direction M. FIG. FIG. 7(b) is a perspective view of the device-side shutter 109 from a viewpoint different from that of FIG. 7(a). 8(a) is a perspective view of the cover 110 viewed from the downstream side of the cover 110 in the mounting direction M. FIG. 8(b) is a perspective view of the cover 110 viewed from the upstream side in the mounting direction M. FIG.

[0034] The mounting portion 106 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is provided with a base frame 2 including a first frame 107, a second frame 117, and a cover 110. As shown in FIG. Cover 110 and second frame 117 are fixed to first frame 107 . As shown in FIG. 8, the cover 110 engages with the engagement portion 107b (FIG. 3(a)) of the first frame 107 so as not to rotate about the rotation axis B with respect to the first frame 107. It has an engaged portion 110h. Note that the first frame 107, the cover 110 and the second frame 117 may be integrally formed instead of separate members. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the second frame 117 is provided with a device-side opening 117a (frame body opening, receiving opening). They are in communication (see Fig. 1(a)).

[0035] The operation lever 108 and the device-side shutter 109 (second shutter) are attached to the base frame 2 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis B (center axis).

[0036] The first frame 107 is provided with a positioning portion 107a. The positioning portion 107a protrudes inward from the inner peripheral surface of the first frame 107 centered on the rotation axis B in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis B. As shown in FIG. Further, the operation lever 108 is provided with a drive transmission portion 108a (lever convex portion) and an operation portion 108b. As shown in FIG. 3A, the drive transmission portion 108a of the operating lever 108 has an inner peripheral surface centered on the rotational axis B of the operating lever 108 in the radial direction r of a virtual circle VC centered on the rotational axis B. It is a convex portion that protrudes inward from the .

[0037] The device-side shutter 109 is a cylindrical member with an open top, and as shown in FIG. It has a bottom surface 109b provided with a regulated rib 109c (rotation regulated portion). The device-side shutter 109 further includes a center boss 109d (positioning shaft, shaft portion), a driven transmission portion 109e (pressed portion, device-side shutter convex portion), a pack contact surface 109g (mounting direction positioning), and an inner It has a peripheral surface 109h (radial positioning). The device-side shutter 109 is configured to be rotatable around the rotation axis B with respect to the base frame 2 .

[0038] The restricted rib 109c protrudes upward from the bottom surface 109b in the direction of the rotation axis B. As shown in FIG. The driven transmission part 109e is a convex part that protrudes inward in the radial direction r of a virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis B, as shown in FIG. 7(a). A device-side seal 111 is attached around the reception port 109a (see FIG. 4(b)).

[0039] Here, the apparatus-side shutter 109 is arranged with respect to the base frame 2 to take a closed position in which the inlet 109a is covered by the apparatus-side seal 111 and the cover 110, and an open position in which the cover 110 is not covered. is configured to be rotatable. The closed position is the position shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 5(a), and is a position (non-communication position) where the receiving port 109a of the device-side shutter 109 does not communicate with the device-side opening 117a of the second frame 117. . The open position is the position shown in FIGS. 4(b) and 5(b), and is a position (communication position) where the receiving port 109a of the device-side shutter 109 communicates with the device-side opening 117a of the second frame 117. is. By moving the device-side shutter 109 to the open position, toner can be replenished (supplied) from the toner pack 100 to the toner storage chamber 36 of the developing device 30 through the inlet 109a.

[0040] Since the operating lever 108 and the device-side shutter 109 are not coupled to drive, the device-side shutter 109 does not rotate even if the operating lever 108 is operated without the toner pack 100 attached.

[0041] (Rotation restriction mechanism for device-side shutter) Mounting unit 106 of image forming apparatus 1 further includes rotation restriction mechanism 112 including restriction member 113 (rotation restriction member), release member 114, restriction spring 115, and release spring 116, as shown in FIG. have.

[0042] The rotation restricting mechanism 112 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 15. FIG. 9, 10, and 14, the cut surfaces of the cover 110, the restricting member 113, and the releasing member 114 are hatched for easy viewing.

[0043] When the toner pack 100 is not attached to the attachment unit 106, the apparatus-side shutter 109 is inadvertently rotated from the closed position to the open position by a predetermined amount or more due to an impact during distribution of the image forming apparatus 1 or a user's erroneous operation. It is conceivable that In this case, it may be difficult for the user to attach the toner pack 100 to the attachment portion 106 when using the image forming apparatus 1 . Details on this point will be described later. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment is provided with a rotation restricting mechanism 112 for restricting the rotation of the apparatus-side shutter 109 from the closed position toward the open position.

[0044] 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views of the mounting portion 106. FIG. FIG. 9(a) is a cross-sectional view parallel to the rotation axis B in a state where the device-side shutter 109 is restricted from rotating from the closed position to the open position by the rotation restricting mechanism 112. FIG. FIG. 9(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X1-X1 in FIG. 9(a). FIG. 10(a) is a cross-sectional view parallel to the rotation axis B in a state where rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 109 by the rotation restriction mechanism 112 is released. FIG. 10(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X2-X2 of FIG. 10(a). For the sake of convenience, FIG. 10 shows the mounting portion 106 in which the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 109 is released with the toner pack 100 not mounted.

[0045] Further, FIG. 11(a) shows a perspective view of the restricting member 113 seen from the upstream side in the mounting direction M. As shown in FIG. FIG. 11(b) shows a perspective view of the restricting member 113 viewed from the downstream side in the mounting direction. FIG. 12(a) shows a perspective view of the release member 114 viewed from the upstream side in the mounting direction M. As shown in FIG. FIG. 12(b) shows a perspective view of the release member 114 viewed from the downstream side in the mounting direction M. As shown in FIG. FIG. 13(a) is a perspective view of a unit in which the restricting member 113 and the releasing member 114 are assembled. 13(b) is a cross-sectional view parallel to the rotation axis B of the unit in which the restricting member 113 and the releasing member 114 are assembled.

[0046] Inside the device-side shutter 109, as shown in FIG. 9A, a regulating member 113, a releasing member 114, a regulating spring 115, and a releasing spring 116 are provided.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 11, the restricting member 113 is an annular member provided with a central hole 113i centered on the rotation axis B. As shown in FIG. The restricting member 113 includes a lower surface 113a, a pair of first contact surfaces 113b, a second contact surface 113h, a second restricting surface 113c (rotation restricting portion), a contact surface 113e, and a pair of contact surfaces. It has a stop surface 113f and a spring engaging portion 113g. A pair of the first contact surface 113b and the second contact surface 113h are end surfaces on the downstream side in the rotation direction D of the device-side shutter 109. As shown in FIG. The second restricting surface 113c is an end surface of the device-side shutter 109 on the downstream side in the rotational direction E. As shown in FIG. The locked surface 113f is an end surface (upper surface) on the upstream side in the mounting direction M. As shown in FIG. The lower surface 113a is an end surface on the downstream side in the mounting direction M. As shown in FIG. The spring engaging portion 113g is a projection projecting in the rotation direction E. As shown in FIG.

[0048] The releasing member 114 (member to be guided) has a pair of releasing claws 114e (engaging claws) extending upward, as shown in FIG. It is a member. The release member 114 includes a pair of contact surfaces 114a, a contact surface 114b, a pair of elevation restricted surfaces 114c, a pair of locking surfaces 114d, a pair of release claws 114e (engaged portions), and a pair of contact surface 114f and a spring engaging portion 114g. The pair of contact surfaces 114a are end surfaces of the device-side shutter 109 on the downstream side in the rotational direction E. As shown in FIG. The contact surface 114b is an end surface (upper surface) on the upstream side in the mounting direction M. As shown in FIG. The contact surface 114f is an end surface on the downstream side in the rotation direction E from the contact surface 114a. The rise restricted surface 114c is a surface that connects the contact surface 114a and the contact surface 114f, and is an end surface on the upstream side in the mounting direction M (an end surface facing upward). The locking surface 114d is a surface that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the release member 114 and faces the mounting direction M (a surface that faces downward).

[0049] As shown in FIG. 13, when the regulating member 113 and the releasing member 114 are assembled, the locked surface 113f of the regulating member 113 is directly below the locking surface 114d of the releasing member 114 and faces the locking surface 114d. is doing. Further, the release claw 114e protrudes upward from the upper surface of the regulation member 113 through a central hole centered on the rotation axis B of the regulation member 113. As shown in FIG.

[0050] As shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b), the restricting member 113 and the releasing member 114 are rotatably supported by the large-diameter portion 109d1 of the center boss 109d of the device-side shutter 109. As shown in FIGS. Further, the rotation restricting mechanism 112 is covered by the upper surface 110i of the cover 110. As shown in FIG. The center boss 109d is provided coaxially with the rotation axis B of the device-side shutter 109. As shown in FIG. The regulating member 113 is urged in the direction of the arrow C in the direction of the rotation axis B by the urging force F1 of the regulating spring 115 (second elastic member, second urging member), and the lower surface 113a contacts the bottom surface 109b of the apparatus-side shutter 109. abutting. The position of the regulating member at this time is defined as the regulating position. Note that the direction of arrow C is the mounting direction M of the toner pack 100 . Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, a releasing spring 116 (first elastic member, first biasing member) is attached between the restricting member 113 and the releasing member 114 in the rotation direction of the device-side shutter 109. there is One end and the other end of the release spring 116 are engaged with the spring engaging portion 113g of the restricting member 113 and the spring engaging portion 114g of the releasing member 114, respectively. Due to the biasing force F2 of the release spring 116, the restricting member 113 receives the moment M1 in the rotational direction D, and at least one of the pair of first contact surfaces 113b contacts the corresponding pair of first contact surfaces 110a of the cover 110. touch. The second contact surface 113h of the restricting member 113 is in contact with the contacted surface 110j (see FIG. 8) of the cover 110, and rotation in the rotational direction D is restricted. On the other hand, the release member 114 receives a moment M2 in the rotational direction E by the biasing force F3 of the release spring 116, and at least one of the pair of contact surfaces 114a contacts the corresponding pair of second contact surfaces 110b of the cover 110. abut.

[0051] Here, cover 110 is integrally fixed to first frame 107 . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9B, the restricted rib 109c of the device-side shutter 109 is between the first restricting surface 110c of the cover 110 and the second restricting surface 113c of the restricting member 113. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the rotation of the device-side shutter 109 in the rotational direction D (the direction from the closed position to the open position) is restricted by the second restriction surface 113c of the restriction member 113. FIG. The rotation of the device-side shutter 109 in the rotational direction E (the direction from the open position to the closed position) is restricted by the first restriction surface 110c of the cover 110. As shown in FIG.

[0052] (Rotation restriction release method) A method of releasing the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 109 by the rotation restriction mechanism 112 will be described. After the first step of rotating the releasing member 114 in the rotational direction D against the moment M2 by the releasing spring 116 from the state of FIG. 9(b), the releasing member 114 is moved in the direction of the arrow G shown in FIG. 9(a). Execute the second step to let The first step and the second step are performed by mounting the toner pack 100 on the mounting portion 106, which will be described after the configuration of the toner pack 100 is described. Here, only the configuration of the mounting section 106 will be described.

[0053] In the second step, the contacting surface 114b of the releasing member 114 contacts the contacting surface 113e of the restricting member 113, and the releasing member 114 and the restricting member 113 are united to resist the biasing force F1 of the restricting spring 115. to move in the direction of arrow G. Through this second step, the rotation restriction release state shown in FIG. 10 is reached. Note that the direction of arrow G is the direction opposite to the mounting direction M of the toner pack 100 .

[0054] In the state where the rotation restriction is released, the second restricting surface 113c of the restricting member 113 is retracted from the movement locus (rotational locus) of the restricted rib 109c of the device-side shutter 109, as shown in FIG. 10(b). The position of this regulating member 113 is defined as a regulating release position (release position). Then, the restricted rib 109c can move between the first restricting surface 110c and the third restricting surface 110d of the cover 110. As shown in FIG. Since the space between the first restricting surface 110c and the third restricting surface 110d is such that the device-side shutter 109 can rotate between the closed position and the open position, the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 109 is released. It will be. The device-side shutter 109 is rotatable about the rotation axis B in the rotation direction D from the closed position to the open position. On the other hand, the first restricting surface 110c of the cover 110 restricts the rotation of the device-side shutter 109 from the closed position in the direction opposite to the rotation direction D. The amount of movement of the releasing member 114 in the direction of arrow G (upward) is such that the second restricting surface 113c of the restricting member 113, which moves integrally with the releasing member 114, moves toward the restricted rib 109c of the device-side shutter 109 in the direction of the rotation axis B. It suffices if the amount of movement is greater than or equal to the amount of movement leading to a position where the overlap does not occur.

[0055] Here, it will be described that the rotation restriction mechanism 112 is configured so that the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 109 is not released when the second step is performed without going through the first step.

[0056] FIG. 14(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X3-X3 in FIG. 9(b). 14(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X3-X3 when the restricting member 113 is moved in the arrow G direction without rotating the releasing member 114 in the rotating direction D from the state of FIG. 14(a).

[0057] As shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 8(a), the cover 110 is provided with a lift restricting surface 110e (lift restricting portion). As shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 12(a), the release member 114 is provided with a lift restricted surface 114c (lift restricted portion). As shown in FIG. 9(b), when the restricting member 113 moves in the direction of the arrow G in a state where the second contact surface 110b and the contact surface 114a are in contact with each other, the locked surface 113f of the restricting member 113 becomes the releasing member. It abuts on the locking surface 114d of 114. Since a similar structure is also provided on the opposite side centering around the rotation axis B, the restricting member 113 and the releasing member 114 move together in the direction of arrow G (upward). As a result, as shown in FIG. 14(b), the lift restricted surface 114c of the release member 114 comes into contact with the lift restricting surface 110e of the cover 110, and movement in the direction of arrow G is restricted. The restricting member 113, which moves integrally, is also restricted from moving in the arrow G direction. At this time, the restrained rib 109c of the device-side shutter 109 is maintained in a state where the rotation is restrained by the first restraining surface 110c and the second restraining surface 113c, as shown in FIG. 9(b). The position (region) of the release member 114 in the rotational direction about the rotational axis B at this time is defined as the lift control position (lift control region). That is, the lift restricting position is the position (area) of the releasing member 114 when the lift restricted surface 114c of the releasing member 114 overlaps the lift restricting surface 110e of the cover 110 when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis B. . Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 14(b), the elevation restricting surface 110e and the elevation restricting surface are arranged so that the pair of contact surfaces 114a has a component in the direction of arrow H that contacts the pair of second contact surfaces 110b. 114c is slanted. Thus, even if the regulation member 113 tries to move in the direction of the arrow G (upward) due to vertical vibration of the image forming apparatus 1 during physical distribution, the regulation in the direction of the arrow G by the cover 110 is not released.

[0058] In the first step, the biasing force of the release spring 116 is applied to the position (area) where the lift restricted surface 114c of the release member 114 does not contact the lift restricting surface 110e of the cover 110, which is the lift restriction release position (lift restriction release area). This is the step of rotating the release member 114 in the direction of rotation D against it.

[0059] FIG. 15(a) is the X22-X22 cross section of FIG. 10(a). FIG. 15(a) is a diagram showing a state in which the second step is performed after the first step. In the second step of the present embodiment, the release member 114 is rotated in the rotational direction E until at least one of the pair of contact surfaces 114f of the release member 114 contacts one of the pair of second contact surfaces 110b of the corresponding cover 110. It also includes the action of rotating to FIG. 15(b) is the X111-X111 cross section of FIG. 15(a).

[0060] As shown in FIG. 15(a), when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis B, the lift restricted surface 114c of the release member 114 and the lift restricting surface 110e of the cover 110 do not overlap. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15(b), the regulating member 113 can move in the arrow G direction together with the releasing member 114. As shown in FIG. The position of the release member 114 in the direction of rotation about the rotation axis B at this time is defined as the lift restriction release position. That is, when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis B, the lift restriction release position is the position of the release member 114 when the lift restricted surface 114c of the release member 114 does not overlap the lift restriction surface 110e of the cover 110. FIG. The amount of rotation of the release member 114 in the rotation direction D in the first step reaches a position where the lift restricted surface 114c of the release member 114 does not overlap the lift restricting surface 110e of the cover 110 when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis B. If it is more than the amount of rotation to.

[0061] A method for releasing the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 109 includes a first step and a second step after the first step. The first step is to rotate the release member 114 in the rotation direction D from the lift restriction position to the lift restriction release position. The second step is to move the release member upward together with the restriction member 113 so that the restriction member 113 moves from the restriction position to the restriction release position while the release member 114 is in the lift restriction release position. The second step may or may not include rotating the release member 114 in the rotational direction E until the contact surface 114f of the release member 114 contacts the second contacted surface 110b of the cover 110. Also good.

[0062] (toner pack) A basic configuration of the toner pack 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. FIG. FIG. 16(a) is a front view of the toner pack 100 when the pack-side shutter 103 is in the closed position. FIG. 16(b) is a front view of the toner pack 100 when the pack-side shutter 103 is at the open position. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the toner pack 100. FIG.

[0063] The toner pack 100 includes a storage portion 101 (first storage portion) that stores toner, a nozzle 102 (nozzle portion, pipe, tube, valve, discharge portion), a pack-side shutter 103 (container shutter, rotating member), have As shown in FIG. 16, the accommodating portion 101 is provided on the first end side in the first direction D1, and the nozzle 102 and the pack side are provided on the second end side opposite to the first end in the first direction. A shutter 103 is provided. The containing portion 101 is a pouch formed by pouching a flexible polypropylene sheet. The container 101 is not limited to a pouch, and may be a container made of resin, paper, vinyl, or the like.

[0064] A side surface 102c (first outer surface) of the nozzle 102 extending along the first direction D1 is provided with a discharge port 102a (nozzle opening, first opening) configured to communicate with the interior of the housing portion 101. there is The toner stored in the storage portion 101 is configured to be discharged to the outside of the toner pack 100 through the discharge port 102a. In addition, the nozzle 102 may be configured integrally with the accommodating portion 101 . Alternatively, a seal may be provided between the housing portion 101 and the discharge port 102a of the nozzle 102, and the housing portion 101 and the discharge port 102a may communicate with each other when the seal is removed.

[0065] Outside the side surface 102c of the nozzle 102, a pack-side shutter 103 (rotating member) is provided. The pack-side shutter 103 is rotatably mounted around a rotation axis A (first rotation axis) extending along the first direction D1, and as shown in FIG. opening). The pack-side shutter 103 is provided outside the side surface 102c in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A. As shown in FIG. A side surface 102c of the nozzle 102 is a curved surface convex outward in the radial direction r of a virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A. The inner surface of the pack-side shutter 103 (the surface facing the side surface 102c) is a curved surface along the side surface 102c of the nozzle 102, and a substantially rectangular pack-side seal 105 is attached. Note that the side surface 102c of the nozzle 102 is also a surface extending along the rotation axis A. As shown in FIG.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 16, the pack-side shutter 103 is positioned about the rotation axis A between a closed position where the pack-side seal 105 closes the discharge port 102a of the nozzle 102 and an open position where the discharge port 102a is opened. is configured to be rotatable. When the pack-side shutter 103 is at the open position, the outlet 102a of the nozzle 102 is exposed through the opening 103a.

[0067] FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b) show the pack-side shutter 103 in the closed position and the open position, respectively. As shown in FIG. 16(a), when the pack-side shutter 103 in the closed position is rotated about the rotation axis A in the direction of arrow K (first rotation direction), it is moved to the open position shown in FIG. 16(b). reach. Conversely, when the pack-side shutter 103 is rotated in the direction of arrow L (second rotation direction) from the open position, it reaches the closed position. When the pack-side shutter 103 rotates, the pack-side shutter 103 rubs against the side surface 102c of the nozzle 102 via the pack-side seal 105. As shown in FIG.

[0068] Detailed configurations of the nozzle 102 and the pack-side shutter 103 will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 to 21. FIG. The arrow N direction is the direction from the accommodating portion 101 to the nozzle 102, and the U direction is the opposite direction. The direction of arrow N and the direction of arrow U are directions parallel to the rotation axis A. As shown in FIG.

[0069] FIG. 18(a) is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the nozzle 102 when the pack-side shutter 103 is in the closed position. FIG. 18(b) is a view of the toner pack 100 viewed in the direction of arrow U in FIG. 18(a). FIG. 19(a) is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the nozzle 102 when the pack-side shutter 103 is at the open position. FIG. 19(b) is a side view of the toner pack 100 viewed in the direction of arrow U in FIG. 19(a). FIG. 20 is a view of the vicinity of the nozzle 102 viewed from the opposite side of FIG. FIG. 21 is a view of the nozzle 102 and its vicinity in a direction parallel to the surfaces 102d1 and 102d2 of the nozzle 102 (a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A).

[0070] As shown in FIGS. 18(a) and 18(b), the nozzles 102 are arranged in the direction of the arrow R (second direction D2) so as to face each other with a space therebetween, and extend in a direction intersecting the R direction. A positioned portion 102d having a surface 102d1 (first nozzle surface, first opposing surface) and a surface 102d2 (second nozzle surface, second opposing surface) is provided. As shown in FIG. 18(b), the surfaces 102d1 and 102d2 in this embodiment extend in a direction perpendicular to the arrow R direction and are parallel to each other. That is, the arrow R direction is the normal direction of the surfaces 102d1 and 102d2. The positioned portion 102d is engaged with the positioning portion 107a (FIG. 3(a)) of the first frame 107 when the toner pack 100 is attached to the attachment portion . Thereby, the position of the nozzle 102 in the arrow R direction with respect to the first frame 107 (base frame 2) is determined. Thereby, the position of the nozzle 102 in the rotational direction about the rotation axis A with respect to the first frame 107 is also determined. In FIG. 18(b), a straight line CL1 (first imaginary straight line) passing through the center of the surface 102d1 and the surface 102d2 in the R direction and extending in a direction perpendicular to the arrow R direction passes through the rotation axis A and the center of the discharge port 102a. It is in a phase rotated by about 90° with respect to CL2 (second imaginary straight line). That is, straight line CL1 and straight line CL2 are orthogonal.

[0071] Further, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 21, surfaces 102e1 and 102e2 are provided downstream of the surfaces 102d1 and 102d2 in the direction of the rotation axis A in the N direction, respectively. The surface 102e1 and the surface 102e2 extend in the radial direction r of a virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A, as shown in FIG. 18(b).

[0072] In FIG. 21, a side surface 102e3 (second outer surface) is provided between the surfaces 102d1 and 102d2 and between the surfaces 102e1 and 102e2 in the arrow R direction. The side surface 102e3 is recessed more inwardly than the side surface 102c in the radial direction r. The surface 102d1, the surface 102d2, the side surface 102e3, and the surface 102e1, the surface 102e2, and the side surface 102e3 form a recess 102e (nozzle recess).

[0073] Note that the surfaces 102d1 and 102d2 do not necessarily need to be parallel as in this embodiment. The surfaces 102d1 and 102d2 may be surfaces extending in the radial direction r of a virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A.

[0074] Further, as shown in FIG. 18, an opening 103a ( rotator opening) is provided. In FIG. 18(a), when the pack-side shutter 103 is in the closed position, at least part of the recess 102e of the nozzle 102 is exposed through the opening 103a. This is because when the toner pack 100 is attached to the attachment portion 106 with the pack-side shutter 103 closed, the concave portion 102e (surfaces 102d1 and 102d2) is engaged with the positioning portion 107a.

[0075] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 18(b), when the pack-side shutter 103 is in the closed position, the concave portion 102e of the nozzle 102 (the pack-side shutter On the opposite side of the opening 103a) of the 103 across the rotation axis A, there is provided a driven transmission part 103e (rotating body concave part). The surfaces 103b1 and 103b2 of the drive transmitting portion 103e both extend in the direction perpendicular to the arrow R direction. FIG. 20 is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the pack-side shutter 103 as seen from the side where the driven transmission portion 103e is provided. Between the surfaces 103b1 and 103b2 is provided a side surface 103b3 (outer surface of the second rotating member) recessed inward in the radial direction r from the side surface 103d. A driven transmission portion 103e is configured by the surface 103b1, the surface 103b2, and the side surface 103b3.

[0076] When the pack-side shutter 103 is rotated in the direction of arrow K from the closed position shown in FIG. 18, the pack-side shutter 103 assumes the open position as shown in FIG. Exit 102a is exposed.

[0077] Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 20, the pack-side shutter 103 has a radial positioning portion 103f that protrudes outward in the radial direction r from the side surface 103d. The radial positioning portion 103f is provided on the upstream side of the pack-side shutter 103 in the direction of the rotation axis A in the N direction. The radial direction positioning portions 103f are provided at three locations spaced apart in the rotation direction of the pack-side shutter 103 (circumferential direction of the virtual circle VC). When the toner pack 100 is attached to the attachment portion 106, the radial positioning 103f of the pack-side shutter 10 contacts the inner peripheral surface 109h of the device-side shutter 109 so that the radial position of the toner pack 100 in the r direction is determined. It is configured.

[0078] The nozzle 102 in this embodiment is a part provided with a passage through which toner passes and an outlet 102a through which the toner is discharged from the nozzle 102. As shown in FIG. The cross-sectional area of ​​the passage through which the toner of the nozzle 102 passes may decrease toward the discharge port 102a, may increase, or may be uniform. The cross-sectional area and length of the passage of the nozzle 102 are not limited, as they may be appropriately changed according to the toner discharging performance and the like. Further, the discharge port 102a of the nozzle 102 does not have to be the most downstream opening through which the toner is discharged from the toner pack 100. FIG. The toner discharged from the discharge port 102a of the nozzle 102 may be discharged to the outside of the toner pack 100 after passing through a passage of a member separate from the nozzle 102. FIG.

[0079] Note that the pack-side shutter 103 may be a rotating body that has a driven transmission part 103e and always opens the discharge port 102a of the nozzle 102 regardless of the rotational position. At that time, the discharge port 102a of the nozzle 102 is closed with a seal when the toner pack 100 is not attached to the attachment portion 106, and the seal is removed by the attachment operation to the attachment portion 106 or after attachment. But it's okay. Also, the toner pack 100 without the pack-side shutter 103 may be used.

[0080] (Toner pack deregulation section) The restriction releasing unit 104 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 21. FIG. As shown in FIG. 16, the toner pack 100 is oriented so that the second end side (nozzle 102 side) of the toner pack 100 is below the first end side (toner containing portion side). Alternatively, the toner pack 100 is oriented so that at least a portion of the nozzle 102 is below the housing portion 101 and the rotational axis A is vertical. This posture is the posture of mounting the image forming apparatus 1 on the mounting portion 106 . At this time, in FIGS. 18(a) and 19(a), the arrow N direction is downward and the arrow U direction is upward.

[0081] The nozzle 102 has a protruding portion 102b (protruding portion, engaging portion) that protrudes (protrudes) in the arrow N direction (downward) from the end surface 103c of the pack-side shutter 103 in the arrow N direction. The protruding portion 102b is a cylindrical portion (portion having a cylindrical shape) centered on the rotation axis A, as shown in FIG. 18(a). The protrusion 102b has a protrusion end surface 102b2, which is a lower end surface. A hole having an inner circumferential surface 102b1 (inner circumferential guide surface) centered on the rotation axis A is provided in the protrusion end surface 102b2. The protruding portion 102b protrudes below the end surface 103c of the pack-side shutter 103 below the discharge port 102a. 17, the protruding portion 102b protrudes downward from the lower end face 102j of the nozzle 102. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the end face 103c of the pack-side shutter 103 and the end face 102j of the nozzle 102 are perpendicular to the rotation axis A, but the present invention is not limited to this. These surfaces may be surfaces extending in a direction intersecting the rotation axis A when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A.

[0082] A deregulation portion 104 including a first deregulation portion 104a (first projection) and a second deregulation portion 104b (second projection) is provided on an outer peripheral surface 102b3 of the projecting portion 102b. The first deregulation portion 104a and the second deregulation portion 104b are symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis A. As shown in FIG. That is, the second deregulation portion 104b is located on the opposite side of the rotation axis A from the first deregulation portion 104a in the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis A, as shown in FIG. In other words, the second deregulation portion 104b has a shape that is 180 degrees rotationally symmetrical about the rotation axis A of the first deregulation portion 104a.

[0083] The first deregulation portion 104a includes a first slope 104a1 (first engaging surface, downward surface, downward guide surface, downward force imparting surface, downward pressing surface) and a second slope 104a2 (second engaging surface, upward surface, upward guide surface). The first slope 104a1 is below the second slope 104a2 and overlaps the second slope 104a2 when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis A. As shown in FIG. 18(a), the first slope 104a1 is inclined toward the rotation direction K (predetermined rotation direction, first rotation direction, first circumferential direction of the virtual circle VC) about the rotation axis A. , extending in the direction of arrow U (upward) and facing in the direction of arrow N (downward).

[0084] On the other hand, the second slope 104a2 is a surface that extends in the direction of arrow N (downward) in the direction of rotation K about the axis of rotation A, and faces in the direction of arrow U (upward). In other words, the second slope 104a2 is a surface extending in the direction of the arrow U toward the direction of rotation L (the second direction of rotation, the second circumferential direction of the virtual circle VC) about the axis of rotation A. It is the side facing A gap 104a3 is provided above (directly above) the second slope 104a2.

[0085] The downstream end of the first slope 104a1 and the downstream end of the second slope 104a2 in the rotation direction K are continuous. That is, the downstream end of the first slope 104a1 in the rotation direction K and the downstream end of the second slope 104a2 are at the same position in the rotation direction D. In other words, the downstream end of the first slope 104a1 and the downstream end of the second slope 104a2 overlap when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis A. As shown in FIG.

[0086] In other words, it has a connecting portion that connects the downstream end of the first slope 104a1 in the rotation direction K and the upstream end of the second slope 104a2 in the rotation direction L.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 21, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A (first direction D1), the first slope 104a1 extends in the arrow U direction (predetermined direction) perpendicular to the rotation axis A (predetermined direction). upward). The second slope 104a2 extends in the direction of arrow N (downward) as it goes in the direction of arrow J (predetermined direction) perpendicular to the axis of rotation A. As shown in FIG.

[0088] A ridge line 104a5 of the first slope 104a1 also extends in the direction of arrow U as it goes in the direction of arrow J perpendicular to the rotation axis A. The ridgeline 104a4 of the second slope 104a2 also extends in the direction of arrow N as it goes in the direction of arrow J perpendicular to the rotation axis A. Note that the ridgeline described here is a boundary line between surfaces. The ridge line 104a5 is a boundary line between the first slope 104a1 and the outer peripheral surface of the first deregulation portion 104a. The ridge line 104a4 is a boundary line between the second slope 104a2 and the outer peripheral surface of the first deregulation portion 104a.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 20, the second deregulation portion 104b has a first slope 104b1 (downward surface) and a second slope 104b2 (upward surface). A gap 104b3 is provided above the second slope 104b2. The first slope 104b1, the second slope 104b2, and the gap 104b3 have the same configurations as the first slope 104a1, the second slope 104a2, and the gap 104a3 of the first deregulation portion 104a, so the description thereof is omitted.

[0090] 22 is a cross-sectional view of the projecting portion 102b of FIG. 21 taken along the line X33-X33. FIG. 22 shows the second slope 104a2 of the first deregulation portion 104a and the second slope 104b2 of the second deregulation portion 104b viewed from above. In FIG. 22, it can be seen that both the second slope 104a2 and the second slope 104b2 extend along the rotation direction of the pack-side shutter 103 (the circumferential direction of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A).

[0091] Further, as shown in FIG. 21, the arrow direction J is parallel to the arrow R direction (second direction) that is the normal direction of the surfaces 102d1 and 102d2. Then, in FIG. 18(b), a straight line Q passing through the first deregulation portion 104a and the second deregulation portion 104b extends in a direction intersecting the arrow R direction.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 21, in the direction of arrow R, the positions of the first deregulation portion 104a and the second deregulation portion 104b are between the positions of the surfaces 102d1 and 102d2 of the positioned portion 102d. That is, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A (direction of arrow R), both the positions of the first slope 104a1 and the second slope 104a2 are between the position of the surface 102d1 and the position of the surface 102d2 in the direction of the arrow R. It is in. When viewed in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis A (direction of arrow R), in the direction of arrow R, the positions of the first deregulation portion 104a and the second deregulation portion 104b overlap the position of the recessed portion 102e.

[0093] The inclination angles of the first slope 104a1 and the second slope 104a2 with respect to the rotation axis A are preferably in the range of 45°±15°. In this embodiment, the length of the first slope 104a1 in the direction of the rotation axis A is approximately 2 mm, the length of the second slope 104a2 is approximately 3 mm, and the length of the second slope 104a2 is equal to the length of the first slope 104a1. longer than

[0094] The first slope 104a1, the second slope 104a2, and the gap 104a3 are exposed to the outside of the toner pack 100 so that the rotation restriction mechanism 112 of the mounting portion 106 can be accessed. Also, the projecting portion 102b does not necessarily have to be provided on the nozzle 102. FIG.

[0095] (Attached to the toner pack attachment part) 23 to 29, a mechanism for releasing the rotation restriction of the apparatus-side shutter 109 by the rotation restriction mechanism 112 described above by attaching the toner pack 100 to the attachment portion 106 will be described.

[0096] FIG. 23(a) is a perspective view of the toner pack 100 and the mounting portion 106 while the toner pack 100 is being mounted to the mounting portion 106. FIG. FIG. 23(b) is a perspective view of the toner pack 100 and the mounting portion 106 from a different viewpoint from FIG. 23(a). FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view parallel to the rotation axis A (rotation axis B) when the toner pack 100 is further moved in the mounting direction from the state of FIG. FIG. 25(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X4-X4 in FIG. FIG. 25(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X5-X5 in FIG. FIG. 26(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X6-X6 in FIG. 26(a) to 26(d) are sectional views showing the process of attaching the toner pack 100 to the attachment portion 106. FIG. FIG. 27(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X7-X7 in FIG. 26(d). FIG. 27(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X8-X8 in FIG. 27(a).

[0097] 24, 25, and 27(b), the cut surfaces of the pack-side shutter 103 and the cover 110 are hatched for easy viewing. 26, the pack-side shutter 103, the regulating member 113, and the releasing member 114 are side views, and the other members are cross-sectional views. Also, in FIG. 27, the cut surfaces of the cover 110, the restricting member 113, and the releasing member 114 are shaded for ease of viewing.

[0098] As shown in FIG. 23, the toner pack 100 with the pack-side shutter 103 at the closed position is moved in the mounting direction M and mounted on the mounting portion 106 with the device-side shutter 109 at the closed position. At this time, when viewed in the mounting direction M, the positions of the concave portion 102e of the nozzle 102 (opening 103a of the pack-side shutter 103) and the positioning portion 107a of the first frame 107 in the rotation direction of the pack-side shutter 103 are match. At the same time, the driven transmission portion 103e of the pack-side shutter 103 and the drive transmission portion 108a of the operating lever 108 are aligned in the rotational direction of the pack-side shutter 103. FIG.

[0099] After the above-described alignment, when the toner pack 100 is moved in the mounting direction M and mounted on the mounting portion 106, as shown in FIG. The small diameter portion 109d2 of the center boss 109d of the side shutter 109 is fitted (engaged). This determines the position of the nozzle 102 in the radial direction with respect to the device-side shutter 109 below the nozzle 102 (downstream in the mounting direction M). In addition, the inner peripheral surface 102b1 of the projecting portion 102b does not necessarily have to be configured to be fitted with the center boss 109d as long as they are configured so as not to interfere with each other. As shown in FIG. 25(a), the drive transmitting portion 108a (lever convex portion) of the operating lever 108 and the drive transmitting portion 103e (rotating body concave portion) of the pack-side shutter 103 are engaged. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 25(b), side 110f and side 110g of cover 110 come close to surfaces 102e1 and 102e2 forming recess 102e of nozzle 102 (nozzle recess). Further, the driven transmission portion 103e (recessed rotating body) of the pack-side shutter 103 engages with the driven transmission portion 109e (shutter projection) of the apparatus-side shutter 109. As shown in FIG. As a result, the rotational axis A of the pack-side shutter 103 and the rotational axis B of the device-side shutter 109 are substantially coaxial. When the first frame 107 (base frame 2) and the nozzle 102 rotate about the rotation axis A (rotation axis B), the operation lever 108, the pack-side shutter 103, and the device-side shutter 109 are substantially integrated. becomes movable. Specifically, when the operation lever 108 is rotated, the drive transmission portion 108a of the operation lever 108 presses the surface 103b1 or 103b2 of the pack-side shutter 103, and the pack-side shutter 103 is rotated. After that, the surface 103b1 or the surface 103b2 of the pack-side shutter 103 presses the driven transmission portion 109e of the device-side shutter 109, and the device-side shutter 109 is rotated.

[0100] Here, if the apparatus-side shutter 109 rotates from the closed position toward the open position due to vibration during transportation of the image forming apparatus 1, the position of the driven transmission portion 109e of the apparatus-side shutter 109 in the rotational direction also shifts. . Then, when the toner pack 100 is to be attached to the attachment portion 106, the following will occur. After the drive transmission portion 103e of the pack-side shutter 103 is engaged with the drive transmission portion 108a of the operating lever 108, when the toner pack 100 is further moved in the mounting direction M, the drive transmission portion 109e of the device-side shutter 109 and Unable to engage. Therefore, it becomes impossible to move the toner pack 100 to the attachment completion position with respect to the attachment portion 106 . A rotation restriction mechanism 112 for the device-side shutter 109 is provided to prevent such a situation from occurring.

[0101] Here, a mechanism for releasing the rotation restricting mechanism 112 of the mounting portion 106 by mounting the toner pack 100 on the mounting portion 106 will be described. Since the second deregulation unit 104b functions in the same manner as the first deregulation unit 104a, description thereof will be omitted.

[0102] At the time of FIG. 26(a), the first deregulation portion 104a of the nozzle 102 and the release claw 114e of the release member 114 are not in contact yet. When the toner pack 100 is further moved in the arrow N direction (mounting direction M) from here, as shown in FIG. abut. When toner pack 100 is further moved in the direction of arrow N from here, release member 114 is moved in rotation direction D against moment M2 (biasing force) by release spring 116 due to force F5 received by release claw 114e from first slope 104a1. rotate to At this time, the first slope 104a1 guides the release claw 114e so that the release member 114 is rotated in the rotation direction D. As shown in FIG. The release member 114 rotates in the rotation direction D until the release claw 114e passes the downstream end of the first slope 104a1 in the rotation direction D. The rotation of the release member 114 in the rotation direction D is the first step described above. That is, as shown in FIG. 15(a), when the release member 114 is lifted, the release member is pushed against the biasing force of the release spring 116 until the lift restricted surface 114c does not come into contact with the lift restricting surface 110e of the cover 110. This is the step of rotating 114 in the direction of rotation D.

[0103] After the first step, the release pawl 114e climbs onto the downstream end of the second slope 104a2 in the rotational direction D. As shown in FIG. In other words, after the first step, the release claw 114e climbs onto the upstream end of the second slope 104a2 in the rotation direction E. As shown in FIG. At that time, as shown in FIG. 26(c), the release claw 114e contacts the second slope 104a2 of the nozzle 102 due to the moment M2 (biasing force) of the release spring 116, and receives force F6. Then, due to the arrow G direction component F6a of the force F6, the release member 114 moves (guided) in the arrow G direction (upward) along the second slope 104a2 and at the same time rotates in the rotation direction E about the rotation axis A. Let me. That is, the rotation direction of the releasing member 114 changes from the rotation direction D to the rotation direction E at the connecting portion where the downstream end in the rotation direction D of the first slope 104a1 and the upstream end in the rotation direction E of the second slope 104a2 are connected. switch. Also, the second slope 104a2 guides the release claw 114e so that the release member 114 is moved upward. The second slope 104a2 guides the release claw 114e so that the release member 114 is rotated in the rotational direction E and moved upward.

[0104] The movement of the release member 114 in the direction of the arrow G (upward) and the rotation in the direction of rotation E are the aforementioned second steps. Here, as described above, in the second step, the regulating member 113 moves in the arrow G direction together with the releasing member 114 . Then, as shown in FIG. 15(a), at least one of the pair of contact surfaces 114f of the release member 114 is rotated until it contacts one of the pair of second contact surfaces 110b of the corresponding cover 110. 26(d) and the complete mounting position shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 26(d), when the contact surface 114f of the release member contacts the second contacted surface 110b of the cover 110, part of the release claw 114e is positioned above (right above) the second slope 104a2. has entered the gap 104a3.

[0105] In this way, by mounting the toner pack 100 on the mounting portion 106, the rotation regulation of the device-side shutter 109 by the rotation regulation mechanism 112 is released through the above-described first step and second step.

[0106] When the toner pack 100 is at the installation completion position, the projecting portion end surface 102b2 of the projecting portion 102b of the nozzle 102 is in contact with the pack contact surface 109g of the device-side shutter 109, as shown in FIG. This determines the position of the nozzle 102 (toner pack 100) with respect to the mounting portion 106 in the direction of the rotation axis A (mounting direction M). Also, the radial positioning portion 103f (FIGS. 18 and 20) of the pack-side shutter 103 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface 109h (FIG. 7) of the device-side shutter 109 at three locations. Thereby, the radial positions of the nozzle 102 and the pack-side shutter 103 (toner pack 100) on the upstream side in the mounting direction M are determined.

[0107] The X10-X10 cross-sectional view of FIG. 27(a) is the same as that of FIG. 15(a), so the description is omitted. Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 27(b), which is the X8-X8 section of FIG. 27(a), the positioning portion 107a of the first frame 107 is the positioned portion 102d of the nozzle 102 having the surfaces 102d1 and 102d2. engaged. Therefore, the position of the nozzle 102 is determined with respect to the first frame 107 (base frame 2) in the direction of the arrow R of the surface 102d1 and the surface 102d2. As shown in FIG. 26, the direction of the arrow R is substantially parallel to the trajectory V along which the release claw 114e rotates in the rotation direction D when the first deregulation portion 104a and the release claw 114e come into contact with each other. Since the position of the nozzle 102 is determined with respect to the first frame 107 in the direction of the arrow R, the operation of releasing the restriction on the rotation of the device-side shutter 109 can be stabilized.

[0108] By the mechanism described above, the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 109 by the rotation restriction mechanism 112 is released, and the device-side shutter 109 can be rotated from the closed position to the released position. When the pair of contact surfaces 114f contact the pair of second contact surfaces 110b, the release member 114 is vigorously rotated by the moment M2. The user's hand feels the recoil. That is, the user can recognize that the device-side shutter 109 has been unlocked by the collision sound and the reaction. When the toner pack 100 is detached from the mounting portion 106, the reverse process of FIG.

[0109] (lever operation) With the toner pack 100 attached to the attachment portion 106 as described above, the operation lever 108, the pack-side shutter 103, and the device-side shutter 109 rotate integrally about the rotation axis A (rotation axis B).

[0110] Here, FIG. 28(a) is a perspective view of the toner pack 100 viewed from above when the operating lever 108 is in the closed position. FIG. 28(b) is a perspective view of the toner pack 100 viewed from above when the operating lever 108 is at the open position.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 28, when the operation portion 108b of the operation lever 108 is rotated in the rotation direction D after the toner pack 100 is completely attached to the attachment portion 106, the apparatus-side shutter 109 rotates from the closed position to the open position. Then, the pack-side shutter 103 rotates from the closed position to the open position.

[0112] When the pack-side shutter 103 rotates from the closed position to the open position, as shown in FIG. there is This is the same direction as the rotational direction D of the operating lever 108 in FIG. The nozzle 102 receives the frictional force F7 and rotates in the direction of the arrow K by the play between the surfaces 102d1 and 102d2 and the positioning portion 107a of the first frame 107. FIG. At this time, the rotation direction of the nozzle 102 is such that the second slope 104a2 of the first deregulation portion 104a approaches the release claw 114e of the release member 114, and the second slope 104b2 of the second deregulation portion 104b is the direction toward the release claw 114e. That is, when the operation lever 108 is rotated to rotate the pack-side shutter 103 from the closed position to the open position, the regulating member 113 moves upward together with the releasing member 114 (in the direction opposite to the mounting direction M). Then, the second regulating surface 113c of the regulating member 113 moves upward from the regulated rib 109c of the device-side shutter 109, increasing the margin for releasing the rotation regulation. Therefore, it is possible to more stably maintain the state in which the restriction on the rotation of the device-side shutter 109 is released.

[0113] By the operation described above, the storage portion 101 of the toner pack 100 and the toner storage chamber 36 are communicated with each other through the discharge port 102a, the reception port 109a, and the apparatus side opening 117a.

[0114] Here, FIG. 29(a) is a sectional view of the toner pack 100 and the mounting portion 106 when both the device-side shutter 109 and the pack-side shutter 103 are in the closed position. FIG. 29(b) is a cross-sectional view of the toner pack 100 and the mounting portion 106 when both the device-side shutter 109 and the pack-side shutter 103 are in the open position.

[0115] In FIG. 29(a), the outlet 102a of the nozzle 102 is closed by the pack-side shutter 103 and the pack-side seal 105, and the device-side shutter 109, and the toner in the container 101 is discharged from the second frame 117 on the device side. It is configured so that it cannot reach the opening 117a. On the other hand, in FIG. 29(b), the discharge port 102a of the nozzle 102 is opened by moving the pack-side shutter 103, the pack-side seal 105, and the apparatus-side shutter 109. In FIG. Therefore, the toner in the storage section 101 is compressed by the user, and the toner in the storage section 101 reaches the apparatus side opening 117a of the second frame 117 through the discharge port 102a together with the air. The toner storage chamber 36 of the developer container 32 is replenished through the side opening 117a.

[0116] (Modification 1) In this embodiment, the outer peripheral surface 102b3 of the projecting portion 102b of the nozzle 102 is provided with the first deregulation portion 104a and the second deregulation portion 104b. However, the following configuration may also be used.

[0117] First, as shown in FIG. 30(a), a protrusion 1020b is provided with a deregulation portion 1040a corresponding to the first deregulation portion 104a of the first embodiment. However, the configuration does not include a portion corresponding to the second deregulation portion 104b.

[0118] Second, as shown in FIG. 30(b), a deregulation portion 1040b corresponding to the second deregulation portion 104b of the first embodiment is provided on the projecting portion 1021b. However, the configuration does not include a portion corresponding to the first deregulation portion 104a.

[0119] (Modification 2) In this embodiment, the first deregulation portion 104a has a first slope 104a1 and a second slope 104a2, and the second deregulation portion 104b is rotationally symmetrical about the rotation axis A with the first deregulation portion 104a. is the shape of However, the following configuration may also be used.

[0120] First, as shown in FIG. 31(a), although the first deregulation portion 1041a has the second slope 1014a2 corresponding to the second slope 104a2 of the first embodiment, the first slope 104a1 of the first embodiment A configuration without a corresponding bevel. Furthermore, the second deregulation portion 1041b has a first slope 1041b1 corresponding to the first slope 104a1 of the first embodiment, but does not have a slope corresponding to the second slope 104a2 of the first embodiment.

[0121] Second, as shown in FIG. 31(b), the first deregulation portion 1042a has the first slope 1042a1 of Example 1, but does not have a slope corresponding to the second slope 104a2 of Example 1. Configuration. Further, the second deregulation portion 1042b has a second slope 1042b2 corresponding to the second slope 104a2 of the first embodiment, but does not have a slope corresponding to the first slope 104a1 of the first embodiment.

[0122] (Modification 3) In this embodiment, the protruding portion 102b has a configuration in which a first deregulation portion 104a and a second deregulation portion 104b are provided on an outer peripheral surface 102b3 of a cylindrical portion formed with a hole having an inner peripheral surface 102b1 in a protruding portion end surface 102b2. is. However, the following configuration may also be used.

[0123] As shown in FIG. 32, it has a projecting portion 1023b without a wall surface (wall surface corresponding to outer peripheral surface 102b3) connecting first deregulation portion 1043a and second deregulation portion 1043b. The first deregulation portion 1043a is a first projection projecting downward, having a first slope 1043a1 and a second slope 1043a2 corresponding to the first slope 104a1 and the second slope 104a2 of the first embodiment, respectively. The second deregulation portion 1043b is a second protrusion that protrudes downward and has a first slope 1043b1 and a second slope 1043b2 corresponding to the first slope 104b1 and the second slope 104b2 of the first embodiment, respectively. A gap is formed between the first deregulation portion 1043a and the second deregulation portion 1043b.

[0124] (Modification 4) As shown in FIG. 33(a), two round shaft-shaped bosses may be used as the first deregulation portion 1044a and the second deregulation portion 1044b, respectively. As shown in FIG. 33(b), when viewed in the axial direction of the first deregulation portion 1044a, the Y axis extends in the direction of the rotation axis A (the direction of arrow U) with the center of the axis of the first deregulation portion 1044a as the origin. , and the X-axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation A. Of the four quadrants separated by the X axis and the Y axis, the outer peripheral surface of the first deregulation portion 1044a in the fourth quadrant is the first slope 1044a1, and the outer peripheral surface of the first deregulation portion 1044a in the first quadrant is the second slope. can be regarded as slope 1044a2. The same applies to the second deregulation unit 1044b. Therefore, effects similar to those of this embodiment can be obtained.

[0125] (Modification 5) As shown in FIG. 34(a), a toner pack 1050 in which the nozzle 1025 is bent in an L shape may also be used. The housing portion 1015 is configured to extend in a direction intersecting with the rotation axis A of the pack-side shutter 1035. As shown in FIG.

[0126] Also, as shown in FIG. 34(b), a toner pack 1052 in which the accommodating portion 10151 of the toner pack 1051 hangs down may be used.

[0127] (Modification 6) Although the first deregulation part 104a and the second deregulation part 104b are fixed to the nozzle 102 in this embodiment, they may be movable. In this modification, as shown in FIG. 35(a), when the toner pack 1060 is not attached to the attachment portion 106 of the image forming apparatus 1, the first deregulation portion 1046a is the outer peripheral surface 1026b3 of the projecting portion 1026b. 1026b1 in the radial direction. Then, in the process of mounting the toner pack 1060 to the mounting portion 106 of the image forming apparatus 1 or by the user's operation, the first deregulation portion 1046a protrudes outward in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC of the outer peripheral surface 1026b3 of the projecting portion 1026b. is configured to

[0128] As an example of a configuration in which the first deregulation portion 1046a protrudes outward in the radial direction r in the process of attaching the toner pack 1060 to the attachment portion 106 of the image forming apparatus 1, the center boss 109d of the apparatus-side shutter 109 protrudes from the protruding portion 1026b. The first deregulation portion 1046a is pushed by the center boss 109d and protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface 1026b3 when it is inserted inside the inner peripheral surface 1026b1. A configuration similar to that of the first deregulation unit 1046a can also be applied to the second deregulation unit 1046b.

[0129] (Modification 7) When the toner pack 1070 is not attached to the image forming apparatus 1, the protruding portion 1027b does not protrude from the end surface 1037c of the pack-side shutter 1037, and the protruding portion 1027b does not protrude from the end surface 1037c in the process of attaching to the image forming apparatus 1. A configuration protruding in the direction of the arrow N may also be used. That is, as shown in FIG. 36(b), there is a projection position (projection position) where the projecting portion 1027b projects (projects) in the direction of the arrow N with respect to the end face 1037c, and FIG. As shown in a), it may be configured to take a retracted position. The protruding portion 1027b may be configured so as not to protrude from the end surface 1037c in the retracted position. A configuration in which the user manually moves the protruding portion 1027b between the protruding position and the retracted position may also be used.

[0130] (Modification 8) As shown in FIG. 37(a), when toner pack 1080 is not attached to image forming apparatus 1, first deregulation portion 1048a is a linear rib extending in the direction of rotation axis A. It has only faces extending in the direction. The first deregulation part 1048a has a rotation center 1048a3 between one end and the other end in the direction of the rotation axis A. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 37(b), a first slope 1048a1 corresponding to the first slope 104a1 of the first embodiment and a first slope 1048a1 of the first embodiment and a A configuration in which the rib is moved (rotated) about the center of rotation 1048a3 so as to have the second slope 1048a2 corresponding to the two slopes 104a2 may be employed.

[0131] (Modification 9) In this embodiment, the nozzle 102 and the projecting portion 102b are integrated, but they may be separate. That is, as shown in FIG. 38, the mounting kit may include a toner pack 1090 containing toner and an attachment 1090b, and may be a mounting kit for mounting in image forming mounting.

[0132] The toner pack 1090 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that it does not have a portion corresponding to the protruding portion 102b of the first embodiment, so the description thereof will be omitted.

[0133] The attachment 1090b has a cylindrical shape with an outer peripheral surface 1029a3 centered on the central axis Z. Attachment 1090b is provided with first deregulation portion 1049a and second deregulation portion 1049b on outer peripheral surface 1029a3 when oriented so that central axis Z is oriented in the vertical direction (direction of gravity). The first deregulation portion 1049a is configured to extend downward in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface 1029a3 (the first circumferential direction KZ of the virtual circle VCZ centered on the central axis Z) and to face upward. has an upward facing surface 1049a2. In other words, the upward surface 1049a2 is configured to extend and face upward in the second circumferential direction LZ, which is the direction opposite to the first circumferential direction KZ of the virtual circle VCZ. The attachment 1090b also has a downward surface 1049a1 that extends upward in the circumferential direction (first circumferential direction KZ) of the outer peripheral surface 1029b3 and faces downward. It also has a connecting portion 1049a23 that connects the upstream end of the upward surface 1049a2 in the second circumferential direction LZ and the downstream end of the downward surface 1049a1 in the first circumferential direction KZ.

[0134] Attachment 1090b may be configured to be attachable to the bottom surface of nozzle 1029 of toner pack 1090 (the bottom surface of toner pack 1090). Also, the attachment 1090b may be configured so that it cannot be attached to the toner pack 1090. FIG. That is, first, the attachment 1090b is attached to the attachment portion 106 of the image forming apparatus 1, and the rotation restriction of the apparatus-side shutter 109 is released. Then, after attaching the attachment 1090b, the toner pack 1090 is attached to the attachment portion 106 for use. It should be noted that the mechanism by which the restriction of rotation of the device-side shutter 109 by the rotation restriction mechanism 112 is released by attaching the attachment 1090b to the attachment portion 106 is the same as that in the case of attaching the toner pack 100 to the attachment portion 106, so it will be explained. omitted.

[0135] Finally, the handling of a minute concave-convex surface formed by finely alternately repeating surfaces parallel or perpendicular to the axis of rotation A as shown in FIG. 39 will be described. When the envelope S of the uneven surface extends in the same direction as the second slope 104a2 of the present embodiment and modification, it can be regarded as the first slope 104a1 and the second slope 104a2 of the first embodiment. The second embodiment and modifications of the second embodiment described below are treated in the same way.

[0136] <Example 2> Next, the configuration of Example 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 40 to 71. FIG. Note that the description of the points similar to those of the above-described embodiment will be omitted. Among the elements disclosed in this embodiment, those corresponding to the members described in Example 1 are given the same names as the members in Example 1, and only the points that differ from those in Example 1 explain.

[0137] (Toner pack mounting part) The configuration of the mounting portion 206 will be described with reference to FIGS. 40 to 45. FIG. In this embodiment, the mounting portion 206 is a unit for mounting the toner pack 220 .

[0138] FIG. 40(a) is an exploded perspective view of the mounting portion 206. FIG. FIG. 40(b) is an exploded perspective view of the mounting portion 206 viewed from a direction different from that of FIG. 40(a). 41(a) and 42(a) are respectively a perspective view showing the appearance of the mounting portion 206 when the operating lever 208 is in the closed position, and a perspective view showing the mounting portion 206 viewed in the mounting direction M (the direction of the rotation axis B). It is a diagram. 41(b) and 42(b) are a perspective view and a view of the mounting portion 206 as viewed in the mounting direction M, respectively, showing the appearance of the mounting portion 206 when the operating lever 208 is in the open position. 43 is a perspective view of the mounting portion 206 viewed from the downstream side in the mounting direction M. FIG. 44(a) is a perspective view of the device-side shutter 209 viewed from the upstream side in the mounting direction M. FIG. FIG. 44(b) is a perspective view of the device-side shutter 209 from a viewpoint different from that of FIG. 44(a). 44(c) is a top view of the device-side shutter 209 viewed in the mounting direction M. FIG. 45(a) is a perspective view of the cover 210 viewed from the upstream side in the mounting direction M. FIG. 45(b) is a perspective view of the cover 210 viewed from the downstream side in the mounting direction M. FIG. 45(c) is a top view of the cover 210 viewed in the mounting direction M. FIG. 45(d) is a bottom view of the cover 210 viewed in the mounting direction M. FIG. 45(e) is a side view of the cover 210 viewed from a direction orthogonal to the mounting direction M. FIG.

[0139] The mounting portion 206 shown in FIGS. 40 and 41 is provided with a base frame 221 including a first frame 207, a second frame 217, and a cover 210. As shown in FIG. Cover 210 and second frame 217 are fixed to first frame 207 . A first filter 218 having a predetermined amount of ventilation is attached to the air hole 207c of the first frame 207 . A second filter 219 having a predetermined ventilation amount is also attached to the second frame 217 . As shown in FIG. 45, the cover 210 is engaged with the engaging portion 207b (see FIG. 40(b)) of the first frame 207 so that the cover 210 does not move with respect to the first frame 207. It has a junction 210h. Note that the first frame 207, the cover 210 and the second frame 217 may be integrally formed instead of separate members. As shown in FIGS. 40 and 43, the second frame 217 is provided with a device-side opening 217a (frame body opening, receiving opening). 2nd accommodating part) (refer to FIG. 1(a)). The mounting portion 206 and the toner storage chamber 36 are combined to form a toner storage unit.

[0140] As shown in FIG. 41, the operation lever 208 and the device-side shutter 209 (second shutter) rotate about the rotation axis B (center axis) with respect to the base frame 221 in the rotation direction D (first rotation direction) and the rotation direction D (first rotation direction). It is mounted rotatably in the rotation direction E (second rotation direction). The direction of rotation E is opposite to the direction of rotation D.

[0141] As shown in FIG. 40(a), the first frame 207 is provided with a positioning portion 207a. The positioning portion 207a protrudes inward from the inner peripheral surface of the first frame body 207 centered on the rotation axis B in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis B. As shown in FIG. Further, the operation lever 208 is provided with a drive transmission portion 208a (lever convex portion) and an operation portion 208b. A slit 208c is provided in the drive transmission portion 208a. The drive transmission portion 208a of the operating lever 208 is a convex portion that protrudes inward from the inner peripheral surface 208d centered on the rotational axis B of the operating lever 208 in the radial direction r of a virtual circle VC centered on the rotational axis B. be.

[0142] As shown in FIG. 44, the device-side shutter 209 is open at the top and has a bottom surface 209b and a device-side shutter side portion provided with an inner peripheral surface 209h (radial positioning) centered on the rotation axis B. It is a cylindrical member having. The bottom surface 209b is provided with a center boss 209d (positioning shaft, shaft portion) and a restricted rib 209c (rotation restricted portion). The device-side shutter side portion of the device-side shutter 209 is provided with a receiving port 209a (second shutter opening, device-side shutter opening) and a driven transmission portion 209e (pressed portion, shutter convex portion). The center boss 209d has an upward facing pack contact surface 209g (mounting direction positioning).

[0143] The center boss 209d is a shaft whose center axis is the rotation axis B, and protrudes upward (opposite to the mounting direction M) from the bottom surface 209b. As shown in FIG. 44(c), the restricted rib 209c is provided outside the center boss 209d in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis B. As shown in FIG. The restricted rib 209c protrudes upward from the bottom surface 209b in the direction of the rotation axis B, as shown in FIGS. 44(a) and 44(b). As shown in FIG. 44(c), the driven transmission part 209e is a protrusion projecting inward in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC. Further, the driven transmission portion 209e is provided outside the restricted rib 209c in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC. As shown in FIG. 41(b), a device-side seal 211 is attached around the reception port 209a.

[0144] Here, the device-side shutter 209 moves to a closed position where the receiving port 209a is closed by the device-side seal 211 and the cover 210 with respect to the base frame 221, and an open position where the cover 210 is not closed and opened. is configured as In the closed position, as shown in FIGS. 41(a) and 42(a), the receiving port 209a of the device-side shutter 209 and the device-side opening 217a of the second frame 217 shown in FIG. 43 do not communicate with each other. This is the communicating position. The open position, as shown in FIGS. 41(b) and 42(b), is a communicating position where the receiving port 209a of the device-side shutter 209 and the device-side opening 217a of the second frame 217 communicate with each other. When the device-side shutter 209 rotates in the rotational direction D and moves from the closed position (non-communication position) to the open position (communication position), the toner storage chamber 36 of the developing device 30 is released from the toner pack 220 through the receiving port 209a. Toner can be replenished (supplied) to the printer. When the device-side shutter 209 rotates in the rotational direction E and moves from the open position to the closed position, toner cannot be replenished from the toner pack 220 to the toner storage chamber 36 of the developing device 30 through the inlet 209a.

[0145] Since the operation lever 208 and the device-side shutter 209 are not directly engaged with each other, even if the operation lever 208 is operated without the toner pack 220 attached, the device-side shutter 209 does not rotate. there is

[0146] (Rotation restriction mechanism for device-side shutter) Mounting portion 206 of image forming apparatus 1 has rotation restricting mechanism 212 including restricting member 213, releasing member 214, restricting spring 215, and releasing spring 216, as shown in FIG.

[0147] The rotation restricting mechanism 212 will be described with reference to FIGS. 46 to 50. FIG. 49 and 50, the cut surfaces of the cover 210, the restricting member 213, and the releasing member 214 are hatched for easy viewing.

[0148] When the toner pack 220 is not attached to the attachment unit 206, the device-side shutter 209 rotates from the closed position toward the open position by a predetermined amount or more due to impact (vibration) during distribution of the image forming apparatus 1 or erroneous operation by the user. It is conceivable that In this case, it may be difficult for the user to attach the toner pack 220 to the attachment portion 206 when using the image forming apparatus 1 . Details on this point will be described later. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment is provided with a rotation restricting mechanism 212 for restricting the rotation of the apparatus-side shutter 209 from the closed position toward the open position.

[0149] 46(a) is a perspective view of the restricting member 213 viewed from the upstream side in the mounting direction M. FIG. FIG. 46(b) is a perspective view of the restricting member 213 viewed from the downstream side in the mounting direction. 47(a) is a perspective view of the release member 214 as seen from the upstream side in the mounting direction M. FIG. 47(b) is a top view of the release member 214 viewed in the mounting direction M. FIG. 47(c) is a perspective view of the release member 214 as seen from the downstream side in the mounting direction M. FIG. 47(d) is an enlarged view of the release claw 214e of the release member 214. FIG. FIG. 48(a) is a perspective view of a unit in which the restricting member 213 and the releasing member 214 are assembled. 48(b) is a top view of the unit in which the restricting member 213 and the releasing member 214 are assembled, viewed in the mounting direction M. FIG. FIG. 48(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X214-X214 of FIG. 48(b). 48(d) is a bottom view of the unit in which the regulating member 213 and the releasing member 214 are assembled, viewed in the mounting direction M. FIG. 49 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X201-X201 in FIG. 42(a), which is a cross section parallel to the rotation axis B when the device-side shutter 209 is restricted from rotating from the closed position to the open position by the rotation restricting mechanism 212. It is a diagram. FIG. 50(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X202-X202 in FIG. FIG. 50(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X203-X203 in FIG. FIG. 50(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X204-X204 in FIG.

[0150] Inside the device-side shutter 209, as shown in FIG. 49, a restricting member 213, a releasing member 214, a restricting spring 215, and a releasing spring 216 are provided.

[0151] 46(a) and 46(b), the restricting member 213 is an annular member provided with a central hole 213i centered on the rotation axis B. As shown in FIGS. The regulating member 213 has a function of regulating the rotation of the device-side shutter 209, which will be described later. The restricting member includes a lower surface 213a, a first contact surface 213b, a second contact surface 213h, a second restricting surface 213c (rotation restricting portion), a contacted surface 213e, and a pair of locked surfaces 213f. , a release spring engaging portion 213g, and a restricting spring engaging portion 213k. The first contact surface 213b and the second contact surface 213h are end surfaces on the downstream side in the rotation direction D of the device-side shutter 209. As shown in FIG. The second restricting surface 213c is an end surface of the device-side shutter 209 on the downstream side in the rotational direction E. As shown in FIG.

[0152] The locked surface 213f is an end surface (upper surface) on the upstream side in the mounting direction M. As shown in FIG. The lower surface 213a is an end surface (bottom surface) on the downstream side in the mounting direction M. As shown in FIG. The release spring engaging portion 213g is a convex portion that protrudes in the rotation direction E. As shown in FIG. The restricting spring engaging portion 213k is a concave portion retracted in the mounting direction M. As shown in FIG.

[0153] As shown in FIGS. 47(a) and 47(b), the releasing member 214 (guided member, engaged member) is a pair of releasing claws having 180° rotational symmetry around the rotation axis B. It has 214e (a first engaging claw and a second engaging claw, and a pair of engaged portions). The release claw 214e extends in a direction opposite to the mounting direction M (upward).

[0154] As shown in FIG. 47(d), the release claw 214e has a first guided portion 214eA (first contacted portion, first engaged portion) and a second guided portion 214eB (second contacted portion). , second engaged portion). As shown in FIGS. 47(a) and 47(b), the second guided portion 214eB is positioned farther from the rotation axis B than the first guided portion 214eA in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC. , in the direction of the axis of rotation B, below.

[0155] As shown in FIG. 47(d), the first guided portion 214eA has a first guided surface 214e1 and a contact surface 214f. The second guided portion 214eB has a contact surface 214a, a second guided surface 214e2 (first engaged surface), and a third guided surface 214e3 (second engaged surface).

[0156] As shown in FIG. 47(b), the contact surface 214f ​​and the contact surface 214a are end surfaces on the downstream side in the rotation direction E about the rotation axis B of the release claw 214e, and extend in the circumferential direction of the virtual circle VC. at the same position in The contact surface 214a is arranged outside the contact surface 214f ​​in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis B. As shown in FIG.

[0157] The first guided surface 214e1 is arranged on the upstream side in the mounting direction M with respect to the contact surface 214f. In other words, the first guided surface 214e1 is arranged above any of the contact surface 214f, the second guided surface 214e2, and the third guided surface 214e3.

[0158] The second guided surface 214e2 is a surface facing upward. The second guided surface 214e2 is arranged on the upstream side in the mounting direction M with respect to the contact surface 214a. In other words, the second guided surface 214e2 is arranged above the contact surface 214a.

[0159] The third guided surface 214e3 is a surface facing downward. The third guided surface 214e3 is arranged downstream in the mounting direction M with respect to the contact surface 214a. In other words, the third guided surface 214e3 is arranged below the contact surface 214a. That is, the second guided surface 214e2 is above the third guided surface 214e3. The contact surface 214a is located between the second guided surface 214e2 and the third guided surface 214e3 in the mounting direction (the direction of the rotation axis B, the direction of gravity).

[0160] The release member 214 further has a pair of restricted elevation surfaces 214c (upgrade restricted portions), a pair of locking surfaces 214d, a release spring engaging portion 214g, and an abutment surface 214b.

[0161] The pair of rising regulated surfaces 214c and the pair of locking surfaces 214d are arranged so as to be 180 degrees symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis B. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 47(a) to 47(c), the rise restricted surface 214c protrudes outward in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC from the outer peripheral surface of the releasing member 214 centered on the rotation axis B. . The locking surface 214d is a surface that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the release member 214 in a direction opposite to the mounting direction M and faces the mounting direction M (a surface that faces downward). The release spring engaging portion 214g is a convex portion that protrudes in the rotation direction D. As shown in FIG. The contact surface 214b is a surface facing upward.

[0162] When the restricting member 213 and the releasing member 214 are assembled, as shown in FIGS. 48(a) and 48(c), the locked surface 213f of the restricting member 213 and the locking surface 214d of the releasing member 214 and faces the locking surface 214d. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to move the regulating member 213 upward, unless the releasing member 214 moves upward, the locked surface 213f of the regulating member 213 is locked by the locking surface 214d of the releasing member 214 and cannot be moved. is configured as The abutting surface 214b of the release member 214 faces the abutted surface 213e of the restricting member 213, as shown in FIG. 48(c). Therefore, when the release member 214 is moved upward, the abutting surface 214b contacts the abutted surface 213e of the restricting member 213, and the releasing member 214 and the restricting member 213 can move upward together. 48(b) and 48(d), a release spring 216 is provided between the release spring engaging portion 213g of the regulating member 213 and the release spring engaging portion 214g of the releasing member 214. is provided. A pair of releasing claws 214e protrude above the upper surface of the regulating member 213 through a central hole 213i centered on the rotation axis B of the regulating member 213. As shown in FIG.

[0163] The cover 210, as shown in FIG. 45, has a base cover portion 210Aa and a wall portion 210Bb extending upward from the base cover portion 210Aa.

[0164] The base cover portion 210Aa includes an upper surface 210i provided with a central hole 210p (cover opening) centered on the rotation axis B and a pair of eaves 210n, a first contacted surface 210a, and a second contacted surface 210b. , a pair of third abutted surfaces 210k, a first restricting surface 210c, a pair of rise restricting surfaces 210e, and a restricting spring engaging portion 210m. The wall portion 210Bb is provided with a side surface 210f, a side surface 210g, and the aforementioned engaged portion 210h.

[0165] The first abutted surface 210a and the second abutted surface 210b are end surfaces on the downstream side in the rotation direction E, as shown in FIGS. 45(b) and 45(d). The third abutted surface 210k is an end surface on the downstream side in the rotational direction D. As shown in FIG. A canopy portion 210n is provided on the upstream side in the mounting direction M of the third contact surface 210k. As shown in FIG. 45(c), the third abutted surface 210k is configured so as not to be exposed when viewed from above in the direction of the rotation axis B by being covered by the eaves portion 210n. The pair of elevation restricting surfaces 210e are surfaces facing downstream (downward) in the mounting direction M, and as shown in FIG. Including extended faces. The restricting spring engaging portion 210m is a cylindrical convex portion that protrudes in the mounting direction M. As shown in FIG.

[0166] Here, as shown in FIG. 49, the restricting member 213 and the releasing member 214 are rotatably supported by the large-diameter portion 209d1 of the center boss 209d of the device-side shutter 209. As shown in FIG. A portion of the rotation restricting mechanism 212 is covered with the upper surface 210i of the cover 210. As shown in FIG. The center boss 209d is provided coaxially with the rotation axis B of the device-side shutter 209. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 49, a regulation spring 215 (second elastic member, second biasing member) is attached between cover 210 and regulation member 213 . One end and the other end of the regulating spring 215 are engaged with the regulating spring engaging portion 210m of the cover 210 and the regulating spring engaging portion 213k of the regulating member 213, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 45(b) and 43(d), the restricting spring engaging portion 210m is an annular rib centered on the rotation axis B, and enters the restricting spring 215 on the inner diameter side.

[0167] The regulating member 213 is urged in the direction of the arrow C in the direction of the rotation axis B by the urging force F201 of the regulating spring 215, and the lower surface 213a (see FIG. 46(b)) is in contact with the bottom surface 209b of the device-side shutter 209. . Note that the direction of arrow C is the mounting direction M (the direction of gravity) of toner pack 220 . Further, as shown in FIGS. 50, 48(b), and 48(d), in the rotation direction of the device-side shutter 209, a release spring 216 (first elastic member , first biasing member) is attached. One end and the other end of the release spring 216 are engaged with the release spring engaging portion 213g of the restricting member 213 and the releasing spring engaging portion 214g of the releasing member 214, respectively. As shown in FIG. 50(b), the regulating member 213 receives a moment M201 in the rotational direction D by the biasing force F202 of the release spring 216, and the first contact surface 213b of the regulating member 213 contacts the cover 210. The second contact surface 213h of the regulating member 213 contacts the second contacted surface 210b of the cover 210. As shown in FIG. As a result, rotation of the restricting member 213 in the rotational direction D is restricted.

[0168] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 50(c), the release member 114 receives a moment M202 in the rotational direction E by the biasing force F203 of the release spring 116, and at least one of the pair of contact surfaces 214a is moved to the corresponding pair of the cover 210. abuts on the third abutted surface 210k. As a result, the rotation of the releasing member 114 in the rotational direction E is restricted, and the position in the rotational direction E with respect to the cover 210 is determined.

[0169] Here, cover 210 is fixed to first frame 207 . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 50(a), the restricted rib 209c of the device-side shutter 209 is between the first restricting surface 210c of the cover 210 and the second restricting surface 213c of the restricting member 213. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the rotation of the device-side shutter 209 in the rotational direction D (the direction from the closed position to the open position) is restricted by the second restriction surface 213c of the restriction member 213. FIG. Rotation of the device-side shutter 209 in the rotational direction E (the direction from the open position to the closed position) is restricted by the first restriction surface 210c of the cover 210. As shown in FIG.

[0170] (Rotation restriction release method) 51 to 54, a method for releasing rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 209 by the rotation restriction mechanism 212 will be described. Note that cut surfaces of the cover 210, the restricting member 213, and the releasing member 214 are shaded for easy viewing.

[0171] FIG. 51(a) is a cross-sectional view parallel to the rotation axis B of the mounting portion 206 in a state in which the rotation restriction of the apparatus-side shutter 209 by the rotation restriction mechanism 212 is released, on the same cross-section as FIG. FIG. 51(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X205-X205 of FIG. 51(a). For the sake of convenience, FIG. 51 shows the state of the mounting portion 206 in which the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 209 is released while the toner pack 220 is not mounted.

[0172] After the first step of rotating the release member 214 in the direction of rotation D from the state of FIGS. 49 and 50, the second step of moving the release member 214 in the direction of arrow G (upward) shown in FIG. 49 is performed. In this embodiment, the first step and the second step are performed by mounting the toner pack 220 on the mounting portion 106 . This will be described after the configuration of the toner pack 220 is described. Here, only the configuration of the mounting section 206 will be described. In the second step, the contacting surface 214b of the releasing member 214 contacts the contacting surface 213e of the restricting member 213, and the releasing member 214 and the restricting member 213 are united to resist the biasing force F201 of the restricting spring 215. to move in the direction of arrow G. Through this second step, the rotation restriction release state shown in FIG. 51 is reached. The direction of arrow G is the direction opposite to the mounting direction M of toner pack 220 .

[0173] In the state where the rotation restriction is released, as shown in FIG. 51(b), the movement trajectory (rotational trajectory) of the regulated rib 209c between the closed position and the open position of the device-side shutter 209 is followed by the second regulating member 213. The surface 213c is retracted upward. The position of this regulating member 213 is defined as a regulating release position (release position). Then, the restricted rib 209c (apparatus-side shutter 209) can move between the first restricting surface 210c and the third restricting surface 210d of the cover 210. As shown in FIG. The space between the first restricting surface 210c and the third restricting surface 210d is such that the device-side shutter 209 can rotate between the closed position and the open position. Therefore, between the closed position and the open position, the restriction on the rotation of the device-side shutter 209 is released. That is, the device-side shutter 209 can rotate about the rotation axis B in the rotation direction D from the closed position to the open position. On the other hand, the rotation in the rotational direction E from the closed position of the device-side shutter 209 is restricted by the first restriction surface 210c of the cover 210. As shown in FIG. The amount of movement of the releasing member 214 in the direction of arrow G (upward) is such that the second restricting surface 213c of the restricting member 213, which moves integrally with the releasing member 214, moves in the direction of the rotational axis B to the restricted rib 209c of the device-side shutter 209. It suffices if the amount of movement is greater than or equal to the amount of movement leading to a position where the overlap does not occur.

[0174] Here, it will be described that the rotation restriction mechanism 212 is configured so that the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 209 is not released when the second step is performed without going through the first step.

[0175] 52(a) is a side view of FIG. 50(a) viewed in the direction of arrow G. FIG. FIG. 52(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X206-X206 of FIG. 52(a). FIG. 53(c) shows a state in which the regulating member is moved in the arrow G direction from the states of FIGS. 52(a) and 52(b). Only the cover 210, the restricting member 213, the releasing member 214, the restricting spring 215, and the releasing spring 216 are shown for easy viewing, and the restricting member 213 is not a cross section.

[0176] As shown in FIGS. 52(a), 52(b), 45(b), and 45(d), the cover 210 is provided with a lift restricting surface 210e (lift restricting portion), and the release member 214 has a A lift restricted surface 214c (lift restricted portion) is provided. When the regulating member 213 is moved in the direction of the arrow G without being rotated in the rotational direction D from this state, the locked surface 213f of the regulating member 213 comes into contact with the locking surface 214d of the release member 214. As shown in FIG. Since the same structure is provided on the opposite side centering around the rotation axis B, the restricting member 213 and the releasing member 214 are moved together in the direction of the arrow G (upward). As a result, as shown in FIG. 52(c), the lift restricted surface 214c of the release member 214 comes into contact with the lift restricting surface 210e of the cover 210, and the movement of the release member 214 in the arrow G direction is restricted. , and the restricting member 213, which moves integrally with the releasing member 214, is also restricted from moving in the arrow G direction. Since the amount of movement of the regulating member 213 in the direction of arrow G is insufficient, the regulated rib 209c of the apparatus-side shutter 209 is rotated by the first regulating surface 210c and the second regulating surface 213c as shown in FIG. 50(a). remain regulated. The position (area) of the release member 214 in the rotation direction about the rotation axis B at this time is defined as the lift restriction position (lift restriction area). That is, the lift restricting position is the position of the releasing member 214 when the lift restricted surface 214c of the releasing member 214 overlaps the lift restricting surface 210e of the cover 110 when viewed in the rotation axis B direction. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 52(c), the elevation restricting surface 210e and the elevation restricted surface 214c are inclined so that the force F204 that the elevation restricting surface 214c receives from the elevation restricting surface 210e has a component in the arrow H direction. ing. The rise restricting surface 210e and the rise restricted surface 214c are inclined downward in the rotational direction D. As shown in FIG. The component of the force F204 in the direction of the arrow H gives the release member 214 a moment M203 in the direction of rotation E. As a result, even if the restriction member 213 attempts to move in the direction of arrow G (upward) due to vertical vibration of the image forming apparatus 1 during distribution, the release member 214 is less likely to rotate in the direction of rotation D, so that the direction of arrow G is restricted by the cover 210. is configured so that it does not come off.

[0177] Next, the process of releasing the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 209 through the first step and the second step will be described with reference to FIGS. 52 and 53. FIG. The first step is to rotate the release member 214 in the rotational direction D against the moment M202 of the release spring 216 until the lift restricted surface 214c of the release member 214 does not come into contact with the lift restricting surface 210e of the cover 210. be.

[0178] FIG. 53(a) shows the state after the first step from the state of FIG. 52(a). FIG. 53(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X207-X207 of FIG. 53(a). FIG. 53(c) shows the state after the second step from the state of FIG. 53(b). FIG. 54(a) shows a state in which the release member 214 is further rotated in the rotation direction D from FIG. 53(a). FIG. 54(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X208-X208 of FIG. 54(a). 53 and 54 show only the cover 210, the regulating member 213, the releasing member 214, the regulating spring 215, and the releasing spring 216, and the regulating member 213 is not shown in cross section, as in FIG.

[0179] As shown in FIG. 53(a), when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis B, the lift restricted surface 214c of the release member 214 and the lift restricting surface 210e of the cover 210 do not overlap. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 53(b), the regulating member 213 can move in the arrow G direction integrally with the releasing member 214. As shown in FIG. The position (area) of the release member 214 in the rotation direction about the rotation axis B at this time is defined as the lift restriction release position (lift restriction release area). In other words, the lift restriction release position is the position (region) of the release member 214 when the lift restricted surface 214c of the release member 214 does not overlap the lift restricting surface 210e of the cover 210 when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis B. be. The amount of rotation of the release member 214 in the rotation direction D in the first step reaches a position where the lift restricted surface 214c of the release member 214 does not overlap the lift restricting surface 210e of the cover 210 when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis B. If it is more than the amount of rotation to.

[0180] A method for releasing the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 209 is a first step and a second step after the first step. The first step is to rotate the release member 214 in the rotation direction D from the lift restriction position to the lift restriction release position. The second step is to move the release member upward together with the restriction member 213 so that the restriction member 213 moves from the restriction position to the restriction release position while the release member 214 is in the lift restriction release position. Note that the second step of this embodiment may include an operation of rotating the release member 214 in the rotation direction D or the rotation direction E. FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 54, in the first step, the releasing member 214 is rotated more in the rotational direction D than in FIG. You can rotate it.

[0181] (toner pack) The overall configuration of toner pack 220 will be described with reference to FIGS. 55 and 56. FIG. FIG. 55(b) is a front view of the toner pack 220 when the pack-side shutter 203 is in the closed position. FIG. 55(d) is a front view of the toner pack 220 when the pack-side shutter 203 is at the open position. FIGS. 55(a) and 55(c) are left and right side views of the toner pack 220 of FIG. 55(b), respectively. 56 is an exploded perspective view of the toner pack 220. FIG. The direction of arrow N and the direction of arrow U are directions parallel to the rotation axis A. As shown in FIG. When the toner pack 220 is in the mounting posture, the direction of arrow N is the vertically downward direction (the direction of gravity), and the direction of arrow U is the vertically upward direction.

[0182] The toner pack 220 includes a storage portion 201 (first storage portion) that stores toner, a nozzle 202 (discharge portion, nozzle portion, pipe, tube, valve), a pack-side shutter 203 (container shutter, rotating member), have As shown in FIG. 55, the accommodating portion 201 is provided on the first end side in the first direction D1, and the nozzle 102 and the pack are provided on the second end side opposite to the first end in the first direction D1. A side shutter 203 is provided. In other words, the accommodating portion 201 and the nozzle 202 are arranged side by side in the first direction D1. The container 201 in this embodiment is a pouch formed by pouching a flexible polypropylene sheet. The container 201 is not limited to a pouch, and may be a container made of resin, paper, vinyl, or the like.

[0183] As shown in FIG. 56, a side surface 202c (first outer surface) of the nozzle 202 extending in the first direction D1 is provided with a discharge port 202a (opening, nozzle opening, first one opening) is provided. The toner stored in storage portion 201 is configured to be discharged to the outside of toner pack 220 through outlet 202 a of nozzle 202 . Note that the nozzle 202 may be configured integrally with the housing portion 201 . Alternatively, a seal (not shown) may be provided between the housing portion 201 and the discharge port 202a of the nozzle 202, and the housing portion 201 and the discharge port 202a may communicate with each other when the seal is removed. Also, the discharge port 202a does not have to be the last discharge port for discharging the toner from the toner pack 220 to the outside of the toner pack 220. FIG.

[0184] A pack-side shutter 203 is provided outside the side surface 202c of the nozzle 202. As shown in FIG. The pack-side shutter 203 is rotatably mounted around a rotation axis A (first rotation axis, central axis) extending in a direction along the first direction D1, and as shown in FIG. An opening 203a (rotating member opening, first shutter opening) is provided in the extending side surface 203d (outer surface of the first rotating member, side surface of the rotating member). The pack-side shutter 203 is provided outside the side surface 202c of the nozzle 202 in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the axis A of rotation. A side surface 202c of the nozzle 202 is a curved surface convex outward in the radial direction r of a virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A. That is, the outlet 202a faces outward in the radial direction r (the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A). The inner surface of the pack-side shutter 203 (the surface facing the side surface 202c) is a curved surface along the side surface 202c of the nozzle 202, and a substantially rectangular pack-side seal 205 is attached.

[0185] As shown in FIGS. 55(b) and 55(d), the pack-side shutter 203 has a closed position where the pack-side seal 205 closes the discharge port 202a of the nozzle 202, an open position where the discharge port 202a is opened, , is configured to be rotatable about the rotation axis A in the rotation direction K (first rotation direction) and in the opposite rotation direction L (second rotation direction). When the pack-side shutter 203 is at the open position, the outlet 202a of the nozzle 202 is exposed through the opening 203a.

[0186] When the pack-side shutter 203 in the closed position shown in FIG. 55(b) is rotated in the direction of arrow K about the rotation axis A, the pack-side shutter 203 reaches the open position shown in FIG. 55(d). Conversely, when the pack-side shutter 203 is rotated in the direction of arrow L from the open position, it reaches the closed position. When the pack-side shutter 203 rotates, the pack-side shutter 203 slides against the side surface 202c of the nozzle 202 via the pack-side seal 205. As shown in FIG.

[0187] Detailed configurations of the nozzle 202 and the pack-side shutter 203 will be described with reference to FIGS. 57 to 61. FIG. The arrow N direction is the direction from the accommodating portion 201 to the nozzle 202, and the U direction is the opposite direction. The direction of arrow N and the direction of arrow U are directions parallel to the rotation axis A. As shown in FIG. When the toner pack 220 is in the mounting posture, the direction of arrow N is the vertically downward direction (the direction of gravity), and the direction of arrow U is the vertically upward direction.

[0188] FIG. 57(a) is an enlarged view near the nozzle 202 when the pack-side shutter 203 is in the closed position. FIG. 57(b) is a view of the toner pack 220 viewed in the direction of arrow U in FIG. 57(a). FIG. 58(a) is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the nozzle 202 when the pack-side shutter 203 is at the open position. FIG. 58(b) is a side view of the toner pack 220 viewed in the direction of arrow U in FIG. 58(a). FIG. 58(c) is an enlarged view of the nozzle 202 of FIG. 58(a) viewed from the front. FIG. 59(a) is a perspective view of the vicinity of the nozzle 202 viewed from the side opposite to FIG. 57(a). FIG. 59(b) is an enlarged perspective view of the protrusion 202b of FIG. 59(a). FIG. 59(c) is an enlarged view of the projecting portion 202b viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A. FIG. FIG. 60(a) is an enlarged perspective view of the protrusion 202b. FIG. 60(b) is a partially enlarged view of the protrusion 202b in FIG. 57(b). 61(a) and 61(b) are front and rear views of the nozzle 202, respectively. 61(a) and 61(b) are views of the nozzle 202 and its vicinity in a direction parallel to the surfaces 202d1 and 202d2 of the nozzle 202 (a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A).

[0189] As shown in FIGS. 61(a) and 57(b), the nozzles 102 are arranged in the direction of the arrow R (second direction D2) with a space between each other, and have surfaces 202d1 (second direction D2) extending in a direction intersecting the direction of the arrow R. 1 nozzle surface, first opposing surface) and a positioned portion 202d having a surface 202d2 (second nozzle surface, second opposing surface). The arrow R direction is a direction perpendicular to the first direction D1. As shown in FIG. 57(b), the surfaces 202d1 and 202d2 in this embodiment extend in a direction perpendicular to the arrow R direction and are parallel to each other. That is, the arrow R direction is the normal direction of the surfaces 202d1 and 202d2. The positioned portion 202d is engaged with the positioning portion 207a (FIG. 40(a)) of the first frame 207 when the toner pack 220 is attached to the attachment portion 206. As shown in FIG. As a result, the position of the nozzle 202 in the direction of arrow R relative to the first frame 207 (base frame 221) (the position in the direction of rotation about the axis of rotation A) is determined. In FIG. 57(b), a straight line CL1 (first imaginary straight line) passing through the center of the surface 202d1 and the surface 202d2 in the direction of the arrow R and extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the arrow R runs through the center of the rotation axis A and the discharge port 202a. It is in a phase rotated by about 90° with respect to CL2 (second imaginary straight line) passing through. That is, CL2, which is CL1 rotated 90 degrees around the rotation axis A, passes through the outlet 202a of the nozzle 202. FIG.

[0190] Further, as shown in FIGS. 57 and 61, surfaces 202e1 and 202e2 are provided downstream of the surfaces 202d1 and 202d2 in the N direction in the direction of the rotation axis A, respectively. The surfaces 202e1 and 202e2 extend in the radial direction r of a virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A, as shown in FIG. 57(b).

[0191] In FIG. 61, a side surface 202e3 (second outer surface) is provided between the surfaces 202d1 and 202d2 and between the surfaces 202e1 and 202e2 in the arrow R direction. The side surface 202e3 is recessed more inwardly than the side surface 202c in the radial direction r. The surface 202d1, the surface 202d2, the side surface 202e3, and the surface 202e1, the surface 202e2, and the side surface 202e3 form a recess 202e (nozzle recess).

[0192] Note that the surfaces 202d1 and 202d2 do not necessarily need to be parallel as in this embodiment. The surface 202d1 and the surface 202d2 may be surfaces extending in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A.

[0193] 61(a) is a view of the vicinity of the nozzle of the toner pack 220 in which the pack-side shutter 203 is in the closed position in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the rotation axis A. FIG. As shown in FIG. 61(a), a side surface 203d of the pack-side shutter 203 is provided with an opening 203a, and at least a portion of the concave portion 202e (surface 202e1, surface 202e2, side surface 202e3) of the nozzle 202 extends from the opening 203a to the outside. configured to be exposed to At least the surface 202d1 and the surface 202d2 are configured to be exposed from the opening 203a of the pack-side shutter 203 in the closed position. This is because the surface 202d1 and the surface 202d2 are engaged with the positioning portion 207a of the first frame 207 when the toner pack 220 is mounted on the mounting portion 206 with the pack-side shutter 203 closed.

[0194] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 57(b), when the pack-side shutter 203 is in the closed position and the vicinity of the nozzle 202 is viewed in the direction of the rotation axis A (first direction D), the concave portion of the nozzle 202 On the outer surface of the pack-side shutter 203 opposite to 202e (opening 203a of the pack-side shutter 203) with respect to the rotational axis A, there is provided a driven transmission portion 203b (rotating member concave portion). As shown in FIG. 61(b), the surface 203b1 and the surface 203b2 of the drive transmitting portion 203b both extend in the direction perpendicular to the arrow R direction (the direction of the rotation axis A). FIG. 59(a) is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the pack-side shutter 203 as seen from the side where the driven transmission part 203b is located. Between the surfaces 203b1 and 203b2 is provided a side surface 203b3 (second rotating member outer surface, rotating member side surface) recessed inward in the radial direction r from the side surface 203d. A driven transmission portion 203b is configured by the surface 203b1, the surface 203b2, and the side surface 203b3. A rib 203e is provided on the side surface 203b3.

[0195] When the pack-side shutter 203 is rotated in the rotational direction K from the closed position shown in FIG. 57, the pack-side shutter 203 assumes the open position as shown in FIG. Exit 202a is exposed.

[0196] In addition, as shown in FIGS. 57(a) and 59(a), the pack-side shutter 203 has a radial positioning portion 203f that protrudes outward in the radial direction r from the side surface 203d. The radial positioning portion 203f is provided on the upstream side of the pack-side shutter 203 in the N direction in the direction of the rotation axis A. As shown in FIG. The radial positioning portions 203f are provided at three locations spaced apart in the rotation direction of the pack-side shutter 203. As shown in FIG.

[0197] It should be noted that the nozzle 202 in this embodiment is a member provided with a passage through which toner passes and a discharge port 202a for discharging the toner from the nozzle 202 . The cross-sectional area of ​​the passage through which the toner of the nozzle 202 passes may decrease toward the discharge port 202a, may increase, or may be uniform. The cross-sectional area and length of the passage of the nozzle 202 are not limited, as they may be appropriately changed according to the required toner discharge. Further, the discharge port 202a of the nozzle 202 need not be the most downstream opening through which the toner is discharged from the toner pack 220. FIG. The toner discharged from the discharge port 202a of the nozzle 202 may be discharged to the outside of the toner pack 220 after passing through a passage of a member different from the nozzle 202. FIG.

[0198] Note that the pack-side shutter 203 may be a rotating member that has a driven transmission part 203b and does not have a shutter function that always opens the discharge port 202a of the nozzle 202 regardless of the rotational position. At that time, the discharge port 202a of the nozzle 202 is closed with a seal (not shown) when the toner pack 220 is not attached to the mounting portion 206, and is sealed by the mounting operation to the mounting portion 206 or after being mounted. may be removed. Also, the toner pack 220 without the pack-side shutter 203 may be used.

[0199] (Toner pack deregulation section) The restriction releasing unit 204 will be described with reference to FIGS. 55 to 61. FIG. Here, as shown in FIG. 55, toner pack 220 is oriented in a predetermined direction so that the second end side (nozzle 202 side) of toner pack 220 is below the first end side (toner containing portion side). orient the In other words, at least part of the nozzle 202 is located below the housing portion 201, and the toner pack 220 is oriented in a posture (predetermined orientation) in which the rotation axis A is vertical (gravitational direction). The attitude of the toner pack 220 at this time is the attitude of mounting the toner pack 220 on the mounting portion 206 of the image forming apparatus 1 . At this time, in FIGS. 55 to 61, the N direction is the vertically downward direction (the direction of gravity), and the U direction is the vertically upward direction.

[0200] The nozzle 202 has a protruding portion 202b (protruding portion, engaging portion) that protrudes (protrudes) in the arrow N direction (downward) from the end face 203c of the pack-side shutter 203 in the arrow N direction. The projecting portion 202b is a cylindrical portion centered on the rotation axis A, as shown in FIGS. 57(a) and 57(b). As shown in FIG. 55, in the N direction, which is the mounting direction of toner pack 220 to mounting portion 206, accommodating portion 201, nozzle 202 (pack-side shutter 203), and projecting portion 202b are arranged in this order.

[0201] When viewed in the direction of the rotation axis A, the projecting portion 202b is closer to the rotation axis A than the driven transmission portion 203b of the pack-side shutter 203 in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC, as shown in FIG. 57(b). in position.

[0202] The projecting portion 202b has a projecting portion end surface 202b2 (mounting direction positioning surface) that is an end surface in the N direction. The protruding portion 202b is provided with a hole having an inner peripheral surface 202b1 (guide inner peripheral surface, positioning inner peripheral surface) facing inward in the radial direction r with the rotation axis A as the central axis.

[0203] The inner peripheral surface 202b1 of this embodiment is a cylindrical surface centered on the rotation axis A as shown in FIG. 60(b). However, it is not limited to this. FIG. 71(a) is an enlarged perspective view of a projecting portion 202b having an inner peripheral surface configuration different from that of this embodiment, and FIG. 71(b) shows the projecting portion 202b of FIG. It is a view. The inner peripheral surface 202b10 is composed of a plurality of planes inscribed in the virtual circle so that the position of the center (central axis line) of the virtual circle VC2 is determined with respect to the projecting portion 202b. The center axis of the virtual circle VC2 coincides with the rotation axis A. It should be noted that the inner peripheral surface of the projecting portion 202b does not necessarily have to be a surface on which the central axis can be defined. Any inner peripheral surface may be used as long as the toner pack 220 can be attached to the attachment portion 206 while avoiding the center boss 209d.

[0204] As shown in FIGS. 57(a), 58(a) and 58(c), the protruding portion 202b protrudes below the end surface 203c of the pack-side shutter 203 below the discharge port 202a. In this embodiment, the protruding portion 202b is provided on the nozzle 202 so as to protrude from the end surface 202j (bottom surface) of the nozzle 202 in the direction of the rotation axis A, as shown in FIG. 62(b). 56, the protruding portion 202b protrudes downward from the lower end face 202j of the nozzle 202. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the end face 203c of the pack-side shutter 203 and the end face 202j of the nozzle 202 are perpendicular to the rotation axis A, but the present invention is not limited to this. These surfaces may be surfaces extending in a direction intersecting the rotation axis A when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A.

[0205] As shown in FIG. 58(c), when the opening width of the discharge port 202a of the nozzle 202 in the direction of the rotation axis A is L1, and the width from the lower end of the discharge port 202a to the end face 203c of the pack-side shutter 203 is L2. Furthermore, it is preferable to satisfy 0.09<L2 / L1<2.2.

[0206] 56, the protruding portion 202b protrudes downward from the lower end face 202j of the nozzle 202. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the end face 203c of the pack-side shutter 203 and the end face 202j of the nozzle 202 are perpendicular to the rotation axis A, but the present invention is not limited to this. These surfaces may be surfaces extending in a direction intersecting the rotation axis A when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A.

[0207] Further, as shown in FIG. 58(b), when the pack-side shutter 203 is at the open position when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis A, the opening 203a of the pack-side shutter 203 is positioned between the outlet 202a and the circle of the virtual circle VC. It can be seen that they overlap in the circumferential direction.

[0208] The projecting portion 202b is provided with a deregulation portion 204 including a first deregulation portion 204a (first projection) and a second deregulation portion 204b (second projection). 59(b), 59(c), 60(a), 60(b), 62(a), and 62(b), the detailed configuration of the restriction releasing unit 204 will be described. do.

[0209] The first deregulation portion 204a includes a first slope 204a1 (first inner engaging surface, first downward surface, first downward guide surface, first force applying surface, first pressing surface), second slope 204a2 (first outer engaging surface, second downward surface, second downward guide surface, second force applying surface, second pressing surface) and third slope 204a3 (second engaging surface, first upward surface, upward guide surface) .

[0210] When the toner pack 220 is oriented in the above-described predetermined direction (FIG. 50), the first slope 204a1 and the second slope 204a2 are oriented in the direction of the arrow N (downward) and in the direction of rotation K about the rotation axis A. It is a surface that extends in the direction of arrow U (upward) as it goes (first rotation direction). In addition, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A, the first slope 204a1 and the second slope 204a2 are, as shown in FIG. 59(c), the arrow U direction ( upward). Further, when the rotation direction K is the first circumferential direction among the circumferential directions of the virtual circle VC, the first slope 204a1 and the second slope 204a2 are oriented in the direction of the arrow N (downward). It is a surface that extends in the direction of arrow U (upward) as it goes in the circumferential direction.

[0211] The third slope 204a3 is a surface that faces the direction of arrow U (upward) and extends in the direction of arrow U (upward) as it goes in the direction of rotation L (second direction of rotation) about the rotation axis A. In addition, as shown in FIG. 59(c), the third slope 204a3, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A, is inclined toward a second horizontal direction hz2 opposite to the first horizontal direction hz1 among horizontal directions. It is a surface extending in the direction of arrow U (upward). Further, when the rotation direction L is the second circumferential direction opposite to the first circumferential direction among the circumferential directions of the virtual circle VC, the third slope 204a3 is in the direction of the arrow U (upward). , and extends in the direction of arrow U (upward) toward the second circumferential direction.

[0212] The downstream end in the rotation direction K of the second slope 204a2 and the downstream end in the rotation direction L of the third slope 204a3 are connected by a connecting portion 204a23. Further, as shown in FIG. 59(c), when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A, the downstream end of the second slope 204a2 in the first horizontal direction hz1 and the downstream end of the third slope 204a3 in the second horizontal direction hz2 and are connected by a connecting portion 204a23.

[0213] The third slope 204a3 is above the second slope 204a2. When viewed in the direction of the rotation axis A, the third slope 204a3 overlaps the second slope 204a2. In this embodiment, although the entire third slope 204a3 is above the second slope 204a2, at least part of the third slope 204a3 may be above the second slope 204a2.

[0214] As shown in FIG. 60(b), at least a portion of the first slope 204a1 is closer to the rotation axis A than the second slope 204a2 in the radial direction r, and is closer to the second slope 204a1 in the circumferential direction of the virtual circle VC. It is provided at a position different from that of the slope 204a2.

[0215] In FIG. 60(b), the radius R204a1 from the rotation axis A to the inner end (edge ​​line) of the first slope 204a1 is greater than the radius R204a2 from the rotation axis A to the inner end (edge ​​line) of the second slope 204a2. is also short. That is, at least part of the first slope 204a1 is located closer to the rotation axis A than the second slope 204a2 in the radial direction r.

[0216] Further, in FIG. 60(b), the two regions of the first slope 204a1 divided by the rotation axis A and the imaginary straight line VL204a1 passing through the most downstream end in the rotation direction L of the second slope 204a2 are divided into the upstream region 204a12 in the rotation direction K and the two regions of the first slope 204a1. and downstream area 204a11. In this case, the second slope 204a2 is not provided outside the upstream region 204a12 in the radial direction r. That is, at least part of the first slope 204a1 (upstream region 204a12) is provided at a different position from the second slope 204a2 in the circumferential direction of the virtual circle VC. Similarly, two regions of the first slope 204b1 divided by the rotation axis A and the imaginary straight line VL204b1 passing through the most upstream end of the second slope 204b2 in the rotation direction K are defined as an upstream region 204b12 and a downstream region 204b11 in the rotation direction L. do. In this case, the second slope 204b2 is not provided outside the upstream region 204b12 in the radial direction r. That is, at least part of the first slope 204b1 (upstream region 204b12) is provided at a different position from the second slope 204b2 in the circumferential direction of the virtual circle VC. That is, in the first deregulation portion 204a, the upstream region 204a12 of the first slope 204a1 is upstream of the second slope 204a2 in the rotation direction K. Also, in the second deregulation portion 204b, the upstream region 204b12 of the first slope 204b1 is located upstream of the second slope 204b2 in the rotation direction K. As shown in FIG.

[0217] Further, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A, as shown in FIG. 59(c), at least part of the first slope 204a1 is horizontal in the horizontal direction (first horizontal direction hz1 or second horizontal direction hz2). It is located at a position different from that of the second slope 204a2. On the other hand, at least part of the third slope 204a3 is provided downstream (upper) in the direction of arrow U than at least part of the second slope 204a2. That is, at least a portion of the third slope 204a3 overlaps the second slope 204a2 when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis A. A space 204a4 and an abutment surface 204a5 (downstream end surface, abutted surface) are provided above (directly above) the third slope 204a3. The abutment surface 204a5 is an end surface on the downstream side in the rotation direction K that extends along the rotation axis A from the downstream end of the third slope 204a3 in the rotation direction L. The abutment surface 204a5 faces the downstream side in the rotation direction K. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 59(c), the abutment surface 204a5 extends upward from the downstream end of the third slope 204a3 in the second horizontal direction hz2 and is the downstream end surface in the first horizontal direction hz1.

[0218] Next, the inclination angles of the first slope 204a1, the second slope 204a2 and the third slope 204a3 with respect to the rotation axis A will be described with reference to FIG. 59(c). As shown in FIG. 59(c), when the projecting portion 202b is viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A, the direction of the rotation axis A (the direction of gravity) of the first slope 204a1, the second slope 204a2, and the third slope 204a3 ) are α1, α2, and α3, respectively. In this embodiment, α1, α2, and α3 are approximately 50 degrees, approximately 50 degrees, and approximately 40 degrees, respectively. All of α1, α2, and α3 are preferably 30 degrees or more and 60 degrees or less.

[0219] Further, in this embodiment, when the projecting portion 202b is viewed in the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis A, the length L204a1 of the first slope 204a1 is about 2 mm, the length of the second slope 204a2 is about 3 mm, and the length L204a1 of the second slope 204a2 is about 3 mm. Length L204a3 of slope 204a3 is about 3.5 mm. Preferably, L204a2 is longer than L204a1 and L204a3 is longer than L204a2. Further, the length H204a1 from the protrusion end face 202b2, which is the lower end of the protrusion 202b, to the upper end of the first slope 204a1 is shorter than the length H204a2 from the protrusion end face 202b2 to the upper end of the second slope 204a2.

[0220] The first slope 204a1, the second slope 204a2, the third slope 204a3, the gap 204a4, and the abutment surface 204a5 are exposed to the outside of the toner pack 220 so that the rotation restriction mechanism 212 of the mounting portion 206 can be accessed. It is configured. These are exposed to the outside of toner pack 220 when it can be attached to attachment portion 206 . In other words, if a cap or cover is provided to protect the nozzle 202 of the toner pack 220 and the pack-side shutter 203 during distribution, it is in a state where they are removed.

[0221] FIG. 62(a) is a cross-sectional view X209-X209 of the projecting portion 202b in FIG. 61(a), showing the third slope 204a3 of the first deregulation portion 204a and the third slope 204b3 of the second deregulation portion 204b. It is It can be seen that both the third slope 204a3 and the third slope 204b3 extend along the rotation direction of the pack-side shutter 203 (the circumferential direction of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A).

[0222] FIG. 62(b) is a view of the nozzle 202 viewed in the direction of the rotation axis A from the side where the projecting portion 202b is visible. As shown in FIG. 62(b), the restriction release portion 204 is arranged outside the inner circumferential surface 202b1 and inside the discharge port 202a in the radial direction r. When the nozzle 202 is viewed in the direction of the rotation axis A, the first slope 204a1, the second slope 204a2, and the third slope 204a3 are preferably positioned closer to the inner peripheral surface 202b1 than the outlet 202a. Here, r1 is the distance from the rotation axis A to the inner peripheral surface 202b1, r2 is the distance from the rotation axis A to the outer end of the second slope 204a2 (second slope 204b2), and r2 is the distance from the rotation axis A to the discharge port 202a. Assuming r3, it is preferable that (r2-r1) / (r3-r1)<0.3. That is, when the nozzle 202 is viewed in the direction of the rotation axis A, the distance from the inner peripheral surface 202b1 to the first slope 204a1, the distance from the inner peripheral surface 202b1 to the second slope 204a2, and the distance from the inner peripheral surface 202b1 to the third slope The distance to 204a3 is preferably 30% or less of the distance from inner peripheral surface 202b1 to outlet 202a.

[0223] As shown in FIGS. 57 to 61, the second deregulation portion 204b includes a first slope 204b1 (third downward surface), a second slope 204b2 (fourth downward surface), and a third slope 204b3 (second upward surface). , a gap 204b4 (second gap), and an abutment surface 204b5 (second abutment surface, second downstream end surface, second abutted surface). Here, the second deregulation portion 204b has a shape that is 180 degrees rotationally symmetrical to the first deregulation portion 204a centering on the rotation axis A, and is the first deregulation portion with the rotation axis A interposed therebetween in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC. It is provided on the side opposite to the restriction release portion 204a. In other words, the first slope 204b1, the second slope 204b2, the third slope 204b3, the gap 204b4, and the abutting surface 204b5 are the first slope 204a1, the second slope 204a2, and the third slope, respectively, centered on the rotation axis A. 204a3, gap 204a4, and abutment surface 204a5 are 180 degrees rotationally symmetrical. That is, when each of the first slope 204a1, the second slope 204a2, the third slope 204a3, the gap 204a4, and the abutment surface 204a5 is rotated 180 degrees around the rotation axis A, the first slope 204b1 and the second slope 204b2 , a third slope 204b3, a gap 204b4, and an abutment surface 204b5. Therefore, detailed description of the second deregulation unit 204b is omitted.

[0224] Here, the second slope 204a2 of the first deregulation portion 204a is not provided outside any region of the first slope 204b1 of the second deregulation portion 204b in the radial direction r. That is, the first slope 204a1 is provided at a different position from the second slope 204b2 in the circumferential direction of the virtual circle VC.

[0225] As shown in FIG. 61(a), when viewed in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis A (a direction orthogonal to the direction of arrow R), the projecting portion 202b is located at the position of the surface 202d1 of the portion to be positioned 202d in the direction of arrow R. It is between the position of surface 202d2. Therefore, in the arrow R direction, the positions of the first deregulation portion 204a and the second deregulation portion 204b are between the positions of the surfaces 202d1 and 202d2 of the positioned portion 202d. That is, in the arrow R direction, the positions of the first slope 204a1, the second slope 204a2, and the third slope 204a3 are all between the positions of the surface 202d1 and the surface 202d2. When viewed in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis A, in the direction of arrow R, the positions of the first deregulation portion 204a and the second deregulation portion 204b overlap the position of the recess 202e.

[0226] Further, as shown in FIG. 61(a), when viewed in the direction (radial direction r) perpendicular to the rotation axis A, the projecting portion 202b extends inside the width of the opening 203a of the pack-side shutter 203 in the direction of the arrow R. be.

[0227] Also, although the protrusion 202b is provided on the nozzle 202 in this embodiment, it is not necessarily provided on the nozzle 202. FIG.

[0228] Here, the projecting portion 202b of the present embodiment is provided with two of the first deregulation portion 204a and the second deregulation portion 204b, which are provided so as to be rotationally symmetrical about the rotation axis A by 180 degrees. It is However, it is not limited to this.

[0229] FIGS. 196(a) and 196(b) are respectively a perspective view and a bottom view of the vicinity of the projecting portion 202b provided with the first deregulation portion 204a and not provided with the second deregulation portion 204b.

[0230] 196(c) and 196(d) are perspective views of the vicinity of the projecting portion 202b in which the second deregulation portion 204b has a 190-degree rotational symmetry shape about the rotation axis A of the first deregulation portion 204a. and a bottom view.

[0231] As shown in FIGS. 196(a) and 196(b), only the first deregulation portion 204a having the first slope 204a1, the second slope 204a2, the third slope 204a3, the gap 204a4, and the abutment surface 204a5 may be used. . In addition, as shown in FIGS. 196(c) and 196(d), the second deregulation portion 204b may have a 190-degree rotational symmetry around the rotation axis A of the first deregulation portion 204a. That is, each of the first slope 204b1, the second slope 204b2, the third slope 204b3, the gap 204b4, and the abutment surface 204b5 is aligned with the rotation axis A by the first slope 204a1, the second slope 204a2, the third slope 204a3, The gap 204a4 and the abutment surface 204a5 may have 190-degree rotational symmetry. In this configuration, the angle α204ab1 about the rotation axis A between the first slope 204a1 and the first slope 204b1 is 190 degrees. The angle α204ab2 about the rotation axis A between the second slope 204a2 and the second slope 204b2 is also 190 degrees. The second deregulation portion 204b preferably has a shape that is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis A by 150 degrees or more and 210 degrees or less of the first deregulation portion 204a. That is, each of the first slope 204b1, the second slope 204b2, the third slope 204b3, the gap 204b4, and the abutment surface 204b5 is aligned with the rotation axis A by the first slope 204a1, the second slope 204a2, the third slope 204a3, It is preferable that the air gap 204a4 and the abutment surface 204a5 have rotationally symmetrical shapes of 150 degrees or more and 210 degrees or less.

[0232] (Attached to the toner pack attachment part) 63 to 69, a mechanism for releasing the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 209 by the rotation restriction mechanism 212 described above by attaching the toner pack 220 to the attachment portion 206 will be described.

[0233] FIGS. 63(a) and 63(c) are perspective views of the toner pack 220 and the mounting portion 206 during and after the toner pack 220 is being mounted on the mounting portion 206, respectively. FIG. 63(b) is a perspective view of toner pack 220 and mounting portion 206 from a different viewpoint from FIG. 63(a). FIG. 64(a) shows the toner pack 220 and the mounting portion 206 parallel to the rotational axis A (rotational axis B) in a state in which the toner pack 220 is further moved in the mounting direction from the state of FIG. 63(a). It is a sectional view. FIG. 64(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X210-X210 in FIG. 64(a). FIG. 64(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X211-X211 in FIG. 64(a). 65(a) to 65(c) are sectional views showing the process of attaching the toner pack 220 to the attachment portion 206. FIG. FIGS. 65(d) to 65(f) are perspective views showing only the projecting portion 202b, the release member 214 and the restricting member 213, corresponding to FIGS. 65(a) to 65(c) respectively. FIGS. 66(a) and 66(b) are cross-sectional views showing the process of attaching the toner pack 220 to the attachment portion 206 following FIG. 65(c). FIGS. 66(c) and 66(d) are perspective views showing only the projecting portion 202b, the release member 214, and the restricting member 213 corresponding to FIGS. 66(a) and 66(b), respectively. 67(a) and 67(b) are perspective views showing the positional relationship between the releasing member 214 and the cover 210. FIG. FIGS. 67(c) and 67(d) are views of the releasing member 214 and the cover 210 in the states of FIGS. 67(a) and 67(b), respectively, viewed from the direction of the rotation axis A (above). FIG. 68(a) is a cross-sectional view parallel to the rotation axis A (rotation axis B) of the toner pack 220 and the mounting portion 206 when the toner pack 220 has been completely mounted on the mounting portion 206. FIG. 68(b) and 68(c) are X213-X213 cross-sectional views and X212-X212 cross-sectional views in FIG. 68(a), respectively.

[0234] In FIG. 64, the cut surfaces of the pack-side shutter 203 and the cover 210 are shaded for ease of viewing. 65(a) to 65(c), 66(a) and 66(b), the pack-side shutter 203, the regulating member 213, and the release member 214 are side views, and other members are shown. is a cross-sectional view. In addition, in FIG. 68, the cut surfaces of the cover 210, the restricting member 213, and the releasing member 214 are hatched for easy viewing.

[0235] As shown in FIGS. 63(a) and 63(b), the toner pack 220 with the pack-side shutter 203 at the closed position is attached to the mounting portion 206 with the device-side shutter 209 at the closed position. Move it in the direction M to attach it. The user attaches the toner pack 220 to the attachment portion 206 by moving the toner pack 220 in the attachment direction M while oriented in the above-described predetermined direction. The mounting direction M is the direction of the arrow N, that is, the vertically downward direction (the direction of gravity). Also, the mounting direction M is the direction of the rotation axis A (rotation axis B).

[0236] At this time, the toner pack 220 and the mounting portion 206 are mounted so that two positions are aligned in the rotation direction of the pack-side shutter 203 (circumferential direction of the virtual circle VC). First, as shown in FIG. 63(a), when viewed in the mounting direction M, the concave portion 202e of the nozzle 202 (the opening 203a of the pack-side shutter 203) and the positioning portion 207a of the first frame 207. , is aligned. The second is to align the driven transmission part 203b of the pack-side shutter 203 and the drive transmission part 208a of the operating lever 208, as shown in FIG. 63(b). It is configured such that when one of them is aligned, the other is aligned.

[0237] After these alignments are performed, the toner pack 220 is moved in the mounting direction M and mounted on the mounting portion 206. As shown in FIG. The small-diameter portion 209d2 of the center boss 209d of the apparatus-side shutter 209 is inserted into the hole. The inner peripheral surface 202b1 of the projecting portion 202b and the small diameter portion 209d2 of the center boss 209d are fitted (engaged). This fitting determines the position of the nozzle 202 in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC with respect to the device-side shutter 209 below the nozzle 202 (downstream in the mounting direction M). At this time, as shown in FIG. 64(b), the drive transmitting portion 208a (lever convex portion) of the operating lever 208 and the drive transmitting portion 203b (rotating body concave portion) of the pack-side shutter 203 are engaged. Further, the rib 203e is inserted into the slit 208c provided in the drive transmission portion 208a. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 64(c), side surfaces 210f and 210g of cover 210 guide surfaces 202e1 and 202e2 forming recess 202e of nozzle 202 (nozzle recess). Furthermore, the driven transmission portion 203b (recessed rotating body) of the pack-side shutter 203 engages with the driven transmission portion 209e (shutter projection) of the device-side shutter 209. As shown in FIG. As a result, the rotational axis A of the pack-side shutter 203 and the rotational axis B of the device-side shutter 209 are substantially coaxial.

[0238] When the first frame 207 (base frame 221) and the nozzle 202 rotate about the rotation axis A (rotation axis B), the operation lever 208, the pack-side shutter 203, and the device-side shutter 209 are substantially integrated. rotatable around a rotation axis A (rotation axis B). Specifically, when the operation lever 208 is rotated in the rotation direction D, the drive transmission portion 208a of the operation lever 208 presses the surface 203b1 of the pack-side shutter 203, and the pack-side shutter 203 is rotated in the rotation direction D. . After that, the surface 203b2 of the pack-side shutter 203 presses the driven transmission part 209e of the device-side shutter 209, and the device-side shutter 209 is rotated in the rotation direction D. Further, when the operation lever 208 is rotated in the rotation direction E, the drive transmission portion 208a of the operation lever 208 presses the surface 203b2 of the pack-side shutter 203, and the pack-side shutter 203 is rotated in the rotation direction E. After that, the surface 203b1 of the pack-side shutter 203 presses the driven transmission part 209e of the device-side shutter 209, and the device-side shutter 209 is rotated in the rotation direction E. In this way, the device-side shutter 209 is configured to be rotated by the operation lever 208 via the pack-side shutter 203. Therefore, if the above-described rotation restriction mechanism 212 is not provided, the device-side shutter 209 can be rotated regardless of the position of the operation lever. The shutter 209 is configured to be rotatable.

[0239] Here, if the apparatus-side shutter 209 rotates in the rotational direction D from the closed position toward the open position due to a user's erroneous operation or vibration during transportation of the image forming apparatus 1, the driven transmission portion of the apparatus-side shutter 209 may The rotational position of 209e also shifts. Then, when the toner pack 220 is to be attached to the attachment portion 206, the following will occur. After the drive transmission portion 203b of the pack-side shutter 203 is engaged with the drive transmission portion 208a of the operating lever 208, when the toner pack 220 is further moved in the mounting direction M, the drive transmission portion 209e of the apparatus-side shutter 209 and Unable to engage. Therefore, it becomes impossible to move the toner pack 220 to the attachment completion position with respect to the attachment portion 206 . In order to prevent such a situation from occurring, the rotation of the device-side shutter 209 is restricted by the rotation restriction mechanism 212 .

[0240] Next, details of a mechanism for releasing the rotation restricting mechanism 212 of the mounting portion 206 by mounting the toner pack 220 to the mounting portion 206 will be described with reference to FIGS. 65 to 67. FIG. 65 and 66 are diagrams showing the process of attaching the toner pack 220 to the attaching portion 206 in chronological order. Note that the second deregulation unit 204b functions in the same manner as the first deregulation unit 204a, so description thereof will be omitted.

[0241] 65(a) (FIG. 65(d)), the first deregulation portion 204a of the nozzle 202 and the release claw 214e of the release member 214 are separated from each other. At this timing, as shown in FIG. 67(a) (FIG. 67(c)), the second guided surface 214e2 of the release claw 214e shown in FIG. It is not exposed through the central hole 210p of the cover 210 when viewed in direction A. When the toner pack 220 is further moved in the arrow N direction (mounting direction M) from here, the first slope 204a1 of the first regulation release portion 204a and the first guided surface 214e1 of the release claw 214e come into contact with each other. The state of 65(b) (FIG. 65(e)) is reached. When toner pack 220 is further moved in the direction of arrow N from here, release member 214 resists biasing force F203 of release spring 216 shown in FIG. is rotated in the direction of rotation D. At this time, the first slope 204a1 of the first deregulation portion 204a is a guide surface that guides the first guided surface 214e1 of the release member 214 so that the first guided surface 214e1 moves along the first slope 204a1. play a role In other words, the first slope 204a1 guides the first guided surface 214e1 so that the release member 214 is rotated about the rotation axis A in the rotation direction D. As shown in FIG. In addition, the first slope 204a1 of the first deregulation portion 204a also functions as a first force applying surface (first pressing surface) that applies force (presses) to the first guided surface 214e1. The force F204 includes a force component F204x that rotates the release member 214 in the rotation direction D about the rotation axis B against the biasing force of the release spring 216. FIG. The releasing member 214 is rotated in the rotational direction D until the first guided surface 214e1 passes the downstream end in the rotational direction D of the first slope 204a1 in the rotational direction D. By rotating the release member 214 in the rotation direction D, as shown in FIG. Surface 214e2 is exposed through central hole 210p of cover 210. As shown in FIG. That is, the first slope 204a1 has a function (preceding rotation function) of rotating the release member 214 to a position where at least the second guided surface 214e2 is exposed from the central hole 210p of the cover 210 when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis A. have. Although the first slope 204a1 in this embodiment is a slope, it is not limited to this. Any surface that engages with the first guided surface 214e1 so that the release member 214 can be rotated in the rotation direction D when the toner pack 220 is attached to the attachment portion 206 is sufficient.

[0242] 67(b) (FIG. 67(d)), when the toner pack 220 is further moved in the direction of the arrow N, the second inclined surface 204a2 of the first regulation releasing portion 204a becomes the second guided surface 214e2 of the release claw 214e. to reach the state shown in FIG. 65(c) (FIG. 65(f)). In this state, when the toner pack 220 is moved in the direction of the arrow N, the force F205 that the second guided surface 214e2 receives from the second inclined surface 204a2 causes the release member 214 to move the release spring 216 shown in FIG. It is rotated in the direction of rotation D against the force F203. At this time, the second slope 204a2 of the first deregulation portion 204a serves as a guide surface that guides the second guided surface 214e2 so that the second guided surface 214e2 moves along the second slope 204a2. In other words, the second slope 204a2 guides the second guided surface 214e2 of the release member 214 so that the release member 114 is rotated about the rotation axis A in the rotation direction D. The second slope 204a2 of the first deregulation portion 204a also functions as a second force application surface (second pressing surface) that applies force (presses) to the second guided surface 214e2. The force F205 includes a force component F205x that rotates the release member 214 in the rotation direction D about the rotation axis B against the biasing force of the release spring 216. FIG.

[0243] The releasing member 214 is rotated in the rotational direction D until the second guided surface 214e2 passes the downstream end in the rotational direction D of the second inclined surface 204a2 in the rotational direction D. The rotation of the release member 214 in the rotation direction D up to this point is the first step for releasing the rotation restriction described above. That is, as shown in FIG. 53(b), when the release member 214 is lifted, the release spring 216 is pushed up to the lift restriction release position (lift restriction release area) where the lift restricted surface 214c does not contact the lift restricting surface 210e of the cover 210. is a step of rotating the release member 214 in the rotation direction D against the biasing force of . In other words, the release member 214 is rotated against the biasing force of the release spring 216 to the lift restriction release position where the lift restricted surface 214c does not overlap the lift restricting surface 210e of the cover 210 when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis B. This is the step of rotating in direction D. Although the second slope 204a2 in this embodiment is a slope, it is not limited to this. Any surface that engages with the second guided surface 214e2 so that the release member 214 can be rotated in the rotational direction D when the toner pack 220 is attached to the attachment portion 206 is sufficient.

[0244] After the first step, the third guided surface 214e3 of the release pawl 214e rises to the upstream end of the third slope 204a3 in the rotation direction E via the connecting portion 204a23 of the first deregulation portion 204a. That is, the rotation direction of the release member 214 is switched from the rotation direction D to the rotation direction E at the coupling portion 204a23 of the first restriction release portion 204a.

[0245] At this time, as shown in FIG. 66(a) (FIG. 66(c)), the moment M202 (biasing force) of the release spring 216 causes the third guided surface 214e3 of the release claw 214e to move toward the third inclined surface 204a3 of the nozzle 202. and receive force F206. Then, the force component F206y of the force F206 in the direction of the arrow G causes the third guided surface 214e3 of the release member 214 to move in the direction in which the third slope 204a3 extends while being guided by the third slope 204a3. The third slope 204a3 moves in the direction of arrow G (upward) while the release member 214 is rotated in the rotation direction E after the release member 214 is rotated in the rotation direction D by the first slope 204a1 and the second slope 204a2. guide the third guided surface 214e3 so that

[0246] This movement of the releasing member 214 in the direction of the arrow G is the second step for releasing the rotation restriction described above. In the second step, the restricting member 213 is moved in the arrow G direction by the releasing member 214. As shown in FIG. Then, the release member 214 is rotated in the rotational direction E until the contact surface 214a and contact surface 214f ​​of the release member 214 shown in FIG. That is, the releasing member 214 is stopped from rotating in the rotational direction E when the abutment surface 214f ​​and the abutment surface 214f ​​abut (contact) the abutment surface 204a5 of the projecting portion 202b. In this manner, the rotation restriction release operation of rotation restriction mechanism 212 is completed when toner pack 220 is in the installation completion position shown in FIGS. 66(b) (66(d)) and 68. Note that the X214-X214 cross section in FIG. 68(a) is the same as that in FIG. 51(b), and the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 209 is released.

[0247] As described above, when the toner pack 220 is attached to the attachment portion 206, rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 209 by the rotation restriction mechanism 212 is released through the above-described first step and second step. Although the third slope 204a3 in this embodiment is a slope, it is not limited to this. Any surface that engages with the third guided surface 214e3 may be used so that the release member 214 can be moved in the direction of arrow G (upward) when the toner pack 220 is attached to the attachment portion 206. FIG. Further, in the present embodiment, the release member 214 is configured to rotate in the rotation direction E in the second step, but a configuration in which the release member 214 does not rotate in the rotation direction E may be employed.

[0248] The position where the toner pack 220 is completely installed is the position where the protruding portion end surface 202b2 of the protruding portion 202b of the nozzle 202 is in contact with the pack contact surface 209g of the device-side shutter 209, as shown in FIG. 68(a). At the secondary attachment completion position, the position of the toner pack 220 in the direction of the rotation axis A with respect to the attachment portion 206 is determined. In addition, by fitting (engaging) the inner peripheral surface 202b1 of the projecting portion 202b of the nozzle 202 with the small diameter portion 209d2 of the center boss 209d of the device-side shutter 209, the radial direction of the virtual circle VC on the downstream side of the mounting direction M The position of r is determined. In addition, as shown in FIG. 68(c), which is a cross section of X212-X212 of FIG. is in contact with the inner peripheral surface 209h (Fig. 44). As a result, the positions of the nozzle 202 and the pack-side shutter 203 (toner pack 220) in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC on the upstream side in the mounting direction M are determined.

[0249] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 68(b), which is an X213-X213 cross section of FIG. 68(a), the positioning portion 207a of the first frame 207 is the positioned portion 202d of the nozzle 202 having the surfaces 202d1 and 202d2. engaged. Therefore, the position of the nozzle 202 is determined with respect to the first frame 207 (base frame 221) in the direction of the arrow R of the surface 202d1 and the surface 202d2. Since the position of the nozzle 202 is determined with respect to the first frame 207 in the direction of the arrow R, the operation of releasing the restriction on the rotation of the device-side shutter 209 can be stabilized. In this description, the magnitudes of force F204, force F205, and force F206 that operate release member 214 are set so large that the effects of gravity and frictional force can be ignored, so description of gravity and frictional force is omitted. ing.

[0250] By the mechanism described above, the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 209 by the rotation restriction mechanism 212 is released, and the device-side shutter 209 can be rotated from the closed position to the released position.

[0251] Further, when the abutment surface 214a and the abutment surface 214f ​​of the release member 214 abut against the abutment surface 204a5, the release member 214 is vigorously rotated by the moment M202, thereby generating a light impact sound. Additionally, the user's hand holding the toner pack 220 can feel its recoil. In other words, the user can also recognize that the rotation regulation of the device-side shutter 209 has been released (the attachment has been completed) from the collision sound or reaction. When the toner pack 220 is detached from the mounting portion 206, the reverse process of FIG.

[0252] (Operation of operation lever) When the toner pack 220 is at the installation completion position, the drive transmission portion 208a (lever convex portion) of the operating lever 208 and the drive transmission portion 203b (rotating body concave portion) of the pack-side shutter 203 are aligned as shown in FIG. 68(b). engaged. Further, as shown in FIG. 68(c), the driven transmission portion 203b (rotating body recess) of the pack-side shutter 203 is engaged with the driven transmission portion 209e (shutter projection) of the device-side shutter 209. As shown in FIG. That is, with the toner pack 220 attached to the attachment portion 206 as described above, the operation lever 208, the pack-side shutter 203, and the device-side shutter 209 rotate integrally around the rotation axis A (rotation axis B). is configured as

[0253] Here, FIG. 69(a) is a perspective view of the toner pack 220 viewed from above when the operating lever 208 is in the closed position. FIG. 69(b) is a perspective view of the toner pack 220 viewed from above when the operating lever 208 is at the open position. FIG. 69(c) is a diagram showing a state in which the user is replenishing toner by opening the container 201 in the state of FIG. 69(b).

[0254] As shown in FIGS. 69(a) and 69(b), after the toner pack 220 is completely attached to the attachment portion 206, when the operation portion 208b of the operation lever 208 is rotated in the rotation direction D, the device-side shutter is opened. 209 rotates from the closed position to the open position and the pack-side shutter 203 rotates the operating lever 208 from the closed position to the open position, it can be seen that the container 101 does not rotate. A pack-side shutter 203 and a device-side shutter 209 rotate together with the operating lever 208 .

[0255] When the pack-side shutter 203 rotates from the closed position to the open position, as shown in FIG. there is This is the same direction as the rotational direction D of the operating lever 108 in FIG. The nozzle 202 may rotate in the rotational direction K by the amount of looseness (play) between the surfaces 202d1 and 202d2 and the positioning portion 207a of the first frame 207 under the frictional force F207. At this time, the rotation direction of the nozzle 202 is such that the third slope 204a3 of the first deregulation portion 204a approaches the release claw 214e of the release member 214, and the third slope 204b3 of the second deregulation portion 204b is the direction of approaching the release claw 214e. In other words, when the operating lever 208 is rotated to rotate the pack-side shutter 203 from the closed position to the open position, the restricting member 213 moves upward (in the U direction) together with the releasing member 214 . Then, the second regulating surface 213c of the regulating member 213 is separated upward from the regulated rib 209c of the device-side shutter 209, increasing the margin for releasing the rotation regulation. Therefore, it is possible to more stably maintain the state in which the restriction on the rotation of the device-side shutter 109 is released.

[0256] By the operation described above, the storage portion 201 of the toner pack 220 and the toner storage chamber 36 are communicated with each other through the discharge port 202a, the reception port 209a, and the device-side opening 217a.

[0257] Here, FIG. 70(a) is a sectional view of the toner pack 220 and the mounting portion 206 when both the device-side shutter 209 and the pack-side shutter 203 are in the closed position. FIG. 70(b) is a sectional view of toner pack 220 and mounting portion 206 when device-side shutter 209 and pack-side shutter 203 are both in the open position.

[0258] In FIG. 70(a), the outlet 202a of the nozzle 202 is closed by the pack-side shutter 203 and the pack-side seal 205, and the device-side shutter 209, and the toner in the container 201 is discharged from the second frame 217 on the device side. It is configured so that it cannot reach the opening 217a. On the other hand, in FIG. 70(b), the discharge port 202a of the nozzle 202 is opened by moving the pack-side shutter 203, the pack-side seal 205, and the device-side shutter 209. In FIG. As shown in FIG. 69(c), the user compresses container 201, and the toner in container 201 is discharged from outlet 202a to the outside of toner pack 220 together with air. Part of the air discharged from the discharge port 202a passes through the first filter 218 and the second filter and is discharged to the outside of the mounting part 206. FIG. Toner is replenished to the toner storage chamber 36 of the developer container 32 through the apparatus-side opening 217a of the second frame 217. As shown in FIG.

[0259] (Modification 1) Next, another configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 72 to 78. FIG. Descriptions of the same points as those of the above-described embodiments and modifications will be omitted. In particular, among the elements disclosed in this embodiment, those corresponding to the members described in Embodiment 2 are given the same names as the members in Embodiment 2, and the points different from those in Embodiment 2 are described. only explained.

[0260] In this embodiment, the protrusion 202b of the nozzle 202 is formed integrally with the nozzle 202. As shown in FIG. In this modified example, the projecting portion of Example 2 is replaced with an attachment that is a component separate from the nozzle. The attachment is an attachment to be attached to the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. Then, a mounting kit including a set of toner packs without attachments and protrusions is provided. The configuration of the attachment will be described below.

[0261] FIG. 72 is a perspective view of an attachment 2102A of this modification. 72(a) and 72(b) are perspective views of the attachment 2102A from different viewpoints, and FIG. 72(c) is a perspective view of the attachment from a different viewpoint than FIG. 72(b). FIG. 76 is a perspective view of a toner pack 2120 without protrusions. 77(a) is a side view of the toner pack 2120 attached to the image forming apparatus 1, and FIG. 77(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X2103-X2103 in FIG. 77(a). FIG. 78 is a perspective view of an attachment 21102A having a different shape from the attachment 2102A of this modified example.

[0262] When attaching attachment 2102A to attachment portion 206, rotation restriction by rotation restriction mechanism 212 can be released even if attachment is started from an arbitrary phase in the circumferential direction of virtual circle VC with respect to attachment portion 206. FIG. The configuration of this modification will be described below.

[0263] As shown in FIG. 72(a), the attachment 2102A has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is provided with a cylindrical portion 2102Aa and a projecting portion 2102Ab in this order from the first end side in the first direction D1. The cylindrical portion 2102Aa and the projecting portion 2102Ab have an inner peripheral surface 2102Ab1. The inner peripheral surface 2102Ab1 of this modified example is a cylindrical surface having a central axis A. As shown in FIG. The inner peripheral surface 2102Ab1 does not necessarily have to be a cylindrical surface as in the second embodiment. The projecting portion 2102Ab has the same configuration as the projecting portion 202b of the nozzle 202 of Example 2 shown in FIGS. 59(b), 59(c) and 60. FIG. The first deregulation portion 2104a (first projection) and the second deregulation portion 2104b (second projection) of the projecting portion 2102Ab in this modified example are the first deregulation portion 204a and the second deregulation portion of the second embodiment, respectively. It has the same configuration as 204b, and is configured with the center axis A of the inner peripheral surface 2102Ab1 as a reference. That is, the first slope 2104a1, the second slope 2104a2, the third slope 2104a3, the gap 2104a4, and the abutment surface 2104a5 of the projecting portion 2102Ab are the first slope 204a1, the second slope 204a2, and the third slope 204a3 of the second embodiment, respectively. , the gap 204a4, and the abutment surface 204a5, and is configured with the center axis A of the inner peripheral surface 2102Ab1 as a reference. The second deregulation portion 2104b has a shape that is 180 degrees rotationally symmetrical about the rotation axis A of the first deregulation portion 2104a, so description thereof will be omitted.

[0264] The cylindrical portion 2102Aa and the projecting portion 2102Ab are arranged coaxially with the central axis A. As shown in FIG. The cylindrical portion 2102Aa has an end surface 2102Ax orthogonal to the central axis A on the first end side in the first direction D1. Here, since the attachment 2102A has a 180-degree rotational symmetry around the central axis A, only one side will be described. The cylindrical portion 2102Aa is provided with convex portions 2102Am and 2102An that protrude toward the second end side in the first direction D1 and in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the central axis A. The protrusions 2102Am and 2102An are arranged on the protrusion 2102Ab in the rotation direction about the central axis A, and the protrusion 2102An is arranged on the downstream side in the rotation direction E of the protrusion 2102Am. An end face 2102Ar parallel to the central axis A and intersecting the rotation direction E is provided on the upstream side in the rotation direction E of the projection 2102Am. Further, an end face 2102As parallel to the central axis A and intersecting the rotation direction E is provided on the downstream side in the rotation direction E of the projection 2102An. The end face 2102As is provided adjacent to the deregulation portion 2104b of the projecting portion 2102Ab, and the end face 2102As is downstream in the rotation direction E from the face 2104s of the deregulation portion 2104b facing downstream in the rotational direction E. positioned. Here, the surface 2104s is a plane that is parallel to the central axis A and intersects with the direction of rotation about the central axis A. As shown in FIG. The end surface 2102As and the surface 2104s are smoothly connected by an inclined surface 2102Aw in the first direction D1.

[0265] End faces 2102At and 2102Au of the projections 2102Am and 2102An positioned on the second end side in the first direction D1 are planes perpendicular to the central axis A and are arranged at the same position in the first direction D1. It is positioned closer to the first end in the first direction D1 than the protruding portion end face 2102Ab2 of the portion 2102Ab.

[0266] (attachment attachment) Attachment 2102A is attached to attachment portion 206 of image forming apparatus 1 . Details are described below. A method of attaching (using) attachment 2102A to image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 73, 74, and 75. FIG.

[0267] FIG. 73 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the cover 210, the regulating member 213, the releasing member 214, and the device-side shutter 209, which are related when attaching the attachment 2102A to the mounting section 206, and omitting other parts. FIG. 73(a) is a top view, and FIG. 73(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X2101-X2101 in FIG. 73(a). 74 and 75 are sectional views showing the mounting process. Also, the figure shows the cover 210, the restricting member 213, and the releasing member 214, which are related when attaching the attachment 2102A to the image forming apparatus 1, and omits other parts. In other words, FIGS. 74 and 75 are views in which the device-side shutter 209 is hidden from FIG. 73. FIG. FIGS. 74(a), 74(b), 75(a), and 75(b) respectively show the process of attaching the attachment 2102A to the image forming apparatus 1, X2101-X2101 cross section in FIG. 73(a). 1 is a cross-sectional view in position; FIG. 74(c), 74(d), 75(c), and 75(d) are shown in FIGS. 74(a), 74(b), 75(a), and 75(b), respectively. FIG. 73(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X2102-X2102 in FIG. 73(b) in the corresponding state.

[0268] As shown in FIG. 73(b), the user moves downward (in the direction of arrow N) in a state in which the projecting portion 2102Ab protrudes downward (in the direction of gravity) and the center axis A is directed in the direction of gravity. It is moved and mounted on the mounting section 206 . At that time, the inner peripheral surface 2102Ab1 (recess) of the attachment 2102A is attached so as to be engaged (fitted) with the center boss 209d (positioning shaft, shaft portion) of the device-side shutter 209 . The engagement (fitting) between the inner peripheral surface 2102Ab1 of the attachment 2102A and the center boss 209d positions the attachment 2102A with respect to the apparatus-side shutter 209 in the radial direction about the rotation axis B, and the center axis A of the attachment 2102A. The rotation axis B of the mounting part 206 becomes coaxial. Further, the user pushes in the arrow N direction while rotating the attachment 2102A in the rotation direction E.

[0269] As shown in FIGS. 74(a) and 74(c), when the attachment 2102A is mounted in the direction of the arrow N, the inner peripheral surface 2102Ab1 of the attachment 2102A engages with the center boss 209d of the apparatus-side shutter 209, and then the attachment Protrusion end surface 2102Ab2 of 2102A hits upper surface 210i of cover 210. As shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIGS. 74(b) and 74(d), the user rotates the attachment 2102A in the direction of rotation E and pushes it in the direction of the arrow N so that the protruding end surface 2102Ab2 of the attachment 2102A is the first end surface of the release member 214. It collides with the end surface 214h positioned on the second end side in the direction D1. As shown in FIGS. 75(a) and 75(c), when the user further rotates the attachment 2102A in the rotation direction E, the first slope 2104a1 of the attachment 2102A moves toward the first guided surface 214e1 of the release member 214. abut. In this way, similarly to the second embodiment, the release member 214 is rotated in the rotation direction D while being guided by the first slope 2104a1 by applying force from the first slope 214a1. Further, when the user rotates the attachment 2102A in the rotation direction E, as shown in FIG. 75(c), the surface 2104s collides with the eaves 210n of the cover 210 in the rotation direction E, and the rotation of the attachment 2102A stops. do.

[0270] When the user further pushes the attachment 2102A in the direction of the arrow N from the states shown in FIGS. 75(a) and 75(c), the slope 2102Aw (see FIG. 72(b)) hits the eaves 210n of the cover 210, Attachment 2102A rotates slightly in rotation direction D along slope 2102Aw with respect to cover 210 . Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 75(b) and 75(d), when the user pushes the attachment 2102A in the direction of the arrow N, the end surface 2102As and the end surface 2102Ar move toward the overhang portion 210n and the center axis A. It is sandwiched in the direction of rotation about the central axis A between the surface 210r that faces the overhang portion 210n in the direction of rotation and is tightly fitted. Here, the surface 210r is parallel to the central axis A and intersects the direction of rotation E about the central axis A. As shown in FIG. Also, when the user pushes the attachment 2102A in the direction of the arrow N, the projecting portion end surface 2102Ab2 hits the pack contact surface 209g, and the movement of the attachment 2102A in the direction of the arrow N stops. (Refer to Fig. 77(b)) The operation of the releasing member 214 accompanying the attachment of the attachment 2102A to the attachment portion 206 will be described.

[0271] First, as shown in FIG. 75(a), the release member 214 is rotated in the rotation direction D while being guided by the first slope 2104a1.

[0272] Further, the attachment 2102A moves in the direction of the arrow N, and the force F204 (see FIG. 65) that the first guided surface 214e1 receives from the first slope 2104a1 causes the release member 214 to move the release spring 216 shown in FIG. It is rotated in the rotation direction D against the biasing force F203.

[0273] The releasing member 214 is rotated in the rotational direction D until the first guided surface 214e1 passes the downstream end in the rotational direction D of the first slope 2104a1 in the rotational direction D.

[0274] The attachment 2102A is further moved in the direction of the arrow N, and the second inclined surface 2104a2 of the first deregulation portion 2104a abuts against the second guided surface 214e2 of the release pawl 214e, as shown in FIG. 65(c) (FIG. 65(f) ). In this state, when the attachment 2102A is moved in the direction of the arrow N, the force F205 that the second guided surface 214e2 receives from the second slope 2104a2 causes the release member 214 to move to the urging force of the release spring 216 shown in FIG. It is rotated in the direction of rotation D against F203.

[0275] The releasing member 214 is rotated in the rotational direction D until the second guided surface 214e2 passes the downstream end in the rotational direction D of the second inclined surface 2104a2 in the rotational direction D. The rotation of the release member 214 in the rotation direction D so far is the first step for releasing the rotation restriction.

[0276] Since the subsequent operation of the release member 214 is the same as that of the second embodiment, the explanation is omitted.

[0277] Thus, as in the second embodiment, the rotation regulation by the rotation regulation mechanism 212 of the image forming apparatus 1 is released, and the device-side shutter 209 becomes rotatable. Here, the attachment 2102A starts to be attached to the attachment portion 206 from an arbitrary phase in the direction of rotation about the central axis A. As shown in FIG. In which state the release operation is started depends on the phase in which the mounting is started, but the rotation restriction by the rotation restriction mechanism 212 can be released in any state when the release operation is started.

[0278] After the attachment 2102A is attached to the attachment portion 206, the toner pack 2120 without protrusions as shown in FIG. 76 is attached to the attachment portion 206 of the image forming apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 76, the toner pack 2120 of this modified example has the same shape as that of Example 2 except for the nozzle 202 shown in Example 2, so descriptions other than the nozzle 2102B will be omitted.

[0279] In the nozzle 2102B of this modified example, a cylindrical concave portion 2102Ba is provided coaxially with the central axis A on the first end side in the first direction D1. A surface 2102Bb orthogonal to the central axis A is provided on the second end side of the recess 2102Ba in the first direction D1. As shown in FIG. 77(b), the toner pack 2120 is mounted on the mounting portion 206 in the same manner as in the second embodiment, and the center axis A located on the first end side of the pack-side shutter 203 in the first direction D1 A through hole 203h coaxial with is engaged with the cylindrical portion 2102Aa of the attachment 2102A. Incidentally, the through hole 203h should be larger than the cylindrical portion 2102Aa. After that, similarly, the concave portion 2102Ba of the nozzle 2102B is engaged (fitted) with the cylindrical portion 2102Aa of the attachment 2102A, and the radial position of the nozzle 2102B centered on the central axis A with respect to the attachment 2102A is determined. Also, the surface 2102Bb of the nozzle 2102B abuts the end surface 2102Ax of the attachment 2102A, completing the mounting in the arrow N direction. After that, the toner in the storage portion 2101 is supplied to the toner storage chamber 36 of the developer container 32 in the same manner as in the second embodiment. After use, the toner pack 2120 is removed in the same manner as in the second embodiment, and then the attachment 2102A can be removed against the force of the tight fit with the cover 210. FIG.

[0280] Incidentally, it is possible to adopt a configuration of a mounting kit in which the attachment 2102A and the toner pack 2120 having no projecting portion are set.

[0281] The method of using the mounting kit has two steps. The first step is to attach the attachment 2102A to the attachment portion by moving it downward along the central axis while oriented in the predetermined direction described above. The second step is a step after the first step, and is a step of attaching the toner pack 2120 to the attachment portion. By the first step, the rotation regulation of the device-side shutter 209 by the rotation regulation mechanism 212 is released. In the second step, toner pack 2120 is attached to attachment portion 206 to which attachment 2102A is attached.

[0282] By transporting the configuration of the mounting kit, it is possible to reduce the packaging size of the toner pack 2120 in the direction of the central axis line A compared to the configuration of the second embodiment. When the toner pack 2120 is to be used, the user attaches the attachment 2102A to the image forming apparatus 1 in advance, thereby canceling the rotation restriction of the apparatus-side shutter 209 by the rotation restriction mechanism 212, as in the other embodiments. can do. Also, when the user attaches the attachment 2102A to the toner pack 2120 in advance when using the toner pack 2120, the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 209 by the rotation restriction mechanism 212 is canceled as in the other embodiments. be able to.

[0283] Next, attachment 21102A, which has a simpler structure than attachment 2102A, will be described.

[0284] The attachment 2102A is configured so that the rotation restriction by the rotation restriction mechanism 212 can be released even if the attachment to the attachment portion 206 is started from an arbitrary phase in the circumferential direction of the virtual circle VC. However, like the attachment 21102A, it is also possible to adopt a simpler configuration than that in which the user aligns and attaches so that the phase of the attachment portion 206 around the central axis A is matched.

[0285] As shown in FIG. 78, the attachment 21102A has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is provided with a cylindrical portion 21102Aa and a projecting portion 21102Ab (projecting portion) in this order in the first direction D1. Hereinafter, in the first direction D1, the cylindrical portion 21102 side of the attachment 21102A will be referred to as a first end, and the projecting portion side will be referred to as a second end.

[0286] The cylindrical portion 21102Aa has an inner peripheral surface 21102Ab1. The inner peripheral surface 21102Ab1 of this modified example is a cylindrical surface having a central axis A. As shown in FIG. The inner peripheral surface 21102Ab1 need not be a cylindrical surface as long as the central axis A can be defined as shown in FIG. 71 of the second embodiment. The protrusion 21102Ab has the same configuration as the protrusion 202b of the nozzle 202 of Example 2 shown in FIGS. 59(b), 59(c), and 60. FIG. A first deregulation portion 21104a (first projection) and a second deregulation portion 21104b (second projection) of the projecting portion 21102Ab have the same configuration as the first deregulation portion 204a and the second deregulation portion 204b of the second embodiment, respectively. , and is configured based on the central axis A of the inner peripheral surface 21102Ab1. That is, the first slope 21104a1, the second slope 21104a2, the third slope 21104a3, the gap 21104a4, and the abutment surface 21104a5 of the protrusion 21102Ab are the first slope 204a1, the second slope 204a2, and the third slope 204a3 of the second embodiment, respectively. , the gap 204a4, and the abutment surface 204a5, and is configured with the center axis A of the inner peripheral surface 2102Ab1 as a reference. The second deregulation portion 21104b has a shape that is 180 degrees rotationally symmetrical about the rotation axis A of the first deregulation portion 21104a, so the description thereof is omitted.

[0287] On the first end side of the cylindrical portion 21102Aa in the first direction D1, a triangular indicating portion 21102Ac recessed toward the second end side in the first direction D1 is installed at a position away from the central axis A. . Further, as shown in FIG. 76, when the toner pack 2120 of this modification is attached to the attachment portion 206, in order to avoid interference with the attachment 21102A already attached to the attachment portion 206, the nozzle 2102B has a cylindrical shape. A recessed portion 2102Ba is provided. Other configurations will be described later.

[0288] As shown in FIG. 77, the user operates the attachment 21102A with respect to the mounting portion 206 in the circumferential direction of the virtual circle VC centered on the central axis A and the operation lever 208 shown in FIG. It is mounted so that the portion 208b faces each other. This is because when attaching the attachment 21102A to the attachment portion 206, it is necessary to match the phases of the protruding portion 21102Ab and the attachment portion 206 around the central axis A and attach them. Since the operation of releasing the rotation restriction of the mounting portion 206 is the same as the above-described configuration, the description thereof is omitted.

[0289] After that, the user attaches the toner pack 2120 to the attachment portion 206 . Then, as in the second embodiment, the rotation regulation of the device-side shutter 209 by the rotation regulation mechanism 212 is released, and toner can be supplied from the toner pack 2120 to the toner storage chamber 36 of the developer container 32 .

[0290] It should be noted that, when using the toner pack 2120, the user may attach the attachment 21102A to the toner pack 2120 in advance. By doing so, as in the second embodiment, by mounting the toner pack 2120 to the mounting portion 206, the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 209 by the rotation restriction mechanism 212 can be released. In this case, the attachment 21102A can be attached at a predetermined rotational phase to the lower end of the nozzle 2102B when the toner pack 2120 is oriented in a predetermined direction. This eliminates the need for phase alignment when attaching to the attachment section 206 .

[0291] As for the configuration of the projecting portion 2102Ab in this modified example, the configuration of the modified example of the second embodiment can be applied in addition to the projecting portion 202b of the second embodiment.

[0292] (Modification 2) Next, another configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 79 to 87. FIG. Descriptions of the same points as those of the above-described embodiments and modifications will be omitted. In particular, among the elements disclosed in this embodiment, those corresponding to the members described in Embodiment 2 and Modification 1 of Embodiment 2 are similar to the members of Embodiment 2 and Modification 1 of Embodiment 2. Names will be given, and only differences from the second embodiment and the first modification of the second embodiment will be described.

[0293] In modification 1 of embodiment 2, a mounting kit including attachment 2102 having projecting portion 2102Ab and toner pack 2120 having pack-side shutter 203 and containing portion 2101 has been described. In this modified example, a configuration in which the attachment has a shutter (rotating member) will be described. In other words, this modified example relates to a mounting kit including an attachment having a protruding member having a shutter and a protruding portion, and a toner pack. Even with such a mounting kit, similarly to the second embodiment, it is possible to release the rotation regulation by the rotation regulation mechanism 212 of the device-side shutter 209 and replenish the toner storage chamber 36 of the developing container 32 with toner from the toner pack. be.

[0294] In this modified example, an attachment 2230 including a projecting member 2202 and a shutter 2203 will be described with reference to FIGS. 79, 80, 81 and 82. FIG. Figures 79(a) and 79(b) are a perspective view and a side view, respectively, of an attachment 2230 of this modification. 80(a) and (b) are perspective views of the shutter 2203 from different directions. 81 is a perspective view of the protruding member 2202. FIG.

[0295] As shown in FIG. 79(a), an attachment 2230 of this modified example has a shutter (rotating member) 2203 and a projecting member 2202 (projecting member). The shutter 2203 and the projecting member 2202 are arranged in the first direction D1.

[0296] The configuration of each component will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 80 and 81. FIG. Here, since the shutter 2203 of this modified example has the same shape as the pack-side shutter 203 of the second embodiment except for the portion where the protruding member 2202 is attached, only the portion where the protruding member 2202 is attached will be described. The shutter 2203 is attached to the projecting member 2202 so as to be rotatable around a central axis A as a rotation axis. Further, hereinafter, in the first direction D1, the shutter 2203 side will be referred to as a first end portion, and the projecting member 2202 side will be referred to as a second end portion.

[0297] As shown in FIG. 80(a), the shutter 2203 has a substantially cylindrical shape centered on the central axis A, and a hollow cylindrical portion substantially coaxial with the central axis A on the second end side in the first direction D1. 2203a. In the shutter 2203, inside a hollow cylindrical portion 2203a centered on the central axis A, a cylindrical surface 2203b and a through hole 2203c smaller in diameter than the cylindrical surface 2203b are arranged from the first end side in the first direction D1. It is provided substantially coaxially with the axis A. Two snap-fit ​​portions 2203k are provided in the hollow cylindrical portion 2203a so as to be rotationally symmetrical about the central axis A by 180 degrees. The snap fit portion 2203k is provided so as to protrude from the hollow cylindrical portion 2203a toward the first end in the first direction D1, and has a claw portion 2203m that protrudes toward the center axis A side. The claw portion 2203m has a support surface 2203n that faces the second end side in the first direction D1 and is substantially orthogonal to the central axis A. As shown in FIG. Further, a surface 2203r is provided on the center axis A side of the claw portion 2203m. The surface 2203r is arranged inside the cylindrical surface 2203b with respect to the central axis A. The cylindrical surface 2203b and the through hole 2203c are connected by a surface 2203d substantially perpendicular to the central axis A. As shown in FIG. 80(b), the surface 2203d is provided with two recesses 2203e that are recessed toward the second end in the first direction D1 so as to be symmetrical about the central axis A by rotating 180 degrees. It is The concave portion 2203e has a fan-shaped concave shape centered on the central axis A, the side closer to the central axis A communicates with the through hole 2203c, and the side farther from the central axis A has a smaller radius than the cylindrical surface 2203b. . Furthermore, the fan-shaped angle around the central axis A is about 90 degrees. The concave portion 2203e is provided with a surface 2203f intersecting the rotational direction D on the upstream side in the rotational direction D, and a surface 2203g substantially intersecting the rotational direction D on the downstream side in the rotational direction D. A surface 2203h substantially orthogonal to the central axis A is provided on the second end side (bottom surface of the recess) in the first direction D1 of the recess 2203e. The shutter 2203 further has, as shown in FIG. 83(b), a driven transmission portion 2203u (rotating member concave portion) recessed inward in the radial direction r on the side peripheral portion centered on the central axis A. As shown in FIG. In addition, when viewed in the direction of the central axis A, a shutter opening 2203t (rotating member opening) is provided on the opposite side of the driven transmission part 2203s with the central axis A interposed therebetween. The driven transmission part 2203u has the same configuration and the same function as the driven transmission part 203b shown in FIGS. 57(b) and 59(a) of the second embodiment. The shutter opening 2203t has the same configuration as the opening 203a shown in FIGS. 57(a) and 61(a) of the second embodiment.

[0298] As shown in FIG. 81, the protruding member 2202 has a substantially cylindrical shape centered on the central axis A. From the first end side in the first direction D1, the first cylindrical portion 2202a, the first cylindrical portion 2202a A second cylindrical portion 2202c having a smaller diameter and a substantially cylindrical projecting portion 2202b (projecting portion) are provided. The central axes of the first cylindrical portion 2202a and the second cylindrical portion 2202c of the protruding member 2202 are aligned with the central axis A. In addition, the protruding member 2202 has an inner peripheral surface 2202b1 (guide inner peripheral surface, positioning inner peripheral surface) centered on the central axis A. As shown in FIG. The inner peripheral surface 2202b1 of this modified example is a cylindrical surface having a central axis A. As shown in FIG. The inner peripheral surface 2202b1 is preferably a cylindrical surface or a surface on which the central axis A can be defined as shown in FIG. 71 of the second embodiment.

[0299] The projecting portion 2202b has the same shape as the projecting portion 202b of Example 2 shown in FIGS. 59(b), 59(c) and 60. FIG. The first deregulation portion 2204a (first projection) and the second deregulation portion 2204b (second projection) of the projecting portion 2202Ab of this modified example are the first deregulation portion 204a and the second deregulation portion of the second embodiment, respectively. It has the same configuration as 204b, and is configured with the central axis A as the rotation axis of the shutter 2203 as a reference. That is, the first slope 2204a1, the second slope 2204a2, the third slope 2204a3, the gap 2204a4, and the abutment surface 2204a5 of the projecting portion 2202Ab are the first slope 204a1, the second slope 204a2, and the third slope 204a3 of the second embodiment, respectively. , the gap 204a4, and the abutment surface 204a5, and is configured with the center axis A of the inner peripheral surface 2102Ab1 as a reference. The second deregulation portion 2204b has a shape that is 180 degrees rotationally symmetrical about the rotation axis A of the first deregulation portion 2204a, so the description thereof is omitted.

[0300] From the first cylindrical portion 2202a, two convex portions 2202e protruding toward the second end in the first direction D1 are installed so as to have 180° rotational symmetry around the central axis A. As shown in FIG. The convex portion 2202e is installed inside the outer shape of the first cylindrical portion 2202a in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the central axis A, and is connected to the second cylindrical portion 2202c on the central axis A side. The pair of protrusions 2202e are provided with an end face 2202f intersecting the rotational direction D on the upstream side in the rotational direction D, and an end face 2202g intersecting the rotational direction D on the downstream side in the rotational direction D, respectively.

[0301] Further, as shown in FIG. 79(b), the protruding portion 2202b is positioned perpendicular to the rotation axis A when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A so that the shutter opening 2203t of the shutter 2203 faces the front. Inside the width of the opening 2203t.

[0302] (assembly) Next, assembly of the shutter 2203 and the projecting member 2202 will be described with reference to FIGS. 82 and 83. FIG. FIG. 82 is an exploded perspective view of an attachment 2230 of this modification. 83(a) and (b) are X2201-X2201 and X2202-X2202 cross-sectional views in FIG.

[0303] As shown in FIG. 82, the projecting member 2202 is installed substantially coaxially with the central axis A with respect to the shutter 2203 from the first end side in the first direction D1. The protruding member 2202 is attached to the shutter 2203 while spreading the two snap fit portions 2203k of the shutter 2203 in directions away from each other. After that, the protruding member 2202 is supported by the shutter 2203 so that the second cylindrical portion 2202c is fitted into the through hole 2203c of the shutter 2203. As shown in FIG. Further, the outer circumference of the first cylindrical portion 2202a of the protruding member 2202 is fitted to the cylindrical surface 2203b of the shutter 2203 with a slight tight fit.

[0304] As shown in FIG. 83(a), the first cylindrical portion 2202a of the protruding member 2202 hits the surface 2203d of the shutter 2203 and is positioned in the first direction D1. Further, the protruding member 2202 abuts against the support surface 2203n of the snap fit portion 2203k of the shutter 2203 on the first end side in the first direction D1, and the hollow cylindrical portion 2203a is sandwiched between the surface 2203d and the support surface 2203n. . This restricts the projecting member 2202 from falling off the shutter 2203 in the first direction D1.

[0305] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 83(b), the protruding member 2202 abuts the surface 2203g of the shutter 2203 with the end face 2202g of the projection 2202e in the direction of rotation about the central axis A. Let this position be the first position.

[0306] Here, the protruding member 2202 is rotatably supported with respect to the shutter 2203 in a rotational direction about the central axis A within a certain range. It is configured to be movable between the first position and the second position in the rotational direction. When the protruding portion 2202b protrudes downward (in the direction of gravity) and is oriented in a predetermined direction in which the center axis A faces the direction of gravity, the protruding member 2202 protrudes from the lower surface of the shutter 2203 as shown in FIG. It is supported by the shutter 2203 so that the portion 2202b protrudes. Further, as shown in FIGS. 83(a) and 79(b), when the attachment 2230 is oriented in a predetermined direction in which the protruding portion 2202b protrudes downward and the central axis A faces the direction of gravity, the protruding member 2202 is supported by shutter 2203 so as to protrude (protrude) downward from lower surface 2203v of shutter 2203 . Further, as shown in FIG. 83(b), the protruding member 2202 (protruding portion 2202b) is closer to the central axis A in the radial direction r than the driven transmission portion 2203u of the shutter 2203 when viewed in the direction of the central axis A. placed in position.

[0307] (attachment attachment) That is, the attachment 2230 is moved downward (in the direction of arrow N) toward the mounting section 206 while being oriented in the above-described predetermined direction, and is mounted on the mounting section 206 .

[0308] At this time, the drive transmitting portion 2203u of the shutter 2203 shown in FIG. 83(b) is engaged with the drive transmitting portion 209e (shutter convex portion, see FIG. 44) of the device-side shutter 209. As shown in FIG. By doing so, the shutter opening 2203t of the shutter 2203 and the reception port 209a of the device-side shutter 209 are communicated. Also, the inner peripheral surface 2202b1 of the projecting portion 2202b of the projecting member 2202 is fitted (engaged) with the small diameter portion 209d2 of the center boss 209d of the mounting portion 206. As shown in FIG.

[0309] As in the second embodiment, when the restriction releasing portion of the projecting portion 2202b of the attachment 2230 (same as the projecting portion 202b of the second embodiment) acts on the releasing member 214 of the mounting portion 206, the device-side shutter 209 is released by the rotation restricting mechanism 212. Rotation restriction is released. 41(a) and 41(b), the shutter 2203 is rotated in the arrow D direction together with the device-side shutter 209. As shown in FIGS.

[0310] The operation of attachment 2230 accompanying rotation of operating lever 208 from the closed position to the open position will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 84 and 85. FIG. 84(a), (b), and (c) are enlarged side views of a connection portion between a part of mounting portion 206 (cover 210, regulating member 213, and releasing member 214) and attachment 2230, showing the operation of attachment 2230. FIG. be. FIG. 84(a) is a side view of the operating lever 208 (not shown) at the closed position, and FIG. 84(b) is a side view of the operating lever 208 between the closed position and the open position. 84(c) is a side view of the operating lever 208 in the open position. FIGS. 85(a), (b), and (c) are cross-sectional views taken along the line X2203-X2203 in FIG. 84(a) corresponding to FIGS. 84(a), (b), and (c).

[0311] 84(a) and 85(a) show a state in which the attachment 2230 is attached to the attachment portion 206 and the operating lever 208 is in the closed position. At this time, as in the second embodiment, as the attachment 2230 is attached to the mounting portion 206, the restriction releasing portion of the projecting portion 2202b (same as the projecting portion 202b in the second embodiment) acts on the releasing member 214, Rotation restriction by the rotation restriction mechanism 212 of the side shutter 209 is released.

[0312] Next, when the operation lever 208 is rotated, the shutter 2203 also rotates in the direction of the arrow D, resulting in the states shown in FIGS. 84(b) and 85(b). At this time, along with the rotation of the shutter 2203, the protruding member 2202, which is slightly tight-fitted to the shutter 2203, is also rotated in the arrow D direction due to the frictional force from the shutter 2203. FIG.

[0313] Here, since the projecting portion 2202b is engaged with the releasing member 214, the releasing member 214 is also rotating in the arrow D direction together with the projecting member 2202. FIG. Attachment 2230 rotated in the direction of arrow D stops moving in the direction of rotation as rising restricted surface 214c collides with restricting member 213. As shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 85(b), the protruding member 2202 moves toward the first position where the end surface 2202g of the projection 2202e abuts the surface 2203g of the shutter 2203 in the direction of rotation about the central axis A. maintains its position.

[0314] Next, when the operating lever 208 is further rotated in the direction of arrow D against the friction with the projecting member 2202, the operating lever 208 is positioned at the open position as shown in FIGS. 84(c) and 85(c). . At this time, the end surface 2202g of the protruding member 2202 is not in contact with the surface 2203g of the shutter 2203 in the direction of rotation about the central axis A. The position of the projecting member 2202 when the operating lever 208 is at the open position is the second position.

[0315] In the states shown in FIGS. 84(c) and 85(c), the receiving opening 209a of the device-side shutter 209 is exposed. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 86, the user attaches a toner pack 2220 having, for example, a straw-shaped discharge member 2220a to the receiving port 209a, and replenishes the toner in the container 2201 to the toner storage chamber 36 of the developing container 32. can be done.

[0316] For example, as shown in FIG. 87, the lid member 2250 may be attached to the attachment 2230 while the attachment 2230 is attached to the attachment portion 206. FIG.

[0317] Also, when removing the attachment 2230, the operation lever 208 is rotated in the direction of arrow E from the open position to the closed position. Then, the operating lever 208, the shutter 2203, the protruding member 2202, and the release member 214 rotate in the direction of arrow E in conjunction with each other in the reverse order of the operation associated with the rotation from the closed position to the open position. At this time, the operating lever moves from the open position to the closed position, and the projecting member 2202 moves from the second position to the first position.

[0318] Thereafter, by pulling out the attachment 2230 in the direction of arrow G (see FIG. 67) in the same manner as in the second embodiment, removal of the attachment 2230 from the mounting portion 206 is completed.

[0319] As described above, even in the mounting kit composed of the attachment 2230 having the protruding member 2202 and the shutter 2203 and the toner pack 2220 having the accommodating portion, the device-side shutter 209 can be removed in the same manner as in the second embodiment. It is possible to release the rotation regulation by the rotation regulation mechanism 212 and replenish toner from the toner pack 2220 to the toner storage chamber 36 of the developer container 32 .

[0320] In addition, in this modified example, the protruding member 2202 is configured to be movable within a certain range in the rotational direction about the central axis A with respect to the mounting portion 206. A similar effect can be obtained by providing a portion for positioning in the direction of rotation about the central axis A and by adopting a configuration that does not move.

[0321] Further, regarding the configuration of the projecting portion 2202b in this modified example, the configuration of the modified example of the second embodiment can be applied in addition to the projecting portion 202b of the second embodiment.

[0322] (Modification 3) In this embodiment (Embodiment 2), the first slope 204a1 and the second slope 204a2 of the first deregulation portion 204a are different slopes, and the second deregulation portion 204b has the same configuration. However, as shown in FIG. 88, the two slopes may be coplanar. The configuration in this case will be described as this modified example with reference to FIGS. 88 to 91. FIG. In this modification, the first slope 204a1 and the second slope 204a2 of the first deregulation portion 204a, and the first slope 204a1 and the second slope 204a2 of the second deregulation portion 204b of the present embodiment are changed to be the same. It has a face structure. Since the configuration is the same as that of the present embodiment except for this change, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0323] FIG. 88 is a diagram showing detailed shapes of a first deregulation portion 2304a (first projection) and a second deregulation portion 2304b (second projection) of this modification. FIG. 88(a) is a perspective view of the first deregulation portion 2304a and the second deregulation portion 2304b viewed from the second end side (nozzle side) in the first direction D1. 88(b) is a view of the first deregulation portion 2304a viewed from a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A. FIG. FIG. 88(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X2301-X2301 of FIG. 88(b). FIG. 88(d) is a view of the first deregulation portion 2304a viewed in the direction of arrow U (upward).

[0324] As shown in FIG. 88(a), the projecting portion 2302b of the nozzle 2302 is provided with a deregulation portion 2304 including a first deregulation portion 2304a and a second deregulation portion 2304b. The first deregulation portion 2304a includes a first slope 2304a1 (downward surface, downward guide surface, downward force imparting surface, downward pressing surface), a second slope 2304a2 (upward surface, upward guide surface), and an abutment surface 2304a3 (downstream side end face, contact surface).

[0325] As shown in FIG. 88(b), the first slope 2304a1 faces in the direction of arrow N (downward), and moves in the direction of arrow U (upward) as it goes in the direction of rotation K (first direction of rotation) about the rotation axis A. ).

[0326] Here, as shown in FIGS. 88(a) and 88(d), in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A, the end of the first slope 2304a1 on the side closer to the rotation axis A Let it be the end 2304a4 (inner edge line, inner ridge line). In addition, the inner end 2304a4 has an inner upstream end 2304a4U (inner upstream edge line, inner upstream ridgeline) on the upstream side in the rotation direction K and an inner downstream end 2304a4D (inner downstream edge line, inner downstream ridgeline) on the downstream side. , and an inner intermediate edge 2304a4I (inner intermediate edge line, inner intermediate ridgeline) connecting them. The inner downstream end 2304a4D is located farther from the rotational axis A than the inner upstream end 2304a4U with respect to the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotational axis A. In this embodiment, the inner upstream end 2304a4U and the inner downstream end 2304a4D are respectively the first circular arc centered on the rotation axis A when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis A as shown in FIG. Contains a second arc with a larger radius than the first. The inner intermediate end 2304a4I extends in the radial direction r to connect the first circular arc and the second circular arc.

[0327] Further, as shown in FIGS. 88(a) and 88(d), in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A, the end of the first slope 2304a1 on the far side from the rotation axis A is the outer edge. 2304a5 (outer edge line, outer edge line). In addition, the outer edge 2304a5 includes an outer upstream edge 2304a5U (outer upstream edge line, outer upstream ridgeline) on the upstream side in the rotation direction K and an outer downstream edge 2304a5D (outer downstream edge line, outer downstream ridgeline) on the downstream side. , and an outer intermediate edge 2304a5I (outer intermediate edge line, outer intermediate edge line) connecting them. The outer downstream end 2304a5D is located farther from the rotational axis A than the outer upstream end 2304a5U with respect to the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotational axis A. In this embodiment, the outer upstream end 2304a5U and the outer downstream end 2304a5D are respectively the third circular arc centered on the rotation axis A when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis A as shown in FIG. Contains a fourth arc with a larger radius than the third arc. The outer intermediate end 2304a5I extends in the radial direction r so as to connect the third arc and the fourth arc.

[0328] At least part of the second slope 2304a2 is provided in the direction of arrow U (upward) from at least part of the first slope 2304a1, as shown in FIG. 88(b).

[0329] At this time, as shown in FIG. 88(c), the first slope 2304a1 is defined as the first slope inner side 2304a1I that is inside the second slope 2304a2 in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A. be done. In addition, the portion of the first slope 2304a1 and the second slope 2304a2 that is substantially at the same position in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A is defined as the first slope outer side 2304a1O. At this time, at least part of the inner side of the first slope 2304a1I and at least part of the outer side of the first slope 2304a1O overlap in the rotation direction K (see also FIG. 88(d)).

[0330] The abutting surface 2304a3 is provided in the direction of arrow U (upward) from the downstream end of the inner side of the first slope 2304a1I in the direction of rotation K. Since at least a portion of the inner side of the first slope 2304a1I and at least a portion of the outer side of the first slope 2304a1O overlap in the direction of rotation K, the abutment surface 2304a3 overlaps the outer side of the first slope 2304a1O in the direction of rotation K. do.

[0331] As shown in FIG. 88(a), the second deregulation portion 2304b includes a first slope 2304b1 (downward surface, downward guide surface, downward force application surface), a second slope 2304b2 (upward surface, upward guide surface), a thrust It has a contact surface 2304b3. Here, the first deregulation portion 2304a and the second deregulation portion 2304b have 180-degree rotational symmetry with the rotation axis A as the center. Therefore, detailed description of the second deregulation unit 2304b is omitted.

[0332] 89 and 90, a mechanism for releasing rotation restriction of device-side shutter 209 by rotation restriction mechanism 212 by attaching toner pack 2320 of the present modification to attachment portion 206 will be described. FIG. 89 shows the operation of rotating the release claw 214e on the first slope 2304a1 of the first deregulation portion 2304a, and (a), (c), and (e) show the process. Also, in FIG. 89, (b) is the X2302-X2302 cross section in the state of (a), (d) is the X2303-X2303 cross section in the state of (c), and (f) is the X2304-X2304-X2304 in the state of (e). X2304 cross-sections are shown, respectively. FIG. 90 shows an operation in which the release claw 214e is moved by the second slope 2304a2 of the first deregulation portion 2304a. Each figure shows only the nozzle 2302 (restriction release portion 2304), the restriction member 213, and the release member 214 for ease of viewing. In addition, in FIG. 89(c), the hidden line of the abutment surface 214a3 that overlaps with the rotation axis A is clearly indicated by a thin line only in this drawing.

[0333] By mounting the toner pack 2320, as shown in FIG. 89(a), the first inclined surface 2304a1 of the first regulation releasing portion 2304a comes into contact with the first guided surface 214e1 of the releasing claw 214e. At this time, as shown in FIG. 89(b), the first guided surface 214e1 of the release claw 214e abuts against the inner side of the first slope 2304a1I of the first deregulation portion 2304a.

[0334] When the toner pack 2320 is further moved in the direction of the arrow N (downward) from here, the release member 214 rotates in the rotation direction D shown in FIG. 89(a) by the same operation as in this embodiment. In other words, the release member 214 is rotated in the rotation direction D by applying a force while the first guided surface 214e1 is guided by the inner side of the first slope 2304a1I. Then, as shown in FIG. 89(c), the releasing member 214 rotates in the rotational direction D until the first guided surface 214e1 passes the downstream end of the first inner side 2304a1I in the rotational direction D. As shown in FIG. At this time, the contact between the first guided surface 214e1 and the first slope 2304a1 of the first deregulation portion 2304a is released, and the rotation in the rotation direction D stops. Further, as described above, the inner downstream end 2304a4D of the first deregulation portion 2304a is located farther from the rotation axis A than the inner upstream end 2304a4U with respect to the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A (Fig. 88(d)). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 89(d), there is a space S230 in the arrow G direction (above) of the releasing claw 214e.

[0335] When toner pack 2320 is further moved in the direction of arrow N (downward), release claw 214e enters space S230 in the direction of arrow G (upward). At this time, the contact surface 214f ​​of the release claw 214e abuts against the abutment surface 2304a3 of the first deregulation portion 2304a due to the moment M202 (biasing force) of the release spring 216 (see FIG. 50) shown in FIG. 89(c). . As a result, the release claw 214e is restricted from rotating in the rotation direction E. As shown in FIG. At this time, since the abutment surface 2304a3 of the first deregulation portion 2304a overlaps the first slope outer side 2304a1O in the rotation direction K, the first slope outer side 2304a1O rotates with the second guided surface 214e2 of the release claw 214e. Overlap with respect to direction D. Then, as shown in FIG. 89(e), the first slope 214a1 of the first deregulation portion 2304a contacts the second guided surface 214e2 of the release claw 214e. At this time, as shown in FIG. 89(f), the second guided surface 214e2 of the release claw 214e abuts against the first inclined surface outer side 2304a1O of the first restriction release portion 2304a.

[0336] When toner pack 2320 is further moved in the direction of arrow N (downward) from here, release member 214 rotates in direction of rotation D shown in FIG. In other words, the release member 214 is rotated in the rotation direction D by applying a force while the second guided surface 214e2 is guided by the outer side of the first slope 2304a1O.

[0337] Then, the release member 214 rotates in the rotation direction D until the second guided surface 214e2 passes the downstream end of the first slope outer side 2304a1O of the first restriction release portion 2304a in the rotation direction D. Note that the operation up to this point is the first step in this modified example.

[0338] After the first step, as shown in FIG. 90(a), the third guided surface 214e3 of the releasing claw 214e climbs up the downstream end of the second slope 2304a2 of the first deregulation portion 2304a in the rotational direction D. 90(b), the contact surfaces 214a and 214f ​​of the release member 214 abut against the abutment surface 2304a3 of the first deregulation portion 2304a. Then, the rotation regulation of the device-side shutter (see FIG. 40) by the rotation regulation mechanism 212 is released.

[0339] As described above, in this modified example, the first slope 204a1 and the second slope 204a2 of the first deregulation portion 2304a in the present embodiment, and the first slope 204b1 and the second slope 204b2 of the second deregulation portion 204b are Same side. As a result, two surfaces can be processed by one surface, and the effect of reducing the number of processing steps can be expected.

[0340] In this modification, the first slope 2304a1 of the first deregulation portion 2304a has an inner intermediate end 2304a4I between the inner upstream end 2304a4U of the inner end 2304a4 and the inner downstream end 2304a4D. This is due to the abutment surface 2304a3. The same applies to the second deregulation unit 2304b.

[0341] Next, another form will be described. As shown in FIG. 91, the projecting portion 23102b of the nozzle 23102 is provided with a deregulation portion 23104 including a first deregulation portion 23104a (first projection) and a second deregulation portion 23104b (second projection). . The inner end 23104a4 (inner edge line, inner ridge) of the first slope 23104a1 of the first deregulation portion 23104a and the inner end 23104b4 (inner edge line, inner ridge) of the first slope 23104a1 of the second deregulation portion 23104b are It is smoothly continuous from the upstream side to the downstream side in the rotation direction K. Since the first deregulation part 23104a and the second deregulation part 23104b are 180-rotationally symmetrical about the rotation axis A, only the first deregulation part 23104a will be described below. Note that FIG. 91 shows the shape of the first deregulation portion 23104a, where (a) is a perspective view seen from the second end side (nozzle side) in the first direction D1, and (b) is a perspective view. It is a view seen from the second end side (nozzle side) in the first direction D1, and (c) is the X23104-X23104 cross section of (a).

[0342] As shown in FIG. 91(a), the inner end 23104a4 smoothly continues outward in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotational axis A as it goes downstream in the rotational direction K. is. Here, the inner end 23104a4 includes an inner upstream end 23104a4U (inner upstream edge line, inner upstream ridgeline) on the upstream side in the rotation direction K and an inner downstream end 23104a4D (inner downstream edge line, inner downstream ridgeline). . The inner upstream end 23104a4U and the inner downstream end 23104a4D are ends that extend smoothly and continuously. Similarly, the inner end 23104b4 has an inner upstream end 23104b4U (inner upstream edge line, inner upstream ridgeline) on the upstream side in the rotation direction K, an inner downstream end 23104b4D (inner downstream edge line, inner downstream ridgeline), including. The inner upstream end 23104b4U and the inner downstream end 23104b4D are ends that extend smoothly and continuously.

[0343] In addition, as shown in FIG. 91(c), the first deregulation portion 23104a has a first abutting surface 23104a5 in the direction of arrow U (upward) of the inner end 23104a4, and a direction of arrow U (upward) in the second slope 23104a2. has a second abutting surface 23104a3 on each. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 91(c), the second deregulation portion 23104b extends in the direction of the arrow U (upward) of the inner end 23104b4, the first abutment surface 23104b5, and the direction of the arrow U of the second slope 23104b2. Each of them has a second abutment surface 23104b3 on its (upper) side.

[0344] Next, a mechanism for releasing the restriction of rotation of the device-side shutter 209 by the rotation restriction mechanism 212 by mounting the toner pack 23120 using the restriction releasing portion 23104 having another shape of this modification will be described with reference to FIG. . However, after the release claw 214e is rotated in the rotation direction D by the first slope inner side 23104a1I of the first deregulation portion 23104a and releases contact with the first slope inner side 23104a1I, which is an operation different from this modification. Only the operation of is explained. FIG. 92 shows a state in which the releasing claw 214e has released the contact of the first deregulation portion 23104a with the inner side of the first slope 23104a1I. , (b) shows the X2306-X2306 section of (a), and (c) shows the X2307-X2307 section of (a). Each figure shows only the nozzle 2302 (restriction releasing portion 23104), the restricting member 213, and the releasing member 214 for ease of viewing. In addition, in FIG. 92(c), the cut surfaces of the nozzle 2302 (restriction release portion 23104) and release claw 214e (release member 214) are hatched for easy viewing.

[0345] In the state of FIG. 92(a), the contact between the first guided surface 214e1 and the first slope inner side 23104a1I of the first deregulation portion 23104a is released, and the rotation in the rotation direction D stops. Further, as described above, the inner end 23104a4 of the first deregulation portion 23104a has a shape that extends outward in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A as it goes in the rotational direction D (Fig. 91 (a )reference). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 92(b), there is a space S231 in the arrow G direction (above) of the release claw 214e.

[0346] When the release claw 214e enters the space S231 in the direction of arrow G (upward), the release claw 214e moves in the rotational direction E due to the moment M202 (biasing force) of the release spring 216 (see FIG. 50) shown in FIG. 92(a). try to rotate. 92(b) and 92(c), the contact surface 214f ​​contacts the first abutment surface 23104a5 of the first deregulation portion 23104a from the rotation direction E by the moment M202. touch. As a result, the release claw 214e is restricted from rotating in the rotation direction E. As shown in FIG.

[0347] Here, on the cross section of FIG. 92(c), the intersection of the circumscribed circle C230 centered on the rotational axis A of the contact surface 214f ​​of the release claw 214e and the first contact surface 23104a5 of the first deregulation portion 23104a. be the intersection point P230. Then, the intersection point P230 is set so as to overlap in the rotation direction K with the first slope outer side 2304a1O of the first deregulation portion 23104a. In addition, since the contact portion between the first abutment surface 23104a5 of the first deregulation portion 23104a and the contact surface 214f ​​of the release claw 214e is the intersection point P230, as shown in FIG. The second guided surface 214e2 overlaps the first slope outer side 23104a1O of the first deregulation portion 23104a in the rotational direction D. As shown in FIG.

[0348] When the toner pack 23120 is further moved in the direction of the arrow N (downward) from the state of FIG. 92, the first slope outer side 2304a1O of the first regulation releasing portion 23104a contacts the second guided surface 214e2 of the release claw 214e. After that, the restriction on the rotation of the device-side shutter 209 by the rotation restricting mechanism 212 is released by the same operation as in this modified example.

[0349] As described above, in the deregulation portion 23104 having another shape according to the present modification, the inner upstream end 23104a4U and the inner downstream end 23104a4D of the first deregulation portion 2304a in the present modification extend smoothly and continuously. It is configured to be the edge. In addition, the inner upstream end 23104b4U and the inner downstream end 23104b4D of the second deregulation portion 23104b are configured to form one smoothly continuous end (edge ​​line, ridgeline). As a result, two ridgelines (surfaces) can be processed as one ridgeline (surface), and the effect of reducing the number of processing steps can be expected.

[0350] (Modification 4) Next, another configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 93 to 95. FIG. Descriptions of the same points as those of the above-described embodiments and modifications will be omitted. In particular, among the elements disclosed in this embodiment, those corresponding to the members described in Embodiment 2 are given the same names as the members in Embodiment 2, and the points different from those in Embodiment 2 are described. only explained.

[0351] In the second embodiment, the protrusion 202b (protrusion) is provided integrally with the nozzle 202, but by providing the protrusion on another component, the protrusion having a complicated shape can be reused. It is possible to facilitate recycling and improve recyclability.

[0352] A configuration in which the projecting portion 202b is provided on a component other than the nozzle will be described below.

[0353] FIG. 93 is an external perspective view of a discharge unit 2402 of this modified example. FIG. 94 is an exploded perspective view of a discharge unit 2402 of this modification. FIG. 95 is a perspective view of a toner pack 2420 to which a discharge unit 2402 of this modified example is attached.

[0354] As shown in FIG. 93, the discharge unit 2402 of this modified example has a cylindrical shape, and a nozzle 2402A (discharge portion) and a support member 2402B are arranged substantially coaxially with the rotation axis A. As shown in FIG.

[0355] As shown in FIG. 94, in the nozzle 2402A, a cylindrical portion 2402Aa and a disk portion 2402Ab having a larger diameter than the cylindrical portion 2402Aa are arranged substantially coaxially with the rotation axis A from the first end side in the first direction D1. A toner conveying portion 2402Ac is installed to protrude from the disk portion 2402Ab toward the second end in the first direction D1. The toner conveying portion 2402Ac is provided with a discharge surface 2402Ae extending in the rotation axis A direction on the second end side in the first direction D1.

[0356] A through hole 2402Ad is provided in the nozzle 2402A, and penetrates the cylindrical portion 2402Aa, the disk portion 2402Ab, and the toner conveying portion 2402Ac from the first end side in the first direction D1, and is substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis A on the discharge surface 2402Ae. It is leading in the direction of A portion where the through hole 2402Ad penetrates the discharge surface 2402Ae is called a discharge port 2402Ag (opening).

[0357] The supporting member 2402B has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a first cylindrical portion 2402Ba, a disk portion 2402Bc having a larger diameter than the first cylindrical portion 2402Ba, and a second cylindrical portion 2402Be rotate from the first end side in the first direction D1. It is provided substantially coaxially with the axis A. A protruding portion 2402Bb protrudes in the rotation axis A direction from an end surface 2402Bg of the second cylindrical portion 2402Be in the rotation axis A direction.

[0358] The protruding portion 2402Bb has the same shape as the protruding portion 202b of the nozzle 202 of Example 2, so the description thereof is omitted.

[0359] In addition, a through hole 2402Bd is provided in the support member 2402B, and passes through the first cylindrical portion 2402Ba, the disc portion 2402Bc, and the second cylindrical portion 2402Be from the first end side in the first direction D1, and extends through the second cylindrical portion 2402B. It communicates with the side hole 2402Bf (side opening) of the portion 2402Be.

[0360] (Assembly of discharge unit) On the first end side of the nozzle 2402A in the first direction D1, the housing portion 2401 is attached to the cylindrical portion 2402Aa without any gap by adhesion or the like. (See Figure 95) As shown in FIG. 94, a support member 2402B is attached to the nozzle 2402A substantially coaxially with the rotation axis A from the second end side in the first direction D1. The first cylindrical portion 2402Ba of the support member 2402B is tightly fitted into a recess (not shown) provided in the disk portion 2402Ab of the nozzle 2402A. Thus, support member 2402B is coupled to nozzle 2402A.

[0361] In the discharge unit 2402 in which the nozzle 2402A and the support member 2402B are coupled, the discharge port 2402Ag is arranged at substantially the same position as the discharge port 202a of the nozzle 202 of the second embodiment.

[0362] As shown in FIG. 95, the direction of the toner pack 2420 in which at least part of the discharge unit 2402 is located below the container 201 and the rotation axis A faces the direction of gravity is taken as a predetermined direction. When the toner pack 2420 is oriented in a predetermined direction, the protrusion 2402Bb protrudes downward from the end surface 2402Bg (lower surface) of the support member 2402B. Also, the projecting portion 2402Bb is located below the discharge port 2402Ag.

[0363] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 95, the discharge unit 2402 is attached with the pack-side shutter 203 in the same manner as in the second embodiment.

[0364] Since the method of attaching and detaching to and from the attachment portion 206 is the same as that of the second embodiment, the description is omitted.

[0365] As described above, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the projecting portion 202b is provided on the support member 2402B, which is a component separate from the nozzle 2402A. The nozzle 2402A and the support member 2402B are fixed with an interference fit and can be removed from each other relatively easily. Therefore, only the supporting member 2402B having the projection 2402Bb with a complicated shape can be easily removed from the toner pack 2420. FIG. Therefore, it is possible to facilitate reuse of the support member 2402B having the projecting portion 2402Bb and improve recyclability.

[0366] (Modification 5) Next, another configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 96 to 98. FIG. Descriptions of the same points as those of the above-described embodiments and modifications will be omitted. In particular, among the elements disclosed in this embodiment, those corresponding to the members described in Embodiment 2 are given the same names as the members in Embodiment 2, and the points different from those in Embodiment 2 are described. only explained.

[0367] FIG. 96 is a perspective view of a toner pack 2520 of this modification. FIG. 97(a) is a perspective view of the nozzle 2502 of this modification. FIG. 97(b) is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle 2502 of this modification.

[0368] In Example 2, the nozzle 202 has a side surface 202c extending in the direction of the rotation axis A (center axis), and the discharge port 202a is provided in the side surface 202c. On the other hand, in this modified example, the outlet 2502k2 is provided on the end surface of the cylindrical portion 2502k.

[0369] The nozzle 2502 of this modified example will be described.

[0370] As shown in FIGS. 97(a) and 97(b), the nozzle 2502 of this modification includes a cylindrical portion 2502k (pipe) and a body portion 2502n (pipe support member) that supports the cylindrical portion 2502k. . The cylindrical portion 2502k has a cylindrical shape, and a substantially circular opening 2502k1 (receiving port) is arranged substantially coaxially with the rotation axis A on the first end side in the first direction D1. . A substantially circular discharge port 2502k2 (exit) is provided at the end of the cylindrical portion 2502k opposite to the opening 2502k1. The outlet 2502k2 faces in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis A, as shown in FIG. 97(b). In other words, the outlet 2502k2 faces outward in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC centered on the rotation axis A, as shown in FIG. 97(a). The opening 2502k1 and the discharge port 2502k2 communicate with each other through a communication path 2502k3. The communicating path 2502k3 is a portion having a curved cylindrical shape. In other words, when the toner pack 2520 is oriented in the predetermined direction (orientation of the mounting posture) of the second embodiment, the cylindrical portion 2502k has the opening portion 2502k1 facing upward and the communication passage 2502k3 facing downward in the radial direction r. extends to the outside of the

[0371] Further, the body portion 2502n of the nozzle 2502 is provided with a slope portion 2502m on the first end side in the first direction D1 from the opening portion 2502k1. The slope portion 2502m is a conical slope that is substantially coaxial with the rotation axis A, and is a slope that slopes toward the rotation axis A toward the second end side in the first direction D1.

[0372] The toner in the storage portion 201 of the toner pack 2520 passes through the slant portion 2502m, the cylindrical portion 2502k, is discharged from the discharge port 2502k2, and is supplied to the toner storage chamber 36 of the developer container 32. FIG.

[0373] Further, the projecting portion 2502b projects downward from the lower end surface (bottom surface) of the main body portion 2502n when the toner pack 2520 is oriented in a predetermined direction. The protruding portion 2502b has exactly the same shape as the protruding portion 202b of the second embodiment, so the description thereof is omitted.

[0374] This modified example has the same configuration as that of Example 2 except that the nozzle 202 of Example 2 is replaced with a nozzle 2502, so other explanations are omitted.

[0375] In this modified example, nozzle 2502 is described as having a configuration in which body portion 2502n and cylindrical portion 2502k are coupled, but the cylindrical portion and body portion may be integrally formed. In addition, the cylindrical portion 2502k may be made of a hard material that does not deform, or may be made of a material that has elasticity and is deformable.

[0376] In addition, in this modification, the discharge port 2502k2 of the cylindrical portion 2502k is fixed facing outward in the radial direction r, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0377] A toner pack 2530 having a nozzle 2503 in which the orientation of the discharge port of the cylindrical portion is variable will be described with reference to FIGS. 98 and 99. FIG.

[0378] In this configuration, the protruding portion 2503b and the slope portion 2503m of the nozzle 2503 have the same shape as the protruding portion 2502b and the slope portion 2502m described above, and thus description thereof is omitted.

[0379] FIGS. 98(a) and 98(b) show the nozzle in a state where the discharge port 2503k2 of the cylindrical portion 2503k faces downward (in the direction of the rotation axis A) when the toner pack 2530 is oriented in a predetermined direction. 2503 is a perspective view and a sectional view. FIG. FIGS. 99(a) and 99(b) are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the nozzle 2503 when the outlet 2503k2 of the cylindrical portion 2503k faces outward in the radial direction r.

[0380] The cylindrical portion 2503k is configured to be flexible, and the discharge port 2503k2 faces downward in a new unused state as shown in FIGS. 98(a) and 98(b). A receiving port 2503k1 for receiving toner from the container 201 faces upward. When the toner pack 2530 is attached to the attachment portion 206, the user can change the orientation of the cylindrical portion 2503k so that it faces outward in the radial direction r. It should be noted that the discharge port 2503k2 of the cylindrical portion 2503k may be directed upward or inward in the radial direction r in the unused state of the new product. In other words, when the toner pack 2530 is attached to the attachment portion 206, the outlet 2503k2 may be configured to face outward in the radial direction r.

[0381] (Modification 6) In this embodiment, the first deregulation portion 204a includes a first slope 204a1, a second slope 204a2, a third slope 204a3, and an abutment surface 204a5. 180 degree rotational symmetry around the rotation axis A (central axis). However, it is not limited to this configuration. In this modified example, a configuration in which the functions of the first deregulation part and the second deregulation part are separated will be described.

[0382] The second deregulation portion 2604b (second projection) of this modification is provided on the opposite side of the first deregulation portion 2604a (first projection) with respect to the rotation axis A, and is the first projection in the circumferential direction of the virtual circle VC. It is located at a position different from that of the regulation release portion 2604a (Fig. 100(c)). Furthermore, the first deregulation portion 2604a and the second deregulation portion 2604b overlap when viewed in the radial direction r of the virtual circle VC (FIG. 100(b)).

[0383] As shown in FIG. 100(a), the first deregulation portion 2604a includes a second slope 2604a2 (second downward surface, second downward guide surface, second force application surface) and a third slope 2604a3 (upward surface, upward guide surface) and an abutment surface 2604a5. The second deregulation portion 2604b has a first slope 2604b1 (first downward surface, first downward surface, first force applying surface) and an abutting surface 2604b5. The first deregulation portion 2604a does not have a slope corresponding to the first slope 2604b1, and the second deregulation portion 2604b does not have a slope corresponding to the second slope 2604a2 and the third slope 2604a3.

[0384] As shown in FIGS. 65(a), 65(b), and 67, the first slope 2604b1 of the second regulation releasing portion 2604b applies force while guiding the first guided surface 214e1 of the release member 214. do. As a result, the release member 214 is rotated in the rotation direction D to a position where the second guided surface 214e2 and the third guided surface 214e3 of the release member 214 are exposed from the cover 210 when viewed in the rotation axis A direction.

[0385] On the other hand, in the second slope 2604a2 of the first deregulation portion 2604a, the rise restricted surface 214c does not overlap the rise restricting surface 210e of the cover 210 when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis A as shown in FIG. 65(c). The release member 214 is rotated in the rotation direction D up to the point. Further, the third slope 2604a3 of the first deregulation portion 2604 guides the release member 214 so that it moves upward while being rotated in the rotational direction E, as shown in FIG. 66(a).

[0386] As described above, it is possible to adopt a configuration of the projecting portion that separates the functions of the first deregulation portion 2604a and the second deregulation portion 2604b.

[0387] (Modification 7) Although the toner pack 220 of the second embodiment has the pack-side shutter 203, it may be configured without the pack-side shutter 203. FIG.

[0388] A method of supplying toner to the image forming apparatus using the toner pack 220 without the pack-side shutter 203 will be described.

[0389] FIG. 101(a) shows a perspective view of a toner pack 2820 without a pack-side shutter. 101(b), 101(c), and 101(d) are a left side view, a front view, and a right side view of the toner pack 220 without the pack-side shutter 203, respectively. The nozzle 2802 has an outlet 2802a (opening, nozzle opening) and a protrusion 2802b. The housing part 2801 and the nozzle 2802 are exactly the same as those of the second embodiment, although their shapes are simplified for the sake of clarity. The sealing member s1 seals the outlet 2802a of the nozzle 2802 instead of the pack-side shutter. One end of the sealing member s1 extends above the accommodating portion 2801. As shown in FIG.

[0390] FIG. 102(a) is a perspective view of the toner pack 2820 and the mounting portion 206 with the toner pack 2820 without the pack-side shutter mounted on the mounting portion 206. FIG. FIG. 102(d) shows a rod 2821 used to open the device-side shutter 209. FIG. FIGS. 102(b) and 102(c) are perspective views showing the state before and after the user opens the device-side shutter 209 using the rod 2821, respectively. FIG. 102(d) is a perspective view of the toner pack 220 and the mounting portion 206 after the sealing member s1 is pulled out in the state of FIG. 102(c).

[0391] In the case of the toner pack 2820 without the pack-side shutter, the device-side shutter 209 cannot be opened even if the operation lever 208 is operated as described above. Therefore, by first attaching the toner pack 2820 to the attachment portion 206, the rotation restriction of the device-side shutter 209 of the rotation restriction mechanism 212 is released by the projecting portion 2802b (FIG. 102(a)). After that, the rod 2821 is inserted into the gap between the hole of the mounting portion 206 and the nozzle 2802, and the bent tip portion 2821a of the rod is engaged with the apparatus-side shutter projection 209i (FIG. 102(b)). Next, the rod 2821 is moved in the rotational direction D so as to rotate the apparatus-side shutter 209 from the closed position (FIG. 102(b)) to the open position (FIG. 102(c)). Then, the sealing member s1 is pulled upward to open the outlet 2802a of the nozzle 2802. As shown in FIG. When the container 2801 is compressed by the user in this state, the toner is discharged from the outlet 2802a of the nozzle 2802 and supplied to the toner container 36 of the developer container 32 through the device-side opening 217a of the second frame 217. be.

[0392] As described above, the toner pack 220 may not have the pack-side shutter 203 .

[0393] <Example 3> Next, Example 3 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 103 to 111. FIG. In the present embodiment, the third slope of the regulation release portion is configured as a plane orthogonal to the rotation axis A, as compared with the second embodiment. Further, the projecting portion 202b in the second embodiment is configured to move along the rotation axis A. As shown in FIG. Note that the description of the points similar to those of the above-described embodiment will be omitted. In particular, among the elements disclosed in this embodiment, those corresponding to the members described in Embodiment 2 are given the same names as the members in Embodiment 2, and the points different from those in Embodiment 2 are described. only explained.

[0394] (Toner pack configuration) First, the overall configuration of the toner pack will be described with reference to FIGS. 103 to 107. FIG. 103 is a diagram showing the appearance of the toner pack 320. FIG. FIG. 104 is an exploded perspective view of the nozzle 302 and parts to be assembled to the nozzle 302, showing the parts to be assembled from the first end side (receiving section side) in the first direction D1. FIG. 105 is an exploded perspective view of the nozzle 302 and parts to be assembled to the nozzle 302, showing the parts to be assembled from the opposite side of the first end in the first direction D1 (receiving section side). 106 is a perspective view showing the detailed shape of the regulation release member 304. FIG. 107 is a cross-sectional view of the toner pack 320, which is the X301-X301 cross section shown in FIG. is cut along the pin 333 of the

[0395] As shown in FIG. 103, the toner pack 320 of this embodiment is configured by a nozzle 302 (ejection section), a regulation release member 304, and an operation member 330 in addition to the storage section 201 and the pack-side shutter 203 having the same shape as those of the second embodiment. It is configured. Further, although the details will be described later, in order to operate the restriction release member 304 when the operation member 330 is operated, the shaft member 331, the shaft seal 332 (see FIG. 104), the pin 333, the shaft ring 334, and the shaft ring 335 ( 105) is provided. These parts will be described in detail below. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the toner pack 320 is oriented in a predetermined direction in which at least a portion of the nozzle 302 is below the accommodation portion 201 and the rotational axis A is directed in the direction of gravity. state.

[0396] The nozzle 302 has a substantially cylindrical shape centered on the rotation axis A, as shown in FIG. A hole portion 302e (guide groove) is provided in a cylinder 302g (guide portion) on the side of the nozzle 302 assembled with the accommodating portion 201 (see FIG. 103). The hole 302e has an elongated hole shape that extends in the direction of the arrow U (upward) in the direction of the rotation axis A as it goes in the rotation direction K. As shown in FIG. A pair of holes 302e are provided so as to be rotationally symmetrical about the rotation axis A of the nozzle 302 by 180 degrees.

[0397] As shown in FIG. 105, the nozzle 302 is provided with a cylindrical surface 302i (side surface) on the arrow N direction (downward) side of the cylinder 302g. An opening 302a (discharge port) facing in the radial direction of the rotation axis A is provided on the cylindrical surface 302i. A passage 302j is provided as a space that passes through the nozzle 302 and is connected to the opening 302a. Assuming that the arrow N direction (downward) side of the nozzle 302 is an end face 302h, the end face 302h is provided with a cylindrical support portion 302b projecting in the arrow N direction (downward). In addition, a pair of cutouts 302c are provided in the cylindrical support 302b so as to be rotationally symmetrical about the rotation axis A by 180 degrees. As shown in FIG. 107, the passage 302j of the nozzle 302 is provided with a cylindrical groove 302d centered on the rotational axis A. As shown in FIG. A hole 302f centered on the rotation axis A is provided in the end face of the cylindrical groove 302d in the arrow N direction (downward).

[0398] As shown in FIG. 105, the restriction release member 304 has a substantially cylindrical shape centered on the rotation axis A. As shown in FIG. The restriction release member 304 is provided with a pair of protrusions 304d that protrude in the radial direction of the rotation axis A from the cylindrical portion 304c. The pair of protrusions 304d are provided so as to be rotationally symmetrical about the rotation axis A by 180 degrees. The deregulation member 304 has a first deregulation portion 304a (first projection) and a second deregulation portion 304b (second projection) projecting in the arrow N direction (downward) from an end portion 304e on the arrow N direction (downward) side. be provided. The first deregulation part 304a and the second deregulation part 304b are arranged so as to be symmetrical about the rotation axis A by 180 degrees. Note that the first deregulation part 304a and the second deregulation part 304b are positioned near the opening 302a with respect to the rotation direction K of the rotation axis A when the deregulation member 304, which will be described later, is assembled to the nozzle 302. is a first deregulation unit 304a. As shown in FIGS. 106(a) and 106(b), the first deregulation portion 304a has a first slope 304a1 (first inner engaging surface, first downward surface, first downward guide surface, first force applying surface, first pressing surface), second slope 304a2 (first outer engaging surface, second downward surface, second downward guiding surface, second force applying surface, second pressing surface), flat surface 304a3 (second engaging surface) mating surface, upward surface, upward engaging surface, upward pressing surface, upward force application surface), a first abutment surface 304a5, and a second abutment surface 304a6. Note that the first slope 304a1, the second slope 304a2, and the first abutment surface 304a5 have the same configuration as the first slope 204a1, the second slope 204a2, and the abutment surface 204a5 in the second embodiment, and thus description thereof will be omitted. The plane 304a3 is a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis A, as shown in FIG. 106(c). That is, when the toner pack 320 is oriented in a predetermined direction, the flat surface 304a3 is a surface extending horizontally perpendicular to the direction of gravity. The plane 304a3 is positioned in the direction of arrow U (upward) from at least a portion of the second slope 304a2. The second abutment surface 304a6 is positioned on the upstream side in the rotation direction K of the flat surface 304a3, extends in the direction of arrow U (upward), and faces the downstream side in the rotation direction K. Here, as described above, the second deregulation portion 304b has a shape that is 180 degrees rotationally symmetrical with the first deregulation portion 304a about the rotation axis A, and thus the description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 107, the restriction releasing member 304 is provided with an end portion 304f at the end in the arrow U direction (upward). A hole 304g centered on the rotation axis A is provided in the end 304f.

[0399] The operation member 330 has a substantially cylindrical shape centered on the rotation axis A, as shown in FIG. A substantially cylindrical sealing member 330b is provided inside the cylindrical portion 330a of the operating member 330. As shown in FIG. An elastic member such as urethane foam is applied to the sealing member 330b. The operation member 330 is provided with a pair of holes 330c symmetrical about the rotation axis A that penetrate through the cylindrical portion 330a and the seal member 330b. A straight line connecting the centers of the pair of hole portions 330c is arranged so as to be substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis A. As shown in FIG.

[0400] The shaft member 331 has an elongated cylindrical shape arranged coaxially with the rotation axis A, and is composed of a shaft portion 331b and a small-diameter shaft portion 331c having a smaller radius than the shaft portion 331b. Further, the small-diameter shaft portion 331c is arranged on the arrow N direction (downward) side of the shaft portion 331b. A through hole 331a substantially perpendicular to the rotation axis A is provided in the shaft portion 331b.

[0401] The shaft seal 332 has a substantially cylindrical shape arranged coaxially with the rotation axis A, and is made of an elastic member such as urethane foam. ...

Claims

1. A toner container comprising: a container configured to contain toner; a discharge section configured to have an opening for discharging the toner from the container section to the outside; a rotating member that is rotatable with respect to the discharge portion in a first rotation direction about a central axis as a rotation axis and in a second rotation direction that is a direction opposite to the first rotation direction; a protrusion that is located below the opening of the discharge portion when the toner container is oriented in a predetermined direction in which the central axis is oriented in the direction of gravity and at least a part of the discharge portion is below the storage portion, the protrusion having an inner circumferential surface facing inward in a radial direction of a virtual circle centered on the central axis and protruding downward; Equipped with The opening of the discharge portion is configured to face radially outward; When the toner container is oriented in the predetermined direction, the protrusion has an upward surface facing upward, the upward surface being located outside the inner circumferential surface and inside the opening of the discharge portion in the radial direction, The upward surface extends upward in the second rotation direction. A toner container comprising:

2. 2. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the upward surface is configured to be exposed to the outside of the toner container.

3. 3. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein a gap is provided above the upward surface of the protrusion when the toner container is oriented in the predetermined direction.

4. A toner container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, when the toner container is oriented in the specified direction, the protrusion portion extends upward from the downstream end of the upward surface in the second rotation direction along the direction of the central axis, and has a downstream end surface facing downstream in the first rotation direction.

5. 5. A toner container according to claim 1, wherein the upward surface is inclined at an angle of 30 degrees or more and 60 degrees or less with respect to the central axis when the toner container is oriented in the specified direction and the toner container is viewed in the radial direction.

6. 6. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein, when the discharge portion is viewed in the direction of the central axis, the upward surface is provided at a position closer to the inner circumferential surface in the radial direction than the opening.

7. 7. The toner container according to claim 6, wherein when the discharge portion is viewed in the direction of the central axis, the distance from the inner circumferential surface to the upward surface is 30% or less of the distance from the inner circumferential surface to the opening.

8. When the toner container is oriented in the predetermined direction, the protrusion has a downward surface that faces downward and extends upward in the first rotation direction, 8. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the upward surface is located above at least a portion of the downward surface.

9. 9. The toner container according to claim 8, wherein the downward surface overlaps the upward surface when viewed in the direction of the central axis.

10. 10. The toner container according to claim 8, wherein the protrusion has a connecting portion that connects a downstream end of the downward surface in the first rotation direction to an upstream end of the upward surface in the second rotation direction.

11. 11. A toner container according to claim 8, wherein the downward surface is inclined at an angle of 30 degrees or more and 60 degrees or less with respect to the central axis when the toner container is oriented in the specified direction and the toner container is viewed in the radial direction.

12. 12. The toner container according to claim 8, wherein when the toner container is oriented in the predetermined direction and viewed in the radial direction, the upward surface is longer than the downward surface.

13. the protrusion portion includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion located at a position different from the first protrusion in a circumferential direction of the imaginary circle, When the upward surface and the downward surface are defined as a first upward surface and a second downward surface, respectively, the first projection has the first upward surface and the second downward surface, The second protrusion has a second upward surface and a fourth downward surface.

13. The toner container according to claim 8, wherein the toner container is a toner container having a toner container.

14. 14. The toner container according to claim 13, wherein the second upward surface and the fourth downward surface have rotationally symmetric shapes with respect to the central axis at an angle of 150 degrees or more and 210 degrees or less of the first upward surface and the second downward surface, respectively.

15. 15. The toner container according to claim 14, wherein the second upward surface and the fourth downward surface have shapes that are rotationally symmetrical to the first upward surface and the second downward surface, respectively, with respect to the central axis by 180 degrees.

16. the protrusion portion includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion located at a position different from the first protrusion in a circumferential direction of the imaginary circle, The first projection has the upward surface, The second projection has the downward surface.

13. The toner container according to claim 8, wherein the toner container is a toner container having a toner container.

17. 17. The toner container according to claim 16, wherein the second protrusion is provided on a side opposite to the first protrusion with respect to the central axis in the radial direction.

18. 18. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member is provided on an outer side of the discharge portion in the radial direction.

19. 20. The toner container according to claim 18, wherein the rotating member is configured to rotate about the central axis between a closing position where the opening is closed and an opening position where the opening is opened.

20. a rotating member opening that exposes the opening of the discharge portion to the outside of the toner container when the rotating member is in the open position, the rotating member having an outer surface extending in the direction of the central axis; 20. The toner container according to claim 19, wherein a recess is provided on the outer surface on the opposite side of the central axis from the rotary member opening, the recess being recessed inward in the radial direction.

21. 21. The toner container according to claim 20, wherein, when the toner container is viewed in the direction of the central axis, the protrusion is located closer to the central axis in the radial direction than the recess.

22. 22. The toner container according to claim 20, wherein the protrusion is located inside a width of the opening of the rotating member in a direction perpendicular to the central axis when viewed in the radial direction.

23. The discharge portion has, on an outer surface extending in the direction of the central axis, a first opposing surface and a second opposing surface extending in a direction perpendicular to the central axis and opposed to each other with a gap therebetween, When the rotating member is in the closed position, the first opposing surface and the second opposing surface of the discharge portion are exposed from the rotating member opening, the first opposing surface and the second opposing surface are parallel to each other, 23. The toner container according to claim 22, wherein, when the discharge portion is viewed in the direction of the central axis, a second imaginary line obtained by rotating a first imaginary line passing through the center of the first opposing surface and the second opposing surface and parallel to the first opposing surface by 90 degrees about the central axis passes through the opening.

24. 24. The toner container according to claim 19, wherein the direction in which the rotating member rotates from the closed position to the open position is the first rotation direction.

25. 25. The toner container of claim 24, further comprising a seal for sealing between the rotatable member and the discharge portion when the rotatable member is in the closed position.

26. 26. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the inner circumferential surface of the protrusion is configured so as to be centered on the central axis.

27. 27. The toner container according to claim 26, wherein the inner circumferential surface of the protrusion is a cylindrical surface.

28. 28. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is configured to protrude downward from a bottom surface of the toner container when the toner container is oriented in the predetermined direction.

29. 29. The toner container according to claim 28, wherein the protrusion is provided on the lower surface of the discharge portion when the toner container is oriented in the predetermined direction.

30. 30. The toner container according to claim 29, wherein the protrusion protrudes downward from a hole provided in a bottom surface of the rotating member when the toner container is oriented in a predetermined direction.

Images