Toner cartridge

Abstract

To suppress the displacement of an adhesive from a predetermined position when a memory substrate is bonded to a holder.SOLUTION: A toner cartridge comprises a memory substrate 30 and a holder 40. Electrical contact surfaces 32 are located at a front surface 31A of a substrate 31, and a storage element 33 is located at a back surface 31B of the substrate 31. The holder 40 includes a first surface 41 facing the back surface 31B, a recess 42, and a rib 43. The first surface 41 is located away from the back surface 31B by a first distance D1. The recess 42 has a bottom surface 42A located away from the back surface 31B by a second distance D2 larger than the first distance D1. The rib 43 is formed around the recess 42 and the first surface 41. The rib 43 is spaced apart from the recess 42 by a predetermined distance and protrudes from the first surface 41. A tip of the rib 43 is located away from the back surface 31B. The back surface 31B of the substrate 31 and the bottom surface 42A of the holder 40 are bonded to each other with an adhesive GL.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a toner cartridge equipped with an IC chip capable of storing information. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a cartridge for an image forming device has been known that includes a memory board on which a memory element is fixed and a holder that holds the memory board. In this technology, the surface of the board opposite to the electrical contact surface is adhered to the adhesive surface of the holder with an adhesive (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-109732 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the process of adhering the memory board to the holder, adhesive is applied to the holder and the memory board is pressed against the adhesive to adhere the memory board to the holder. In this process, if the adhesive shifts from its predetermined position when the memory board is pressed against the adhesive, the adhesion between the memory board and the holder will be insufficient, so it is desirable that the adhesive does not shift from its predetermined position.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to prevent the adhesive from shifting from a predetermined position when adhering a memory board to a holder. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The toner cartridge for solving the above-mentioned problems includes a housing for accommodating toner, a memory board, and a holder. The memory board has a substrate, an electrical contact surface, and a memory element. The substrate has a front surface and a back surface opposite the front surface. The electrical contact surface is located on the front surface of the substrate. The memory element is located on the back surface of the substrate. The memory element is capable of storing information about the toner cartridge. The holder holds a memory board. The holder is attached to a housing. The holder has a first surface, a recess, a rib, a support surface, and a second surface. The first surface faces the back surface of the board. The first surface is located a first distance away from the back surface of the board. The recess is recessed from the first surface. The recess has a bottom surface located a second distance away from the back surface of the board that is greater than the first distance. The rib is formed around the recess and the first surface. The rib is located a predetermined distance away from the recess and protrudes from the first surface. The tip of the rib is located away from the back surface. The support surface contacts the back surface of the board. The second surface is located between the rib and the support surface. The second surface is located a third distance away from the back surface of the board that is greater than the second distance. The back surface of the substrate and the bottom surface of the holder are bonded with an adhesive.

[0007] The bottom surface of the holder is formed in a recess on the first surface, and ribs are formed around the recess and the first surface, which prevents the adhesive from shifting from its designated position when the memory board is attached to the holder.

[0008] The rib may extend in the shape of a rectangular frame.

[0009] Since the rib extends in the shape of a rectangular frame, the adhesive can be retained within the rib and filled with the adhesive.

[0010] The recess may have cylindrical sides and a circular bottom.

[0011] The cylindrical shape of the recess makes it easy to apply adhesive to the holder.

[0012] The rib may have an inclined surface that inclines away from the first surface in the thickness direction as it moves away from the recess.

[0013] The ribs have inclined surfaces, which makes it easier to keep the adhesive inside the ribs.

[0014] The holder may have a through hole in the second surface.

[0015] Since the holder has a through hole on the second surface, it is possible to check whether or not there is adhesive through the through hole.

[0016] The holder may have a through hole at a position overlapping with a part of the rib.

[0017] The holder has a through hole at a position where it overlaps with a part of the rib, so that it is possible to check whether or not there is adhesive through the through hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent the adhesive from shifting from a predetermined position when adhering the memory board to the holder. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] 1A is a perspective view showing the front side of a memory substrate, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the back side thereof. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a cross-sectional view of the holder and the memory substrate in a state where the memory substrate is held by the holder. FIG. [Figure 6] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which adhesive is applied to a holder, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a memory substrate is pressed against the holder. [Figure 7] 10A is a perspective view showing the front surface side of a memory substrate in a second embodiment, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view showing the back surface side. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a holder according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a front view of a holder according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a holder and a memory substrate in a state where the memory substrate is held by the holder in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] 1, the toner cartridge 1 according to the first embodiment includes a developing roller 10, a housing 20, a memory board 30, and a holder 40. The toner cartridge 1 is mounted in the main body of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (not shown).

[0021] The developing roller 10 is supported by the housing 20 so as to be rotatable about a development axis 10X extending in the first direction. The developing roller 10 is rotatable relative to the housing 20. The developing roller 10 supplies toner in the housing 20 to the photosensitive drum.

[0022] In the following description, the first direction is the direction along the axial direction of the developing roller 10. The second direction is the direction perpendicular to the first direction and is the direction along the memory substrate 30. The third direction is the direction perpendicular to the first and second directions and is the thickness direction of the memory substrate 30. The arrows indicating each direction in the drawings point to one side in each direction.

[0023] The housing 20 extends in a first direction. That is, the housing 20 has a shape that is long in the first direction. The housing 20 has a housing main body 21 and an attachment member 22.

[0024] The housing main body 21 accommodates toner inside. The mounting member 12 is a member for mounting the holder 40 to the housing 20. The mounting member 12 has a hole 22A to which the holder 40 is mounted. The mounting member 12 is located at one end of the housing main body 21 in the first direction.

[0025] The holder 40 is a member that holds the memory board 30. The holder 40 is attached to the housing 20. The holder 40 is located on the outer surface of the housing 20. More specifically, the holder 40 is located at one end of the housing 20 in the first direction. The holder 40 has a boss 40B. The boss 40B of the holder 40 fits into the hole 12A of the mounting member 12.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), the memory substrate 30 includes a substrate 31, an electrical contact surface 32, and a memory element 33.

[0027] The substrate 31 is a circuit board and has a flat plate shape. The substrate 31 has an approximately rectangular shape. The substrate 31 has a front surface 31A, a back surface 31B, a first protrusion 31C, and a second protrusion 31D. The back surface 31B is the surface opposite the front surface 31A. The first protrusion 31C protrudes in the second direction from the other side surface of the substrate 31 in the second direction. The second protrusion 31D protrudes in the second direction from one side surface of the substrate 31 in the second direction. The length of the second protrusion 31D in the second direction is longer than the length of the first protrusion 31C in the second direction.

[0028] The electrical contact surfaces 32 are metal surfaces for electrically connecting the memory board 30 to the main body of the image forming apparatus. The electrical contact surfaces 32 are located on the surface 31A of the board 31. In this embodiment, the memory board 30 has three electrical contact surfaces 32. The four electrical contact surfaces 32 are rectangular and aligned in the first direction.

[0029] The memory element 33 is capable of storing information about the toner cartridge 1. The memory element 33 has a rectangular plate shape. The memory element 33 is located on the rear surface 31B of the substrate 31. In this embodiment, the memory element 33 is located at the other end in the first direction and at the center in the second direction.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the holder 40 has an outer surface 48 and a memory mounting portion 49.

[0031] The outer surface 48 is the outer surface of the holder 40 .

[0032] The memory mounting portion 49 is a recess provided in the outer surface 48 for mounting the memory board 30. When viewed in the third direction, the memory mounting portion 49 has an outline that roughly follows the outline of the board 31. The memory mounting portion 49 has a first notch 44A and a second notch 44B in its outline. The first protrusion 31C of the board 31 fits into the first notch 44A. The second protrusion 31D of the board 31 fits into the second notch 44B. The memory mounting portion 49 also has a first surface 41, a recess 42, a rib 43, a support surface 44, a second surface 45, a through-hole 46, and a recess 47.

[0033] 5, the first surface 41 is a surface perpendicular to the third direction and faces the other side of the third direction. The first surface 41 faces the rear surface 31B of the substrate 31. The first surface 41 is located a first distance D1 away from the rear surface 31B of the substrate 31.

[0034] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the recess 42 is located in the center of the first surface 41. The recess 42 is a portion recessed from the first surface 41. The recess 42 has a cylindrical shape. The recess 42 has a circular bottom surface 42A and a cylindrical side surface 42B.

[0035] 5, the bottom surface 42A is a surface perpendicular to the third direction and faces the other side of the third direction. The bottom surface 42A faces the back surface 31B of the substrate 31. The bottom surface 42A is located a second distance D2 from the back surface 31B of the substrate 31 that is greater than the first distance D1 (D2>D1). The back surface 31B of the substrate 31 and the bottom surface 42A of the holder 40 are bonded with an adhesive GL.

[0036] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the rib 43 is formed around the recess 42 and the first surface 41. The rib 43 is located a predetermined distance away from the recess 42. The rib 43 extends in the shape of a rectangular frame. In this embodiment, the rib 43 is square when viewed from the third direction.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 5, the rib 43 protrudes from the first surface 41. The rib 43 has a tip 43P and an inclined surface 43A. The tip 43P is the portion of the rib 43 closest to the substrate 31. The tip 43P of the rib 43 is located away from the back surface 31B. The inclined surface 43A is located between the tip 43P and the bottom surface 42A. The inclined surface 43A is a surface that inclines so as to move away from the first surface 41 in a third direction, i.e., the thickness direction of the substrate 31, with increasing distance from the recess 42.

[0038] The support surface 44 is a surface that comes into contact with the rear surface 31B of the substrate 31. The support surface 44 is located at a position offset a predetermined distance from the outer surface 49 to one side in the third direction. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the support surface 44 is located around the first surface 41, the recess 42, and the rib 43. The support surface 44 comes into contact with the peripheral edge of the rear surface 31B of the substrate 31. By coming into contact with the substrate 31, the support surface 44 positions the substrate 31 in the third direction.

[0039] The second surface 45 is located between the rib 43 and the support surface 44. The second surface 45 is formed around the first surface 41 and the rib 43. As shown in FIG. 5, the second surface 45 is a surface perpendicular to the third direction and faces the other side of the third direction. The second surface 45 is located a third distance D3 from the rear surface 31B of the substrate 31 that is greater than the second distance D2 (D3>D2). The area of the second surface 45 is greater than the area of the first surface 41.

[0040] The through hole 46 is a hole that extends in the third direction and is formed in the second surface 45. The through hole 46 is located at one end of the second surface 45 in the first direction and at the center of the second surface 45 in the second direction.

[0041] The recess 47 is a hole formed in the second surface 45. The recess 47 is located on the other side in the first direction of the rib 43. The recess 47 has a cylindrical shape. The recess 47 has a circular bottom surface and cylindrical side surfaces.

[0042] Next, a method for adhering the memory substrate 30 to the holder 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b).

[0043] As shown in FIG. 6(a), when the memory substrate 30 is attached to the holder 40, an adhesive GL is applied to the recess 42 of the holder 40. The amount of adhesive GL applied to the recess 42 is set to be sufficiently larger than the volume of the recess 42. When the adhesive GL is applied to the recess 42, the adhesive GL comes into contact with the bottom surface 42A, the first surface 41, and the inclined surface 43A of the rib 43. Furthermore, when the adhesive GL is applied to the recess 42, the viscosity of the adhesive GL causes the adhesive GL to protrude and rise above the tip 43P of the rib 43, but the adhesive GL is blocked by the inclined surface 43A and held inside the rib 43.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 6(b), when the memory substrate 30 is pressed against the holder 40 from the state shown in FIG. 6(a), the adhesive GL is crushed by the memory substrate 30 and the holder 40 and spreads in all directions. At this time, most of the adhesive GL remains on the inclined surface 43A of the rib 43. The adhesive GL that spills out of the rib 43 remains near the rib 43 due to the viscosity of the adhesive GL. In this case, the amount of adhesive GL is sufficiently larger than the volume of the recess 42, so the inside of the rib 43 is filled with adhesive GL.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 5, the adhesive GL that has spilled out of the rib 43 can be seen from the through-hole 46.

[0046] The toner cartridge 1 of this embodiment described above can provide the following effects.

[0047] The bottom surface 42A of the holder 40 is formed in a recess 42 in the first surface 41, and ribs 43 are formed around the recess 42 and the first surface 41, thereby preventing the adhesive GL from shifting from its predetermined position when the memory board 30 is adhered to the holder 40.

[0048] Furthermore, since the rib 43 extends in a rectangular frame shape, the adhesive GL can be retained within the rib 43 and filled with the adhesive GL.

[0049] Furthermore, since the recess 42 is cylindrical, it is easier to determine the application position of the adhesive GL and to apply the adhesive GL to the holder 40 compared to when the recess 42 has a different shape.

[0050] Furthermore, since the rib 43 has the inclined surface 43A, the adhesive GL is less likely to move to the outside of the rib 43, and the adhesive GL is more likely to be held inside the rib 43.

[0051] Furthermore, since the holder 40 has the through-hole 46 on the second surface 45, it is possible to check whether or not the adhesive GL is present through the through-hole 46. Therefore, it is easy to check that the adhesive GL has been applied.

[0052] Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 10. In the following description, parts that differ in shape from the first embodiment will be described, and parts that have the same shape as the first embodiment will not be described. The toner cartridge of the second embodiment includes a memory board 130 and a holder 140.

[0053] As shown in FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b), the memory substrate 130 has a substrate 131, an electrical contact surface 132, and a memory element 133. The substrate 131 has a front surface 131A, a back surface 131B, a first protrusion 131C, and a second protrusion 131D. The memory element 133 is capable of storing information about the toner cartridge 1. The memory element 133 has a rectangular plate shape. The memory element 133 is located on the back surface 131B of the substrate 131. In this embodiment, the memory element 133 is located at one end in the first direction and at the center in the second direction.

[0054] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , the holder 140 has a memory mounting portion 49. When viewed in the third direction, the memory mounting portion 149 has an outline that roughly follows the outline of the substrate 131. The memory mounting portion 149 has a first notch 144A and a second notch 144B in its outline. A first protrusion 131C of the substrate 131 fits into the first notch 144A. A second protrusion 131D of the substrate 131 fits into the second notch 144B. The memory mounting portion 49 also has a first surface 141, a recess 142, a rib 143, a support surface 144, a second surface 145, and a through-hole 146.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 10, the first surface 141 is located a fourth distance D4 away from the rear surface 131B of the substrate 131.

[0056] The recess 142 is a portion recessed from the first surface 141. The recess 142 has a circular bottom surface 142A and a cylindrical side surface 142B.

[0057] The bottom surface 142A is located a fifth distance D5, which is greater than the fourth distance D4, from the back surface 131B of the substrate 131 (D5>D4). The back surface 131B of the substrate 131 and the bottom surface 142A of the holder 140 are bonded with an adhesive GL. In the second embodiment, the memory element 133 of the substrate 131 and the bottom surface 142A of the holder 140 are bonded with an adhesive GL.

[0058] 8 and 9, the rib 143 is formed around the recess 42 and the first surface 141. The rib 143 extends in the shape of a rectangular frame. In this embodiment, the rib 143 has a rectangular shape when viewed from the third direction.

[0059] The second surface 145 is located at a sixth distance D6 greater than the fifth distance D5 (D6>D5) from the rear surface 131B of the substrate 131. The area of the second surface 145 is greater than the area of the first surface 141.

[0060] Through hole 146 is a hole formed in second surface 145 and extends in the third direction. Through hole 146 is located at one end of second surface 145 in the first direction and at the center of second surface 145 in the second direction. In this embodiment, through hole 146 overlaps first surface 141, rib 143, and second surface 145 when viewed from the third direction. That is, through hole 146 is located at a position overlapping with part of first surface 141, part of rib 143, and part of the second surface. Therefore, rib 143 is interrupted at the position where through hole 146 is provided.

[0061] In the second embodiment described above, the bottom surface 142A of the holder 140 is formed in the recess 142 of the first surface 141, and ribs 143 are formed around the recess 142 and the first surface 141, so that the adhesive GL can be prevented from shifting from its predetermined position when the memory substrate 130 is adhered to the holder 140. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the holder 140 has the through-hole 146 at a position overlapping with a part of the rib 143, so that a part of the adhesive GL easily moves to the through-hole 146 when the memory substrate 130 is adhered to the holder 140. This makes it possible to check the presence or absence of the adhesive GL from the through-hole 146.

[0062] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified as appropriate.

[0063] In the first embodiment described above, the holder and parts other than the memory element are bonded together, and in the second embodiment, the holder and the memory element are bonded together, but both the parts other than the memory element and the memory element may be bonded together with the holder.

[0064] In the above-described embodiment, the toner cartridge 1 includes the developing roller 10, but the toner cartridge 1 does not necessarily have to include the developing roller 10.

[0065] The elements described in the above-described embodiment and modified examples can also be implemented in any combination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 30 Memory Board 31 PCB 31A surface 31B back side 32 Electrical contact surface 33 Memory element 40 Holder 41 Page 1 42 recess 42A Bottom 43 Ribs GL Adhesive

Claims

1. A toner cartridge, a housing for containing toner; A memory substrate, a substrate having a front surface and a back surface opposite the front surface; an electrical contact surface located on the surface of the substrate; a memory board having a memory element located on the back surface of the board, the memory element being capable of storing information about the toner cartridge; a holder for holding the memory board, the holder being attached to the housing, a first surface facing the back surface and positioned a first distance away from the back surface; a recess recessed from the first surface and having a bottom surface positioned a second distance from the back surface that is greater than the first distance; a rib formed around the recess and the first surface, positioned a predetermined distance from the recess, and protruding from the first surface, the rib having a tip positioned away from the back surface; a support surface in contact with the back surface; a holder having a second surface located between the rib and the support surface and spaced a third distance from the back surface that is greater than the second distance; The toner cartridge is characterized in that the back surface and the bottom surface are bonded together with an adhesive.

2. 2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the rib extends in the shape of a rectangular frame.

3. The recess has a cylindrical side surface, 2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the bottom surface is circular.

4. 2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the rib has an inclined surface that inclines so as to move away from the first surface in the thickness direction as the rib moves away from the recess.

5. 2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the holder has a through-hole in the second surface.

6. 2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the holder has a through hole at a position overlapping a part of the rib.

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